2025 Attendance Thread

[Hopie]

1 hour ago, langpark said:

 

As predicted, less than Rhodri Jones predicted midweek. Decent crowd though.

[Tommygilf]

Wakefield and Hull FC the 1st and 2nd most supported clubs at Magic apparently

[LeeF]

626 at Whitehaven today

[Jill Halfpenny fan]

Think it was 860 announced at Hunslet v Widnes

[EggFace]

51 minutes ago, Hopie said:

As predicted, less than Rhodri Jones predicted midweek. Decent crowd though.

Next year give us a Hull derby please.

[JonM]

Bradford v Sheffield E 3208

Hunslet v Widnes 860

Swinton v N. Walkes 801

Whitehaven v Dewsbury 626

 

[Eddie]

1 hour ago, EggFace said:

Next year give us a Hull derby please.

I think you need games like that in their proper home, ie Hull, same with Saints v . 

[EggFace]

Just now, Eddie said:

I think you need games like that in their proper home, ie Hull, same with Saints v . 

I know but I remeber 10 years ago when they played at St.James Park it was rocking then followed by Wigan Leeds (I think)....Hull KR fans were great yesterday and there merchandise jersey's, hoodies, polo's and tracksuit tops looked great.

[Eddie]

1 minute ago, EggFace said:

I know but I remeber 10 years ago when they played at St.James Park it was rocking then followed by Wigan Leeds (I think)....Hull KR fans were great yesterday and there merchandise jersey's, hoodies, polo's and tracksuit tops looked great.

Definitely but would any more of them go than go normally? And you’d lose a derby in Hull, which imho is the biggest game in NH rugby league. 

[EggFace]

11 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Definitely but would any more of them go than go normally? And you’d lose a derby in Hull, which imho is the biggest game in NH rugby league. 

That is true but my mate who is a NUFC season holder thought the game itself and fans at the game and after the game in the Irish Centre etc were brilliant and said you get all these fans mixing in Football but was disappointed with large spaces of emptey seats aside from Gallowgate end.

I really wished the first Ashes test match was at St.James Park and not Headingley

[Dave T]

10 hours ago, Eddie said:

Definitely but would any more of them go than go normally? And you’d lose a derby in Hull, which imho is the biggest game in NH rugby league. 

You have loop fixtures though so can keep two derbies in Hull

[gingerjon]

Highest weekend attendance since 2018, up 11,000 on last year.

(Presumably covered elsewhere that the venue is confirmed for next year and likely to be a Bank Holiday again)

[AB Knight]

12 hours ago, EggFace said:

 

I really wished the first Ashes test match was at St.James Park and not Headingley

Not to be pedantic but the first test is at neither of those venues 

[sweaty craiq]

On 04/05/2025 at 09:36, Exiled Wiganer said:

The sport would be insane to lock in a deal before hearing what the NRL are offering, if anything. If, as rumoured, they are interested in major investment with a few tweaks to the structure then a comparison between the respective TV deals available would be a key factor. 

The sport would be insane to take any NRL ‘offer’ that gives them control before asking the hypothetical question to Sky.

Sky have screwed us on the basis of supply and demand, the tables have turned and we need to use that now - like any business would and as the NRL appear to be doing.

The NRL takeover risks splitting our minority sport, something more palatable when weak but less so armed with a deal that allows the cash needed to sustain and advance the sport. 

[sweaty craiq]

The fixtures didn’t help interest in hindsight. Hull derby Wigan/Saints Leeds/Bradford Wire/Leigh Cas/Wakey and Hudds or Salford v Cats would draw a great crowd. All being one of the loop fixtures 

[Gooleboy]

39 minutes ago, sweaty craiq said:

The fixtures didn’t help interest in hindsight. Hull derby Wigan/Saints Leeds/Bradford Wire/Leigh Cas/Wakey and Hudds or Salford v Cats would draw a great crowd. All being one of the loop fixtures 

Bradford???? Do you know something we don't?

[gingerjon]

41 minutes ago, sweaty craiq said:

The fixtures didn’t help interest in hindsight. Hull derby Wigan/Saints Leeds/Bradford Wire/Leigh Cas/Wakey and Hudds or Salford v Cats would draw a great crowd. All being one of the loop fixtures 

To repeat: 11k up on last year, highest since 2018.

[Damien]

39 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

To repeat: 11k up on last year, highest since 2018.

While an increase is good Elland Road v Newcastle accounts for that increase on last year, as does Wakefield in SL v London. Other years since 2018 featured Toronto and Toulouse too and we had a year it wasnt played.

While any increase is good,  and it should absolutely be sold as a positive by SL, in reality its just in the range that we always get for this kind of lineup.

