By Brummy Tiger
September 19 2008
I was first taken to Welford Road when just a wee lad, by my best mate’s dad. Strange perhaps living in Brumagem but true. Many years later and officially a grown up and no longer involved with running school rugby teams I invested in a season ticket, latterly in the A & L Santander Block adjacent to such reprobates as Ra, Ro, Les Pants Family, Gary and the Vicar of Dibley.
Elvis was just along the row too.
I started on the terraces until my legs ran out and supporters seemed to be growing taller. Then I moved to the Crumbie where I enjoyed being able to choose where I sat from one game to another. This time another part of my failing body suggested to me that I find somewhere that had a seat rather than a plank from which to watch the lights of my life that provided the best non-chemical experiences of my life, again and again.
My A & L years were the best, largely because of the great people sitting around me. Great banter and despite the awfully loud public address system great rugby chat and some serious analysis. I guess the exception was discussion of the 10 role. I can recommend the cheap seats in the A & L. You see the Tigers warming up. Austin would always do a bit of banter. Geordan Best trying amazing things with the ball too. You get to see some great grunt manoeuvres within the 22, or maybe 7 metre line and seeing the faces of certain try scorers in close up. Wow! Such an image of Castro most vividly remains in my head. We get a bit annoyed too when the pack is outplaying the opposition and the penalties go the other way. Bath, usually.
The main disadvantage in bronze is a total lack of perspective when the ball is in the clubhouse 22. Not a clue how far it actually is to the try line 1 or 15 metres? So why oh why in June 2007 did I decide not to renew and how has my life been ever since?
I don’t do snap decisions. It took me 3 years really? It wasn’t the money although that was a factor when prices went up by way over the inflation rates. It wasn’t the quality of rugby because you support the blokes in the jersey so long as you believe they are doing their best. It was mostly frustration at the club management for not building on the Tigers successive European Championships and the English RWC win of 2003. Why oh why didn’t they start developing Welford Road so I could buy more tickets for friends and family? Why no flexibility with tickets so my seat could be used when I couldn’t be there? I have used Viagogo as a ticket holder and a buyer and found both unsatisfactory.
Why the silly voucher book system which makes it impossible to transfer tickets? Where’s the trust in that? Why no improvement in parking arrangements. Leicester has become so much worse a place to drive to and the train option does not work for me. Such petty things Brummy you might say. Yes perhaps when written down but cumulatively they gnawed away and my enjoyment began to diminish. The excitement, the buzz was less and my attempts at articulating various issues with the club had fallen on largely deaf ears.
So how am I one year on? I paid for membership which kept me in touch to an extent. I went to three home games. Enjoyed them, enjoyed being there, found the same frustrations. Found some other aspects of life whereby the whole year was not planned around home games. Meant to go to some midweek games but didn’t. Stayed in touch with you folks on this website. Felt very angry about Loffreda’s treatment. Unsure about next season. I still drink out of my Tigers Mug, write with my Tigers pen, light up my office with my Tigers lampshade, had a new shirt for my birthday from my sons and check this site several times most days.
Overall I think that I am still in a state of shock.
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I can't get to enough games to justify a season ticket. Fridays and Sundays are almost impossible.
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