JB, you are missing a figure for average crowd overall it's here if you need to check it www.slstats.org/Attendances/

JB, you are missing a figure for average crowd overall it's here if you need to check it www.slstats.org/Attendances/

Earlier in this thread someone mentioned changing the current Magic weekend format once it has run its course. My view would be to have something like this;

Wakey vs Cas, Fev vs Fax, Dewsbury vs Batley - Oakwell
Leeds vs Bradford, Bramley vs Hunslet, Keighley vs (championship side)- Hillsborough
Saints vs Cru, Widnes vs Leigh and another Championship match- Anfield
Wigan vs Salford, Oldham vs Rochdale, another Championship - City of Manchester
Cumbrian matches in Gatehead/Newcastle?
Les Cats vs Quins, Toulouse vs (championship side), two French teams - Paris/Barca
FC vs KR, championship match, Dutch vs Lion Hearts (whatever they're called) - Amsterdam

Have SL headlining match with two matches between smaller clubs. SL fans can enjoy championship and vice versa. Championship clubs benefit from a spectacle like SL already do. Dot the games around the place appealing to new, but local, regionalised areas, so its isn't too far for fans to travel and but breaks into areas without strong RL roots. Have one of these special fixtures every two weeks, so they can be televised, but not over saturate portion of seasonal fixture. Most importantly; well priced tickets; £5 for concessions, £10-£15 for adults with special offers for respective Football ST holders.

(I realise Hudds and Wire aren't on the list, but I'm typing and thinking quickly before my girlfriend makes me go to the ballet!!!!!!!)

It still amazes me that the RFL seem to have succesfully persuaded league fans that attendances are something that should impact so heavily on a teams success. Wigan in the prem have some awful crowds, but they are still there on merit (for now at least). Kicking out Quins or Salford because they are not getting the crowds in would be incredibly harsh. (Though obviously not if their on field performances remain awful too)

TBH, both Salford and Quins will struggle at the foot of the table this year, so I can't see a massive increase in gates compared to last year for either. Quins are planning a potential "double header" with the Union lot, which will artificially inflate their average for the season, so Salford may well end up with a lower average than Quins RL at the end of the season....which would make the RFL's decision easier.........even though at the last double header, Quins RL reported a gate of 12k, most of these had left at the end of the union or were in the bars.......not that I would ever suggest anything untowards occurring this time



Until bricks are laid and turnstiles fitted, there are a number of clubs that should have twitchy bums, but if 1 is going to be ejected, the RFL may allow for delayed stadiums due to the recession, then it will be between Salford or Quins.....and we know where SKY and Mr Lewis stand on this.

haha what did I say to get that sortof reaction??

Basically you posted a rubbish idea , fans will not travel to see meaningless friendlies mid season , and all club coaches would be putting out the kids

Non starter

Amazing how Salford managed to draw 5,000 crowds when in the championship a few years back and battling it out with Widnes for a franchise and now they're in a league higher and getting around 3,500.

Hmmmmmmmm

Oh and talking about attendances what about the NRC final being played as a curtain raiser to the challenge cup at Wembley? as it currently stands the new Wembley holds 90,000 i think so will always struggle to sell out for a final.

Just wait for one of the big clubs to make the final

Would cheapen the event IMO.

So clearly the Batley and Sheffield fans bring more travelling fans than Bradford do. Hence the drop in attendences...

Unless your suggesting that salfords crowd reports in the championship were inaccurate

what if a team made it to both finals?

Could we see an avarage of over 10,000 this weekend?

Leeds: 15,000
Hull: 14,000
Bradford: 11,000
Salford: 3,000
Wakefield: 8,000
Warrington: 11,000
Hull KR: 9,000

All achievable and would give us an avarage of just over 10,000

Shame Salford v Catalans isnt in France because 10k would be guaranteed if it were.

On Saturday night? Against Huddersfield?

Well there at least 4 cas fans going so thats a start.

So 4 Cas fans, Hudds will bring their usual 50, so could be looking at about 6054 - would we get over the 10'000 with that?

In 2008 Hull sold 30000 tickets compared to St Helens 15000, if we had played either leeds or Wigan it would have sold out. If you get any 2 of these 3 big clubs it will sell out.

That is about as likely as Damo emigrating to the moon.

The Marketing is one thing, but the Media is Key. Regardless of who reads or watches what....SKY have an agreement with the BBC for League Highlights and ITV for Union.

The BBC, in their infinite wisdom, run the SL show for the heartlands on a Sunday afternoon and the UK at 3am. The show has highlights of the 2 SKY games and snippets of any other Fri/Sat games.

Over on ITV 4, on Sunday at a reasonable hour, you can see every try from that weekends Union fixtures (including that afternoons).
Simple little things like either Sky slapping the BBC or taking away the rights would be a start. Surely it's in Sky TV's interest to get the game shown when there's a chance of a bigger audience?

The BBC have disappeared so far up their own innards they can look for ulcers

The treatment of SL is one amongst many many examples of a completely contra approach to their remit for public service broadcasting - binning R6 is another but I digress. I strongly suspect that if the roles were reversed and Auntie had Union they would put a really good show together and broadcast it countrywide at a reasonable hour; would ITV take league??

Further, I am not entirely convinced that media itself is the key - rather that the RFL have no real idea about how to make it work for them. A comparative study of respective press office activities would be insightful

What has any of this to do with SL attendances? Can you please start another thread to argue about Union!

Good call JB.
Could be a good weekend this for attendances, just hope Salford are doing a promotion or something.

They've got to do something, they're worse than ever

Back to the thread,

Bradford vs Wigan - On Sky, Bradford on the slide crowd-wise, 10k
Leeds vs Quins - Leeds in bad form, no away support, 13k
Hull FC vs Cas - Hull in good form, Cas bring a fairly decent following for this one, 14k
Salford vs Catalans - Two worst teams in the league. Salford have crap crowds and Catalans will bring 2 people, 3k
Wakefield vs Hudds - On Sky, Hudds take very few even to local derbies, Wakey crowds aren't exactly huge, 6k
Hull KR vs Saints - Saints in good form, Rovers back to winning ways, 9k
Wire vs Cru - Wire doing well, Cru bringing a few to this apparently, 11k

I think some people have estimated a few thousand over the top on some of these. 66k +/- 2k, so not far off 10k average but I don't think we can expect that with a 3k crowd in there. 3k should not be acceptable for top flight sport.