I've lived in Leeds all my life, 25 years in East Leeds and 20 years in North Leeds. My early memories of supporting Leeds include many journeys across the city on the 45 bus picking up scarf clad supporters along the way from Whinmoor,Seacroft, Easterly Road and Meanwood. My local W.M.C at Swarcliffe always had strong support for the team and I believe still runs a bus to games. Whenever I'm back over that way there's always folk around wearing Rhinos shirts/colours, a lot more now than when i first started going (late 70's early eighties). By contrast, in Alwoodley where i now live, I very rarely see anyone wearing a shirt, car stickers or anything. Leeds 17 used to have a large jewish population and many followers amongst them, where have they all gone? I also drive through the ethnically diverse part of Harehills 3-4 times a week and it's the same there, no Rhinos to be seen. We have Ikram Butt working at Leeds and there's no doubt he's trying to spread the gospel but would we be better concentrating on the more traditional areas of leeds to grow our support base. The club seems to have made inroads into the Chapeltown area but only time will tell if this yields supporters as well as players. For a sport that prides itself on its inclusive attitude we seem to struggle in Leeds to grow our sport outside the traditional boundaries.

Im a delivery driver around north leeds LS16,17,18 and see blue and amber all the time even in moortown/alwoodley, although it does seem to increase (annoyingley) around the time of finals.

ps my van is permenantley decked out in blue and amber

By virtue of your job you'll have a fair idea. The estate where I live off Wigton Lane seems to be a Rhino free zone, but if you go to the council estates at Cranmer Bank and the Lingfields (both LS17) it would be a different story with a fair number of supporters. My estate has a different cultural and ethnic mix and for whatever reasons don't seem too interested in our team.

Population of Leeds circa 725,000.
Average number of season tickets sold by Leeds Rhinos circa 12,000

And you think that shirts and stickers are a bit thinly diluted ?

Thinly diluted ? I am surmising that most of our support comes from within traditionally white working class areas with little support from other less traditional areas despite efforts from the club to spread our fanbase. As for 12,000 season ticket holders, I don't know your sources but that would be a reasonable figure for us to achieve compared to recent seasons. As for supporters per-capita, I think it's poor compared to a lot of clubs in superleague.

I think you may have answered your own question regarding class and culture. You dont see many BMW/Mercs with rhinos stickers, in the same way you don't see many shirts in the upper part of the north stand. This could end up being the proverbial can of worms but at the same time true.

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Guilty as charged, I only ever wear a shirt "

in the same way you don't see many shirts in the upper part of the north stand. .'"

have been a regular Leeds fan since I was 8 years old and that goes back to the mid50s and Ive only wore my teams colours on Wembley and championship and grandfinal occasions.I dont know why,but I do wear club tee shirts and polo shirts at home and sometimes go to the pub in them.I used to work in Alwoodley Primley Park and moortown etc in the 60s-70s and I found the Jewish community used support both clubs

The Jewish community has dwindled in Leeds to a small percentage of what it was in the 60-70s. Of the 6000 or so left there appears to be diminishing interest in Leeds R.L. An interesting book to read is that by Anthony Clavane which is about the Jewish community in Leeds and its links to Leeds United. He says the first sporting team that attracted a Jewish following was Leeds rugby league, as Leeds Utd became successful most transfered their alliegances to Elland Road. It would appear the diminishing population and other attractions mean our substantial Jewish following is no more.

I think I should link this thread to the Castleford forum.

what happened to them?did the younger generation up sticks and move to London?

I've read that book and think Clavane was right about board-level involvement but wrong about general Jewish support. Leeds RL at least in the late 70s/80s was as well if not better supported than Utd in the Jewish community because 1) they played on Sundays not Saturdays and 2) they didn't have nutcase fascist fans.

Nowadays, as you say, a lot of Leeds Jewry has aged or left, but an even bigger factor in lack of attendance at Headingley is the switch to Friday night rugby, with Friday nights, even for the non-religious, being pretty universally for the family and the home.

Season ticket holders isn't the best way to count a clubs fan base. Season ticket holders are a part of the fan base but not the full picture. There are people who pay on the gate a number of times a year but not at every game. Let’s also not forget that Leeds has some of the most deprived areas in the country and they’ll be people from those areas who simply can’t afford to get to the games. But they’ll keep in touch with how the Rhinos are doing via other means.

My grandparents and probably other people’s grandparents support the Rhinos from their rocking chairs in old people’s homes when listening to the radio. There’s toddlers who don’t even know that they support the Rhinos but they parents have bought them Rhinos romper suits.

Some people are just too busy to support the Rhinos but still want all that’s best for them. Example – businessmen.

There are people in prison who support the Rhinos. These people are just not able to support the rhinos in the manner that the 12,000 season ticket holders can.

Have I forgotten anyone here?

I also read Clavanes book.I bought it last time I was home and read it over here recently.An interesting piece of Leeds Jewish sporting history is the fact that the old LEEDS PARISH CHURCH N U team's support had quite a sizeable Jewish percentage

Those who are on life support machines, they wouldn't be able to get to the ground very regularly.

John Tracey who works on the Thunderbird 5 Space Station, he wouldn't be able to get to many home games either.