disco wrote:In a similar vein Scotland have always managed to sell out Six Nations games (barring Italy) even during periods when the national side was pretty dreadful and Autumn Test attendances plummeted. Which maybe suggests there's still an appetite among rugby fans for an event and a 'guid day oot' even when the result might be almost a foregone conclusion.
The is aways a bit more than winning but perennial losers with no hope on the horizon is a killer!
But the filling of Murryfiled is not a simple as you suggest,not quite. As FKL says huge numbers of Welsh and Irish in particular travelled - but could always get tickets as a Scot if you wanted them, and just always for the French game.
The difference these days is far more Scots fans, and that started before we really improved much to be fair, but the green shots were there - and a key point is the Scotland season pass - folk now fear they won't get a ticket and sign up for these. Demand now exceeds supply by a long way, and seats are sold for Italy whether folk attend or not.
The lessons for Edinburgh are obvious. You cannot create a situation where demand gets anywhere even half way to match supply in Murrayfield for an Edinburgh match. How many folk would see a wet cold night in a 5% filled stadium as a party night?
Also as you suggest Murrayfield like other international stadia is also a bit of a party day - get folk who would never be near a game otherwise (which is fine, their money is as good as mine!). And its a max of 5 days a year as opposed to 14. You will see them all over, but only at big games; not for Dragons on a typical Edinburgh Friday evening. A pro club cannot core support round party goers.
what builds support is winning. What gets a team wining is a combination of many things; so is what makes them perennial losers. Playing in your own ground, not the national stadium should be a no brainer