Super League

[no13benny]

The biggest weekend of the Engage Super League XV season more than lived up to its billing with a new record aggregate crowd of 89,356 watching the magnificent seven Round 22 fixtures.

The total is 4,981 higher than the previous record of 84,375 set in Round 8 of 2009 and testifies to the high quality of the most open competition in Super League history, according to RFL Chief Executive Nigel Wood.

[Terry Mullaney]

Magnificent 7

Nearly twice last week's aggregate. :rolleyes:

[Terry Mullaney]

So what?

So what, what?

[adelwire]

Great attendances. Some clubs have really marketed some games this season. Alas too many clubs haven't fully marketed this great sport. Clubs, dont you want to make money? Have you exhausted every promotional opportunity?

[Terry Mullaney]

What's previous attendances got to do with it?

Sorry Jon, but I don't see where I've said last week's aggregate has anything to do with it.

[Kenilworth Tiger]

Sorry Jon, but I don't see where I've said last week's aggregate has anything to do with it.

There's just no talking to Bradford fans at the moment

[Swansea Jack]

I would like to applaud everyone concerned, players, administrators, Sky TV etc. for a magnificent weekend of Rugby League. Three very exciting games that went down to the wire. Even my wife was jumping up and down on the sofa and shouting, and she normally hates sport.

Well done Rugby League. Yes it is the greatest game. Moaners, and there are too many, SHUT UP!

[no13benny]

I would like to applaud everyone concerned, players, administrators, Sky TV etc. for a magnificent weekend of Rugby League. Three very exciting games that went down to the wire. Even my wife was jumping up and down on the sofa and shouting, and she normally hates sport.

Well done Rugby League. Yes it is the greatest game. Moaners, and there are too many, SHUT UP!

Actually there were 5 that went down to the wire in Super League, and one Northern Rail Cup Final

[Exiled Wiganer]

It was a brilliant effort all round.

The figure which most stands out for me is Saints getting over 10k for Quins. It makes you wonder whether people may prefer Sunday afternoons? Glad they got to see a competitive game as well.

I hope the good people of Bradford hang in there. The vast majority of teams have seen darker teams in the last few years. It is just harder when there is such a gap between expectation and delivery.

[Trojan]

It was a brilliant effort all round.

The figure which most stands out for me is Saints getting over 10k for Quins. It makes you wonder whether people may prefer Sunday afternoons? Glad they got to see a competitive game as well.

I hope the good people of Bradford hang in there. The vast majority of teams have seen darker teams in the last few years. It is just harder when there is such a gap between expectation and delivery.

Spot on. That's why the RFL moved most fixtures there in the seventies. The only exceptions IIRC were Leeds who always preferred to play at Headingley on a Friday night, I seem to remember Salford playing Fridays too.

[Dave T]

It was a brilliant effort all round.

The figure which most stands out for me is Saints getting over 10k for Quins. It makes you wonder whether people may prefer Sunday afternoons? Glad they got to see a competitive game as well.

I hope the good people of Bradford hang in there. The vast majority of teams have seen darker teams in the last few years. It is just harder when there is such a gap between expectation and delivery.

Yep, was pleasantly surprised with the Saints crowd, especially when they have already had 5 lower crowds than the game against Quins, which is probably quite unusual.

I know Warrington make a bit of an effort for games like the Quins and Cats games, with more promotion and offers, and it does make you wonder why they don't do it more regularly. I assume that Saints did something different for this game with regards the promotion, although as you point out, it may have just been the day the game was played.

[Kenilworth Tiger]

You said it was double last weeks attendances and added some smileys.

Because it's good news isn't it?

[Padge]

Spot on. That's why the RFL moved most fixtures there in the seventies. The only exceptions IIRC were Leeds who always preferred to play at Headingley on a Friday night, I seem to remember Salford playing Fridays too.

The overall stats don't back it up.

Teams moved their fixtures to Friday nights because by doing that they could avoid being selected for the BBC on a saturday afternoon.

