WITH every season that passes, it feels like more and more is being expected of paying rugby league fans.

For many years now they have had the Challenge Cup Final, the Grand Final, Magic Weekend and end-of-season internationals to budget for on top of season passes or individual match-day tickets.

Then some years there is a World Club Challenge game, for the last two there has been a game in Las Vegas, this year Wigan played in Paris and next year two Super League games are being played in Dublin.

Not forgetting all the other expenses of following your club – replica shirts, memorabilia, food and drink on a match day, etc, and away trips to Catalans and Toulouse. Being a rugby league fan can be an expensive business.

When rugby league is so traditionally a northern, working-class sport, how many people are going to be able to afford to attend everything the sport has to offer? Not many.

That’s not me being prejudiced against the north or the working class – after all, both apply to me – it’s simply a fact, especially when the country is experiencing a cost-of-living crisis.

So it’s only natural that supporters will pick and choose what games and events they go to, as well as when and where – and in most cases, unless they’re a complete neutral, that will only be the events that involve their team.

A lot was said, and many people grumbled, about this season’s 56,383 Challenge Cup Final attendance – which was the second-lowest crowd in 80 years (not including the two Covid-affected seasons).

But what you need to remember is that of the two finalists, Hull KR’s supporters had already shelled out for their game against Leeds Rhinos in Vegas, and extra cash for the visit of Brisbane Broncos in the World Club Challenge.

On the other side of the stadium, Wigan weren’t immune either, with many thousands of their supporters having already paid out for flights and accommodation for their Super League encounter in the French capital the following weekend.

If we’re not careful, the Challenge Cup Final attendance could take another hit in 2027 – especially if Wigan, Warrington, St Helens or Hull FC make it all the way to Wembley.

Just weeks before that showpiece event in London in early June, those four clubs will take Super League to Dublin for the first time, with Wigan and Warrington facing each other on Saturday, 24th April, and St Helens playing Hull FC 24 hours later, with both games taking place at the brand-new Laya Arena in the Irish capital.

But even then, those games come with added expense. I’ve never actually been to Dublin before, even though it is on my to-do list for a city break. I have looked into it though and know I could probably get a return flight from Leeds Bradford Airport for around £50-£60. That is a similar story across the majority of the airports across the north, except when you factor in the airlines’ demand and supply policy – put simply, when they know people want flights on a certain day, the price rises and rises.

Sitting here writing this column, if I wanted to fly out to Dublin for that weekend, the cheapest I could get flights for is £308 return. I haven’t even looked at hotels as they operate on a similar basis to the airlines, so getting a bed for a few nights will come at a cost as well.

This has potentially priced a lot of fans out of going, with Saints and Hull supporters worst hit.

Wigan announced their fixture with a big fanfare launch in Manchester on a Wednesday afternoon in early August, with the price hike starting soon after. But the Saints v Hull FC game wasn’t announced until 24 hours later, meaning their fans will have to pay premium rates on all aspects of the trip if they decide the costs are worth it, for what is bound to be a fun-filled weekend full of a party atmosphere and rugby league.

Yes, for the supporters the costs might be worth it, but what about the game?

Throughout this summer, League Express has been covering the games in a four-team Ireland domestic league, as well as the international side’s exploits in the European Under-19s Championship Shield, the Student Four Nations and the Under-16s Four Nations.

With the Ireland Wheelchair side also preparing for a World Cup appearance later this year, it’s clear that our sport is not a totally alien concept in the country, but it is still quite some way off being anything close to a mainstream sport, with greater participation, investment, media coverage and grassroots support needed if rugby league is to realise its full potential in the country.

Will the RFL and Super League Commercial use these two games to actively encourage more growth in the game across the Irish Sea? Will locals be actively encouraged to attend the matches to see what they are missing out on and be encouraged to become fans of the game? Will any growth in interest be followed up by additional financial help and practical support in developing the grassroots game on the Emerald Isle?

Or will four sets of Super League fans, and perhaps some neutrals, simply have a weekend away filled with Guinness, Irish music and rugby league, before everything is packed away, possibly to be repeated in 2028, or forgotten about?

I know which of the above choices I’d like to see come good, but sadly I can imagine which one will.

I am all for expansion and trying to get more people around the country and the world hooked on the joys of rugby league, but taking the game to another country or city only works if the effort is put in to follow it up with something meaningful.

How is rugby league faring in Barcelona, Las Vegas, and Edinburgh? Very similarly to how it was before Super League ventured there at various times.

First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 524 (September 2026)