Is Supercup losing its popularity?

[TF_tractorboy]

Just read in the AT that this the 2011 supercup doesn’t have enough signed up for a second round to take place, meaning round one winners go straight into the semi finals.

Its a shame its popularity seems to be dwindling, but maybe its a sign of the times, and maybe winning the event isn’t as much of a draw as it once was??????

[TF_redarmy]

a lot of people have probably had enough of the gamesmanship andy and cant be bothered anymore,some of the stunts pulled by home clubs in the past have soured the competition for a lot of teams.

[SJB]

The “Fixed” date of March 6th for the First Round has probably had a serious effect on entries. It’s too inflexible.

[Del-boyParticipant]

I don’t think it’s as popular now as it was a few years ago. That’s my opinion on a personal level. I’ve competed in 5 of these competitions and I remember not being able to sleep the night prior to these matches. I don’t feel like that now to be honest and it wouldn’t bother me at all if I never competed in this years competition to be honest. I posted on our club forum in October looking for interested names for this years event and even though we eventually managed to get a squad of 20 to pick from I think it was more down to me pestering everyone to get involved rather than the anglers themselves being keen to compete in the competition.

The County Champs is a different cup of tea though. That seems to be gaining in popularity.

~clap ~clap ~clap

Del-boy

[Anonymous]

they don’t call it the skulduggery cup for nothing…

[TF_Waveney One]

It certainly seems to be. 2 bad winters in a row haven’t helped though.

[TF_shep2]

before i climb on my soapbox i have never fished in this competition but it seems to me that its heading the same way as the old club angler of the year competition which was run by match angling plus magazine which i did fish in once i remember it well stood in the draw qeue behind the captain of a division one team who were then sponsored by a major tackle manufacturer and thought hold on a minute~naughty as for the “clubman” supercup event i personally know most of the anglers of the team that have won the competition for 2yr on the trot and believe me none of them are “club” standard anglers i know its difficult to police entries ect but this is why the likes of us proper clubbys stay away from a competition originally designed for us~hand

[TF_Neil]

@SJB wrote:

The “Fixed” date of March 6th for the First Round has probably had a serious effect on entries. It’s too inflexible.

It may have had an effect on entries but it gets round the perennial problem of teams refusing to compromise on dates.

A colleague in a different team told me that a couple of years back their team was drawn at home against two sides from the same club. Even though a number of different dates were offered the away teams wouldn’t agree to any of them. The result was that AT ‘put the names in a hat’ and consequently the ‘A’ team from the opposing club went through.

Give me a fixed date anyday.

[TF_hempseed]

~think Hmmm i think that the fixed date is a good idea regarding agreeing dates but probably stopped a few teams being able to enter. I also agree that the Angling Times Van Den Eynde CLUBMAN Supercup is a little misleading as you presume its your local joe bloggs pub team you will be fishing against, as its a club event and for teams who put results into the club section of Angling Times. Our team has fished for last 2 years and have fished against teams that have had top open anglers in, one guy had over 300 county champ points last year who fished for one side, not his fault, he broke no rules, i just think thats what will kill the event in the long run. maybe if they want to police it and get it back and make it a true club scene event, they could stop anglers who register for county champs fishing or those who get over certain points? either way it will be shame if event goes down hill now.

[Average-AlParticipant]

Shep2 you got in before me couldn’t agree more!!

[TF_redarmy]

theres definately a lot of top class open winners competing in the supercup and the garbo club angler of the year

[TF_Cutnut]

I also believe the one date only option for the first round has had an impact on some clubs decisions. The gamesmanship that has occurred in the past has also tarnished the supercup in my opinion. Two fixed dates may have been more flexible but really there is enough notice for teams to get a confirmation of numbers, however,
it does not allow for a non fishable situation caused by foul weather. This in itself is pants as it then is drawn from a hat, you might just as well have bought a lottery ticket.

I remember our teams first round last year and it was very doubtful that the home teams water would be fishable. As it turned out it went ahead but it was a pants day fishing wise with only about 6 anglers catching anything. Most having to wait for ice sheets to move out of their swims before they could cast to the holed up fish, it was not a day for pole fishing.

The prospect of fishing on another frozen pond does not instill me with any kind of enthusiasm, but I will be there if picked and who knows the weather just might be warm….~think

[TF_Vince8]

May be reduced numbers because they had to sign up to the Clubman site first?

