Bulls chairman Hood in swipe at BBC as TV debate rages (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Bulls chairman Hood in swipe at BBC as TV debate rages

6:30am Thursday 26th November 2009

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On the surface of it, the Challenge Cup Final’s removal from the list of sporting ‘crown jewels’ is a real slap in the face.

The list of events reserved for free-to-air television reads like a catalogue of showpiece sporting events.

I think the BBC has sold the game short for years

Peter Hood

The Olympics, the football World Cup, the Grand National, Wimbledon – the Challenge Cup’s inclusion among those celebrated competitions seems to confirm its place among the sporting aristocracy.

So, when a panel of experts recommended the removal of its protected status last week, it seemed like a major setback.

Rugby league has never got the coverage it has deserved in the wider media – the general public just don’t seem to get it, no matter how heavy the marketing, how good the product. It’s their loss.

The recent Four Nations was a case in point. A quick scan of the national press the day after England’s final defeat against Australia revealed it was viewed as less important than the England rugby union side’s dire, plodding clash with Argentina – if importance is viewed in column inches that is.

In the five days leading up to the two games, one leading national newspaper ran 43 articles on rugby union’s autumn internationals and just nine on the most important game of the year in rugby league’s international calendar.

I understand the arguments used to justify the lack of column inches but it’s a case of chicken and egg. Rugby league doesn’t have the universal appeal to justify extensive coverage but how is it ever supposed to gain that universal appeal without extensive coverage?

A quick comparison in viewing figures for cricket’s Ashes on free-to-air and pay TV seem to support the idea that the Challenge Cup’s removal from the list of ‘crown jewels’ would be seriously damaging to the sport.

An average of almost three million people watched the last Ashes series to be screened on terrestrial TV, while that figure was less than one million for the recent series screened on Sky.

It’s a significant gap but does it really make a difference in encouraging participation and attracting newcomers to the sport? It’s doubtful. Collaborative community efforts between clubs and the RFL will play a much bigger role in that.

Instead, pride and tradition appear to be the major factors in any argument for the Challenge Cup Final to remain ‘protected’ when that might not be in the best interests of the game.

For a long time, the competition has been an afterthought in the BBC’s scheduling – this year’s competition providing the perfect evidence of that.

Rounds four, five and the quarter-finals were all played within the space of two months but there was then a two-month gap until the semi-finals and just a further three weeks until the final.

The scheduling seemed designed to cause maximum disruption possible to clubs’ Super League campaigns, while being tailored to fit the TV listings. Since the switch to a summer format, the competition seems to have become more marginalised.

Bulls chairman Peter Hood is among prominent figures in the game who have almost reached the end of their tether.

“I’m not persuaded by the argument that it needs to be on terrestrial TV,” said Hood. “I think the BBC has sold the game short for years and consistently failed to live up to promises. Everything from the direction to the number of cameras and the angles, I don’t think the BBC’s coverage has been good.

“I prefer to be in a situation where there’s more than one bid because I feel it’s in the best interests of the game. That’s not necessarily the club view but that’s my own personal view on the matter.”

At a time when the majority of Super League sides are posting a loss year on year, putting the Challenge Cup out to tender must be an attractive option.

Similarly, ECB chairman Giles Clarke believes moving home Ashes series from pay TV to free-to-air in the future would be “absolutely devastating” to cricket, slashing the amount of funds available to develop the grassroots game.

Hood agrees, and in the case of the Challenge Cup would take it one step further, advocating a return to a winter competition.

“I would prefer to start Super League in April, not February or March.

“We get much lower crowds early in the year because fans don’t want to brave bad conditions. It can be colder in February than it is in November. The whole thing used to be a winter competition and it should be again.”

Anyone fancy a trip to Wembley in April?

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