When games were played on Saturday the BBC could pick any game to televise, many clubs where against televised games. They wanted out of the TV contract but still wanted a cut of the money, they way they got around it was to play games on Friday nights. This meant they were available for TV if the BBC wanted to show a game on a Friday night, which they didn't, and they could have a cut of the money without having their home games televised.

Sunday games came later.

[Exiled Wiganer]

Good golly miss molly. I never knew that.

As a further twist, if you have an occasional Sunday game you can do what Wigan did with the Cas game and have it as the centrepiece of a day of activities.

Padge - you are the most likely to know this, though anyone else who knows can chip in - why do Wakey (and Cas?) kick off at 3 30 rather than 3 on Sundays?

If it gets tighter at the top then timing of games may become significant.

[Padge]

Good golly miss molly. I never knew that.

As a further twist, if you have an occasional Sunday game you can do what Wigan did with the Cas game and have it as the centrepiece of a day of activities.

Padge - you are the most likely to know this, though anyone else who knows can chip in - why do Wakey (and Cas?) kick off at 3 30 rather than 3 on Sundays?

If it gets tighter at the top then timing of games may become significant.

The 3:00 v 3:30 kick off I believe tied in with local licensing laws.

On a Saturday afternoon, under restricted opening hours, different areas had slightly different hours.

Kick offs were timed around the pub hours.

Leigh traditionally have a 3:30 ko where as Wigan was always 3:00, Saturday afternoon in Wigan pubs shut at 3:00 and in Leigh it was 3:30.

When the games moved to Sunday it stayed that way as on a Sunday the pubs shut at 2:00 or 2:30 but clubs had an hours extension.

Basically they didn't want to compete with the pubs and clubs

Also bare in mind that many clubs had their own supporters club which made money for the club and you would want to maximize the amount of time supporters were in the bar.

Edited July 19, 2010 by Padge

[audois]

If you throw in the NRC Final 97500 for the eight games played.

In the good-bad old days like 1975 the total league crowds reached around 800,000 for the season.

Somebodies getting something right even if it is only one weekends attendances.

[Trojan]

The 3:00 v 3:30 kick off I believe tied in with local licensing laws.

On a Saturday afternoon, under restricted opening hours, different areas had slightly different hours.

Kick offs were timed around the pub hours.

Leigh traditionally have a 3:30 ko where as Wigan was always 3:00, Saturday afternoon in Wigan pubs shut at 3:00 and in Leigh it was 3:30.

When the games moved to Sunday it stayed that way as on a Sunday the pubs shut at 2:00 or 2:30 but clubs had an hours extension.

Basically they didn't want to compete with the pubs and clubs

Also bare in mind that many clubs had their own supporters club which made money for the club and you would want to maximize the amount of time supporters were in the bar.

In the days when I was a regular at Belle Vue it always puzzled me how they got away with keeping the bars open on Sunday afternoons.

Clubs certainly moved from Saturday to Sunday because of counter attractions of Saturdays, including live sport on TV (not necessarily Rugby) Racing for starters. My uncle a miner would spend his entire Saturday afternoon flitting between the bookies at the bottom of the street and his TV.

Edited July 19, 2010 by Trojan

[Padge]

In the days when I was a regular at Belle Vue it always puzzled me how they got away with keeping the bars open on Sunday afternoons.

Clubs certainly moved from Saturday to Sunday because of counter attractions of Saturdays, including live sport on TV (not necessarily Rugby) Racing for starters. My uncle a miner would spend his entire Saturday afternoon flitting between the bookies at the bottom of the street and his TV.

At Central Park despite the old licensing laws the bars on the ground always opened all through the game when games where on Saturday and on SUnday, they even managed to get an extension on the Sunday to allow the Sullivan bar to stay open for an hour after the game had finished. Another licensing oddity was that after the game on a Sunday, despite pubs and clubs having to wait until 7:00PM to open, the Rugby Club opened at 5:00PM after the game.