Agree with what’s been said, you never know the real clubs might survive and some will be lucky.

I dont think any club that’s big enough to fish a National should be allowed in.

[Daddy BParticipant]

Personally I am surprised it has lasted this long, has been abused from day 1 and A.T has never had the ability / interest in running the competition on an equitable basis.

[TF_carpmagicParticipant]

The thing is it seems to me to be unpolicable. As where do you draw the line as to whose an open match angler and whose a club angler. Nearly all the club anglers i know fish an open or two as well so where do you draw the line?
I should imagine running supercup is a thankless task as all you get is moans about he shouldnt be fishing as hes sponsored. Then teams cant agree on the rules, or in onee scenario i know of how many hours the match should be! Maybe the competition has gone as far as it could go, i would suggest its anglers that have ruined it to be fair though.

[TF_Mikey .J.]

We missed the entry date, tried to get in and they wouldnt let us.

[TF_redarmy]

steve it cant be hard to work out that anglers there putting in there paper virtually every week are not clubbies,i remember some of the organisers coming on a thread a few years back trying to say they didnt know all match anglers after it was flagged to them about craig obrian fishing.if that name didnt stick out it cant of been policed very well as at the time craig was in all the monthlys as well doing a series on the method.

[TF_carpmagicParticipant]

Redarmy, thats anglers abusing the system though. Lots of very good anglers round the midlands go out with clubs and fish opens. Fishing has changed in that respect. Unfortunately i think as far as supercup goes differentiating between a club angler and an open match angler is impossible since i would guess well over 50% do both.

[TF_redarmy]

agree steve but even the garbo club angler has people in the final every year who are top class open match winners and festival framers and not in the true spirit what you would class as clubbies.

[tweet]

@redarmy wrote:

agree steve but even the garbo club angler has people in the final every year who are top class open match winners and festival framers and not in the true spirit what you would class as clubbies.

That’ll be Mr Swain then ~sick ~sick

[TF_hempseed]

Didn’t Dave Harrell say that they had to turn some top names away from entering the G.A.O.Y because they went clubbies? fair play to him. I’m sure he wrote something in the editorial last year before rounds kicked of. Surely as said before Angling Times could look at names entered before hand, you dont get 100 plus county champ points from entering the odd open!! I’m sure this would encourage teams not to drop out or rejoin?~think

[andy85Participant]

my team won the supercup 2 year ago now an at the time i was fishing all the open circuit matches but the rules stated if u was only sponsored by a tackle shop then u could fish. i wouldnt say i was a club angler but i wasnt breaking the rules either maybe it should change to bein open to all that way u could have the best anglers teaming up with other top anglers. i know id love to fish an event like that with all my close mates who i go with week in week out an compete against the likes of the shipp,ringer,rich an mays of this world. it would be like the fa cup of match fishing would it not coz the supercup is a good format in my opinion similar to the f.a cup with the home draws etc. what do you lot think?

[TF_Irk the purists]

Andy,

Don’t AT already run that comp….. It’s called the Angling Times Winter League….

~think

[TF_Karponi]

I think the fixed date has prevented some teams from entering due to other commitments, but I was watching this video the other night

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylhJsNuoajI

this was 2008 and he says they had 350 teams, now in AT they say they have just over 200 teams, thats nearly half the teams dropped out in two years! Thats alot of anglers say 120 teams less with 8 in a team for the first round thats nearly 1000 anglers turned their back on this competition.
I think AT do need to police this better and also define what they call a club.
I would like to know how I can join the Partridge Lakes Club? Does one exist?
A club in my book has a committee of officers and owns or rents waters and has members who pay to join that club.
Can you form a team or squad of 20 people and then call it a club?

[andy85Participant]

@Irk the purists wrote:

Andy,

Don’t AT already run that comp….. It’s called the Angling Times Winter League….

~think

no mate thats the angling times winter league i fish the at winter league wit drennan nw what i mean is some anglers dont like committing to teams but would fish a once a year team event wit there mates. for example andy may an kieron rich dont fish for teams but if they could put a team together with there mates like they do for the partridge w/l etc it could interest a few more teams. im talking about a team event run similar too the supercup where ur team gets a home draw etc like the f.a cup the a.t w/l is set venues and alot of ppl aint interested in fishing the nene of the grand union canal anymore.

