Are you worried about attendances?

[Chrispmartha]

I will add though I would be worried if I were anything to do with the Wigan club, I do think that 5.5k attendance is very poor even given the reasons stated.

Fro what Ive read its more to do with the style of rugby they are playing under Lam, is this the case or is it just an easy excuse?

 

Maybe I was right and that ill advised rebrand and non Wigan looking shirt was a bad idea after all

 

 

[Smudger06]

11 minutes ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

This is not just about attendances but a viable league for sponsors.

 

Paul

Sponsors are a secondary income stream, you need an audience 1st and foremost and then you can sell your audiences attention to sponsors. 

[Gerrumonside ref]

Rugby League is sick, but not in the cool way some young people talk about.

[Smudger06]

5 minutes ago, Johnoco said:

This goes back to the point made on the cricket thread though. Today, it's not just about punters in the ground (although they are obviously important for a good atmosphere/spectacle) but the online/SM presence could mean financial income for the game without a turnstile being clicked. Both are important and the latter more and more. 

Yes, by audience I mean overall, physically at the ground is just one element of that audience. 

[Rugbyleaguesupporter]

1 hour ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

Rugby League is sick, but not in the cool way some young people talk about.

And how would you change this? 

[dkw]

How are attendances below SL going, because as far as I can tell most clubs below SL level are doing pretty well since the restart. Certainly my club are selling every ticket they have available, and could definitely sell more if the local council allowed it. Barrow are getting some outstanding attendances also. 

[Gerrumonside ref]

4 minutes ago, Rugbyleaguesupporter said:

And how would you change this? 

I always thought the Rugby League World Cup this year could provide a shot in the arm to be honest if England could have won it.

Domestically, we need our Super League Grand Final to be simulcast live to the biggest possible broadcast audience.  It would help too if we built up to the event with other live FTA offerings.  I believe this would increase the game’s profile and standing.

To be honest there’s loads of things that could be done/perhaps should be done, but the truth is new initiatives don’t fund themselves and the game is short of money.

I think Sky’s exclusivity helped and hindered the sport.

 

[gingerjon]

3 hours ago, Smudger06 said:

Thought people would be itching to get back to stadiums.

They seriously are at all levels of football and, as far as I’m aware, cricket crowds have been good albeit with more games going to open sale than previously.

[Magic XIII]

3 hours ago, Smudger06 said:

So replace 5.5k declining attendances with 1k attendances, don't think that's gonna work.

I don't think that's his point. Broncos at the moment are a rudderless shambles, but a relevant, well funded and challenging Broncos or Toulouse would get ore than 1k.

[Hopping Mad]

4 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

Or is it that people are just becoming disillusioned with the sport at pro level, I know I do not derive as much enjoyment from watching the game anymore, in fact I would never ever miss a televised game but these days there are times I just can't be bothered putting it on the TV.

The quality has gone out of the pro game for me, I find modern tactics are stifling and as for the blatant cheating of feigning injuries that every team is adopting to slow the momentum of the opposition is as big a put off as anything else.

I doubt that I will purchase another season ticket, but that is me and I should imagine that I will be like my friend Johnoco and I will eventually get out of the habit of going, albeit I will still get along to the community side of the sport, I find that much more honest.

A lot to be said for this synopsis. To be honest, I've spent the summer watching live cricket. The only time I've bothered with live rugby league - three times, then just amateurs - is when rain was forecast. I recorded the Challenge Cup final but, in the end, was happy enough with the six-minute package of highlights.

[Chris22]

Season ticket culture. It's why play off crowds are so poor. With season ticket sales hugely impacted this year, it is reflected in poor crowd figures. Big test is in 2022 to see if sales rebound.

Fev are going to have 1 stand with social distancing and mandatory masks next week and the rest restriction free. Given most clubs have spare capacity, this is sensible.

Whilst I am not anxious at all about returning to rugby, many are and this is a good way of balancing differing views.

[Rugbyleaguesupporter]

1 hour ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

I always thought the Rugby League World Cup this year could provide a shot in the arm to be honest if England could have won it.

Domestically, we need our Super League Grand Final to be simulcast live to the biggest possible broadcast audience.  It would help too if we built up to the event with other live FTA offerings.  I believe this would increase the game’s profile and standing.

To be honest there’s loads of things that could be done/perhaps should be done, but the truth is new initiatives don’t fund themselves and the game is short of money.

I think Sky’s exclusivity helped and hindered the sport.

 

Next year we will have three cup rounds and then exclusively two semi finals and final of main cup competition exclusive FTA. 

10 matches including 2 play off games FTA 

Very likely international series (no laughing at back) FTA

Sadly Sky money outweighs FTA money so the above is as far as we can go. 

I think RLWC can be shot in arm- but ultimately best way to get money into game in short term is gates. A successful world cup helps but big challenge is what's caused drop off in attendances. 

-ageing fan base (challenge is to attract younger fans) 

-lack of money (difficult to deal with but prices at lots of clubs quite high, but little evidence lowering prices works that well) 

-overall experience (I don't think this is major in stadium, but uncertainty re pubs an issue atm and food/ drink offer could improve at clubs) 

-boring product (I love the product but I do have concerns at stop start nature which feels like its increased) 

-games that don't matter (always been in place- bigger problem I feel is that making grand final not so new anymore) 

[DoubleD]

I view it as a bit of a perfect storm.

