Playing in Cardiff will help us – Lam
Pat Lam has told Bristol supporters who are unhappy next season’s home Premiership fixture against Bath has been moved to Cardiff’s Principality Stadium that they should remember what happened to Worcester, Wasps and London Irish.
The Bears will take on Bath in the Welsh capital next May in a match billed as the Big Day Out. They are hoping for a crowd of at least double the size of Ashton Gate’s 27,000 capacity in a bid to expand their fan base.
Reaction on supporter forums has been mixed. Some welcome the decision to play at a leading Test ground while others, including season-ticket holders, feel they are being short-changed and that if the match had to be moved Twickenham it would have been more appropriate.
“I won’t be going,” wrote one fan. “Bristol home games are played in Bristol. As a season ticket holder, leaving me feeling cheated is not a good way to get me to buy into anything!”
Another fired off: “I’m not particularly inspired by the thought of extra travel, extra cost and hassle to sit in a stadium they hope will be full of rugby novices, or people just looking for a day out, when I’ve paid to watch a game near home surrounded by other season-ticket holders – too much business not enough rugby for me, but I guess this is the way things are going.”
Not all were against the idea. “I like the fact the club try new things – it could be a nice money spinner and huge success. I hate the fact they just will not consult. This comes a few weeks after many got kicked out their season-ticket seats and the club apologised and promised to do better.” Director of rugby Lam, above, who has cut his squad size this season as part of the club’s drive to become sustainable, said he appreciated where supporters were coming from.
“I understand what they are saying about us playing in Cardiff, but to me it makes no sense. Ask London Irish, Wasps and Worcester fans if they would like to be going there (to watch their sides).
“Playing in a stadium like the Principality is huge and we are all excited about going there. We are in a business that is trying to be more sustainable and we need more income to keep going.
“It is like the jerseys. I do not care if we play in pink if someone is paying for it. We have to make sure we find every single way to promote our game so that more people watch and play it and we generate more income.
“Every club is thinking on those lines in the Premiership because we have the stark reminder of three clubs going under. Everyone has their heads on and are working together.
“You have to change. In the past cameras were not allowed in the dressing room, but now they are because the game needs the money. You have to be constantly thinking about how to get more people involved and grow your income.” Lam was supported by Ellis Genge, although the England prop said that he would play the match at Twickenham, soon to be renamed the Allianz Stadium, given the choice.
“I do not know how many people in Wales will go to the game and then travel over the (Severn) Bridge and watch us play, but I am sure there is a handful,” said Genge.
“Rugby is struggling so to speak, especially the club game. We haven’t had a massive increase in numbers watching us over the years so we need to do something different. It is nice to see innovation.”
Bristol lost £4.5m last year and while there is no danger of them joining the clubs who collapsed under a debt pile while backer Steven Lansdown remains at the helm, their chief operating officer Tom Tain-ton said this month that the Premiership was at a crossroads.
“It has been a really challenging time and we can’t continue down this path, we have to think differently, we have to put our head above the parapet and take some calculated risks,” he said. “For me this is a key time for professional rugby. It’s probably at a crossroads commercially and there is an opportunity to get more eyeballs on it and get a younger demographic interested in the sport.”
