I'm not blaming the rfl,far from it actually.
Its the sl clubs themselves who have devalued the sport over many years, to such an extent with cheap and free tickets, that thousands of people have now found better things to do with there hard earned now the prices have gone up

In some cases i think you are right. I think some clubs have seen "bodies in the ground at all costs" as a viable strategy. And that isn't the answer.

Problem is, the damage is done now,not just to the sl but to the sport as a whole,and it will be for at least a few years more.

I use to watch SSN and laugh at the football fans who were paying outrages prices for the product,but they still payed it and they're still paying it now and they'll be paying it in the future.

OK, follow that logic through to a question:

There remains in the UK a capacity to spend money on sports tickets ( Check out other sports, and their high-end prices ). Given that we believe RL to be the greatest sport, it would seem like a reasonable strategy to get people in cheap at first, exposing them to this brilliance, after which they'll be hooked. And yet, as soon as we asked them for a sensible ticket price, they went away. So the question is, are we so sure that our competition is such the spectacle we claim?

People need to realise that it is sporting tension that attracts fans far more than the actual activity - that's why, to the disbelief of those of us who watch an RU scrum collapse for 30th time, people turn up to watch that sport. Devalue the regular season ( or do anything else that reduces tension ) at your peril.

The RFL hardly ever expresses worry. Their press releases are almost always hyped to the positive. If attendances continue to be so far down on last season the RFL simply will not talk to the press about attendances.

The irony is that the 2013 season so far has been much better than 2012 which was a let down in terms of on-the-field action. I've watched several of the Sky games so far and enjoyed them all.

I would say instead of just going for the reason of the Playoff format being the problem I would instead look at how well clubs are promoting their games. You see when it's done well (the Wigan Big Ones series) it has a good effect. Obviously this costs money in marketing it so it depends if the increases in crowd cover that extra cost.

Also I liked to see when the football season ends, Sky have a SL game on a Sunday at 2/3pm featuring some of the bigger match-ups. You're always going to hit a limit to how many you'll attract on Friday and Saturday nights to games as people will have many other options on those nights/times than their Sunday afternoons, it also helps more travelling fans attend.

Looking at the viewing figures on BARB, football regularly gets around the 1.5million mark for Sunday games on Sky Sports 1. Last summer in the football off-season only 1 or 2 events on Sunday afternoons managed to break 500,000 (England Cricket games) after them nothing registered anything really better than what SL does on a Friday night.

Surely their is a potential for big Sunday Sky games? I know that some clubs prefer Friday nights but if Sky come calling wanting big games for Sunday afternoons then they'll get what they want. Looking at last years fixtures played on a Sunday inbetween the period their was no football (10 Rounds) then probably the biggest game on paper scheduled was Hull vs Saints, a good game but definitely can go bigger than that.

I'd expect that the RFL is very aware of this apparent fall in attendances but wouldn't expect comment until it has determined its causes. Once they're aware of the reasons I think they'll make some changes - something they've not previously been afraid to do, for better or worse. Providing, of course, that the clubs support it.

The big worry, of course, is not only that attendances are falling big style this season but that they will continue to do so next and beyond.

Perhaps Mr Eve, who seems to have plenty of time, could give us a club by club break down on attendances.
On thing that stands out this weekend is the league leaders crowd of just 5536 at home to FC, compared to last seasons 9950 for the same fixture albeit taking place 4 weeks earlier.
Now that is a worrying stat !

Then again, Huddersfield drew more against Bradford this year than last.

The increased season ticket prices are obviously having an impact. Even if their attendances are down, they will be more financially stable from it.

I think a few clubs have put prices up, knowing that attendances will fall slightly, but hope the revenue they make will increase overall. Bradford proved that its the revenue you make, not the attendance figure that pays the bills. You really need to be comparing gate receipts to see if clubs are being more or less successful than last year.

our crowd last night was a shocker and despite people claiming the England RU game and leeds v town lowered the numbers it doesn't wash with me. it is worrying that the league leaders on the back of smashing the champions again on their own ground and we still only pulled in 4800 home supporters ( 700 from hull ).
i think the increased prices and the end of season collapses have taken their toll on our supporters who jumped on the bandwagon a few years ago,we are slowly getting back down to the diehards.i admit it is a worry for us but apart from physically dragging people to the stadium i can't see what more we can do,apart from win everything this year.
but in general i think people just can't afford to go all the time now and i think the fact that the regular season has become a bit of a non event after leeds won the competition from 5th 2 years running has had an effect,although it shouldn't.
maybe if/when the weather improves more people might venture out?

I completely agree. I however believe the RFL have also played a part in the general devaluing of the sport as a whole with all of the cheap international, grand final and super league final offers. If our premium events are constantly cheapened and devalued then what chance has everything else? You always see posts from RL fans saying dont buy World Cup tickets, final tickets etc because there will be special offers which says it all. These types of events should never be discounted and if that means a couple of years of lesser attendances then so be it.

