Attendances (Multiple Merged Threads)

[RayCee]

I try to put together crowd numbers and was looking forward to posting someone on League 1 attendances so far. The last couple of rounds have been very hard to get all results. How are attendance figures handled? Are clubs obliged to tell the RFL how many turned up? Is so why don’t they publish them on their site? 

[Toby Chopra]

3 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

Students up for a ###### up 

What does that have anything to do with RL ?

If you can get 18,000 local students to turn up at a rugby match at the home of England's biggest rugby league club, it's a damn shame it's not a rugby league match they're going to see. 

[Damien]

1 minute ago, Toby Chopra said:

If you can get 18,000 local students to turn up at a rugby match at the home of England's biggest rugby league club, it's a damn shame it's not a rugby league match they're going to see. 

Yes certainly. It's like the arguments some had against Toronto. I just don't understand the snobbery around these things.

People attend sporting events for all reasons and for some it certainly isn't just for the 80 mins that happens on Rugby pitch. We really need to get out of that mindset as a sport and away from the view that some fans are better, or purer RL fans, for than others.

[Toby Chopra]

1 minute ago, Damien said:

Yes certainly. It's like the arguments some had against Toronto. I just don't understand the snobbery around these things.

People attend sporting events for all reasons and for some it certainly isn't just for the 80 mins that happens on Rugby pitch. We really need to get out of that mindset as a sport and away from the view that some fans are better, or purer RL fans, for than others.

In fact the more I think about it, the more I see that Leeds has such an important opportunity to evangelise for rugby league. 

Every year literally thousands of the country's top graduates will leave Leeds and move into the UK's most influential professions - and Rhinos will have had them literally on their doorstep for 3 years. 

If they haven't put rugby league on the radar of at least some of them over that time it's a huge opportunity missed. 

I don't see any other SL club with quite the same opportunity to change attitudes. 

[Eddie]

1 hour ago, Damien said:

I certainly think this true and I think it's quite apparent from fan opinions over recent years.

I think there is also an element of a rising tide lifts all ships in these things. A vibrant, well run competition can produce a buzz that translates to fans wanting to go to matches. Obviously in recent years, in both SL and RL generally, I think we have seen the polar opposite of this theory.

At some clubs yes, but at others like Saints, KR and Cas crowds are very good, as they are at some lower league clubs such as Barrow. 

[meast]

27 minutes ago, RayCee said:

I try to put together crowd numbers and was looking forward to posting someone on League 1 attendances so far. The last couple of rounds have been very hard to get all results. How are attendance figures handled? Are clubs obliged to tell the RFL how many turned up? Is so why don’t they publish them on their site? 

2022 RFL League 1 results - Wikipedia

[daz39]

13 hours ago, M j M said:

Toulouse more attractive to Leeds fans than Huddersfield were. Attendance tonight 11,167.

Or maybe the fairweather fans, thought they had more chance of winning and wanted to be there to wallow in the glory. 

[Tommygilf]

24 minutes ago, Toby Chopra said:

Do many Leeds University students go and watch the Rhinos, given Headingley is right in thr heart of studentland? 

If Leeds Uni is still as packed full of middle-class southerners as it was in my day, then it's a tough ask, but also a measure of the Rhino's ability to transcend its rugby leagueness into elite sportness

In my experience it is much like you describe, if not worse for the demographics. The club seemed to tone back on its efforts to get students in, much as it did for fans full stop.

That said you do still get clutches around the ground and of my mates who came to games, many were southern RU players. It did still feel a bit like you had to be brought in by someone who already goes, a bit like the masons!

[daz39]

3 hours ago, Eddie said:

We keep hearing from certain posters that Leeds’ low crowds are because they have so many Thursday games and they’ll go up on the preferred Friday, so for a club who were averaging 15k+ not long ago, 11k on a Friday night is worryingly low.

Exactly, with the success they've had in the modern era and the size of their catchment area their crowds are not really that good, yes this is a Huddersfield fans saying it but the fact they can only pull 5,000 more than us given the massive differential circumstances between the 2 clubs is surely something the sport should be concerned about. 