• we're halfway through a disjointed season where many people haven't bought season tickets and have made other plans
• holiday season exacerbating this, even more so than usual years
• lots of people self isolating, including myself, so could not attend a game
• general malaise around the game, particularly around the direction
• lots of postponements which has taken away momentum and routine. The season is so disjointed, it feels clubs are just fulfilling games for the sake of it (or not!). Hopefully the play-offs will re-ignite interest

The World Cup could be the great spark to generate interest and re-set the sport on the right path. It needs it, now more than ever. Without it, it's pretty rudderless and is now drifting further out of peoples consciousness. The younger generation are key to engage and the Hundred, for as much as I dislike as a cricket fan, has now taken another chunk of potential audience/media limelight. RL needs relevance

[Southerner]

I expect attendances to be indefinitely affected.

When the new TV rights allow all matches to be monetised, it’ll be a welcomed opportunity to make up the shortfall from lower gate receipts. 

[dkw]

2 hours ago, Johnoco said:

Well that's certainly good news. Are they doing anything different to what they might have done pre covid? 

Not sure about barrow, the main thing Town are doing differently to the last few years is win games.....ha ha. 

The town lot kept a good flow of information, good online interaction, social media etc. They managed to build a decent feel good factor around the club, quite a lot from Thorman who is a superb talker. 

[GUBRATS]

7 hours ago, Eddie said:

The Leeds one doesn’t seem too bad (would have been 12k before Covid?), but Wigan’s is horrendous. The clubs, SL and RFL need to wake up big time. 

And do what ?

[DimmestStar]

Well I bought tickets for the St Helens v Hull KR game.......then it got called off by Saints.

Now I have bought tickets for the Salford v Hull KR game....and it looks like Salford will be calling it off.

I'm wondering if it is worth buying tickets at all.

[redjonn]

On a brighter note at Leeds/Salford game the hospitality and the corporate box's were very busy - at Headingly that is quite a number of people paying significant monies. I have no doubt when the likes of Warrington I'm sure hospitality will be even busier/rammed packed. 

So they are doing something really well.

[Josef K]

4 hours ago, Chris22 said:

Season ticket culture. It's why play off crowds are so poor. With season ticket sales hugely impacted this year, it is reflected in poor crowd figures. Big test is in 2022 to see if sales rebound.

Fev are going to have 1 stand with social distancing and mandatory masks next week and the rest restriction free. Given most clubs have spare capacity, this is sensible.

Whilst I am not anxious at all about returning to rugby, many are and this is a good way of balancing differing views.

I don’t know why they changed the play offs from Top 5, to Top 6. Perhaps they might’ve to change the play offs again, were if you finish first you go straight through to Old Trafford. While the other sides battle it out to reach the final.
The club chairmen from the top tier must know the game is struggling, but their self interest means nothing will change. 

[yanto]

9 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

Or is it that people are just becoming disillusioned with the sport at pro level, I know I do not derive as much enjoyment from watching the game anymore, in fact I would never ever miss a televised game but these days there are times I just can't be bothered putting it on the TV.

 

 

 

THIS 

Living in Europe the BBC and Streaming are the only way to watch live games.

I pay for the WatchNRL app, payed for the ###### Live RL app, pay for the Our League app yet its a few weeks since I sat down and watched a game live.

It used to be wall to wall NRL over the weekend but even that has gone bye the bye.

Even my local bar let me stream games on one of the TV`s whenever I wanted to. Beer and rugby nowt better 

Last time I watched a game from the UK was Barrow v Town a couple weeks ago 

As for watching a SL game .......!!!!!!!

Strange after over 50 years being involved in the game and dissing union code I actually sat watched the Lions v SA at the weekend.

[THE RED ROOSTER]

And I thought I was depressed....

Yes, the quality of Super League is not as good and there are few , if any star names in the game but consider these reasons.

Playing matches on top of each other and cramming the games in playing at odd days in the week. Rugby Leagues adminstrators never seem to understand - less is more. The economy may be growing at its fastest for 80 years but at lot of people have lost their jobs and money is tight so they will picjand choose when to attend.

The enforced COVID break has meant may former Season ticket holders have found something different to do. Yes posters like myself have had enough of the monkey business at my club but that's not the case elsewhere, so I do think familer have found other leisure activities, and need something from their club to lure them back.

The aging Rugby League fanbase is another factor, sadly the older the fanbase gets the more fans die of natural causes. This is why all sports seek to reinvent themselves in one way or another to entice the next generation of supporters, Unfortunately League has a habit of trying to turn the clock back not forward

Finally, media coverage, outside the M62, it is like the game has fallen off the proverbial cliff. In the Murdoch era when SKY had some Aussies who were also leaguies. The Murdoch press publicised the game. Now under COMCAST / NBC it does not. Not sure there is anything that can be done there.

 

 

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

1 hour ago, DimmestStar said:

Well I bought tickets for the St Helens v Hull KR game.......then it got called off by Saints.

Now I have bought tickets for the Salford v Hull KR game....and it looks like Salford will be calling it off.

I'm wondering if it is worth buying tickets at all.

You a Hull guy working in Manchester then? 

[Eddie]

2 hours ago, GUBRATS said:

And do what ?

Do more to encourage fans to go to games, like Barrow are doing. 

[GUBRATS]

4 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Do more to encourage fans to go to games, like Barrow are doing. 

Well they've kept the big screen they put up for the Euro's , I was in Barrow all last week 

[sweaty craiq]

14 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Do more to encourage fans to go to games, like Barrow are doing. 

Giving tickets away can only ever be a short term policy, somebody must pay the players staff etc. The issue is after being let in for free you set the price expectations, you then charge a reasonable rate and its deemed too expensive. This has been the downfall of RL since SL started.

The quality of the entertainment (game) and the matchday experience are what matters.

Currently SL is a joke, poor officials, cheating players, cancelled fixtures, understrength clubs play one week then not the next, terrible covid compliance at some clubs.

How do you plan a day at the rugby next weekend when it will likely get cancelled the day before because a clubs percentages are better not playing.

PING.