Re: Opening weekend sees attendances soaring by 12.70% : Mon Aug 18, 2014 11:02 pm  

Magic Superbeetle wrote:

But if that were true, attendances would be down across the top 6 - and as I proved with saints, they're not. Blaming the system is lazy imo.

OTOH, Saints attendance figures last season were down by almost 20%, therefore it's a bit rich proclaiming Saints 2014 attendances as somehow exemplary and proving the opposite. Moreover, two attendances this year... against Salford and Wigan... have been crucial to their current 8% rise this season. Only 5K turned up last year against Salford due to inclement weather in comparison to the 10K for the same fixture this season. Then there's the local derby against Wigan which was played on the popular Good Friday slot this year, hence the extra 3.8K in 2014 in comparison to 2013 when the fixture was played on a Monday evening in late July.

Magic Superbeetle wrote:

I'd guess the second grand final loss, followed by quick fire loses of messyrs Briers and Morley has proven too much for some of the more fair weather wire fans believing they "missed their chance" to win it - perhaps the club could of done more to consolidate their support in the last 4 years?

I'm of the opinion that some fans have become disillusioned with the regular SL rounds and their inherent irrelevance under the current structure/format. I'm one of them. Wigan fans have been turned off and not even winning the double has halted their attendance slide.

Re: Opening weekend sees attendances soaring by 12.70% : Mon Aug 18, 2014 11:12 pm  

William Eve wrote:

OTOH, Saints attendance figures last season were down by almost 20%, therefore it's a bit rich proclaiming Saints 2014 attendances as somehow exemplary and proving the opposite. Moreover, two attendances this year... against Salford and Wigan... have been crucial to their current 8% rise this season. Only 5K turned up last year against Salford due to inclement weather in comparison to the the 10K for the same fixture this season. Then there's the local derby against Wigan which was played on the Good Friday this year, hence the extra 3.8K in 2014 in comparison to 2013 when the fixture was played on a Monday evening in late July.

I'm of the opinion that some fans have become disillusioned with the regular SL rounds and their inherent irrelevance under the current format. I'm one of them. Wigan fans have been turned off and not even the winning of the double has halted their attendance slide.

Consider the flip side, and enter a hypothetical universe for a second. Let's suppose we still lived in world where by there was a top 5 playoff system like we had 15(?) years ago - the season we have is perfectly set up for the big dramatic finish in that situation. But do you think super league fans:

A) will roam to their club in the thousands to cheer them on in the final few games of the season forgoing cost and logic to say "I was there"

Or

B) continue to watch from the comfort of their own home/ pub and all the luxuries at hand? With nothing more than a blip of increased attendance for the final few games?

Until CLUBS (not the rfl, sl or anyone else - just the businesses that are dependent on getting fans through the gate as that is their product) deal with these more deep rooted problems, blaming fan disillusionment due to the structure of the league accounts to little more than finger pointing.

Saints figures are squiffy - 2012 had new stadium syndrome so the figures were naturally going to drop 2013 - but again such events aren't accounted for in figures

Re: Opening weekend sees attendances soaring by 12.70% : Mon Aug 18, 2014 11:42 pm  

I haven't attended a SL fixture for the past 3 seasons (including this one) because I'm totally disillusioned with a product which I see as increasingly mediocre, irrelevant and lacking in credibility.

The issue as far as I'm concerned is that the product right now is utter crap. I can just about put up with increasingly poor playing standards so long as there is honest endeavour and the results of fixtures actually mean something. The game as it currently operates cannot even promise that.

The current format/structure and licensing is the root cause of my disillusionment.

Roll on next season.

Re: Opening weekend sees attendances soaring by 12.70% : Mon Aug 18, 2014 11:50 pm  

For Gutterfax...

Just to further underline and emphasise the London effect on SL attendances...

Last season the average SL attendance was 8,559 from 182 fixtures.

Remove London's figures and the average climbs to 9,146 from 156 fixtures.

That's a 6.86% increase without having to do anything.

I've got a feeling Big Nigel will be quite vocal about SL attendances next season

Re: Opening weekend sees attendances soaring by 12.70% : Tue Aug 19, 2014 12:56 am  

William Eve wrote:

I've got a feeling Big Nigel will be quite vocal about SL attendances next season

No poop Sherlock.......SPECIAL OFFER CENTRAL BY YEAR 2.

Re: Opening weekend sees attendances soaring by 12.70% : Tue Aug 19, 2014 1:01 am  

I'd hope all clubs have learned from special offers, that they do have to be special.

You can give a special offer to a limited number of fans, pump priming if you like. But giving that special offer to all, undermines the product when you want to raise the price.

Re: Opening weekend sees attendances soaring by 12.70% : Tue Aug 19, 2014 10:00 am  

William Eve wrote:

For Gutterfax...

Just to further underline and emphasise the London effect on SL attendances...

Last season the average SL attendance was 8,559 from 182 fixtures.

Remove London's figures and the average climbs to 9,146 from 156 fixtures.

That's a 6.86% increase without having to do anything.

I've got a feeling Big Nigel will be quite vocal about SL attendances next season

While I find you an annoying troll, I do agree with you on this point. With London going down the average attendance will shoot up for SL andNigel will use this as "proof" the new structure is working. Equally Bradfrd going down to championship will see a sharp rise in "average" attendance. Even if every single team in SL and CC goes down in attendance, the leagues will most likely show a rise because of those two going down.

Re: Opening weekend sees attendances soaring by 12.70% : Tue Aug 19, 2014 10:26 am  

London have been an embarrassment for years and of course the average will go up now they're gone.
That's actually a good thing.

Bradford getting relegated and the reintroduction of promotion will increase interest in the championship so of course attendances will increase there too.
That's also a good thing.

And of course the RFL will use this to promote the game, it's their job.

Re: Opening weekend sees attendances soaring by 12.70% : Tue Aug 19, 2014 2:10 pm  

William,
Just as a matter of interest - what's the overall effect on SL attendances this season if you take both London and Bradford out of the equation?

Re: Opening weekend sees attendances soaring by 12.70% : Tue Aug 19, 2014 2:16 pm  

Good to see my clubs (HKR) avg crowd climbing this year despite a very avg season on the field. Stil lots of potential to get more families into the new stand and an area that we should really put a marketing focus on for 2015.