I have read a few comments across this forum about our attendances at The Stoop, and whilst they fall some way short of many in the SL, what are the expectations for the attendances (Average of 4K and up??)

Is there a real danger that we will miss out on a franchise come July? I know there are a number of criteria that need to be met, and whilst attendances are one of them, how do we fare on the other crirteria??

Would the fact that we are not a "heartland club" count for or against us?

Interested to hear peoples thoughts on this...

It counts for us as we don't have another team within X miles, doesn't it?

I believe that Harlequins RL will receive another 3 years with a stern warning that they need to get their gates up to over 5k. This may well be the last 3 years in the history of the club in its current guise, as David Highes will not be prepared to bail us out for too much longer.
I believe that the only way the club will be able to survive after 2014 is if a new investor is found or if SKY bite the bullet and do what they have with the Melbourne Storm.
...10,000 gates is the break even figure...that should be the overriding target at TW2 from now on.......IMO that is.

You may have to enlighten me about the Melbourne Storm, are they now being funded by TV??

Also I have seem plenty of ideas about how to increases gates, are the club just being slow on the uptake here - 10k gates is a big jump from the current 2 - 3k??

100% owned by News Corporation (aka Sky aka Rupert Murdoch)

SKY own them.....


Massive jump from 2500 current average and 3,600 average we normally get.......but it can be done. Years of neglect have made the task a lot harder than it could have been, but the fact remains that DH will not be our sugar daddy for too much longer.

I guess it's just a matter of getting someone at the club to listen then?

Out of interest what are the other criteria? Someone mentioned proximity of another club....

Ralph Rimmer has pretty much stated that without a London team Sky would offer us a derisory TV contract, for as long as 'without London there is no Superleague' rings true then your nailed on. Just a feeling but I doubt you will be known as Harlequins RL for much longer.

If you are correct then it is just another example of the club moving again to disguise the fact that failure has again ruled the roost. As much as I applaud the work done by the community teams and the development of players, we would be nearly self sufficient by now if the club had had the b0ll0x and the intelligence to market itself properly...as it is, we are currently on 2,500 after 3 games.....

..............stability of tenure would assist grow this but it's never going to have been something that happened overnight, 2 or 3 generations in one place would be required + many other obstacles being overcome.

Homer-I agree-Living in Warrington in my youth meant our town was represented in sport by the RL team. In the past Wigan(poor football team) was the same as is Widnes, Saints, Cas, Wakey, Hull(football weak in the past) etc or you followed Man Utd etc but still had an affinity for your local town team. Thats something we havent got-In fact football is probably more popular now than ever, even around the northern teams and in Wales.

Having said all that the crowds at Wire weren't great-poor ground, Wigan domination, winter weather etc so even they have faced crowd growth challenges, although they probably have an easier marketing target plus a new ground and a decent team which I suspect helps

I believe the points system used 10 miles as the radius, so nothing within 10 miles you got a point, no point if you had a club within that radius, eg Hull and KR, Cas and Wakey Salford warrington Wigan saints all got be pretty close

The points system is rubbish. Rugby League is a Northern game for Northern people. Forget expansion and create more local interest with local derbies. Throw out Harlequins, Crusaders and Catalans and bring in Workington, Whitehaven and Wigan St Patricks.

Luckily am northern so counts us in then

Made me laugh on Sunday hull fan arguing over offside rule with me told me to sod off over road where I should be, I had to explain I was more northern than him, and I actually have a rule book, Cheeky northern monkeys eh!

Why get rid of crusaders they are closer to widnes and saints than whithaven and barrow,

What went on prior to me becoming a fan is something you are better placed to comment on than I, but since 2003 the total amount of marketing activity that has taken place has been:

Flyers dished out by the volunteers in and around Brentford in 2004 & 2005. On the few occasions I was involved with this, the person responsible for getting these printed (Tracey???) would wait at Griffin Park until I picked them up, then she'd be off home as quick as she could. WTF

Fans would then be allocated areas and once complete, we'd have a beer in the Griffin. Nothing in the way of assistance from the club and especially not from the then Marketing Manager.......
1 Advert in METRO, that in association with a beer offer that was mentioned in TNT, got us the biggest gate at a London RL game since Castleford bused down 5k for free 6 seasons before.
3 Bus shelters...2 in Brentford, 1 at Kew Bridge in the 2004 season.
2005 there were 100 or so adverts placed in gents toilets.....and 1 bus shelter in Brentford
2006.....nothing....2007...nothing.......2008.......nothing.....2009.......nothing...2010....
a viral video seen by nobody and 5,000 oyster card holders given to staff working in the East End........and the lowest average attendance since 2000.

2011.....a couple of ads in Metro with no real "offer", a few front ends flyering at the station and a 2,480 average after 3 games. oh....and our media star marketing manager is on her toes less than 8 months after going on record as saying she was there for the long term.....I bet that article looks good in her CV



9 seasons.........and that's pretty much it. if I've missed something it must have been tiny, because as is well documented on these boards, this is my mastermind chosen subject.

I have never claimed to have ALL THE answers.....but it really isn't fu(king brain surgery. If the club want to be a success and atract fans then someone, somewhere needs to take ownership of this single issue (not sponsorship, box sales, hoarding sales etc)...more fans at games.

I accept the localised/historical/grandad took me argument, but we aren't trying to fill Wembley here......and I would also counter by saying that less than 20% of the Union fans at Quins are localised/historical/grandad took me's.....it's just the Union lot know the value of marketing.

I bow to your length of fanship and your superior knowledge Homer, but your post is akin to flying a white flag.

Also...as an aside.....the 6,500 gate v Leeds at GP in 2009 has only been beaten by 2 GAMES SINCE.

our first game as Quins in 2006 v Saints where the crowd was made up of curious Unionites
Wigans first trip down under the ownership of IL when he subsidised their travel down and they brought loads

I refuse to include the Double Heade from 2005......Huddersfields average is 2,800...to claim 12k is just stupid.

So...since 2000.......the three biggest gates have ben down to curious unionites, Castlefords Free Bus Trip and Wigans subsidised bus trip.......only the 4th biggest gate can be attributed to MARKETING and that involved free beer

They're in the wrong country, their ground has too many seats in it, they haven't been around for 100 years, and they aren't Northern enough.

End of discussion then as you have missed my point by so far it's not funny. I will bow to your superior knowledge and take complete notice of your siggy and react accordingly.

It's Widnes

Interesting reading the SL material stating Halifax will also be entered into consideration against the existing 14 clubs for licence. Another club under threat perhaps? Also note part of the criteria used for assessment is a minimum average attendance of 2500 over a couple of season prior to entry.

For the first time in a few years due to serious health issues and family committments, I'll be coming to some games, but I could not see on the web site a "family" ticket, do these exist? If not, they should?

Family tickets should exist and we should promote ourselves for at least one game around that theme, and why not have it a running promotion throughout 2012.

Price for an U21 is only a fiver isn't it? That should take care of a family ticket

Season ticket 25 quid