Re: Opening SL weekend sees attendances tumbling by 12.66% : Mon Feb 25, 2013 3:16 pm  

jimlav wrote:

Once again I come back to last season when people were celebrating record attendance figures resulting from a series of one off event that wont happen again (cheap tickets for clubs, bulls fans rallying to save the club, new stadia, new club) and fans were having non of it that it was down to these reasons.

So what you are saying is last years crowds were over-inflated due to the reasons you have mentioned? Should we then be comparing to 2011 crowd figures to get a more accurate picture?

Re: Opening SL weekend sees attendances tumbling by 12.66% : Mon Feb 25, 2013 3:50 pm  

Viewing Figures
Warrington vs Catalans

2012 = 151,000
2013 = 216,000
UP 32%

I'm sure he was just about to post that one.

Re: Opening SL weekend sees attendances tumbling by 12.66% : Mon Feb 25, 2013 4:14 pm  

SmokeyTA wrote:

Why would I? I didn’t say Salfords attendance was very high, I said historically the attendances were very high, and historically and relatively they are.

Do you think the first four rounds of this years season are closer to being the best ever attended first four rounds of a season or the worst ever?

I still can't fathom what winds you up about all this. No matter what the attendances I'd be much happier if everyone in and around the game was saying "these aren't high enough! what can we do to make it better?" than being silent because someone decided that any such talk is "talking the game down". I mean, sure, we wouldn't expect the PR dept. to put out a press release highlighting falling attendances, but seriously, do you really think that our supposed "talking the game down" on this forum has the slightest effect on anything? You flatter us.

Re: Opening SL weekend sees attendances tumbling by 12.66% : Mon Feb 25, 2013 4:15 pm  

Talent Spotter wrote:

So what you are saying is last years crowds were over-inflated due to the reasons you have mentioned? Should we then be comparing to 2011 crowd figures to get a more accurate picture?

I did that last week

ThePrinter wrote:

*Excluding games involving Widnes this year

In the other 18 matches played so far the total attendance is at....

2013 = 174,482

Same fixtures in.....

2012 = 191,346
2011 = 175,823
2010 = 173,939
2009 = 166,897

Given Salford's troubles and that Hull/Wire was played on Easter Monday I imagine that 2011 has increased the slight lead it had over 2013. Also Bradford look like they're doing to do lower numbers this year than in previous.........which is bizarre because it's not like the fans have had to splash out loads of money to save the club recently or had cheaper tickets in recent years......can't work that one at at all

But on the other hand
Wakey vs Hudds
2011 - 5,436
2013 - 8,467

Cas vs Catalans
2011 - 4,889
2013 - 5,205

Some go up some go down

And what any of numbers that have been provided on this thread can't show is the amount of away fans difference. If the number of home fans attending games is staying the same and the drop off is in travelling support (for the reason of cost of travelling) then it's all understandable, but nothing Mr Eve can or would want to entertain as an idea even though reading through various threads in the post-season people should've spotted how many people cited cost of travelling as a decider in attendance.

Re: Opening SL weekend sees attendances tumbling by 12.66% : Mon Feb 25, 2013 4:22 pm  

RLBandit wrote:

I still can't fathom what winds you up about all this. No matter what the attendances I'd be much happier if everyone in and around the game was saying "these aren't high enough! what can we do to make it better?" than being silent because someone decided that any such talk is "talking the game down". I mean, sure, we wouldn't expect the PR dept. to put out a press release highlighting falling attendances, but seriously, do you really think that our supposed "talking the game down" on this forum has the slightest effect on anything? You flatter us.

Is there a good reason that you have failed to answer a fairly simple question? If not, its quite telling that you avoided it and invented some straw man about people not wanting the attendences to be as high as they can be.

Re: Opening SL weekend sees attendances tumbling by 12.66% : Mon Feb 25, 2013 4:57 pm  

Talent Spotter wrote:

So what you are saying is last years crowds were over-inflated due to the reasons you have mentioned? Should we then be comparing to 2011 crowd figures to get a more accurate picture?

it would have some reasoning behind it, except we dont have the same teams as we did then.

My point is that the people who are making excuses now were the first people to shout down those who pointed out reasons as to why last seasons figures were inflated.

Re: Opening SL weekend sees attendances tumbling by 12.66% : Mon Feb 25, 2013 5:08 pm  

jimlav wrote:

it would have some reasoning behind it, except we dont have the same teams as we did then.

