Attendances (Multiple Merged Threads)

[Chrispmartha]

10 minutes ago, Spidey said:

I meant specifically the seats in the south, there never used to be seats there

But the seats sell well in the South Stand, they aren’t the issue.

 

Put it this way, let’s say everything has clicked and Leeds are playing great RL, competing at the top and matching teams like Saints, do you really think fans will be put off attending because of the layout of the stadium?

[Chrispmartha]

11 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

They have shuffled fans from the North to the South, which detrimentally effects both in different ways (South Atmosphere and North looks)

It’s irrelevant though imo. The atmosphere is fine from the few games since the stadium has been rebuilt that we have actually played well the atmosphere is great, the reason it all feels flat is because the entertainment on show is flat

[Tommygilf]

7 minutes ago, Chrispmartha said:

It’s irrelevant though imo. The atmosphere is fine from the few games since the stadium has been rebuilt that we have actually played well the atmosphere is great, the reason it all feels flat is because the entertainment on show is flat

Obviously that is true too, but I would argue that has been the case since the stadium rebuild was started.

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

1 hour ago, whatmichaelsays said:

I don't think that's by accident to be honest. 

I don't think it's unfair to say that the Leeds strategy seems to be focused on pushing a more premium offering (at least off the pitch), and to that extent, having fewer people paying more is probably a sign of success. I don't think Hetherington would lose sleep over the empty seats in the north stand if the restaurant upstairs was throwing out thousands of chicken dinners every matchday. 

He might not but SKY will hate it

A few more quid in Rhino's coffers but the entire image of the sport looks worse every other Thursday or Friday

Facing the South Stand would look sensational every time.....which might in turn mean SKY, other broadcasters and casual viewers are more interested and ultimately more money 

It's one of my biggest bug bears in the way our game is presented and I fear it matters a lot more than they realise 

I have plenty of union mates who dip in and out of the SKY games....they have often commented last year and this about why its half full.....that includes the Ch4 game 

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

7 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

Obviously that is true too, but I would argue that has been the case since the stadium rebuild was started.

The vast majority of the people watch the game on telly Tommy....

It's a fact SKY hate empty seats on screen so it matters 

I was there for the C4 game....Great atmosphere and I was in the North stand.....on TV the empty seats stood out

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

1 hour ago, Spidey said:

they should be selling those seats before considering opening the seats in south stand surely

Totally agree

[Chrispmartha]

8 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

Obviously that is true too, but I would argue that has been the case since the stadium rebuild was started.

We played well and won the comp at the start of the renovations.

we then had a season where we sacked our best ever coach, then the season after we were utterly terrible and sacked a coach mid season and ended up in a relegation fight for the second season in a row, then Covid hit, then in our first proper full season with the stadium complete with no covid issues we are again looking utterly dire.

The total perfect storm ruining what should have been a period of celebration for the club.

Get a side together performing on the pitch and nobody will be discussing wether there should be seats in the Southstand or that we have too much corporate facilities.

[Chrispmartha]

5 minutes ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

Totally agree

You sell the seats that are the most popular first, hindering the attendance so it looks good on TV is a strange way of trying to increase attendances.

If the focus when someone watching a game on TV is empty seats id suggest what’s happening on the pitch is the issue, not which  tickets the are offering to sell first. How would you propose to sell Northstand tickets first when the majority of ST will be in the Southstand?

Restricting ticket sales is just daft IMO.

The only way it could possibly work is to make one half of the Northstand the ‘away end’ but even then youre restricting ticket sales in the hope the away fans fill a stand

[Eddie]

59 minutes ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

 

Likely to be the biggest crowd of the round once again, unless Saints or Catalans manage to top it. 

The main stand has a lot of corporate hospitality, which is a tougher sell on a Thursday. Some choose to stay in the bar while the games on too, particularly after half time.

I’d wager Saints get a bigger crowd, they’re the bigger club these days. 

[Eddie]

17 minutes ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

The vast majority of the people watch the game on telly Tommy....

