2024 attendance thread

[Wollo Wollo Wayoo]

1 hour ago, PECETTO said:

The crowd of last year final Toulouse / london was 6810 

Fair enough.  That's in line with what we expect next week and what Leigh got previous.  These are standard numbers over recent years. 

I quoted from the only source I could find with a number.

2023 Betfred Championship - Grand Final - Toulouse Olympique 14 lost to London Broncos 18 - RLP (rugbyleagueproject.org)

[Damien]

 

 

 

[Rugbyleaguesupporter]

Just looked on website for Samoa match at Wigan. 

I don't see how we get to 10k attendance based on current sales 

[JonM]

2 hours ago, Damien said:

 

 

 

Quite a step up from previous attendances at the previous configuration of this venue - Addington Showgrounds/ Rugby League Park. 8000 odd for NZ v GB in 2019 and similar kind of figures going back to the 1950s

[Damien]

Looks like a good crowd in prospect for Australia v Tonga:

 

[Damien]

33,196 at Australia v Tonga

[Leyther_Matt]

Free tickets for the Samoa game for anyone who renews their Wigan season ticket is probably not a good sign 

[JonM]

3 hours ago, Damien said:

33,196 at Australia v Tonga

Be interesting to know how many of those were supporting the home team.

[Chrispmartha]

1 hour ago, Leyther_Matt said:

Free tickets for the Samoa game for anyone who renews their Wigan season ticket is probably not a good sign 

Headingley is looking ok, not many seats left especially in the decent positions 

[DoubleD]

22 hours ago, Damien said:

33,196 at Australia v Tonga

The crowds look a lot more impressive in Pacific championship this year which is good to see. Which is the reverse of over here. Ironic because I think the NRL will end up making a big thing out of the Pacific Championship, by default, when the northern hemisphere international scene is on life support 

Edited October 19 by DoubleD

[M j M]

19 hours ago, Chrispmartha said:

Headingley is looking ok, not many seats left especially in the decent positions 

Are all areas  on sale?

[Barley Mow]

25 minutes ago, M j M said:

Are all areas  on sale?

Yes.

I noticed some tickets coming on to sale that hadn't been available earlier in the week - maybe 1,000 or so, but all areas for sale and for those areas you can see progress (seated areas) they're going pretty well.

[gingerjon]

1 hour ago, DoubleD said:

The crowds look a lot more impressive in Pacific championship this year which is good to see. Which is the reverse of over here. Ironic because I think the NRL will end up making a big thing out of the Pacific Championship, by default, when the northern hemisphere international scene is on life support 

I can very quickly see a situation where England are either part of the tournaments down under or simply not playing games at all.

[Jim from Oz]

1 hour ago, DoubleD said:

The crowds look a lot more impressive in Pacific championship this year which is good to see. Which is the reverse of over here. Ironic because I think the NRL will end up making a big thing out of the Pacific Championship, by default, when the northern hemisphere international scene is on life support 

The promotion for the Pacific Championships in Australia this time has been distinctly better, I’ve seen lots of ads on TV and in print, much better than last year!

[Dave T]

1 hour ago, DoubleD said:

The crowds look a lot more impressive in Pacific championship this year which is good to see. Which is the reverse of over here. Ironic because I think the NRL will end up making a big thing out of the Pacific Championship, by default, when the northern hemisphere international scene is on life support 

I think there is a big problem in that I'm not sure i see Test Series being that huge a draw, certainly not outside the major ones against the Aussies or Kiwis. It's no surprise that an ambitious PN tournament is drawing decent crowds, like the 4N did previously. This really is where the original plan of expanding the 4N to 6N yo bring in more stronger nations should have been seen through.

World Cups, Nations Tournaments and local tournaments are the way to go. I'm not sure a Test series is that interesting. Watching England play the same team two or three week son the bounce is a little bland even for someone like me who is an intrl fan.

[Jack GB]

24 minutes ago, Dave T said:

I think there is a big problem in that I'm not sure i see Test Series being that huge a draw, certainly not outside the major ones against the Aussies or Kiwis. It's no surprise that an ambitious PN tournament is drawing decent crowds, like the 4N did previously. This really is where the original plan of expanding the 4N to 6N yo bring in more stronger nations should have been seen through.

