I don’t know what the attendance was last night, but the DW stadium looked completely empty. Yes you’ve had a poor start to the season (as have Leeds) but you were champions last year and it looks like a lot of fans have deserted the club already, that is terrible.

You should have stopped typing after your first three words.

What was the attendance?

I’m sure that you are more than capable to use a search engine.

It’s not listed https://www.rugby-league.com/superleagu ... port/95678

It’s not listed https://www.rugby-league.com/superleagu ... port/95678

if It’s not listed then how do you expect me to know?

just over 10k

Thanks pieman, looked less than that on tv

I agree, they might have counted ST holders even if they didnt turn up

It looked a heck of a lot emptier than the previous home fixture, when the East stand looked quite full, and there were more than 100 visiting fans. Understandably so, IMHO, as the on-field product is simply not good enough to ask folk to part with £20+

IL needs to slash the admission prices or increase the standard on the pitch. Being turned over by a side who got lucky to even be in SL, followed by a home defeat against a side who were 0-4 and bottom at kick-off is not going to get people flocking to the DW any time soon.

RL in this country is finished.
How long have we got on this sky deal? I fear the sport will go semi-pro after that final deal.

Do you think Wire fans think that? Or Saints fans? Or even Wakey fans?

There simply isnt the same desire to go out of the house anymore. Too much technology and alternative things to do from the comfort of your own home rather than making the effort and wasting money watching the dross that was served up last night. Its not just RL either, look at the pubs and clubs that used to be rammed on weekends but are now empty.

Now on top of that add in the socialist salary cap that brings everybody down to the same level and makes all teams equally dire. Id rather buy a screwdriver, a wrench or some other useful item than pay my hard earned money to watch Jarrod Sammut style signings. Now if we were signing a couple of decent new players each year or two and keeping the squad fresh then i might be tempted to go. As it is there is very little excitement to lure people away from leaving the house.

No "might" about it.

It is standard practise for every team, in every sport to declare every attendance figure including every season ticket holder - Whether or not they actually attended. Because attendance is merely a record of how many tickets were sold/allocated for that match.

And yes, I'd guess there were about 8k actually in attendance, although the South Stand wasn't too bad, so maybe 9k?

The NFL, NBA, NHL, NRL, they all have a salary cap, soccer is pretty much the only sport that doesn’t operate a salary cap. Yea there is modern technology, there always has been modern technology, but the market for experiences is growing, if Wigan are failing to be a part of that, they only have themselves to blame.

Not dead, but RL's definitely struggling.

All of those salary caps mentioned have increased year on year above inflation.

Ours is stuck at the same number. We're essentially paying players less these days.

American sports also have a minimum salary that players should be paid, as well as various exceptions to the cap where a team can actually be 19 Million over the cap, but not penalised.

I think they're the minority though, the sport is in deep trouble and will I fear in my lifetime return to semi pro

There’s a tweet going round that Lockers was verbally abused by a ‘supporter’ in the South Stand bar post-match.

Along the lines of ‘you’re f***ing $hite’ and ‘get the f*** out of our club’.

Absolutely disgraceful if true, the guy is living legend who has spilled blood, sweat and tears for Wigan RLFC for over two decades.

I think completely the opposite.I think the sport has never been healthier and your misgivings are more home sorrows.


Wigan woes aren't a complete mirror of when they almost went bust in the 90s but there are some similarities.

Budgeting full time contracts on the back of chance....getting to finals. That's Wigan's problem...for the outlay, you simply haven't been in enough finals to balance the investment.

In 2018 Wigan really needed a Wembley visit with full cap and 2 marquess....the GF was a help but that pot gets spread a little too thinly...and the merchandising doesn't scratch the surface of Wembley.

Lessons don't seem to be learnt, and Lenagan is having to scale back to address financial in-balance...he is aware of that much unlike predicessors.

Interesting.

Personally I think the standard of SL has plummeted. The sport is dying.

The standard of Super League has certainly gone down. The reason for this is the massive increase in the NRL salary cap ($9.6M in 2019 from $4.1M in 2010) which means the vast majority of the best players in the World play in that competition. Super League can’t compete financially but our cap should go up with inflation. I don’t however think this is a valid excuse for Wigan’s drop in attendances.

I have a nasty fear that it will go down the tubes, been thinking that for a few years now.

Too many clubs clinging on and not striving to be excellent.

And this is the reason there is no point increasing our salary cap limit. Unless it’s going to increase to at least 5 times it’s current level we just won’t compete with the NRL. We’ll have the same pool of players to choose from but they’d be paid a bit more. We just need to scrap the cap and give those who can afford it the opportunity to attract the best players.