first things first i am wire fan in peace

after the attendance of Friday, the stand to our right looked pretty empty, this worries me as KR wasalways packed during a saints/wire game. i think this could be due to it being on sky and some of the non-regular supporters thinking they would rather watch the game on sky than make the effort to get to the game, which would have been a none issue if it were a KR as they would have all been there.

it seems like you guys could lose a substantial amount of gate money for every televised game. add to that the cost of builiding a new stadium, i hope it doesn't affect you too much if this is the case.

It's one of those variables jobs. We had to get out of KR for two reasons. The sale of it funds the stadium, and the cost of up keep was crippling us.

The emptiness can be attributed to the factors you mention, but also to the costs as Saints try to make some semblances of money off being away from home this season.

It's a sad case of having to bear it for a year and hope the new stadium is enough of a draw for the stay aways next season.

I don't think the stand to the right will ever be that busy. It's the most expensive stand I believe.

I reckon we'll average around 8,000 this season. A lot of people on here reckoned we'd sold more season tickets this season than last season, but judging by the crowd on Friday I can't believe that is close to being true. If we guestimate there to be 3,000 Warrington fans there it means it is not possible that there were any more than 7,000 season ticket holders.

Personally I reckon that number is probably closer to 5,000. We'll see against Harlequins in our next home game. Provided there is no news that would inflate a crowd, such as an unexpected signing (In light of a player possibly leaving) it'll give us a good indication of a baseline for crowds. It'll probably be our lowest of the season.

When I asked at the Saints shop how many season tickets we had sold for this season I was advised it was 'over 5000'. I don't know how that compares to previous years or to other clubs?

Playing some matches on a Sunday might have helped.

Widnes play on a Sunday.

So? We're chief tenants. They aren't going to mind a professional team bumping the semi-pro boys out to the Fridays.

Looking at the Widnes fixtures there are some possible.

I Know of 5 season ticket holders that did not go on friday

im talking about potential gate loss for televised games, obviously the club will be trying to make ends meet with the stadium but fans could help, even if its a little by getting to televised games, it might only be a couple of grand but every little helps



i think an average of 8,000 would be a shame, i dont know your average from last year but i presume it would be around the 11-12k mark, minimum, i would hope that saints would get at least an average of 10,000 over any recent season, if there is only a gate of 10,514 against warrington which produced a full house over the last few seasons, can that kind of gate make up for gates against the like of quins, catalan, cru cru crusaders, wakey, cas, maybe even the hulls due to the distance and bradford if last season is anything to go by, also leeds if results go against their way.

can a wigan home tie and a warrington tie that had a gate of 10,514 even get you to an 8K average? i would be quite worried if i was you guys. it proven that saints fans have spurred the team on at KR, i feel you may have lost a very influential part of your game by moving (some thigns cant be avoided though)

im not sure how the gate money is divided, if at all, or you pay halton council a flat rate, either way it will hurt you guys and maybe set you back a few years which is a shame if you dont get bums on seats

the only way to beat it is to get none season ticket holder to get to widnes. maybe a big big big community drive is in order, im not sure.

like i say im not sure how this will impact you but low attendances cant help in any situation.

There was always going to be a drop off this year, there aren't as many cheap standing tickets and some people can't/won't travel.

The worry is that it doesn't pick up next year.

Widnes can be a ball ache to get to for those of us from the east side of the area i.e. Haydock, Newton and Beirut, on public transport so that may have to be factored in. However, that wouldn't account for 3k loss in support. It will pick up next year with the new ground. People will want to come to that providing the price is right.

I would imagine the South Stand would have been £24-£26 per seat, quite expensive. Is your new stadium all seater or will you have terracing as well?

Seating down the sides, terracing at both ends.

I hadn't thought of that .... Can I please just take this opportunity to thank saints for helping to pay for my bin collection service over the next 12 months and potentially saving me a couple of quid on a council tax rise?

Fantastic. That's actually genuinely great news, I was under the impression your new place was going to be all-seater. Looking forward to seeing it finished, it's been a long time coming that one of the premier teams in British Rugby League has facilities to match the entertainment on offer.

Originally it was going to be but the fans protested and requested some standing space. Unfortunately they gave us the ends. It would have been better to have had a side so we could have recreated the Pop Side from KR. Alas, not to be.

You're right. The South Stand at the HJ is the popular side and is invariably full. One side and one end should be terrace.