OTOH, Saints attendance figures last season were down by almost 20%, therefore it's a bit rich proclaiming Saints 2014 attendances as somehow exemplary and proving the opposite. Moreover, two attendances this year... against Salford and Wigan... have been crucial to their current 8% rise this season. Only 5K turned up last year against Salford due to inclement weather in comparison to the 10K for the same fixture this season. Then there's the local derby against Wigan which was played on the popular Good Friday slot this year, hence the extra 3.8K in 2014 in comparison to 2013 when the fixture was played on a Monday evening in late July.


I'm of the opinion that some fans have become disillusioned with the regular SL rounds and their inherent irrelevance under the current structure/format. I'm one of them. Wigan fans have been turned off and not even winning the double has halted their attendance slide.

Consider the flip side, and enter a hypothetical universe for a second. Let's suppose we still lived in world where by there was a top 5 playoff system like we had 15(?) years ago - the season we have is perfectly set up for the big dramatic finish in that situation. But do you think super league fans:

A) will roam to their club in the thousands to cheer them on in the final few games of the season forgoing cost and logic to say "I was there"

Or

B) continue to watch from the comfort of their own home/ pub and all the luxuries at hand? With nothing more than a blip of increased attendance for the final few games?

Until CLUBS (not the rfl, sl or anyone else - just the businesses that are dependent on getting fans through the gate as that is their product) deal with these more deep rooted problems, blaming fan disillusionment due to the structure of the league accounts to little more than finger pointing.

Saints figures are squiffy - 2012 had new stadium syndrome so the figures were naturally going to drop 2013 - but again such events aren't accounted for in figures

I haven't attended a SL fixture for the past 3 seasons (including this one) because I'm totally disillusioned with a product which I see as increasingly mediocre, irrelevant and lacking in credibility.

The issue as far as I'm concerned is that the product right now is utter crap. I can just about put up with increasingly poor playing standards so long as there is honest endeavour and the results of fixtures actually mean something. The game as it currently operates cannot even promise that.

The current format/structure and licensing is the root cause of my disillusionment.

Roll on next season.

For Gutterfax...

Just to further underline and emphasise the London effect on SL attendances...

Last season the average SL attendance was 8,559 from 182 fixtures.

Remove London's figures and the average climbs to 9,146 from 156 fixtures.

That's a [u[size=1506.86%[/size[/u increase without having to do anything.

I've got a feeling Big Nigel will be quite vocal about SL attendances next season

No Sherlock.......SPECIAL OFFER CENTRAL BY YEAR 2.

I'd hope all clubs have learned from special offers, that they do have to be special.

You can give a special offer to a limited number of fans, pump priming if you like. But giving that special offer to all, undermines the product when you want to raise the price.

While I find you an annoying troll, I do agree with you on this point. With London going down the average attendance will shoot up for SL andNigel will use this as "proof" the new structure is working. Equally Bradfrd going down to championship will see a sharp rise in "average" attendance. Even if every single team in SL and CC goes down in attendance, the leagues will most likely show a rise because of those two going down.

London have been an embarrassment for years and of course the average will go up now they're gone.
That's actually a good thing.

Bradford getting relegated and the reintroduction of promotion will increase interest in the championship so of course attendances will increase there too.
That's also a good thing.

And of course the RFL will use this to promote the game, it's their job.

William,
Just as a matter of interest - what's the overall effect on SL attendances this season if you take both London and Bradford out of the equation?

Good to see my clubs (HKR) avg crowd climbing this year despite a very avg season on the field. Stil lots of potential to get more families into the new stand and an area that we should really put a marketing focus on for 2015.

Of all the teams working towards 10k, east hull are the ones who really do put the effort in. A top 4 team will get them to the break even figure...... If not next year then within 3.

I think cheap tickets have worked for Huddersfield. The attendances have fallen since prices went up but I don't think they are lower than before the cheap tickets. I have a season ticket this year but I will not get one next year, mainly down to the standard of refereeing but also the lack of effort that the Giants appear to be putting in which from the noises the club have been putting out seems to be because they don't want to peak too early. Personally I pay for a product and I expect that product to be up to standard. If the team and refs can't put decent effort in then I have more important things to do with my time.

