Why are Super League crowds still crap.

[Lambretta]

St John. Another thing that has helped league gain some understanding outside of the heartlands is migration.

Milton Keynes, where I grew up, is full of people who grew up in the North.

Wireman said earlier in the thread that places like Warrington were full of people who grew up in Liverpool and Manchester and who have no love of League, but the same is true in reverse. People from the heartlands live in London and the South now and that means that we have an opportunity, albeit a small one, to take that knowledge of the game and to spread the word outside of the heartland.

If Warrington can convert those people who now live there into fans of league (as well as fans of football, cos you can be both) and the people outside of the heartlands can help spread the word by being involved in grassroots development and clubs etc, then thats go to be a positive.

 

[babyg]

Don't think they call them hookers in ESL, they call them rakes or dummy halves I think. Lets hope the game keeps on growing.

 

[St.John]

Don't think they call them hookers in ESL, they call them rakes or dummy halves I think. Lets hope the game keeps on growing.

No, we definitely use the term "hooker"!

"Dummy half" is used more for the actual position at the play the ball, as you don' need to be a hooker to be there, obviously.

 

[WireMan]

It is looking good for League in the future. We have to walk though and not run. I think a big change was we don't really compare ourselves to the NRL anymore. I think it was unwise and unhelpful as they are two different games.

We now look at Rugby Union as a bench mark, hence the development of the international game. I don't like Franchises but i can see why they were needed. As St John said earlier about Saints youth development Warringtons is also looking better than i think it has ever done. Its also a good point that the clubs are owned by very good business men, who understand how to make something work. In Warringtons case we have a very succesful events promoter in charge!!

It is possible to support two different codes. I do! I'd say 99% of Warrington fans have a football team, and all fans i've spoken to of other teams also follow football. If we can get an entertaining 'product' (i hate that term) we may be able to attract football fans to follow a rugby team as well.

Its helped by the fact that union is a horrible sport to watch unless you have been brought up with it due to a myriad of complicated rules. League is easy to get into.

For what its worth, Warrington wasn't decked out in Primrose and Blue as much this year as 1990 before the final but a lot more went down to watch the final and estimates say 50,000 turned up to see them home. Although that is probably a bit over the top but Town was rammed. Yes we are all glory hunters beofre someone says it!! ;-)

 

[Teddyboy]

It is looking good for League in the future. We have to walk though and not run. I think a big change was we don't really compare ourselves to the NRL anymore. I think it was unwise and unhelpful as they are two different games.


;-)

2 so Super League and NRL and 2 different codes of Rugby League:?

 

[WireMan]

2 so Super League and NRL and 2 different codes of Rugby League:?

No.

The same code but two different games. Its like saying the A league should copy the English Premiership because they are the same code of Football. Do you think they should introduce promotion/relegation and have 4 professional leagues in the A league? Didn't think so. But nice contribution to the thread anyway. :roll:

Simple concept really.

The NRL is nothing like the super league. The Guinness Premiership is. Hence we are looking to emulate the international scene in that comp.

 

[DINGb@T]

Thanks for the replies. I like hearing about the different League cultures. Very interesting.

 

[Evil Homer]

It is looking good for League in the future. We have to walk though and not run. I think a big change was we don't really compare ourselves to the NRL anymore. I think it was unwise and unhelpful as they are two different games.

We now look at Rugby Union as a bench mark, hence the development of the international game. I don't like Franchises but i can see why they were needed. As St John said earlier about Saints youth development Warringtons is also looking better than i think it has ever done. Its also a good point that the clubs are owned by very good business men, who understand how to make something work. In Warringtons case we have a very succesful events promoter in charge!!

When has RL ever copied or looked to Union as a benchmark, other than in your mind?

 

[WireMan]

When has RL ever copied or looked to Union as a benchmark, other than in your mind?

When they tried to increase the international competition based on the fact the six nations is popular. Hence Catalans who are FRENCH and Celtic who are WELSH. Or are those teams just in my imagination.

Or did we do that because the NZ warriors are doing alright in NRL?

 

[Evil Homer]

When they tried to increase the international competition based on the fact the six nations is popular. Hence Catalans who are FRENCH and Celtic who are WELSH. Or are those teams just in my imagination.

Or did we do that because the NZ warriors are doing alright in NRL?

