Rugby League’s exciting new era arrived in style at the weekend with bumper attendances at the six First Utility Super League Round 1 matches.
A total of 63,434 people streamed through the turnstiles for the season openers, an average of 10,572 per match and a 16 per cent increase on the corresponding fixtures in 2014.
Despite three of last year’s best supported clubs - Wigan Warriors, Leeds Rhinos and Hull FC – kicking off the new season away from home, the first round of fixtures produced four five-figure crowds whilst all six matches recorded increased attendances year on year.
The biggest rise came at the Select Security Stadium on Thursday when the crowd of 9,286 for Widnes Vikings v Wigan Warriors was 49 per cent higher than the same fixture in 2014.
Castleford Tigers and Wakefield Trinity Wildcats were watched by 10,728 people at the Mend-a-Hose Jungle on Sunday, a 17 per cent increase on the crowd that watched the same game last season, whilst Huddersfield Giants’ crowd for the visit of Hull FC was 21 per cent up and Hull KR set a new ground record with the crowd of 11,811 when they hosted Leeds Rhinos at the KC Lightstream Stadium.
Super League General Manager Blake Solly said: “The massive crowds we saw at the weekend testify to the huge sense of excitement that surrounds the start of the most keenly anticipated season in Super League history.
“It was a very encouraging first week and I am sure it is a start we will see the clubs build on in the weeks and months to come.
“There are some cracking games coming up this weekend, including Salford Red Devils v champions St Helens on Thursday evening and Hull FC v Warrington Wolves on Friday.
“And next week we welcome NRL champions South Sydney Rabbitohs plus Brisbane Broncos and St George-Illawarra Dragons to the UK for the World Club Series, when St Helens, Wigan and Warrington will be rocking for what many people regard is the Ryder Cup of Rugby League.
“There is so much at stake every weekend and it’s clear from just Round 1 that both fans and players alike have grasped that every minute really does matter in 2015.”
In addition, the two televised matches, Widnes Vikings v Wigan Warriors on Thursday evening and St Helens v Catalans Dragons the following night, were watched by more than 440,000 people.
The 2015 First Utility Super League Round 1 attendances (with corresponding attendance for 2014 in brackets) were as follows:
Castleford Tigers v Wakefield Trinity Wildcats – 10,728 (9,182)
Huddersfield Giants v Hull FC – 7,737 (6,370)
Hull KR v Leeds Rhinos – 11,811 (11,526)
St Helens v Catalans Dragons – 12,008 (11,321)
Warrington Wolves v Salford Red Devils – 11,864 (10,120)
Widnes Vikings v Wigan Warriors – 9,286 (6,223)
Aggregate – 63,434 (54,742)
Average – 10, 572 (9,123)
Read more at http://www.superleague.co.uk/article/31602/bumper-super-league-crowds-as#lYKGT3J2HdA53qtP.99
Replies
good to see. RL needs to be and should be strong in the UK.
good news.
im all for growing the game internationally and in a country that are soccer made and host one of if not the best league in the world being the EPL. i take my hat of to them
So why is it a new era?
It's a second rate comp and RL fans know it.
I'd say Rugby league in the UK peaked after the second world war. This is when the highest attendances happened.
Rugby League has steadily increasing participation rates in UK high schools and at junior levels.
It is the goal of Super League to try and reach a larger audience and be seen not as just a provincial sport.
The New era or the ideal era is one where we see massive crowds returning to games.
A new era is a stretch but the sport need a new era of crowd attendances to maintain vability.
LOL 63K of fans turned up to the first round, is that for one game or all of them lol, its really dying a slow death over there.