My latest A Vivrant Field Report took me to Old Trafford for the biggest day in the Rugby Super League calendar, as a sellout crowd saw Wakefield Trinity beat Warrington Wolves 23-10 to win their first Grand Final and become only the sixth team in the Super League era to win the title.
It has been a long wait for both sets of fans since they last won a Rugby League title. For Warrington the wait since 1955 continues and it’s now 5 Grand Final defeats, while Wakefield ended a 58 year wait which is remarkable in itself, but add in the fact they were relegated from Super League in 2023 then it goes down as one of the more surprising title wins in league history.
I wanted to see what ending that wait would mean for fans of both clubs ahead of the game, where nervous excitement and optimism was on full display amidst an incredible atmosphere.
There’s something special about Rugby League, it’s not always nationally recognised and very concentrated to Northern parts of England but that doesn’t make it any less important to the people across those towns and cities who show support to their teams and was evident in the conversations I had.
I remember watching lots of Friday night Super League as a kid when we first got Sky and there was only two live football games on. I even got a Wigan shirt and made my parents go to their old ground on a trip once but I must admit I’ve not followed it closely in recent years and attending was very last minute. It’s strange attending a final as a neutral as you’re not caught up in the nervousness, but I definitely got caught up in the atmosphere and tension the more I spoke to people and once the game kicked off. I felt gutted for Warrington as their wait continues but you can’t help but feel pleased for Wakefield, a remarkable turnaround in recent years.
The final also showed how powerful sport is watching in person. You don’t always need to know everything about a sport to enjoy it, the human stories and emotional outpouring can pull you in. I had no affiliation to either Warrington or Wakefield yet the sense of belonging and being part of something got to me. I can only imagine how great the celebrations the rest of the weekend must have been for Wakefield and how Warrington fans must have felt knowing their wait continues.
So far with these A Vivrant Field Reports I’ve explored World Cup fandom, New York Knicks and NYC basketball, UK basketball and now Super League with many more to come.
One of my original reasons for being in Manchester was to attend my first WSL game, between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad. I also squeezed in the WCL game between City and Real Madrid at their Joie Stadium. It was good to see games at both stadiums City use and the broad mix of fans in attendance. I was impressed by how many Arsenal fans travelled on the Sunday, although I was surprised at the overall attendances for both, expecting them to be higher given it was the international break for men’s football. The Cutback outlines attendances across both WSL and WCL are down compared with the same stage as last season, although it’s still very early in the season. They have previously mentioned and covered in their ‘From Visible to Viable’ report how the next step for women’s football is building repeat attendance so it will be interesting to see how that plays out this season. Both games I watched were high on quality, Lauren Hemp fanboy over here and I’m looking forward to watching more WSL games in person this season.
CATCHING THE EYE ACROSS HOW SPORT IS EXPERIENCED AND MARKETED
The new NBA season is approaching and various league and partner content to tip-off the season is rolling out. Prime had a great debut season of coverage and their new season teaser to show they bring fans closer to the action has some of the NBA’s stars like Jalen Brunson and Paolo Banchero show up in a family’s living room, with play-by-play provided by the Prime team.
Speaking of the NBA, the latest in the NBA Europe and EuroLeague saga took place in Como and at Leaders this week. The EuroLeague owners rejected the merger proposals from the NBA, while at Leaders George Aivazoglou, the NBA’s managing director for Europe and the Middle East, criticized the EuroLeague’s closed structure and reiterated plans to launch NBA Europe. Although that’s now likely going to happen in 2028, not 2027 which always felt very ambitious.
Sean Dyche and Steve Bracknall combine to help non-league side Woodley United to rise up the league in an eye catching partnership with Durex.
The World Cup helped grow soccer fandom with the share of Americans who identify as fans jumping by 10 percentage points, according to a poll conducted for Bloomberg. 46% of respondents said they were soccer fans in September, up from just before the tournament started in June.
The NFL Shop want’s you to “Fan Like a Pro” with a series of short films featuring players, fans and influencers displaying their personal style and showing how NFL apparel and merch crosses over from sport to everyday. The series has seven short films featuring over 40 players, including Travis Hunter, TreVeyon Henderson, Aidan Hutchinson, Dion Dawkins, Tetairoa McMilan and Kamari Lassiter. I like the playfulness of what could easily just be some quick product look book visuals, but the series elevates it into something more interesting and practical.
Every article I write at Vivrant is 100% written by me, although I still worry Pangram is somehow going to say otherwise when I hit scan! The same can’t be said for the Portland Trailblazers owner Tom Dundon, who has faced much criticism since buying the franchise and tried to address that in a season ticket holders letter, which allegedly was written by AI. Awkward.
Next week I’m looking at sports sponsorship effectiveness as some great research and reports have recently been released by the The Sponsorship Effectiveness Forum and the IPA which I’m currently reading, as well as a look at how the Golden State Valkyries have broken the franchise mould in achievement and fan building as they prepare for the WNBA Finals, in just their second season.