Alarm bells should be ringing loud and clear at the RFL.

Challenge Cup attendances down
Play-off attendances down and standard of matches dramatically down (all teams)
Coaches openly giving the vibe they don't mind losing the odd league game as long as they get top-4 / 2
Ridiculous club-call system hated by fans & coaches alike
International game dead in the water

Really do worry about the future of this wonderful sport sometimes (but then, as you may have gathered I'm a mozza fan so I do worrying rather well!!!).

The prices are set by SL/RFL, not the club.

I think that is the crux of the matter. As a supporter You know the games will be televised so maybe the RFL should reward the loyalty of the fans attending during the season by having discounted tickets? Just a thought.

If they can't do playoff games as part of the season ticket at least stick vouchers in there at say 70% discount.

I know clubs are not going to promote the games due to the money being shared out with all the other clubs but hey 30% of something is better than 100% of nothing.

[iHonestly[/i not being able to afford a ticket is the only excuse I accept. I know regular supporters who decided to watch the game in the pub last night. Their choice but they also can't complain should this apathy have a adverse effect on the game. Funny how Saints & Wakefield fans last week, and Hull fans last night could afford to go....

I've had a season ticket this season, and tbh, it's been a waste of money- quality-wise. I've only missed 1 league game- could'nt be bothered, and missed both play-off games due to other commitments.

But, the overall lack of quality is all over Superleague this season. Qualitywise, it has been dreadful. I've had more enjoyment watching the lower league games, indeed, the 2 best televised games have been in the lower leagues.

The cost does come into the equation regarding attendances for the play-offs, but not as much as the quality you are watching compared to the cost. I will not be renewing my season ticket next year, but I will be picking the games I go to, and will be watching more RL elsewhere, wether it be Wigan, Rochdale or whoever in the NW, depends which games look more attractive.

I think it's fair to say that all televised games have lower attendances than non televised so when you couple this with having to pay extra for certain games is it any wonder people fail to turn up especially when the game is guaranteed to be live on tv ? Unfortunately this is where tv comes to the fore & where they make their money so you would expect the game to be widely advertised on Sky across all its network if they want the game so badly,alas it is not.
I think it is a pleasing fact that the Catalans attendances have been good for extra matches & they should be acknowledged as being a success.

btw i am not an armchair supporter.

I hadn't realised attendance last night was compulsory. Apologies to all concerned.

Maybe, just maybe, people factored in a 3 round end of season budget (a system many aren't even in favour of) and losing in such a poor performance as against Sts has meant that many fans were never going to go this week and are saving themselves or their money?

There really is a strange criteria amongst some people about what constitutes a 'real fan'. If people have other plans and don't want to spend a cold night watching Warrington players expect a victory by just turning up (something TS admitted to after the match on Sky Sports last night), then good for them. I always appreciate watching Warrington play and, even though I am very low on funds, I don't mind paying for it. Others, for example those in families who have conflicting plans to contend with and those with money issues that spread as far as rent and food, are free to do whatever the they bloody well want and you have no right to call them out on it. I honestly thought we had a better class of fan than that but it seems to be a common assumption amongst people on this board! In fact, ing hell, do you weirdos, with major self congratulatory stiffies, think you are going to convince people to come along by ousting them and insulting them? Perlease!

That is an out right lie

Common sense from the youngster.

We're all different people with different commitments
time
location
outgoings
commitments
without trying to willy-measure against each other, about being a "true fan".
I don't consider myself any more a fan than someone who's only been watching us for a year or two, even though I've been watching since the late 70's and have literaly been there and bought the (replica) t-shirt.

The only breed of fan I consider myself "superior" to, is the one who turns up and has his/her back to the action for 80 mins, and has their eyes transfixed to a mobile phone (although the club are grateful for their cash). As a Tory MP might have said this week "Plebs".

I was baffled the attendance was SO low. I know about the finances argument and also that some people don't like the playoffs format. But I paid £26.50 + £5 for me and my son to go in the North Stand and watch the U20s beat Saints and then the 1st team get to within 1 win of our first trip to the SL final in our last home game of the season. I do agree the RFL need to look at engaging the fans and more ticket deals, but I thought we got a bargain!

That doesn't really make sense though. If you know you will attend 9 home games, then you'll pretty much be getting them for the same price, albeit you'll have paid up front. But then you'll be helping the club and getting all the ST perks you seem to begrudge not getting. So why not just get a ST?

I think it's absolutely fair enough that people didn't go. I ended up going myself but had real doubts whether I could justify it when potentially you're shelling out for tickets 4 weeks in a row (5 if you went to Widnes away). This coming after the Wembley trip and the general state of things and it's no suprise that people would give this one a miss (families especially, regardless of your £5 kids ticket offer) when, if we're being honest, we were strong favourites. It was always highly likely we'd win AND it was on the telly. I'm sure the 'armchair fans' would ideally have been there but ideally I'd be giving it to Megan Fox tonight.

