: Wed Aug 05, 2009 11:53 am  

adelaide-giant.no9 wrote:

i think we are up this year by 2.5% .. not the same as last year

Average Huddersfield gates this year as against last.
2009 - 7803
2008 - 7,819

16 less fans at each game wasn't worth splitting hairs over so I said that you were the same as 2008.

101,657 visited huddersfield last year over 13 games
This year, 85,828 have walked through the door requiring 15,829 over your last 2 games against Wigan and Bradford to beat that, but as it is, you are actaually .03% down.
I would suspect that Wigan will roll up in numbers, but Bradford ...they are having problems of their own!

: Wed Aug 05, 2009 12:43 pm  

I'm baffled by the attendances .

This season's average attendance is down to 8917 after 23 rounds . That's nearly a thousand down on last year's regular season average for the whole season .

SL has very little competition from other sports for a significant part of its season , crowds should rocket during football's off season .

Last season rugby union's Premiership averaged regular season crowds of 11414 , despite being in competiton with football .

I accept that football is king in this country . RL will never challenge it in popularity. But why can RU draw larger crowds in the winter than RL in the summer ?

Is it that RL isn't as good a game as we think it is ?
Are most people just too stupid to understand what they're missing by not attending SL games ?
As a lover of both codes , I can't understand why more people who watch RU in the winter don't turn up at SL games in the summer .

: Wed Aug 05, 2009 12:45 pm  

nickcat0 wrote:

I'm baffled by the attendances .

This season's average attendance is down to 8917 after 23 rounds . That's nearly a thousand down on last year's regular season average for the whole season .

SL has very little competition from other sports for a significant part of its season , crowds should rocket during football's off season .

Last season rugby union's Premiership averaged regular season crowds of 11414 , despite being in competiton with football .

I accept that football is king in this country . RL will never challenge it in popularity. But why can RU draw larger crowds in the winter than RL in the summer ?

Is it that RL isn't as good a game as we think it is ?
Are most people just too stupid to understand what they're missing by not attending SL games ?
As a lover of both codes , I can't understand why more people who watch RU in the winter don't turn up at SL games in the summer .

Recession?

: Wed Aug 05, 2009 1:01 pm  

nickcat0 wrote:

I'm baffled by the attendances .

This season's average attendance is down to 8917 after 23 rounds . That's nearly a thousand down on last year's regular season average for the whole season .

SL has very little competition from other sports for a significant part of its season , crowds should rocket during football's off season .

Last season rugby union's Premiership averaged regular season crowds of 11414 , despite being in competiton with football .

I accept that football is king in this country . RL will never challenge it in popularity. But why can RU draw larger crowds in the winter than RL in the summer ?

Is it that RL isn't as good a game as we think it is ?
Are most people just too stupid to understand what they're missing by not attending SL games ?
As a lover of both codes , I can't understand why more people who watch RU in the winter don't turn up at SL games in the summer .

the introduction of two "smaller" clubs is more than likely responsible + bradford imploding! round by round totals are up i think.

: Wed Aug 05, 2009 1:05 pm  

nickcat0 wrote:

I'm baffled by the attendances .

This season's average attendance is down to 8917 after 23 rounds . That's nearly a thousand down on last year's regular season average for the whole season .

SL has very little competition from other sports for a significant part of its season , crowds should rocket during football's off season .

Last season rugby union's Premiership averaged regular season crowds of 11414 , despite being in competiton with football .

I accept that football is king in this country . RL will never challenge it in popularity. But why can RU draw larger crowds in the winter than RL in the summer ?

Is it that RL isn't as good a game as we think it is ?
Are most people just too stupid to understand what they're missing by not attending SL games ?
As a lover of both codes , I can't understand why more people who watch RU in the winter don't turn up at SL games in the summer .

Simple. We've added two clubs that average around 4000 each.

Without them the average is around 9800.

RU is more popular than RL and has been for some time. Even when we've averaged higher they've sold out their stadia whereas we haven't.