:|

 

[RedVee]

Are any teams being promoted/relegated on the 09/10 season change? and, if there are not - Do you guys think that the crowds would have been better if there had been a team or two in danger of relegation this year? Is that danger a factor in attracting interest in the European game?

 

[deluded pom?]

Are any teams being promoted/relegated on the 09/10 season change? and, if there are not - Do you guys think that the crowds would have been better if there had been a team or two in danger of relegation this year? Is that danger a factor in attracting interest in the European game?

No club is in danger of leaving the SLE (voluntarily anyway) till the end of the 2011 season when the franchises are reviewed. As far as danger being an element in the size of the crowds. it would be difficult to guage because of a few things. CC have been at the foot of the table from day one so it would be tough to estimate what their attendances would be like if they were mid table. P+R has always been part of the British sporting psyche so it's removal may well have had an effect at other clubs although Hull's gates have held up well considering their performances in the last two years.

 

[Evil Homer]

Are any teams being promoted/relegated on the 09/10 season change? and, if there are not - Do you guys think that the crowds would have been better if there had been a team or two in danger of relegation this year? Is that danger a factor in attracting interest in the European game?

No. 'Relegation scraps' almost always attracted pitiful crowds and were always dire games.

 

[RedVee]

ok. I was wondering because it seems a pretty integral part of the English competitions. I thought one of its main purposes was to keep interest in the games, interest = crowds I'd have thought. Obviously not quite successful in the Rugby League.

I know from being a long distance Southampton fan that it was always interesting checking on their attempts to stay above the relegation zone. Be a very long time before they can ever dream of being back in Premier League.

 

[deluded pom?]

ok. I was wondering because it seems a pretty integral part of the English competitions. I thought one of its main purposes was to keep interest in the games, interest = crowds I'd have thought. Obviously not quite successful in the Rugby League.

I know from being a long distance Southampton fan that it was always interesting checking on their attempts to stay above the relegation zone. Be a very long time before they can ever dream of being back in Premier League.

The P+R is there to gve teams in leagues below the chance to progress up the divisions not to keep interest alive at the bottom of the table. St George AND Southampton!!! Jeez, you're doing it tough ;-)

 

[RedVee]

The P+R is there to gve teams in leagues below the chance to progress up the divisions not to keep interest alive at the bottom of the table. St George AND Southampton!!! Jeez, you're doing it tough ;-)

You've got me there.

 

[Azkatro]

I thought I'd drop in my 2c. I think this year's biggest disappointments crowd-wise have been the finals series, I think it's fair to say that the change in format hasn't thrilled anyone. Having said that, the crowd averages in Super League are still about 50% higher than what they were in 1996-1999 which is a good sign considering the hurdles the Celtic venture faced.

Also for the past three years Super League has had higher crowd averages than in all of 1981-1985 in the NSWRL ... the so-called glory days. And we all know what happened soon after that, so it just goes to show that things probably aren't as bad as they seem.

 

[taste2taste]

What were crowd figuers like back in the 80's ? Was RL more popular back then?

I remember when Hanley, Lydon, Offiah..etc used to came out to join the aussie comps...People still talk about when Hanley lead the Tigers to the GF, one of the games legends.

 

[Teddyboy]

What were crowd figuers like back in the 80's ? Was RL more popular back then?

I remember when Hanley, Lydon, Offiah..etc used to came out to join the aussie comps...People still talk about when Hanley lead the Tigers to the GF, one of the games legends.

The Challenge Cup Final was brilliant in the 1980's/1990's with 80000-90000 crowds which where the biggest crowds in any Rugby codes for a grand final.
Clubwise i think by the mid 1980's it was Wigan,Wigan and Wigan who got great crowds maybe the Hull clubs got good support then.

 

[Hanscholo]

The quality of the game has to improve, if you put the product that we have been watching here over the past 12 weeks into England things would turn around. I am not dissing the upper echelon sides, the quality of their play is pretty good, not brilliant but entertaining. You get down towards the arse end of the comp and it drops away dramatically, to the point where its noticeable, to even a part time league follower that something is wrong. To me, that is why the game isnt progressing as it should, its quality. Problem there being that it is a paradox, you cant get quality until you get the good kids coming through and you cant get good kids coming though until you lift the quality. Which is where the australian game should be used as much as possible to help market the english game, and our players as much as i hate to admit it.