Was thinking today about when the East Stand is finished and the ground is ready to "accomodate" - what it will look like with 1,600 people in it? I hope the club has a strategy for enticing people through the turnstiles because no matter how good our ground will be and no matter how many cups and Championships we win between now and 2012 - if we're still struggling to get 2,000 in attendance the RFL aren't going to bring us into Super League. No posters outside the ground today advertising the match. I would expect one poster on dispaly on Skircoat Road at least.

A bit worrying - given the quality on show over the last two years.

when the next licences comes we shall do what most clubs do (widnes, celtic, salford) and just say we get twice as many as there is really there and if we get in super league we can ring sky and stevo up telling them we have 5000 people there

I don't think Widnes or Salford did that.

The biggest pup sold to the RFL was the false promises of stadium developments. It will be a travesty of justice if they fall for the same line in 2012 when John Wilkinson, Richard Wright and Ted Richardson don shovels and hard hats once again. Richard Lewis won't be there to scoop up all the bu[illsh[/iit this time - i hope.

the preview is always in the evening courier so people can find out whether matches are at home.

the big matches against widnes on sky in a month we will get a crowd of about 2,800 to 3,000 in to the shay. the games on sky are really the ones that matter this year. i doubt the people in charge of the franchise system are going to be looking at national league 1 attendances this year.

as long as we are getting big crowds in for the televised matches then it will look like crowds are improving.

I don't think that will wash. The club realy does need a strategy NOW in preparation for 2012. I would hope that success on the field will be enough to draw them in but i sometimes wonder. At some point - we are going to have to have a proper advertising and marketing push to go alongside the on-field success that i'm sure will come to the club.

To be fair Northern Rail games always attract lower crowds. Once the season proper gets underway I would expect us to clear 2000 - 2500 every game. Take your point though the lads deserve to have the place bursting at the seams

I don't share your optimism.

These clubs will bring a minimal amount of fans this year.

Barrow Raiders
Batley Bulldogs
Doncaster RLFC
Gateshead Thunder
Sheffield Eagles
Toulouse

That leaves:

Whitehaven RLFC
Widnes Vikings
Featherstone Rovers
Leigh Centurions

We need to be touching 3,000 per home game in order to clear a passage to SL. We're not Celtic you know

Time for all the Championship clubs owners/Chairmen/Ceo's to get together [ without an RFL presence and start to look at ways that we can all help each other improve our attendances and work with each other to make the competition better and improve the futures of our clubs

Whatever happened to ' there is life outside SL '

That's a bit "out of left field" for a Rugby league strategy but i hear ya

Nothing at all mate, it's just that our club keeps mentioning something about trying to get back in with the "big nobs".

Point is the stadium at the shay will be there, most clubs in SL won't have it. If we win, the stadium will fill. The club needs to concern itself with second guessing how the RFL will move the goal posts for SL entry.

Maybe we should move the club to spain?

But will it ? , Leigh's attendances were falling when we were winning the vast majority of our matches up to 2005

Having a winning team at this level doesn't neccesarily equate to better attendances

2 nd guessing the RFL

, very difficult when they only decide ' on the day '

So you think we should be building a stadium with a 3,000 capacity? How clever.

What? Where in my post did i suggest that?. I was merely commenting on the low attendances. I know you're just trying to be a smart **** as usual and your minimal contribution has been noted. Thanks.

=blue[iEdited by TS. Now, now, LR.[/i

Look, I don't want an argument. But your whiney moany thread suggests that we should be aiming to build a smaller stadium. Geddit?

No - it suggests we should be creating better advertising and marketing opportunities to get the attendances higher. I did think that you were being a smart **** - forgive me - i now know that you didn't actually get the point of the opening post. I'll "Janet & John" it next time - just for you.

It suggests to me that more should be done to get more people in the completed ground



Wouldn't do any harm to dish out a load of free tickets to the schools, get the kids hooked.

Only if you give thier parents ' freebies ' as well , and then turn the Shay into Cougar Park circa 1994

Believe me, Leon, it doesn't. But "Hay Ho", they you go!

Sentence two of my post:

[iI hope the club has a strategy for enticing people through the turnstiles...... [/i

I see what you're saying Tony. What i really meant to say is that the strategy should be to only have a stadium with a 3,000 capacity.



I'd stay off the pop Tony - it's affecting your ability to interpret the written word.

No get them buggers paying

Then they wont be there then

The whole thing needs a catalyst. In 1984 - 13 Australians provided that catalyst - crowds averaging 6,000-7,000 within 3 years (admittedly on the back of Championship and Challenge Cup success). If towns like Castleford and Warrington can draw decent attendances then there's no reason it can't happen again here. Hopefully - trophy success can be the catalyst - on the back of a strong marketing strategy.

My comments on this would be:

The ground isn't finished - so still a building site under construction - same old failure staring the spectator in the face. The roof might be on - but the terracing has disappeared and I can see the car park through it now.



The NRC is a mickey mouse comp at opening round stages, and nobody generally expected Barrow to be a very entertaining match to watch anyway. (i can't remember a free flowing game against a cumbrian team ever in 30 yrs watching Fax)

I would have hoped that the team could settle down - it doesn't help in my opinion to be still trying out halfback combo's - when the "maybe" supporters see a top match on telly (Widnes) with the caoch saying he has picked his best 17, we can judge how successful the Directors have been on spectator numbers.

People are having to watch the pennies