Doesn't make it a better game, just a fact of life. It was only a matter of time. They fill Twickers easily for nothing games, it was just a case of getting some of those fans to go to club games.

: Wed Aug 05, 2009 1:14 pm  

Wildthing wrote:

Thanks for that. We (the fans) are aware and some of the dips in attendances (despite not being out of the play off places all season) is very concerning.

A strong push at the end of the season will help (as previously mentioned) but yes, very very dissapointing season re: attendances

The diversity thing was a great coup and should guarantee a decent crowd.

Crowds have been down for Wakey which is strange but some clubs must be hit more by the credit crunch than others. However if you look at last year even, the first 4 games of the year were really well attended and then they dropped off.

Last week was the first time Wakefield have gotten over 7000 since mid March last year. Hopefully the club are realising that something needs to be done.

: Wed Aug 05, 2009 1:46 pm  

Surely there must be an opportunity to get a fair percentage of RU watchers , and even football watchers , who are missing their live sporting "football based code" fix , to attend SL during the summer .

People who watch the "London" based RU clubs , could be attracted to Harlequins RL . Lancashire has 8 Premiership football clubs , plus many lower and non league , can't more of those fans be persuaded to attend Salford , Saints and Wigan games .

I watch football and occasionally RU during the winter , RL and cricket during the summer . I can't be the only person who enjoys live sport and is prepared to follow more than 1 game .

My local non league football club allows my child in free , thus hopefully snaring the next generation of fan , and ensuring that I pay my £11 to take him. What are SL clubs doing to get fans through the gate ?

: Wed Aug 05, 2009 2:11 pm  

nickcat0 wrote:

Surely there must be an opportunity to get a fair percentage of RU watchers , and even football watchers , who are missing their live sporting "football based code" fix , to attend SL during the summer .

People who watch the "London" based RU clubs , could be attracted to Harlequins RL .

Why? on an automatic assumption that because the ball is egg shaped some people will like both codes? and add to that mix, Wasps, Saracens, London Irish supporters etc etc may well have a total dislike of their London rivals Harlequins RU and so would be unlikely to then come to the Stoop to watch Harlequins RL.

Some will no doubt, some already have, but like the "untapped" antipodean market and "untapped" football supporters market, nothing will encourage people to come the Quins until a community is built through stability of tenure encouraging a love of the sport, which is still to all intents and purposes, alien in the South.

: Wed Aug 05, 2009 2:13 pm  

yep bringing in another two teams with little fanbase and a drop by bratford primarily are the rerasons. Take out our 3 teams with no fans and we wouldn't be far of RU crowds. If Ru had a team in Hull, St Helens and Bradford in their top league their crowd average would suffer.

HKR's crowd is as big as it will get until the ground improvements happen. Hull's crowd still has capacity to grow by a couple of thousand if they get a consistently winning team, St's should increase by a couple of thousand if and when they get a new ground. We know Bradford has the capacity to increase. so with some ground improvements, team improvements and the slack 3 pulling their socks up or being booted out I see no reason why wouldn't overtake RU in years to come.

: Wed Aug 05, 2009 2:29 pm  

Homer wrote:

Why? on an automatic assumption that because the ball is egg shaped some people will like both codes? and add to that mix, Wasps, Saracens, London Irish supporters etc etc may well have a total dislike of their London rivals Harlequins RU and so would be unlikely to then come to the Stoop to watch Harlequins RL.

My hatred of Wigan RL and Wigan FC didn't stop me supporting Orrell RUFC , even when Whelan and Lindsay owned the lot . Why should hatred of Quims RUFC prevent support of the only RL in town ?

Not all RU fans will automatcically love RL , but my own personal experience of my own family and friends proves that many people like both .

Certainly those RU fans who enjoy back play , can find plenty to enjoy in RL . Admittedly those RU fans who go for the scrums/lineout/rucks/mauls/contest for possesion won't .