From Wellington ?

, scary taking off from there , but even scarier landing , especially with a side wind

I just want to say, well in advance, that this weekend's attendances are going to be shocking, unless there is a massive upswing in the weather! Only 5,300 turned up at Langtree Park to watch Saints against Salford but I don't think anyone will be too surprised when they watch Superleague Full Time and see the conditions.

I wasn't sure the crowd at Warrington was right so please count yourself

Has the pic transferred?

No

It should all even out, you get good weather, bad weather, weekends with other stuff on, etc. If you start ignoring weekends on a whim you won't get meaningful info. How many people are prepared to turn up when the weather isn't great is also relevant info. Interesting to see if soccer or RU crowds plummet this weekend...

6, 500 at Salford for Sale's game

Is that good or bad for Sale?

Take 2.

[url=http://www.pictureshack.us/view_98196_photo.JPG[/url

Now with added sobriety.

Can't see anything !

Nor can I??

Is it snowing in Catalan this weekend? The reason I ask is that their fixture against Bradford today attracted an attendance of 6,813 which is 26.38% down on last years attendance and 28.25% down on the attendance in 2011.

Another 3 SL attendances down on last year to add to the growing list of SL attendances down on last year...

London V Hull in 2013 = 1,865
London V Hull in 2012 = 3,930
% decrease in attendance = -52.54%

Catalan V Bradford in 2013 = 6,813
Catalan V Bradford in 2012 = 9,254
% decrease in attendance = -26.38%

Wigan V Widnes in 2013 = 11,904
Wigan V Widnes in 2012 = 13,445
% decrease in attendance = -11.46%

41 out of 53 SL fixtures in 2013 have now registered a fall in attendance compared to the same fixtures between the same teams last year.

Total attendance for 53 SL fixtures in 2013 = 449,134 (Avg: 8,474)
Total attendance for same 53 SL fixtures in 2012 = 513,777 (Avg: 9,694)
% decrease = -12.58%

Weather back home looks terrible.

Wigan crowd looked a bit less than that to me! Never seen the South stand so empty.

...but it is snowing where all the Bradford fans were coming from, disrupting flights from the airport.

Catalans played Bradford last year in round 27 - could be September is slightly more attractive for travel and watching than March - and here in lies one issue of comparing attendances

Stop gloating!

Guess what. We're experiencing the longest winter for 50 years. Compare this with March 2012 when we were all walking round in shirtsleeves. Surely everyone (perhaps even William and Bandit) can see this will have a detrimental effect on attendances. But there again, when you have an agenda you're blind to such things.

Really? Thousands of Bradford Bulls fans were stranded at UK airports on Friday night and the early hours of Saturday morning were they? How odd considering 22.16% of those loyal Bradford Bulls supporters have disappeared completely this season compared to last year.

Is Round 11 in April in 2011 even more attractive given that the attendance at the Catalan V Bradford fixture on that occasion was 9,496 compared to yesterday's 6,813? Their home attendances are currently 20.27% down when compared to the same fixtures last year. There is a pattern emerging of significantly reduced attendances at Catalan home games this season compared to last year. Were those same fixtures last year all played at slightly more attractive times?

[uCatalan Home Games To Date[/u
[uFixture..... 2013..... 2012..... %fall[/u
V Salford... 6872... 8158... -15.76%
V Wakey... 7191... 8842... -18.67%
V Widnes... 7357... 9156... -19.65%
V Bradford... 6813... 9254... -26.38%

TOTAL... 28233... 35410... -20.27%

I'll add "fair weather SL supporter base" to the list of reasons why SL attendances are currently over 12% down compared to the same fixtures last year shall I? Despite the fact that all those same fixtures last year weren't all played in March 2012.

I am in no way supporting young billy in his efforts here, but the weather, whilst terrible, didn't seem to stop the rahs turning out this weekend.....11,385 was their average over 6 games this weekend, over 60% better than the 7,036 that averaged out over 6 SL games this weekend.

As I say, I am not jumping on billy's bandwagon here, but I believe that might be close to the lowest weekends average since SL began.....and weather or not, that's a worry.

[uSL Round 8 attendances - comparison to same fixtures last year[/u

St Helens V Salford in 2013 = 5,348
St Helens V Salford in 2012 = 15,537
% decrease in attendance = -65.58%

Warrington V Huddersfield in 2013 = 9,797
Warrington V Huddersfield in 2012 = 10,550
% decrease in attendance = -7.14%

London V Hull in 2013 = 1,865
London V Hull in 2012 = 3,930
% decrease in attendance = -52.54%

Catalan V Bradford in 2013 = 6,813
Catalan V Bradford in 2012 = 9,254
% decrease in attendance = -26.38%

Wigan V Widnes in 2013 = 11,904
Wigan V Widnes in 2012 = 13,445
% decrease in attendance = -11.46%

Hull KR V Castleford in 2013 = 6,489
Hull KR V Castleford in 2012 = 7,312
% decrease in attendance = -11.26%

Total Attendance in SL Round 8 = 42,216
Total Attendance same fixtures last year = 60,028
% decrease in attendance = -29.67%

6 fixtures out of 6 in Round 8 this year have shown a decrease in attendance compared to the corresponding SL fixtures last year.

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

Out of 54 SL fixtures played thus far in 2013, 12 out of 54 have shown an increase in attendance compared to the corresponding SL fixture last year. 42 out of 54 fixtures have shown a decrease in attendance compared to the corresponding SL fixture last year.