I struggle with all this 'them and us' between the loyal, hard core true fans, and the bandwagon jumping glory hunters. If you consider yourself, by whatever arbitrary standards you apply, to be in the former camp, why would you hold anything against those in the latter? These success seeking Johnny come latelys are putting money into the club you adore, which can be no bad thing, at no hindrance to you. It's not like proper fans are missing out on tickets cos of corporate fat cats or fly by night fans now is it? And do these extra fans somehow drag down the atmosphere when they turn up?

If the 7,000 who went last night were the only ones who turned up every week or bought season tickets would they or the club be better off? And what's wrong with picking and choosing which games you want to go to?
I just don't get it.

The Extrodinary ad is superb but has anyone seen it on telly ? Has anyone seen any promotion of the playoffs on telly or anywhere else non rugby league people might become aware there re playoffs going on ? I rarely even see results on a sky News, the very organisation that pays for super league.
Marketing of our great sport is awful. Eddie calls it the best kept secret.
What an indictment !
It must change or we won't have a sport for my kids.

It was pretty obvious who was going to win (no disrespect to Hull) judging by the relative strength of the two squads and the fact that TS would have fired up the team after the Saints match, so people are saving their cash for next week and hopefully the GF. Fair play really.

We are such a strong side now that there is unlikely to be the same passion of bygone days; people know that we can just turn up to 80% of our games and win (like against Hull), whereas next week will be a challenging fixture, so those who may have stayed away this week will be clamouring for a ticket.

I said this last week.

Include 1/2 playoff games in your ST price. If your team doesn't make the cut or only plays one playoff game, you can then use it as discount in your club store off jerseys, next years ST, etc.
EDIT - Forgot to mention this would increase your ST price by £40 for example so the kitty which is split at the end of the playoffs is not affected financially.

This way we'd more or less have sellouts in each round with ST holders for both home and away support only having to pay for travel.

Interesting Topic. Apologies for the long post..

[uMy situation[/u

My name is Ian 77 Redux; and I didn't go the PlayOff game.

My wife works shifts and started work at 6am on the day. I looked after our little boy all day and she returned from work around 4pm. It didn't seem fair to ask her to take over baby duties at that time, particularly as that's the "busy" part of the day, so, on the basis that it was a) a bit harsh to shoot off the second she arrived b) essentially a Quarter Final and c) it was on TV, I didn't go.

For the avoidance of doubt:-

1 - I absolutely could have gone. It wasn't about money, or not liking the PlayOff format, I simply exercised my right to choose.
2 - I don't feel ashamed at not having gone. Of course I don't.
3 - If (and it's a rather large one) we get to the GF, then I will be going although I probably will watch Saturday's game on TV as well.

There, I've said it. *feels cleansed*

[uCrap Crowds[/u

As for the solution to crap crowds, it's a sympton of the way the sport is set up. Using us as an example, about 75% of our home games are ST holders (as am I). They pay their money up front and and then don't have to fork out for another season for home SL games. People aren't geared to paying for one off home matches, especially when they can catch the game on TV.

Not sure including the price of a PO game in ST would help really because, if memory serves, the competing PO teams split the revenue. You might get better crowds but it would cannibalise sales and clubs might get less money as a result. Dirty little secret is - our game is financially stretched, we need to do whatever breathes cash into clubs, even if, peversely, it puts less bums on seats come PO time.

[uOur club[/u

Discounts and mega cheap tickets have been mentioned. Our club is ran well enough that, if this made any financial sense at all, we'd be doing it. If the club thought they could get the same £ with a 10,000 crowd paying less than a 7,000 they'd be doing it.

One suggestion that might work, and again, they know more about running a professional sports team than I do so they've probably thought it through and discarded it, but, having finished top 2, and with 2 guaranteed home PO games, I wonder if some sort of package along those lines would have helped? Then again, I suppose it's hard to do when you don't know which week you'll be playing.

I just couldn't be bothered going.

If that's true, then don't moan if one day there isn't a club to support.
No offence personally but that attitude will kill off our game and we'd be the much poorer for it.

Does this mean i dont get to wear a t-shirt saying number 1 supporter on it?

Wasn't it the discounting of tickets that put Bradford on a slippery slope ?

I don't know but if it was it was season tickets. We're essentially talking about discounting for a maximum of 2 games.

Tickets shouldn't be discounted in my opinion, it's meant to be the pinnacle of the season, and what all those cheap games that went beforehand have been leading up to.

I know it's hard for a lot of people financially, but are a lot of RL fans just inherently tight compared to those of other sports? And is there the same passion amongst most supporters compared to say football fans for instance?

I'm not sure about the answers to these questions, would be interested to see what others think.