Edited May 5 by Damien

[gingerjon]

24 minutes ago, Damien said:

While an increase is good Elland Road v Newcastle accounts for that increase on last year, as does Wakefield in SL v London. Other years since 2018 featured Toronto and Toulouse too and we had a year it wasnt played.

While any increase is good,  and it should absolutely be sold as a positive by SL, in reality its just in the range that we always get for this kind of lineup.

Oh, I know. I think it’s a mature enough event now to know that it’s the teams and venue, rather than fixtures, that seem to be the biggest variables and we actually have remarkably little fluctuation at St James’s Park.

[17 stone giant]

If it's going to be the only event of its type, then I don't like having Magic in the same place every year.

I know that Newcastle is in many ways a great venue for it, but I want the sport to be taken to different parts of the country.

Like I said, if you've got other events doing that, then it's fine to keep Magic always in Newcastle.

But until you have, I would take Magic on the road. Go to Cardiff, London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Birmingham, Nottingham, maybe even Southampton - take the sport to places where people don't normally see it. Make yourselves relevant in a way that you're currently not.

Newcastle is too far for me to bother going to, so I doubt I'll ever attend Magic while it's there. Certainly not while it's run of the mill league matches (I might be more tempted if it was Challenge Cup or some other competition). But I would probably go if it was within 2 or 3 of hours of me.

Realistically, and given the often talked about trend of people only watching their own team, how large a stadium do you really need? What would you say was the highest number of people in St James Park at any one time over the weekend?

[Phil W]

Thunder have announced 619 at Blaydon on Friday night.

[sweaty craiq]

1 hour ago, 17 stone giant said:

If it's going to be the only event of its type, then I don't like having Magic in the same place every year.

I know that Newcastle is in many ways a great venue for it, but I want the sport to be taken to different parts of the country.

Like I said, if you've got other events doing that, then it's fine to keep Magic always in Newcastle.

But until you have, I would take Magic on the road. Go to Cardiff, London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Birmingham, Nottingham, maybe even Southampton - take the sport to places where people don't normally see it. Make yourselves relevant in a way that you're currently not.

Newcastle is too far for me to bother going to, so I doubt I'll ever attend Magic while it's there. Certainly not while it's run of the mill league matches (I might be more tempted if it was Challenge Cup or some other competition). But I would probably go if it was within 2 or 3 of hours of me.

Realistically, and given the often talked about trend of people only watching their own team, how large a stadium do you really need? What would you say was the highest number of people in St James Park at any one time over the weekend?

Any city can bid for it

[17 stone giant]

12 minutes ago, sweaty craiq said:

Any city can bid for it

I didn't know that. However, it doesn't really alter my view that the sport should be seeking to use Magic (or other such events) to introduce more people to rugby league.

It shouldn't only be left to whatever city gets around to bidding for something. The sport should be proactive in taking itself to new areas and a new audience.

That's one of the things I'm hoping will happen if the NRL get involved, as they will have more money to try such things.

[EggFace]

5 hours ago, AB Knight said:

Not to be pedantic but the first test is at neither of those venues 

Yes I was a bit tired and merry when I posted it but I tell you know lie but I did think the opening test in Leeds for some mad reason.

[Coastal_Geordie]

2 hours ago, 17 stone giant said:

If it's going to be the only event of its type, then I don't like having Magic in the same place every year.

I know that Newcastle is in many ways a great venue for it, but I want the sport to be taken to different parts of the country.

Like I said, if you've got other events doing that, then it's fine to keep Magic always in Newcastle.

But until you have, I would take Magic on the road. Go to Cardiff, London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Birmingham, Nottingham, maybe even Southampton - take the sport to places where people don't normally see it. Make yourselves relevant in a way that you're currently not.

Newcastle is too far for me to bother going to, so I doubt I'll ever attend Magic while it's there. Certainly not while it's run of the mill league matches (I might be more tempted if it was Challenge Cup or some other competition). But I would probably go if it was within 2 or 3 of hours of me.

Realistically, and given the often talked about trend of people only watching their own team, how large a stadium do you really need? What would you say was the highest number of people in St James Park at any one time over the weekend?

You can’t sell say 35k tickets for a 25k stadium on the assumption that less than 30k will be seated at once.  Would never past safety etc.  You are always going to need the maximum number if doing the Magic multi game format.

As a biased Geordie - I don’t think another large stadium in the country compares to St James from a fan experience perspective.  The stadiums noted some are in really poor locations in their cities.  The quality of the location in Newcastle is unmatched with amount of bars, restaurants, hotels in a one mile radius.  Aware I am completely biased though!