[Tommygilf]

13 minutes ago, daz39 said:

Exactly, with the success they've had in the modern era and the size of their catchment area their crowds are not really that good, yes this is a Huddersfield fans saying it but the fact they can only pull 5,000 more than us given the massive differential circumstances between the 2 clubs is surely something the sport should be concerned about. 

I think it is a good barometer of where the sport is currently and the trajectory it has been on. The shoots of growth and excitement have often been strangled and the sport as a whole is suffering.

[fevtom]

1 hour ago, RayCee said:

I try to put together crowd numbers and was looking forward to posting someone on League 1 attendances so far. The last couple of rounds have been very hard to get all results. How are attendance figures handled? Are clubs obliged to tell the RFL how many turned up? Is so why don’t they publish them on their site? 

You’d think at semi pro level they’d be obliged to publish them but if they’re not in the match report or the league express then the wikipedia page the other poster linked to sometimes gets updated. Not sure by who or how accurate it is. These are the numbers I have. The 1,2,3 columns represent 1st, 2nd, 3rd home game etc

	Average	1	2	3
Cornwall	1473	1473
Swinton Lions	967	853	1081
Doncaster	915	786	1015	943
Keighley Cougars	863	863
Oldham	733	815	651
North Wales Crusaders	690	690
Hunslet	684	654	714
Rochdale Hornets	588	448	415	900
Midlands Hurricanes	352	478	226
West Wales Raiders	251	251	N/A
London Skolars	237	287	186

45 minutes ago, meast said:

2022 RFL League 1 results - Wikipedia

I’d just add to this that the Rochdale game that doesn’t have a figure on this wikipedia page was reported to be a sell out at the 900 capacity limit.

The number for the Midlands v Skolars game (176) is from the league express, the Midlands match report stated it was 226.

Edited April 23, 2022 by fevtom

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

14 hours ago, M j M said:

Toulouse more attractive to Leeds fans than Huddersfield were. Attendance tonight 11,167.

Huddersfield brought a reasonable following with them too, I doubt Hull kr will match them for numbers at our next home game. The fact we still got more for Toulouse highlights the Thursday night effect, I appreciate sky put a lot of money into the sport so Thursday night games are necessary, but Leeds have had more than their fair share of this season.

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

2 hours ago, cookey said:

Varsity 2022, May 4, University of Leeds RUFC  v  Leeds Beckett University, an 18,000 sell out at Headingley. Wonder how much beer they will sell?!

 

2 hours ago, cookey said:

Leeds Varsity, 27 April to 4 May, across 25 sports, with 60 fixtures. The RL Varsity takes place on 29 April, prior to the Rhinos v Hull KR game.

This seems like a bit of a missed opportunity to me, couldn’t the rugby league varsity game not be a big standalone event? I’d guess the Union varsity tickets will only cost a few quid whereas to watch the League varsity game you’ll need to buy a far more expensive Super League ticket.

[M j M]

13 minutes ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

Huddersfield brought a reasonable following with them too, I doubt Hull kr will match them for numbers at our next home game. The fact we still got more for Toulouse highlights the Thursday night effect, I appreciate sky put a lot of money into the sport so Thursday night games are necessary, but Leeds have had more than their fair share of this season.

The Huddersfield game wasn't on Sky. It was a Thursday night because it was Easter weekend; it was effectively a Friday night in all but name.

[Tommygilf]

3 minutes ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

This seems like a bit of a missed opportunity to me, couldn’t the rugby league varsity game not be a big standalone event? I’d guess the Union varsity tickets will only cost a few quid whereas to watch the League varsity game you’ll need to buy a far more expensive Super League ticket.

They have reduced tickets on offer for the League game, and iirc the Union varsity tickets were something like £10? 

The practical reality is that only 1 Varsity event gets a large number of supporters at it.

[Damien]

15 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

They have reduced tickets on offer for the League game, and iirc the Union varsity tickets were something like £10? 

The practical reality is that only 1 Varsity event gets a large number of supporters at it.

When it's being billed as the big finale and basically a big party its no surprise. On every release I have read its the only event mentioned and is repeatedly sold as the big event finale to attend.

[ShropshireBull]

3 hours ago, Damien said:

Yes certainly. It's like the arguments some had against Toronto. I just don't understand the snobbery around these things.

