Leading Super League CEO suggests Challenge Cup should leave Wembley

Warrington Wolves CEO Karl Fitzpatrick admits his ‘head’ says the sport may need to look at an alternative venue other than Wembley for the Challenge Cup final.

The Wolves have featured in the last two Wembley finales, losing both to Wigan Warriors and Hull KR. However, they also featured in the historic showdown with the Warriors in Las Vegas at the start of this year, too.

The Warrington CEO admits that he is conscious of the financial burden being placed on supporters when trips to the likes of Newcastle for Magic Weekend and an annual away game in Perpignan against Catalans Dragons are factored into the equation.

And with that in mind, Fitzpatrick admitted to City AM that it may be time to put supporters first and consider whether a move away from Wembley is logical.

He said: “I was a Wigan fan growing up, so I used to go to Wembley all the time. And it was a big occasion.

“Where it sits now, in order of priorities; it has dropped behind the Grand Final but now we throw into the mix Catalans, then we have Magic Weekend.

“Our demographic, they’ve got limited surplus income. So then going on a trip down to London can be expensive.”

 “You could have Toulouse [away], you’ve got Catalan [away], you’ve Magic and on top of that throw Vegas in the mix as well – goodness it starts to add up, it starts to be quite expensive.”

When asked about whether he would keep the final at Wembley, Fitzpatrick admitted he was torn.

He said: “I’m not sure. My heart is saying yes [stay] but my head’s saying we may need to look at somewhere else.

“Hopefully the Ashes series has a big impact on the game at Wembley Stadium, but have we done enough as a game to really have a good shot at filling it? The answer to that may be yes, but I don’t know.”

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