I cannot believe we're even asking ourselves "why are the crowds so low?"
I've followed Fax for 35 years (surprised me too when I thought about it) so I've seen just about everything there is to see.
We are in a horrendous recession, the game is being run by clowns, there is no prospect of promotion, the opposition teams (with just a few exceptions) fail to excite me and unfortunately our brand of rugby (whilst I agree is succesful) just doesn't have us on the edge of our seats anymore. At best we've one "gamechanger" in our squad, the rest of the team being made up of big hearted, hard working, slightly above average (given the current league position) blokes. I admire Rhino and what he's done for us. But for him to develop as a coach he's got to bring in another dimension to show he's not just a one-trick pony. Exciting rugby brings people to the terraces.
Brian Barwick has drawn his salary long enough now to have seen where the issues are. He needs to grow some, fire the guys at the top and bring in Barry Hearn. If he can turn around a game of fat blokes throwing spears at a cardboard circle and drag in massive crowds, (not to mention what he's done to snooker and -to a certain extent- boxing)what could he do for Professional Rugby League? Instead we have the likes of Wood who's only success is clearing his plate after every meal.
I'm going to keep coming to the Shay and the odd away game as finances allow, but I'm finding it really hard to convince my Wendyball watching pals that Rugby league has something extra to offer. If I'd taken a "first-timer" to Sunday's game I'd have died of embarassement given that it was such a dour affair.

The crowds won't grow until the games and the club are marketed much much better.

Sat watching Spurs v Liverpool at dinner time, Man Utd v Chelsea in the afternoon & England v Italy at tea time in front of the fire at home or pay £15 to watch Halifax play Swinton Lions on a cold Sunday afternoon.. after seeing Halifax give the game away against Batley away the week previous, was enough for me.

I agree with the comment about people falling out with RL in general, I have noticed especially in amateur Rugby, nobody cares about it like they did several years ago & from what I understand in generations previous to my own. lads now play / watch if there is nothing else to do.

What do Halifax RLFC do to encourage me to come watch a game?

Promoting the signing of Luke Adamson before the game would of helped that, building it up to be something existing.. I did not hear about this until after the game. I have not attended one game this season, but I have also not sat down and watched one game on Super League either, but have I missed a game of live NRL in the same space of time? ..... Have I Heck!

It's what they [ihaven't[/i done; I don't know about whether it still resonates in Halifax in the same way that it does in Leigh, but our bad experience in Super League means that people seemingly aren't too keen on going back there for a repeat season, especially after years trying to get to the 'promised land' and find out it isn't all that it was cracked to be. I liken Fev's current position to that at Leigh 2000-2004 where crowds and enthusiasm were very much on the up as we pushed for Super League, and even that was under the old P&R without having franchising to contend with.

I was doing some work a couple of weeks back up the top of Ovenden way.
In the house there were a number of framed pictures mounted on the wall of Thrum Hall and of the Halifax teams.
I just assumed that they still went to the games and asked if they had been on Sunday.
"Na mate" was the answer we used to go home and away and to the A team games on a Friday night but since Fax went down the Shay and they way the game is being run these days has killed of our interest and that was it.
I can think of dozens who used to go to the games but have stopped for a number of reason and no doubt we all can.
The biggest factor that they all say to me is that they have lost faith in the whole system and those that run the game, it's not a level playing field and things get changed to suit the chosen few by those in charge.

the excuse not been since moved to the shay is pointless, fax had to move, what kind of fans were they? nobody wanted to leave thrum hall but had to.