RL is currently the Poundland, Lidl, Aldi of the sporting world which, in my opinion, is reflected by the sponsors and lack of them. The whole image of RL needs a lot of work across the board to improve its general perception and increase revenue and attendances.

Pretty much spot on. While Huddersfield will get slated for their attendance, you have to remember that on the same day Huddersfield Town were playing in a meaningful football game against Leeds. Hull city were doing the same. Now if you like both, chances are you can't afford both so which are you going to pick, an RL game that at the end of the day as little significance, or a football game where your local team are fighting for their lives. If your a neutral, the tension of the football game wins everytime!

That is something the RFL have got to realise. People won't pay money just to see pretty tries, they want tension, and to get the feeling something is at stake. We don't have that, the top teams are all fighting to finish somewhere in the mid table to fight for the trophy. The bottom clubs give up in May and concentrate on the next season. How can you then expect fans to pay money on games that are nothing more than friendlies!

Bring back P&R to give the bottom clubs a kick
Up the backside and actually start fighting for the fans and give the fans a reason to go: A RELEGATION BATTLE. What's the most exciting thing in the premier league this season? Do you think the QPR Villa game would have been anywhere near as exciting if they were told you can finish bottom and stay in the PL.

Also bring back the top 6. It actually rewarded the top 2 if a shot at the GF and also made it more difficult For the ones below. Plus if a top team goes on a losing run, it make the coaches think more as they could drop out of the play offs, rather than now where they could lose 10 in a row yet still be in the play -offs!

All of what you say is correct. However I was really poking the op, who likes to pick out headlines, rather that look undesr the surface.
If the cas is that total attendancesare dropping slightly this season, its important to find out why and then offer explanation together with possible solution(s).
The end of season play offs together with the grand final do impact on regular season attendances, as does that lack of relegation (everyone remembers the sell out at Belle Vue a few seasons ago for the relegation decider.
Their are major issues at Salford and London for which there is noquick fix and then we come to Bradford, Wakefield and Huddersfield, all of whom have offered cheap ST deals and are now trying to raise prices to a more realistic level.
Add to this the current ecconomic climate and the decision to show SL matches on Monday evenings and it seems impossible for attendances to grow this season.
However, the weekly games in the early part of the season have certainly been unpredictable and there have been shock results a plenty.
We have a top 5/6 clubs who are nailed on to make top 8 but, the other 2/3 spots could be just about any team in the comp and this should main interest all season.

Fantastic post and I totally agree.
There is excitement in both promotion and relegation .

Agree with all of the above. The devaluing of SL in terms of cheap season tickets does the game no good whatsoever in the longer term as fans become used to getting it all on the cheap. This goes some way towards explaining why the play-off fixtures are so poorly attended. Many no longer believe the SL product provides value for money at a walk-up price of £20 or more at the turnstiles. Wigan's home attendance against Leeds in the play-off semi final last season attracted a measly 8,235 when a Grand Final appearance was the reward for the winners and end of the season for the losers... WTF? Leeds even attracted a bigger attendance at Headingley for a Boxing Day friendly against Wakefield involving a load of academy kids than they did for their play off game against Wakefield only 3 months earlier!!!

The continued devaluing of the regular season (the rewarding of mediocrity with a Top 8 play-off system) will eventually hit season ticket sales harder than it already has. I would usually attend a Leeds V Wigan game at Headingley but I didn't do so on Friday night. I couldn't justify wasting £20 on a fixture where the result mattered not a jot.

[uTotal home attendances per SL club in 2013 compared to same fixtures in 2012[/u

[uClub... Games... 2013... 2012... %loss/gain[/u
Leeds... 4... 58392... 59852... -2.44%
Wigan... 3... 43789... 48339... -9.41%
Warrington... 3... 34117...36098... -5.49%
St Helens... 4... 47593... 55580... -14.37%
Hull... 3... 33516... 35990... -6.87%
Huddersfield... 4... 26448... 33569... -21.21%
Hull KR... 3... 22557... 22226... +1.49%
Bradford... 4... 34033... 43719... -22.16%
Catalan... 3... 21420...26156... -18.11%
Wakefield... 3... 24690... 24154... +2.22%
Castleford... 4... 26911... 27547... -2.31%
Widnes... 3... 19724... 17718... +11.32%
London... 3... 6580... 6910... -4.78%
Salford... 4... 13637... 23203... -41.23%

TOTAL... 48... 413407... 461061... -10.34%

[uSL Round 7 attendances - comparison to same fixtures last year[/u

Leeds V Wigan in 2013 = 15,524
Leeds V Wigan in 2012 = 16,113
Percentage decrease in attendance = -3.66%

Salford V Warrington in 2013 = 3,932
Salford V Warrington in 2012 = 6,179
Percentage decrease in attendance = -36.37%

St Helens V Wakefield in 2013 = 12,105
St Helens V Wakefield in 2012 = 13,177
Percentage decrease in attendance = -8.14%