It's a fact SKY hate empty seats on screen so it matters 

I was there for the C4 game....Great atmosphere and I was in the North stand.....on TV the empty seats stood out

Do Sky hate empty seats? I do, and I assume most fans do, but they happily show cricket in empty stadiums and other poorly supported rubbish so I’m not sure if they care as long as people are watching on tv? 

[Chrispmartha]

7 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Do Sky hate empty seats? I do, and I assume most fans do, but they happily show cricket in empty stadiums and other poorly supported rubbish so I’m not sure if they care as long as people are watching on tv? 

I can honestly say it’s not something i focus on, I’m watching the action on the pitch.

 

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

5 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Do Sky hate empty seats? I do, and I assume most fans do, but they happily show cricket in empty stadiums and other poorly supported rubbish so I’m not sure if they care as long as people are watching on tv? 

I'm basing that on what I know about BT's negotiations with Union and a real life insider link I have at a union club (Northampton)....as a broadcaster they wanted assurances around attendances and the way the way it looked on screen.....also people on here have oft quoted some SKY insider knowledge (dubious maybe I know)

I get your point on cricket and I think for twenty20 it's a fair comparison.....the Roses games always sell out and it really makes a difference than watching a half full Canterbury or wherever 

[Eddie]

Just now, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

I'm basing that on what I know about BT's negotiations with Union and a real life insider link I have at a union club (Northampton)....as a broadcaster they wanted assurances around attendances and the way the way it looked on screen.....also people on here have oft quoted some SKY insider knowledge (dubious maybe I know)

I get your point on cricket and I think for twenty20 it's a fair comparison.....the Roses games always sell out and it really makes a difference than watching a half full Canterbury or wherever 

Fair enough, I wasn’t questioning what you said as if it was wrong, I just really didn’t know. I don’t watch cricket, would rather cheese grate my own ball bag, but I can imagine it’s much better when there are fans in too. 

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

2 minutes ago, Chrispmartha said:

I can honestly say it’s not something i focus on, I’m watching the action on the pitch.

 

I don't focus on it that much myself.....just think it's a missed trick....and one that matters quite a bit more than maybe Hetherington or whoever thinks (in my view)

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

1 minute ago, Eddie said:

Fair enough, I wasn’t questioning what you said as if it was wrong, I just really didn’t know. I don’t watch cricket, would rather cheese grate my own ball bag, but I can imagine it’s much better when there are fans in too. 

My interest in tests and ODIs has diminished bit t20s are a great way to spend 3 hours if you get chance to go (assuming you like a beer Eddie!)

[Tommygilf]

30 minutes ago, Chrispmartha said:

We played well and won the comp at the start of the renovations.

we then had a season where we sacked our best ever coach, then the season after we were utterly terrible and sacked a coach mid season and ended up in a relegation fight for the second season in a row, then Covid hit, then in our first proper full season with the stadium complete with no covid issues we are again looking utterly dire.

The total perfect storm ruining what should have been a period of celebration for the club.

Get a side together performing on the pitch and nobody will be discussing wether there should be seats in the Southstand or that we have too much corporate facilities.

That was the final hurrah of an era in 2017 though, and to some extent that (era) masked some problems at the club.

I do agree the on field is critical to the club getting a good vibe around it again. It is disappointing that in 2020 our few attended games were seeming to be a good start to bring in the positivity.

I still think they have been somewhat dismissive of ordinary fans and fan-experience over the past few years however.

[Spidey]

36 minutes ago, Chrispmartha said:

You sell the seats that are the most popular first, hindering the attendance so it looks good on TV is a strange way of trying to increase attendances.

If the focus when someone watching a game on TV is empty seats id suggest what’s happening on the pitch is the issue, not which  tickets the are offering to sell first. How would you propose to sell Northstand tickets first when the majority of ST will be in the Southstand?

Restricting ticket sales is just daft IMO.

The only way it could possibly work is to make one half of the Northstand the ‘away end’ but even then youre restricting ticket sales in the hope the away fans fill a stand

How popular were South Stand seats in 2017?