[TF_Neil]

@andy85 wrote:

@Irk the purists wrote:

Andy,

Don’t AT already run that comp….. It’s called the Angling Times Winter League….

~think

no mate thats the angling times winter league i fish the at winter league wit drennan nw what i mean is some anglers dont like committing to teams but would fish a once a year team event wit there mates. for example andy may an kieron rich dont fish for teams but if they could put a team together with there mates like they do for the partridge w/l etc it could interest a few more teams. im talking about a team event run similar too the supercup where ur team gets a home draw etc like the f.a cup the a.t w/l is set venues and alot of ppl aint interested in fishing the nene of the grand union canal anymore.

Didn’t Andy and Kieron fish this year’s Div 1 national for Team Last-Cast?

I’d always thought the supercup was designed for true club anglers. It got hijacked by open match anglers forming a ‘club’ for the purposes of the event and was then poorly policed by AT. As Karponi points out, it isn’t difficult to establish the basis of a true club. With the advent of the County Champs AT don’t really have an excuse for not being able to spot ineligible anglers either.

[TF_Neil]

@andy85 wrote:

@Irk the purists wrote:

Andy,

Don’t AT already run that comp….. It’s called the Angling Times Winter League….

~think

no mate thats the angling times winter league i fish the at winter league wit drennan nw what i mean is some anglers dont like committing to teams but would fish a once a year team event wit there mates. for example andy may an kieron rich dont fish for teams but if they could put a team together with there mates like they do for the partridge w/l etc it could interest a few more teams. im talking about a team event run similar too the supercup where ur team gets a home draw etc like the f.a cup the a.t w/l is set venues and alot of ppl aint interested in fishing the nene of the grand union canal anymore.

Didn’t Andy and Kieron fish this year’s Div 1 national for Team Last-Cast?

I’d always thought the supercup was designed for true club anglers. It got hijacked by open match anglers forming a ‘club’ for the purposes of the event and was then poorly policed by AT. As Karponi points out, it isn’t difficult to establish the basis of a true club. With the advent of the County Champs AT don’t really have an excuse for not being able to spot ineligible anglers either.

[TF_Dodge]

@Neil wrote:

@andy85 wrote:

@Irk the purists wrote:

Andy,

Don’t AT already run that comp….. It’s called the Angling Times Winter League….

~think

no mate thats the angling times winter league i fish the at winter league wit drennan nw what i mean is some anglers dont like committing to teams but would fish a once a year team event wit there mates. for example andy may an kieron rich dont fish for teams but if they could put a team together with there mates like they do for the partridge w/l etc it could interest a few more teams. im talking about a team event run similar too the supercup where ur team gets a home draw etc like the f.a cup the a.t w/l is set venues and alot of ppl aint interested in fishing the nene of the grand union canal anymore.

Didn’t Andy and Kieron fish this year’s Div 1 national for Team Last-Cast?

I’d always thought the supercup was designed for true club anglers. It got hijacked by open match anglers forming a ‘club’ for the purposes of the event and was then poorly policed by AT. As Karponi points out, it isn’t difficult to establish the basis of a true club. With the advent of the County Champs AT don’t really have an excuse for not being able to spot ineligible anglers either.

Bang on Neil ~clap ~clap ~clap

[TF_breamgodParticipant]

i think if they let any one fish it then youll lose all the anglers that think they are wasting there money trying to compete against top anglers just like what is happening in the angling times winter leagues i used to fish for daiwa goldthorpe and our 10 team league went down to 6 in a matter of 2yrs had to merge with another league to make it comply to rules

[andy85Participant]

yeah andy an kieron do fish the national for last cast. what i was sayin is if the supercup is goin downhill then why not try an make a totally new competition like the supercup format (which is a good format by the way i think) but open it to all anglers so they can take on the better teams in a one off match on possibly there home choice of water. thats only if the supercup goes completly downhill 200 teams is still pretty good tbh. only a suggestion not sayin thats what it should be like. an yes ppl do bend the rules but the rules are if ur only sponsored by a tackle shop then u can fish the supercup which is what we did an won it. there is alot of good unsponsored anglers who aint clubbies but there the rules. maybe they need to change them to genuine clubs only an not be able to go in under a tackle shop or a fishery name.

[TF_SWAINY]

TWEET

Who the F@@k are you putting my name on here

~naughty

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