PAUL Wellens believes rugby league may have allowed one of its major competitions to become the Challenged Cup.
But any decision about moving the final from Wembley should only be made after speaking to those who savour it the most – the fans.
Strategic partner IMG is looking at revamping the competition, with moving the final earlier in the calendar and a ‘Champions League’ group stage among the options.
And St Helens boss Wellens believes the 13-a-side code has allowed the Challenge Cup to drift.
Ahead of tomorrow’s quarter final at Hull FC, he said: “Maybe we have taken it for granted a little bit and when you do that, at times you can dilute what that means to everybody.
“Talk to anyone about the Challenge Cup and the historic finals in the past and special occasions are remembered.
“For us as a sport, the challenge is to create more of them but that is something we have maybe been guilty of.
“I’ve not been part of any discussions but what I do know is it’s one of the most historic competitions, not just in rugby league but in world sport.
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“The traditionalist in me would say I’d like to retain its knockout status but we’ve had trouble selling Wembley out recently.
“We have to look into the reasons why that is, do some research and connect with the fans.
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“If it’s a location thing, as a game we’ll need to look at maybe doing something about it but what we can’t do is just throw a trip down to Wembley in the bin because of a few years when we haven’t filled it.”
One of the arguments about the Challenge Cup is Super League sides come in too late, robbing lower league clubs of a chance to test themselves against the big boys.
But while Wellens admits they add a different slant to matches, the 13-a-side code’s chiefs cannot just pile more fixtures on to players.
He added: “We were fortunate enough to go to Halifax this year and Whitehaven last year. Those were wonderful experiences, to go and play at hugely passionate clubs.
“That adds a different excitement to the challenge of playing in the cup but what we have to be mindful of is there are only 52 weeks in a year.”
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