So the fact is after possibility the most disrupting season in living memory we gained round 300 and odd people I would see that as a big success

Another reason why clubs are moving towards prioritising corporate sales is because it's controllable income. The club has a longer window for selling games. Plus they are not at the mercy of weather conditions, game conditions and other external factors that can cause fluctuations in walk-up takings and travelling support.

Always liked the Friday night option best, in the height of summer it's a cooler option, there are other things to be doing on a Sunday afternoon but very little on a Friday night and gives the weekened a nice start when there's a game to look forward too on a Friday.

Although it does get too late for very young children on a Friday; the advantage from a family point of view is that it does leaves Sunday free for some quality time - you can go out for the day or whatever, which isn't an option on a Friday night. Also if I'm not taking the kids I can go to a game when they are in bed and still have the weekend free to spend time with them. So for me, Friday night is more family friendly.

Are you sure the club don't pay you to try and put a super-positive spin on absolutely everything?!

Ok, now get a mean average score of attendances at previous home games versus Catalans. Replace the massively over-inflated figure for the final game with the mean average score. Then calcualte a new average attendance for the 2011 season and compare with the official average. THEN take into account that many opposing teams supporters will have attended an away day at the Willows just because it was their respective team's last visit. THEN take into a account the unprescedented distribution of free tickets last year.

Then enter the actual figure into SPPS, press some buttons and conduct a 14 way ANOVA to see if our attendances are statistically significant across Super League... Erm, you could probably drop the last bit. ; )

Or we can just state what really happened....rather than put a negative spin on everything...we gained 300ish....now if we get our house in order both on and off the field who knows what will happen.

Bobby even I understand that it's not as simple as that!

An over inflated last gate, Some away teams bringing bigger numbers due to their elevated position in the league standings.

I stand to be corrected, but I'd put my house on the avg gate for last year being less than usual had it not been for the last game.

By my quick calculations, minus the last game of the season we averaged 4,305 (rounded up).

Unsettling, isn't it?

So is this turning into a game of what may have happened rather than what did?

Our average crowd is up on the year before FACT after a truly horrible season were we lost 3 coaches and very little promotion

Yes. Or it was a tounge-in-cheek comment to a mate, take your pick.



2010 average hasn't been mentioned yet, has it? We've gone from 2009 to 2011 from what I can see.

2010 wasn't on when i checked.

On the flip side we achieved out highest league position since 2006 yet did not significantly improve attendances (if in FACT we did improve attendances at all).

Statistical analysis should always take into account factors the effect the data. These are known as extraneous or confounding variables; FACT. There were factors that contributed to an inflated mean average attendance last season, FACT!

Be careful not to confuse positivity with ignorance and pretence Bobby mate. The club still has huge potential, but they have not achieved their aim of significantly improving attendances. I'm not getting into WHY this is the case as such a debate is likely to end in ill-informed, ill-considered, pseudo-knowledge driven drivel; just merely pointing out the FACTS.

Back on topic. Fridays or Sundays?

Lets go back to Championship style Thursdays




Oh hang on then we'll clash with Channel 5

You've met Bobby then?????

Quote ="The Original Red Devils"2010 wasn't on when i checked.'" I've found this for 2010: www.slstats.org/t13/Salford+City ... mmary.html So by my reckoning SL average attendance for 2010 was 4,166. So we've gone: 2005 - 4,093 2006 - 4,820 2007 - 5,185 2009 - 4,467 2010 - 4,166 2011 - 4,754 2011 minus last game - 4,305 So in reality we've gained, on average, 139 new people on a season where we'd lost 301 on the previous year.

Quote ="The Original Red Devils"2010 wasn't on when i checked.'" I've found this for 2010: www.slstats.org/t13/Salford+City ... mmary.html So by my reckoning SL average attendance for 2010 was 4,166. So we've gone: 2005 - 4,093 2006 - 4,820 2007 - 5,185 2009 - 4,467 2010 - 4,166 2011 - 4,754 2011 minus last game - 4,305 So in reality we've gained, on average, 139 new people on a season where we'd lost 301 on the previous year.

What your stats show, GT is that we managed to gain a decent (For us) average increase the season after we reached the play-offs. So, with the best will in the world, attendances are going to be tied to on-field success more than any other factor.

I reckon we will post an increase on that for the coming season. Mainly due to the novelty factor of the new stadium. If the Club doesn't improve next season on the pitch I can see the novelty wearing-off fast.

I ain't disputing that by any stretch of the imagination. But the bulk of the conversation I was getting involved with surrounded last year's average and how the last game at the Willows affected it. That was the basis for my post.

But surely you can't just pick and choose which factors you include? There are also factors that may have reduced the figures - the fact we were getting spanked most weeks, the rise in unemployment, inflation, pay freezes and reduced hours, more important than usual football derby games and probably more.

If you're analysing stats you also need to compare to wider trends where you can - do we know what happened to average attendances across SL? If, for example, there was a 10% drop across SL and we only dropped 5% that could be argued as a success of sorts (I know they aren't the figures just using them for illustrative purposes)

I was just making an observation based on your post. I agree with you about the last game.

This is the trouble with reading too much, or little, into stats in general.

Fair does. Agree completely on that last sentence - I did statistics in college, it's amazing how different methods can be used to give the same set of figures many different meanings.

I see your points and was merely pointing out that there were weaknesses in the suggestion that we'd increased our attendances.

However, I would tentatively argue that getting spanked most weeks is not a factor to consider as this, correct me if I'm wrong, occurred less this season than in any other season, besides 1997 and 2006, in Super league.
Nevertheless, [ithe rise in unemployment, inflation, pay freezes and reduced hours[/i are arguably factors I overlooked.

The point regarding a potential drop in sales across the board is an interesting one. Whilst it is possible that there was a drop, I suspect we might be surprised to see no change on the previous year. Best wait and see I guess.

86% of all statistics are made up and the other 17% are just plain outright lies