I've been thinking about this a lot, and I think both of your points are right at the same time. This division will inevitably feel like a dead end street, what with the lack of promotion, the uneven playing field we have been subjected to over the years and the feel that, generally, we're here to just survive and get tossed crumbs every now and then so long as we help develop the stars of the future for everyone else.

The recession can't be doing us any good either, but this excuse will be seized upon by people making excuses, we all knew with licensing and the shutting up shop this would happen. Rugby league is being divided into the haves and have nots. I sincerely hope next time is widnes' turn, because we will diminish with every passing year we're stuck in this league and I say that with the greatest of respect to the teams in it and making the best of it.

Barrow's attendances for the first 2 games are up on the equivelant games last year. You have to remember that we haven't had umpteen years in a higher league (including SL) to build up a bigger fanbase. Having said that, our crowds have gone up from 900-odd in 2006 in NL2 to 2,400 in 2009. We also get very few travelling fans coming through the turnstiles.

If we remain competitive the crowds will continue to grow, but things aren't helped by the fact that there is no automatic promotion. Without doubt, our crowds would be much higher were there a SL place on offer to the Grand Final winner. There is no relegated 'big' team entering the league every year from SL either.

Unfortunately that is not unique to Barrow.Most clubs in this league have that problem.

That Championship 1 side currently top of the championship were only 750+ behing the mighty Vikings, but seeing as it is you VM, I will forgive you !!



How Leigh and Widnes wasn't a GF match is beyond me. This 4-5000+ would have boosted our average above the mighty Barrow Raiders - (oops), it already is !!

I reckon that we'd have attracted 4k two years ago for Monday's game.

Maybe if home clubs put a bit more thought and effort into attracting away fans it would improve , maybe something like free/cheap travel for all adults pre purchasing a ticket , aiming at at least 40 % of the traveling clubs home average , bigger crowds , better atmosphere and just a better all round ' feel ' to the competition

Could possibly turn it into a ' vibrant worth winning in it's own right ' type of thing

Well yeah because you'd be in Super League after winning last years GF. Unless they knocked you back because of your ground, like they did with Keighley.

Again,many clubs find themselves in a similar position.Ourselves,Leigh Halifax and Featherstone can say the same thing.This is one of the downsides of no promotion/relegation,people losing interest with the club having nothing to aim for at the seasons end.

Agreed, but some suffer more than others though.
Sheff never even brought up a car full, only Fev, You, Haven & Fax bring over 100 with them.
So most of our attendances will have a higher percentage than others who get more away fans due to geography etc.

We also have Barrow AFC to compete with for fan base, 70 % of both codes fans wont step foot in the others grounds and loave the other club ( which I find odd myself as I follow both )
A few hundred follow both but sometimes have to pick 1 over the other due to economics , I know a fair few regulars are missing games from both codes as they have to save 250/300 quid for the Footy club Wembley trip in a few weeks time, but as SRC states our attendances are still on an upwards curve

Good post , the home club say pay half towards the cost of the away fans coach travel, would hopefully increase away support who pay into the away ground as spent money both inside the ground and locally in the pubs n eateries etc

Early on in the season you were not only bragging about your attendances, you were trolling about them. Now you're being a bit more realistic.

But let me remind you, you might be competing with Barrow FC. We're competing with Liverpool, Everton, and Manchester United.

And now Celtic Crusaders

And the Runcorn Linnets

They pay up to half of the cost of an adult entrance ticket bought in advance but marketed 3/4 weeks before the game

Put the razor blades away now have we?

What and we dont

your very naive if you dont think loads of folk leave furness to go to see teams like this, we even have folk going to Leeds, Wigan & Bradfut RL sides, as I'm sure you also have.

I never trolled about our attendances just pointed out several times that are are still rising, if you regard that as trolling thats your problem.

Top chart = 2009
Bottom chart = 2010 so far




2010 so far for Champ 1

I don't think you realise just how bad the 'away' attendances are for us as well. Don't forget if Leigh would have been relegated we wouldn't have had any local games this year. The Yorkshire clubs are the ones who benefit from travelling support as they have so many Yorkshire derbies. This is our 5th season in this division and every year most home games for us see about 50 away fans, with the total number of times an away side has brought a decent following is about 5 or 6 - and thats over the 5 years. We haven't really seen a side bring a good following to our stadium for 2 or 3 years now. Even the recent games agianst Leigh have been televised on a Thursday plus Leigh's crowds have also dropped. Far cry from 2006 when in one year we had Hull KR, Leigh and a cup game against Castleford who probably all brought 1,000 or so fans.

Crap really, when you consider we take anywhere between 500-1,000 for weekend games every time.

Remember boxing day 2000

medication

20% drop and the mighty Fax have already invaded the Stobart!

fax invaded and still brought sod all, one day the away end will be opened up

To be completely honest my interest has waned recently...
I have a season ticket and haven't missed a home match yet. I think I have only missed the Salford Friendly and the Sheffield away games this year and had decent reasons for that..
I will, without question, be getting a season ticket next year but I am in no way as excited about this season as I was in previous years.
Even though we have nicked games in the last few minutes, lost games in the last few minutes and have played some genuinely good rugby I still feel a little flat.

I can't quite put my finger on it but I can only think that there isn't really any particular goal for us this year. In seasons gone by it was vital to finish in the top two if not top of the league and then the real excitement would peak going into the play-offs. Each game was about accruing those all important league points and seeing what teams around us had done that weekend.
This year I genuinely think from a performance point of view a top four finish (maybe top 6) would be good enough for what we want to achieve.

Personally speaking I think most of the focus will be on a decision made next year. Following that I think there will either be a carnival atmosphere around the club or it will be just terrible.
If I am feeling this way at the moment then I think it will be quite a struggle to attract some of the stay-aways or new fans.
SOC said when he first arrived.. there are a lot of plans to attract new fans from surrounding areas but it is vital to bringing people in and retaining them that we are in SL.
This competition just isn't that attractive to new fans and we are losing a few people as a result of being in here.

This is the very reason why as Starbug says the championship clubs need to get together and make the Championship a competition in its own right or RL outside of Super Dooper league will wither and die.

25th July