People attend sporting events for all reasons and for some it certainly isn't just for the 80 mins that happens on Rugby pitch. We really need to get out of that mindset as a sport and away from the view that some fans are better, or purer RL fans, for than others.

On this Cat vs Toulouse game we met dozens of young language assistants who just went for a drink.  We need more events where tragics like me who get 9 hour bus rides to watch one rl game are surrounded by people out for fun. 

Which is where I'd like to see a 4 nations 9's tournament come in without people full of ###### and whige about how 'we need Australia'. 

[daz39]

8,102 at Wire, can't fathom out whether that is really poor or not, it's a Saturday afternoon in Spring, decent weather and only 8,000 turn up?

10,445 at the same fixture in the last properly attendance before Covid. 10,111 the year before.

Have Wire, a fairly successful side of recent times really lost almost a quarter of their home support in 2 years? again i'm not sure what crowds they have been getting but i always seem to have their crowds round about 10-11,000 not 8.

Has there been a massive drop off or is this now normal for Warrington's crowds?

Edited April 24, 2022 by daz39

[ShropshireBull]

23 hours ago, RayCee said:

I try to put together crowd numbers and was looking forward to posting someone on League 1 attendances so far. The last couple of rounds have been very hard to get all results. How are attendance figures handled? Are clubs obliged to tell the RFL how many turned up? Is so why don’t they publish them on their site? 

No idea. They should be required to. 

[Tommygilf]

14 minutes ago, daz39 said:

8,102 at Wire, can't fathom out whether that is really poor or not, it's a Saturday afternoon in Spring, decent weather and only 8,000 turn up?

10,445 at the same fixture in the last properly attendance before Covid. 10,111 the year before.

Have Wire, a fairly successful side of recent times really lost over really lost almost a quarter of their home support in 2 years? again i'm not sure what crowds they have been getting but i always seem to have their crowds round about 10-11,000 not 8.

Has there been a massive drop off or is this now normal for Warrington's crowds?

Indicative of where the sport is.

[Eddie]

1 minute ago, Tommygilf said:

Indicative of where the sport is.

Not at all clubs though, some like KR, Catalans, Saints and Cas seem to be thriving. It’s only Wigan and Leeds and now Wire who are seeing big reductions in attendances. 

[ELBOWSEYE]

21 minutes ago, daz39 said:

8,102 at Wire, can't fathom out whether that is really poor or not, it's a Saturday afternoon in Spring, decent weather and only 8,000 turn up?

10,445 at the same fixture in the last properly attendance before Covid. 10,111 the year before.

Have Wire, a fairly successful side of recent times really lost over really lost almost a quarter of their home support in 2 years? again i'm not sure what crowds they have been getting but i always seem to have their crowds round about 10-11,000 not 8.

Has there been a massive drop off or is this now normal for Warrington's crowds?

They haven't fully recovered from covid, even the atmosphere is mute. The club needs to take action to re connect to the fans. 

[daz39]

4 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Not at all clubs though, some like KR, Catalans, Saints and Cas seem to be thriving. It’s only Wigan and Leeds and now Wire who are seeing big reductions in attendances. 

From my quick calculations, those 3 teams have lost about 4,000 fans between them since 2019, quite strange conisdering every other club has slightly increased or stayed more or less the same, is it a case of some glory hunters haven't been able to go so have just stopped bothering or is it more long term, hardcore fans who have gone AWOL?

[daz39]

3 minutes ago, ELBOWSEYE said:

They haven't fully recovered from covid, even the atmosphere is mute. The club needs to take action to re connect to the fans. 

But wouldn't the same be said for all fanbases rather than just the top, best supported ones?

[Tommygilf]

3 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Not at all clubs though, some like KR, Catalans, Saints and Cas seem to be thriving. It’s only Wigan and Leeds and now Wire who are seeing big reductions in attendances. 

KR have had 2 good crowds, including 1 derby which always fills Craven Park. Cas have had few good ones but the rest have been about average for them. Catalans crowds have been average for them, good for Saints they are capitalising on having such a top team.

The World Cup seems to be struggling, England vs CNAS is poor by all accounts, several teams have seen averages struggle, most of the Cup attendances have been pretty dire. The Covid bounce back hasn't happened.

It's sad, but it is the obvious trajectory of the sport at the moment.