Quote ="SmokeyTA"Thats an easily measurable thing though isnt it. Are crowds as a whole vastly down in the last 4 years?
Crowds in SL are up and it would take a hell of a fall in the championships crowds to cancel out the SL growth and then some.'"
It's not that easy, unfortunately. If you only look at Super League and it's attendances you may well come to the conclusion that you have. What about the pro game as a whole? What about media interest and hype around the sport as a whole? This is not only generates real interest amongst the general public, including non fans, but also helps with lucrative sponsorship deals - something which is somewhat lacking at the moment.
There are a number of factors as to why SL attendances could be rising. The increase is largely being driven by the big clubs, such as yours, plus there's also the cheap season ticket offer at the Bulls. Widnes' inclusion will have boosted the figures a little too. Not much admittedly, but we had over 8,000 at the first game and will probably average about 6,000 this year. That will be enough to boost last seasons attendances. Then there's the new stadiums for Saints and Salford that will also contribute to those clubs bringing in more fans.
If we still had P&R we may be seeing an even greater rise in attendances than we do now. As Starbug says, what about the declining interest in what was once the most prestigious trophy in the game?