My point is that the people who are making excuses now were the first people to shout down those who pointed out reasons as to why last seasons figures were inflated.

And now you are doing the same thing but from the other side. Making excuses about why the attendances have risen.

Attendances werent inflated, they were what they were, we dont need to make excuses for them. Last year wasnt a freak occurence, we have seen year on year rising attendances for a long time now.

If we are so desperate for context, then why arent we looking at comparisons not only from now to last year, but to the year before that, and the year before that, and so on.

Why arent we, for context, comparing attendances now to those in 2001, or those in 1998? Why are we worrying about attendances being down on last year when using a trolls incomplete and incorrect exagerrated figures but not celebrating that those figures, even whilst slightly down on last year are among the best the game has ever posted in its entire history?

Re: Opening SL weekend sees attendances tumbling by 12.66% : Mon Feb 25, 2013 5:37 pm  

SmokeyTA wrote:

Is there a good reason that you have failed to answer a fairly simple question? If not, its quite telling that you avoided it and invented some straw man about people not wanting the attendences to be as high as they can be.

Sorry, I assumed you knew the answer to your own question. I expect attendances are nearer to the maximum than the minimum.

Does this preclude debating issues like Salford's attendance figures?

Once again, whilst I admire your dedication to defending the reputation of RL against anything that could be construed as less-than-perfect, you really ought to stop worrying about what people write on here - I can assure you the game is no worse or better off as a result of either our whining or your spirited defence.

Pardon me for not celebrating as you suggest above, I'm right out of champagne this week, but I'll risk the home brew later.

Re: Opening SL weekend sees attendances tumbling by 12.66% : Mon Feb 25, 2013 5:43 pm  

RLBandit wrote:

Sorry, I assumed you knew the answer to your own question. I expect attendances are nearer to the maximum than the minimum.

So hardly the dire crisis you have been propagating then. Clearly not a game which should be damaged so that those at the top can be replaced, and your whole woe-is-me attitude towards the game is clearly either based on a wilful misrepresentation of the facts or lies to further your personal agenda with individuals.

But then you wouldnt want to celebrate Super League posts 2nd best attendances over 1st four rounds but wallow in boo hoo Salford got a bad attendance, the games is going to die i hate nigel wood childish nonsense.

Re: Opening SL weekend sees attendances tumbling by 12.66% : Mon Feb 25, 2013 5:43 pm  

SmokeyTA wrote:

And now you are doing the same thing but from the other side. Making excuses about why the attendances have risen.

Attendances werent inflated, they were what they were, we dont need to make excuses for them. Last year wasnt a freak occurence, we have seen year on year rising attendances for a long time now.

If we are so desperate for context, then why arent we looking at comparisons not only from now to last year, but to the year before that, and the year before that, and so on.

Why arent we, for context, comparing attendances now to those in 2001, or those in 1998? Why are we worrying about attendances being down on last year when using a trolls incomplete and incorrect exagerrated figures but not celebrating that those figures, even whilst slightly down on last year are among the best the game has ever posted in its entire history?

why then worry about GDP figures, because despite them not rising in recent 1/4s they are still among the highest the country has ever seen?

Its because we need growth! the game as it is in its current form is NOT sustainable. How many clubs have had financial trouble over the past 3 or 4 years? how many are being kept afloat by a rich owner? the answer to those is a hell of a lot higher than how many can go on like they are!

Also, with attendances dropping this year of all years, with a world cup in our own country, a year when things should be on a high leading into this event, is very concerning! Added together with the general fan apathy at the way the game is run, the format of our league and the relative success of other sports at the same time it doesnt make impressive reading for rugby league as a sport.

I tend to split League fans into two groups, reachers and settlers. Reachers tend to want our game to expand, they do this by seeing where are game is weak and want to improve on that. Settlers think everything is okay, and focus on the positives whilst covering over the negatives(even using those positives to disprove any argument against the negatives).

I see everything that is good with this sport, trust me. I have had the discussion with many union fans about our game, but i also see the massive problems, and there are massive problems!

The key to any sport bar football is how many fans turn up each week! when that starts to drop when everything suggests it should be rising, then you know there is a problem!

We have a massive chance to get it right with the world cup in england this year, so far we are not getting it right.