Edited March 11, 2022 by Spidey
wrong year lol

[Chrispmartha]

Just now, Tommygilf said:

That was the final hurrah of an era in 2017 though, and to some extent that (era) masked some problems at the club.

I do agree the on field is critical to the club getting a good vibe around it again. It is disappointing that in 2020 our few attended games were seeming to be a good start to bring in the positivity.

I still think they have been somewhat dismissive of ordinary fans and fan-experience over the past few years however.

I agree totally with your last point, I just don’t think the stadium layout is the issue.

As I’ve mentioned look at the Merchandise, cheap (not in price) tat being released constantly, only for it yo be reduced a month later when they release the next set of tat. It’s insulting to the fans.

 

The youtube videos are pathetic with every week being the same dull 2 minute interviews about how they have trained well during the week, often conducted on a windy training field so you can’t hear anything.

 

No marketing incentives other than a post on Social media saying ‘you don’t want to miss this’ with nothing but negative comments below it. Why not have a Rhinos TV subscription channel that costs lets say a fiver s month or its included in the Gold membership and produce dome interesting content?

Everything they are doing at the moment screams a lack of enterprise and ambition for a club with the history and standing in the game it’s unforgivable .

 

Leeds need to get a grip and fast, the stadium is the least of their worries (other than the debt of course) and is probably the only thing they have done well in the last 5 years.

[Eddie]

12 minutes ago, Bedfordshire Bronco said:

My interest in tests and ODIs has diminished bit t20s are a great way to spend 3 hours if you get chance to go (assuming you like a beer Eddie!)

Well yeah, now and again . I’ve only ever been to one cricket match, it was a test match at Trent Bridge, there were 3 or 4 overs before it started raining all day and I missed them all because I was queuing at the bar. I can imagine T20 is decent for a session though. 

[Chrispmartha]

5 minutes ago, Spidey said:

How popular were South Stand seats in 2019?

Popular but the Northstand wasn’t completed till halfway  through the season so it’s difficult to gain much from that years data.

[M j M]

2 hours ago, Dave T said:

On this point, I definitely agree, and I'm not sure why they went with the dark blue, which is at odds with the iconic seating area that was previously there 

Jeez I spent 20 years sitting in that stand for Leeds games and I never thought it would end up an icon.

It certainly wasn't exposed to the wind like the new place though and it was good at hiding empty seats.

[Scubby]

24 minutes ago, Chrispmartha said:

Popular but the Northstand wasn’t completed till halfway  through the season so it’s difficult to gain much from that years data.

I know it is irrelevant now but had the stands been built the other way around then there may have been a bigger take up in that north stand. People (regulars) are generally not going to move twice in 2 years.

[M j M]

22 hours ago, Eddie said:

Did you get bigger crowds at Elland Road than you would have if those games had been at Headingley?

 

Going back to this, the one off (two off) Elland Road games sold well.

If Leeds played every game there though I'm pretty confident crowd averages would fall. I certainly would struggle to justify or be enthusiastic about getting a season ticket there.

Edited March 11, 2022 by M j M

[Chrispmartha]

1 minute ago, Scubby said:

I know it is irrelevant now but had the stands been built the other way around then there may have been a bigger take up in that north stand. People (regulars) are generally not going to move twice in 2 years.

I was under the impression The stands couldn’t have been built the other way around because of how it connects with the cricket stand, its not a normal layout for a stadium.

The Southstand is the iconic stand which people want to be in, why compromise that just so it looks a little bit better on TV?
 

The aim should be to fill both not hinder sales in the most popular stand.

 

[Chrispmartha]

1 minute ago, M j M said:

Going back to this, the one off (two we'd) Elland Road games sold well.

If Leeds played every game I'm pretty confident crowds would fall. I certainly would struggle to justify or be enthusiastic about getting a season ticket there.

The two games sold well because they were a bit of a novelty.

I wouldn’t be getting a season  ticket at ER its a horrible stadium