someone mentioned the crowd yesterday, 4,800, with 400 from wakefield,that is worrying, i know we have a small fan base but for years people wouldn't come cos we were rubbish etc, well we are now an established top 4 side and our crowds are falling alarmingly, we used to always get our best crowds regardless of opposition on sundays, had this game been played on a thursday night it could have been sub 4,000.
what is the cause? too expensive? is it the fact that people don't think we are very exciting to watch? is it that people have got fed up with the game in general seemingly chopping and changing every other year?
or is it just that there simply isn't the interest in the game or the club?

what happened to the 7000 we used to get with the cheap season tickets? i know some single people are now married with families and have had to sacrifice the rugby, but are there no people coming through to replace these?

i know we've had this debate many times in the past but it is alarming when less than 4,500 people come to a game, maybe the crowds will pick up when the 8's start?

first week of holidays, a game with likely a poor atmosphere, expected win, poor weather, poor opposition, washing their hair - take your pick!
Those with season tickets came - no one else is bothered.
more young local talent on show yesterday at half time too - but still ..........

think where a boring team with no atmosphere at games n can see even more people not renewing there season tickets next season

Dead rubber game in first week of hols
team misfiring like they have since we won the LLS
Mediocre opposition
poor weather
etc

Also usual case of zero publicity
who the hell knows when a game is on other than fans already going?

holidays, dead rubber game, poor weather

expect at least 5k every game as thats around the hardcore fans we have but with above knocked abit off it.

maybe moving games to friday is the answer as sticking to sundays hasnt changed things.

I can only think of about 5/6 games this season, where I have been happy with what I have got for my money. Only the truly committed Giants fans will turn up week after week to watch a dreary side , which is how a lot of people view the Giants.

If admission was free would the Fans turn out.?
If this is the best we get for a Team that has finished in the top four then questions have to be asked WHY.?
Is the club marketing the product, Is the PR with the Fans adequate.?Why the lack of interest.?
Haven help us if we finish in the bottom four and no Ken.

Nope

I don't know - but if no one has a clue we are playing how can we expect them to come?

Is the club even marketing anything?

I see plenty C&G in town through the week so there is some awareness



Given we expect 5k in season ticket holders roughly how do we grow this without making ST holders wonder if they are getting the best deal

(And FWIW the ST needs repricing I think - I know multiple people who didnt get one because they know theyll miss more than 2/3 games so it's suddenly not worth it - especially if you can prebuy for cheaper too

But that's another topic)

thb since we won the LLS i think they gone backwards playing boring 1 up dumb rugby this is y i dont think anderson is the way forward if we played more attractive rugby with a better atomspere people would come and watch

do people want a team that competes and is seen as serious challengers for the end of season honours and will adapt their game to suit, or do people want a team that plays exciting, basketball style rugby league?

because IMO you can't have both, i wouldn't say we play "boring 1 up dumb rugby", we play to our strengths and to negate our opponents weaknesses i should imagine, sometimes it's attractive to watch sometimes not.

as a fan though i want us to win, i want to cheer and celebrate wins rather than feel satisfied that despite us losing we played some exciting stuff.
i appreciate people want value for money and such, but it's sport, sport used to be about winning, and if it was entertaining too then it was a bonus.
it seems these days people won't accept a team winning unless they are been entertained at the same time, we all want to see our teams win with flair and style etc but personally i would rather have a team that is winning that entertaining.

I totally understand what ur saying but if we carry on playing this boring rugby the fans ain't gonna come watch I've never been as bored in my life as I was at yesterday's game

People i know who don't come anymore cite cost as a reason, especially if they are a family and can go and do something much cheaper for longer.
I also think a lot of people that came on the back of cheap ST and a hint of success only came to see trophies and when they didn't come they decided to not bother anymore and that's why we're back to the diehards we had pre-2009 !!

i agree that yesterday's game lacked intensity and excitement but i suppose it depends what you like about a game that defines it as boring, my 14 yo nephew thought it was a cracking game for example.

i could watch a high intensity, 6-6 draw and not think it was boring, if you just want fast flowing open games with lots of tries being scored then most games would be boring.

and to be honest i think most fans who go most weeks wouldn't be swayed by the style of rugby we play as to whether they attend, hopefully as jools and other have said, it was that poor because it is the start of the holidays for lots of people.

What's wrong with fast flowing open games, It's usually a sign of good ball handling skills carried out at pace, I thought that was what the game was supposed to be like.

You must have loved the old winter unlimited tackles game.

You could be right about most fans not being swayed by the style of rugby we play, Probably why there are so few of them. I don't know that of course but they have never been able to pull a crowd in while I have been watching the game, except an odd game against Leeds or Bradford.

I have seen you make reference to the number of fans in Huddersfield who became Bulls or Rhino's fans, Why have they not come back now that we are a top four team.

I really don't have any answers, But I think style will have as much to do with it as start of Holidays

Are you seriously suggesting that a team who play open rugby can't win things, That they can't be" serious challengers for end of season honours".