Catalan V Widnes in 2013 = 7,357
Catalan V Widnes in 2012 = 9,156
Percentage decrease in attendance = -19.65%

Huddersfield V Hull in 2013 = 5,536
Huddersfield V Hull in 2012 = 9,950
Percentage decrease in attendance = -44.36%

Bradford V Hull KR in 2013 = 7,843
Bradford V Hull KR in 2012 = 10,217
Percentage decrease in attendance = -23.24%

Castleford V London in 2013 = 4,751
Castleford V London in 2012 = 5,149
Percentage decrease in attendance = -7.73%

Total Attendance in SL Round 7 = 57,048
Total Attendance same fixtures last year = 69,941
Percentage drop in attendance = -18.43%

7 fixtures out of 7 in Round 7 this year have shown a decrease in attendance compared to the corresponding SL fixtures last year.

**********************

Out of 48 SL fixtures played thus far in 2013, 12 out of 48 have shown an increase in attendance compared to the corresponding SL fixture last year. 36 out of 48 fixtures have shown a decrease in attendance compared to the corresponding SL fixture last year.

[uRound 1 Fixtures (7 in total)[/u
Total attendance in 2013 = 64,387 (Avg: 9,19icon_cool.gif
Total attendance for same fixtures in 2012 = 63,376 (Avg: 9,054)
% increase = +1.59%

[uRound 2 Fixtures (7 in total)[/u
Total attendance in 2013 = 69,809 (Avg: 9,973)
Total attendance for same fixtures in 2012 = 71,989 (Avg: 10,284)
% decrease = -3.03%

[uRound 3 Fixtures (7 in total)[/u
Total attendance in 2013 = 58,711 (Avg: 8,387)
Total attendance for same fixtures in 2012 = 71,246 (Avg: 10,17icon_cool.gif
% decrease = -17.59%

[uRound 4 Fixtures (6 in total)[/u
Total attendance in 2013 = 46,166 (Avg: 7,694)
Total attendance for same fixtures in 2012 = 55,477 (Avg: 9,246)
% decrease = -16.78%

[uRound 5 Fixtures (7 in total)[/u
Total attendance in 2013 = 50,207 (Avg: 7,172)
Total attendance for same fixtures in 2012 = 57,593 (Avg: 8,22icon_cool.gif
% decrease = -12.82%

[uRound 6 Fixtures (7 in total)[/u
Total attendance in 2013 = 67,079 (Avg: 9,583)
Total attendance for same fixtures in 2012 = 71,439 (Avg: 10,206)
% decrease = -6.10%

[uRound 7 Fixtures (7 in total)[/u
Total attendance in 2013 = 57,048 (Avg: 8,150)
Total attendance for same fixtures in 2012 = 69,941 (Avg: 9,992)
% decrease = -18.43%

[uRounds 1 to 7 Fixtures (48 in total)[/u
Total attendance for 48 fixtures in 2013 = 413,407 (Avg: 8,613)
Total attendance for same 48 fixtures in 2012 = 461,061 (Avg: 9,605)
% decrease = -10.34%

Championship ave, just under a 1,000 today

Just slashed my wrists, hung myself and swallowed a bottle of rat poison.

I feel remarkably OK though. Oh well.....

Thanks, as I wasn't going to encroach on your territory this week



Yet another ringing attendance endorsement for the championship competition which is worth winning in it's own right.

Oh, and just to keep the likes of SmokeyTA and his assistant all sweet, here is a comparison between SL Round 7 attendances this year and SL attendances last year, as I've got a feeling that neither of them will be anxious to report those figures this week...

SL 2013 attendance Round 7 = 57,048
SL 2012 attendance Round 7 = 66,515
% decrease = -14.23%

Where do you get that figure from just out of interest? I have 12,334 for that game. Just wondered if different sources are giving different figures!

Tell ya what i think the problem is ...Cost !!!

For many years Rugby League was an affordable sport to everyone, even non season ticket holders were looking at maybe only £13-18 to pay on the day at most grounds 5 years ago whereas football was over £20-25 minimum at most places which people scorned at - now RL is at the very same prices and is unfortunately pricing a lot of people out of the game with admission prices. Even my season ticket works out at about £15 a match now compared to maybe 8 or 9 5 years ago......thats a problem i should imagine most clubs are facing , its not necessarily the product thats poor its the cost of watching it.

[url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/sep/28/wigan-warriors-leeds-rhinos-super-leagueHERE[/url... and [url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/19718480HERE[/url... and [url=http://www.loverugbyleague.com/stats/match/2012/09/28/wigan-warriors-v-leeds-rhinosHERE[/url... and [url=http://www.skysports.com/rugbyleague/match_facts/0,19935,11070_3559224,00.htmlHERE[/url... and [url=http://wigan.rlfans.com/fusion_pages/index.php?page_id=1665HERE[/url... and [url=http://www.sportinglife.com/rugby-league/live/match-report/36843/wigan-12-leeds-13HERE[/url... etc.