World Cups, Nations Tournaments and local tournaments are the way to go. I'm not sure a Test series is that interesting. Watching England play the same team two or three week son the bounce is a little bland even for someone like me who is an intrl fan.

I get your point in a fashion but Samoa are the runners up from the last world cup - so i would call them a current strong nation. if we had a 4 or 6 nations tournament in the UK Samoa and Tonga would be included. Does this mean we only have appetite in the UK to watch Oz and NZ? 

[JM2010]

9 minutes ago, Jack GB said:

I get your point in a fashion but Samoa are the runners up from the last world cup - so i would call them a current strong nation. if we had a 4 or 6 nations tournament in the UK Samoa and Tonga would be included. Does this mean we only have appetite in the UK to watch Oz and NZ? 

Samoa at full strength with the inclusion of Payne Haas could be as good as as anyone. England, NZ, Australia, Samoa, Tonga plus a NH/SH qualifier depending which hemisphere it’s played in would be a great tournament. 

[Exiled Wiganer]

I think the success of the Pacific tournament is something to be massively welcomed. These games form a perfect backdrop to a 2026 World Cup already looking like being the sort of tournament we always thought the Aussies could put on. The level of joined up thinking and media push from the NRL this year has been beyond anything we have ever seen. Look at the huge viewing figures for the Kangaroos game. There is vast vast potential for our game down there. 

As far as NH games are concerned, we know there is absolutely massive appetite for a kangaroos series or a World Cup and loads of interest to watch the Kiwis. If we can break even while giving vital experience to our players with tours against Samoa and Tonga then that’s great and progress which would have been unimaginable pre 2013. 

We have literally never had it even close to being this good internationally across the globe. 
 

 

[RugbyLeagueGeek]

1 hour ago, Dave T said:

Watching England play the same team two or three week son the bounce is a little bland even for someone like me who is an intrl fan.

I think Australia are the only team where a test series would work these days. It's pretty much the same with cricket now as well.

[Hopie]

1 hour ago, Barley Mow said:

Yes.

I noticed some tickets coming on to sale that hadn't been available earlier in the week - maybe 1,000 or so, but all areas for sale and for those areas you can see progress (seated areas) they're going pretty well.

It is not easy to tell, the East stand seats were opened in stages starting with E, then D, then C.... not sure A was ever on sale but I stopped checking once I bought my tickets. What about the grayed out areas?

[Dave T]

1 hour ago, Jack GB said:

I get your point in a fashion but Samoa are the runners up from the last world cup - so i would call them a current strong nation. if we had a 4 or 6 nations tournament in the UK Samoa and Tonga would be included. Does this mean we only have appetite in the UK to watch Oz and NZ? 

I think it's a challenge to watch any series of three repeat fixtures tbh. I think weve moved on from them, largely. There is history around Ashes and Kiwis series, but even they have challenges to be sold, particularly now we don't have the long tours that support them.

England v Samoa has no history at all really to play on, and we've done sod all to build up the England events as must see. 

I just don't see going back to two/three match test series' but worse than we used to do them is a way of growing the international game.

We've seen that there is a demand for major tournaments when staged well. I'm not sure we have for test series really. Even in the last series versus the Kiwis the first Test got only 17k in Hull (iirc).

[Dave T]

1 hour ago, RugbyLeagueGeek said:

I think Australia are the only team where a test series would work these days. It's pretty much the same with cricket now as well.

I probably agree. And even that is worse than the 'good old days' which had long tours to support the series.

[RugbyLeagueGeek]

5 minutes ago, Dave T said:

Even in the last series versus the Kiwis the first Test got only 17k in Hull (iirc).

Yep. I took a load of workmates. Game was decent but the atmosphere was like a morgue and the 'event' was non-existent.

[Archie Gordon]

There is a definite problem with the NW as a venue for England games - over and above whether a series is fashionable or not.

Please can we stop taking England games there.

[GeordieSaint]

1 hour ago, Dave T said:

I think it's a challenge to watch any series of three repeat fixtures tbh. I think weve moved on from them, largely. There is history around Ashes and Kiwis series, but even they have challenges to be sold, particularly now we don't have the long tours that support them.

I have said this for years. It’s the RFL pushing for Test Series. Nobody else. We need to move on. Again, we are being left behind as nostalgia is getting in the way of development.