I'll grant you that's a poor crowd but in the years between '99 and '06 when we were genuinely chasing promotion, I can give you several 4,000+ crowds vs Widnes, Oldham, Huddersfield & Salford (with more than a couple above 6,000). Our games at Widnes during this time were regularly getting over 6,000+ (and I remember one game with a crowd over 8,000). Widnes' crowds vs Castleford & Salford pre-licensing were in excess of 8,000.

In 2001, we played Workington on a Wednesday night and Rochdale at home on the Sunday, who were both mid-table at best, and got 3,000+ in both games.

I think if we played the same two teams at home over the next week, I think we'd struggle to hit 3,000 cumulatively. The days of a Championship league match attracting over 8,000 speccies are long gone, even over 6,000 is a pipe dream.

Highest crowd in the Championship this season is 2,806 between the top two teams in the league. We we're hitting that regularly back in 2001.

P&R might not be the answer to all our problems but it would certainly do us more good than licensing is. The crowd you mentioned before was probably a one off. It could become a regular occurance if things continue down this road.

But if viewing figures are up and attendances are up then surely the game has never been healthier

Indeed, JC....WE have nothing to worry about.
The game has never been in a healthier state because we are copying the way the NRL run their game.
Non relegation/promotion and franchising is the future. We can get BARLA clubs & championship/1 clubs to produce the 'young talent' that any SL academy clubs have missed out on, we have all the clubs in SL that we need right now, unless we decide to invite an 'expansion' club to the elite, that is.
We are quite happy to bail out most clubs in SL, if they meet the criteria that is, if they somehow manage to 'be heavily in debt' despite the STRICT salary cap we have in place, then so be it.
Rugby League in the UK has never been so popular.......do YOU believe the hype ????

I don't agree with that just like I'm sure the governing body would either. Its a difficult time for the sport, and the last thing you wanna do is let 80% of the posters on this thread to write a press release for marketing the game - because lets face it who needs snipers outside the game when we can safely do that ourselves.
The trend of this thread is blaming RFL for virtually everything - primarily franchising the main culprit that has apparently decimated the bumper gates we was getting in 2006 and 2007. Fans that no longer go is all because of franchising and RFL hating us, and this despite RFL ensuring we never got relegated recently (which would have been disastrous IMO), and the fact we was assisted with our finances to ensure we could continue. Both great opportunities for the RFL's Dr Evil to achieve their evil plan of eliminating Leigh once and for all.
All I did on this thread was highlight that the return of P&R would not end clubs being run badly, and you would not see any major increase in the weekly rounds gates. The benefits of P&R now are virtually nil, until more money from outside the game comes in so we can maybe have 2 full time SL1 and SL2.
Problem is hysteria kicks in on this kind of subject and logical arguments go out the window, and you get posts just above mine for example.
Lets be crystal here, I am not for one moment saying the game is in a healthy position, and I am not saying RFL are always right or don't make stupid mistakes but I am a realist and offer an alternative point of view. That's all I offer, a point of view. And for the record I am just as desperate for P&R to be back as anyone, and I hope we will get there. Its just a pity Sky never saw the potential of the Championship to help make it happen.
Nobody on this thread is correct, they are just opinions.

That's nowt new, top clubs in all sports have always done that.



That could be true

people all over the country watch the sky games, loads of footballers twitter about the games, as plenty of football clubs including the England football camps watch Friday night matches prior to their own week end games.