Seems odd that he has spent such a large part of his life for the last two years preparing figures which highlight just how good the attendances were that year then doesnt it.

Bit dissapointed we didnt see a diatribe complete with the usual catchphrases from him regarding the almost gutterfaxian level of mathematical manipulation Nigel has used to proclaim record numbers of people watching RL last year by including the WC in his comparison.

averages going up while totals go down is not really a good thing.

Taking Bradford out of the equation wouldn't make a huge deal of difference to the overall SL attendance average because their average from 23 fixtures played this season is currently 7,575 compared to Super League's overall average of 8,015.

How much is that cheap tickets and how much is that on field success though?

Hull KR's attendances still have a bit of catching up to do.

[uHull KR attendances 2009-2014[/u
2009: Average 8,527
2010: Average 8,234
2011: Average 8,321
2012: Average 7,786
2013: Average 7,495
2014: Average 7,968

Obviously not but who knows whether totals will go down next year?
Averages will definitely be up, which is good.

Unlikely, given that they've never averaged 10k+, even in their glory days of 30 years ago.

Unless they do more mass give aways and Groupon deals, I suppose.

Yep.....best way to get average crowds back to the level they were a few years back is to cull 2 teams and manipulate the numbers. Fact is less People will pay less money to watch top flight RL next year.......but some see that as a positive. How strange

2 teams have been dropped to make for a more competitive league, something many have been shouting for for a number of years, yet some see that as a negative. How strange.

And while we've dropped 2 teams aren't we actually playing 1 more game per season overall?

The fact is, is that you haven't got a clue how many people will pay to watch SL next year although i'm sure that won't stop you spouting the same cr@p as fact that you always do.

I've already got my season ticket and can't wait.

Competitive like the play offs and challenge cup?
As I've said, this thread in its original form was about knock down Nigel blowing hard about attendances which have since dropped like lead........the only way they could arrest this decline it to cull 2 teams and manipulate averages to make it seem like they are doing a good job. They aren't!
By the way. Have you switched power companies yet? SL needs those sponsorship pounds so get switching...

Wow, you're a bitter little man aren't you?
Dropping 2 teams to improve competition doesn't mean they're manipulating attendance figures. Try taking your tin foil hat off for a bit, it'll do you the world of good.

The RFL are reducing the number of clubs in SL to increase the viability of SL in general. Not to manipulate attendance figures.

If average crowds go up in SL and Champs as a result then that's a good thing, but as ever there are loads of factors that have to be taken into account, it's never a straight comparison (Wakey having to reduce capacity, Bradford / London getting relegated unusually quickly, Hull being massively rubbish).

But hey let's just say the RFL are hopeless and want to manipulate the figures. That'll be intelligent. Nothing like a dumb rant from people who know not much about the game and want to prat on about administration.

How so? Relegation was back on the cards before David Hughes essentially gave up.....we were relegated this year because of his insanity of "dithering" over the last year of a licence he applied for. I don't blame the RFL for us being relegated.
The point I was discussing with Billy was that Nigel will be all over an increased average attendance next year like a fat kid at the pick'n'mix at Woolworths......when the reality is that the same top 24 teams this year as next will attract the same number of fans to games.....but because of a bit of chair shifting, averages will seem larger and Nigel will pat himself on the back.
Over 2 years ago Nigel and his crew announced the hiring of a marketing Guru...........since then the competitions have seen attendances drop and he's needed to use RLWC attendances with tickets for a fiver or less to big the game up. He also compared a FTA TV audience with other sports on Pay TV.......all that has happened is Nigel has been taught how to spin, but the reality is that the game is in decline as a professional sport that grabs the attention of the public and sponsors......best switch power suppliers whilst the game will get some benefit.

This time next year, If Leeds are at Wembley and they are playing 12th placed Hull FC, they will again rest their core squad members, safe in the knowledge that they have play-off football bolted on....NOTHING HAS CHANGED EXCEPT
1/ The top clubs chairmen have a slightly better chance of bigger crowds at the end of the year....but the same dross for 22 rounds before hand
2/Championship fans are fooled into thinking that they have a chance of SL when in reality they don't...but they will get a few extra away fans (a handful, thousands).
3/ Nigel will get to hail his new system works......before binning it within 3 years for straight 1 up 1 down.....and we'll have returned to 2007.