"Sport used to be about winning",
It didn't used to be about winning at Huddersfield, not since 1962 and I doubt you were there to see that.
" To be entertained is a bonus", you have got to be having a laugh.

I suspect you have had a few cans.

Poor attendance, but we have had this long enough. The core base is roughly the same as it has been the last 5 years. It's got to improve as Ken Davy States if we want a team that is competing out numbers have to increase to keep it financially viable.

Problem is no body seems to have the answer to get bums on seats! More surely can be done in the firm of marketing. On our part we need to look at friends, nephews, nieces ect.

On field we are winning or competing in 99 percent of games. the team we have got/ tactics we play can call for middle domination and good defence which may not look as eye catching as Leeds with there fringe attack and flowing play but is working for us.

I think £24 walk up price is too high. I know you can pre book but even £21 is what Wigan charge on the day. Not sure who is higher than us (I know it's sometimes £22 for a terrace but as we don't have a terrace I think it is fair to compare the lowest price you can get into a ground for not necessarily like for like facilities.

I think a fair few Huddesfield fans got in at Catalans for £14 (20 euros) on the day so expecting them to pay a tenner more a week later shows why prices may be off putting. And I know most who went to Perpignan would have season tickets but I think the comparison is valid.

Would dropping the price increase the revenue by getting more through the gate???

A competitive price would probably boost away support so it might just work but in truth we are where we are and £16, £20 or £24 might be neither here nor there and we just have to get in with it.

I think the converted will pay what ever the price is as we love our rugby and our team! However we need to get body's in and convert them....that's down to price.
Shouldn't have a game day or ore book price just a price! Would have the behind the posts at a tenner and main stands at 20.
We need to get the body's in, have a good effort from the singers at the back and the band to get the atmosphere going and a good spectacle on the field. To get people to keep coming it must be fun and entertaining

I think your right in the hard-core though Challenge Cup and play off crowds in the past show the size of that contingent is quite small.

Totally agree on pre day/ game day prices it seems far more prevalent in RL than other sports and is something we could do without especially as it penalised casual fans and those that can not get to a ground on non match days.

It has been said before but £24 for the Fantastic Media stand is madness and perhaps a membership stand where you can get in for say £15 or a family for £30 could be a way to go. The amount of on the day money that stand takes must be tiny and it could surely be better utilised and hopefully get new people in.

i'm suggesting that by being successful, teams usually have to play conservatively at times, and have to resort to boring 1 up rugby to win games, i can't think of many times who just throw the ball around for 80 minutes who were succesful, warrington did it a few years ago and got found wanting when they had to adjust the way they played.

my point was that if people want to see us just play open rugby all the time then they shouldn't complain when we fall short of winning things.

of course the prices have a lot to do with it, talking to a mate the other week i suggested he came down to a match with me, when he asked how much he just shook his head.
most regulars without a season ticket usually get a cheap ticket anyway from someone who can't make the match or a spare, not sure the walk up numbers are that big tbh,

could the club cut the matchday prices for the 4 super 8 games and hopefully if we do the business on the field then they could be persuaded to come next year and maybe bring friends?

it really is a tough one as we've done the cheap tickets and long term that didn't work, we've done the bring a buddy etc etc, obviously it helps if the team doesn't choke when we do get a decent crowd in.

Re the pricing I see HTFC have an offer called take 10 - maybe we could do something along similar lines tailored to suit. Their offer is you buy a membership for £60 and can choose any 10 home games through the season getting £10 off the pre match day price. Obviously the number of games would need to be looked at and there are dangers that current ST holders may take up that option. It's a bigger issue though for the future - you only have to look around the crowd to see we have a largely ageing support so there needs to be some real thought into how to get younger people interested. I would also give Friday nights a go for a season or two.

Friday night's??? No no no I know I'm biased as could not face a trip.up the M1 every two weeks on a Friday night but it only works for big clubs Salford tried and it was a disaster Leeds Wigan and Saints have the fan base who don't really mind when they play ( though I am sure some "exiles" stopped going because of the match day) but we are not in that position and how will Friday get new people in especially families as you say we need younger fans and even if we catch them young most teenagers have bigger fish to fry on that night and we could lose a lot of what we have.

You can bring a buddy for £15 meast- how cheap does he want it?
It was free a few years ago- and we still only mustered 10,000- and that was with a few Bradford/Leeds fans coming for nowt as they didn't have a game on!
People moan about our lack of marketing- marketing isn't the problem it's lack of interest that's the problem- until we win a pot that isn't going to increase much.
As I keep saying- Ive no interest in domestic football- no amount of cheap/free tickets is going to get me hooked on it!

Fair point but is that not the problem are there 10,000 (or even more realistically 3 or 4,000) people in and around Huddersfield who could get hooked on rugby league even if we won every league or cup going for the next 5 years I'm not sure, yep they will have days out at the big games but get interested to go every week I'm not so sure.