Maybe I should have read the whole article (I'd read it last week and assumed this thread was about a new article) so went looking for a different article

About time.

Leeds United (can't guarantee accuracy as taken of t'web)...

2003-2004 36666 (Pr)
2004-2005 28632 (Ch)
2005-2006 22354 (Ch) *Bates first season prices hike massively*
2006-2007 21613 (Ch)
2007-2008 26546 (L1)
2008-2009 23813 (L1)
2009-2010 23115 (L1)
2010-2011 26668 (Ch)

...hard to see any real correlation between the two, especially when you take into account season overlaps

On the other hand there is a clear correlation between our attendances and success (and other factors):

1996 ..... 8,581 (Finished 3rd Bottom)
1997 ..... 10,998 (Became the Rhinos, sign Iestyn)
1998 ..... 12,164 (Grand Finalist)
1999 ..... 13,482 (First CC win in 20-odd years)
2000 ..... 12,674
2001 ..... 12,881
2002 ..... 12,157
2003 ..... 12,846
2004 ..... 16,028 (First championship in 32 years)
2005 ..... 17,012
2006 ..... 15,677
2007 ..... 17,558 (Champions)
2008 ..... 17,043 (Champions)
2009 ..... 15,774 (Champions) *South stand capacity cut by 2k*
2010 ..... 15,355 *South stand capacity cut by 2k*

Could the diversity of catchment and the places that people come from be due to the ground being in the main student residential area??? and as Leeds met in particulra has massively expanded in recent years, there are more sports fans resident in headingly???

as a bulls fan, I would be much happier if we had been in your position over the last 5 years than ours! and yes, I would be gloating. Bradford City has done cut price season pass deals and it niether guarantees an atmosphere or success. it just puts bums on seats. the acid test is in a couple of years when prices go up. Can the product bring people in at full price?

If the product appeals than yes. Success will undoubtably speed this up but a solid team full of locally sourced players who want to play for your team should not be underestimated.

Its an interesting question, the Rhinos have never really done large scale ticket promotions, they've done the odd one-off promotion for specific games but nothing on the scale that the Bulls did during the Bullmania years, Leeds never gave vouchers for tickets in the YEP for instance.

Not that there is anything wrong with that, with the on-field team winning you build a support base and as you say hopefully it will stay when the offers stop, unfortunately for the Bulls the offers HAD to stop at the same time as the decline on field set in.

Leeds Rugby Ltd will do special offers when they have to, I have never had any problems in buying very cheap tickets for Leeds Carnegie because that part of the business is in dire need of income and a new support base, I have a seat ticket for this weekends game against Leicester for just £7.50 with entry to the Long Bar, a free manicure and gift goodie bag, I have to dress as a "lay-dee" and pretend to be my brothers wife, but thats well worth doing for that sort of saving.

Just out of interest, this weekends "Bring the Mrs" (two for £15) - is it totally legal to advertise things like that

You are making some pretty big assumptions - if you were going to 10 games you would buy a ST so I would suggest you figure but well off the mark.

If the above scenario were the case GH would not be wasting his time personally ringing supporters trying to persuade them to renew nor would he be taking newspaper inches to explain his embarrassing plight?

I don't know what the profitability of the Rhinos was last year but I would suggest not selling these tickets will turn the surplus into a deficit.

However in the current economic climate to be only 10% down is a very creditable position.

I realised after writing that if you were selecting games rather than the season ticket it would fall between the 6-8 mark and not the 10 I originally said (I should of known really as I fall into the cherry pick category since moving to Hull), but it was late so was hoping noone would pick up on it.

Besides like I also mentioned we may be 10% behind last seasons sales but by the time we play our first game at HQ I bet that figure reduces to around 3-4%.

of = have

But the trouble is, Leeds Utd were already in trouble when that season of SL began. So while you base your argument on the Rhinos already having an increase in attendance, the fact that Utd were sinking when the season starts suggests you've already got an influx from Elland Road long before May

Yet in 2003/2004 Leeds utd averaged just under 37k in a 40k capacity stadium.

There must be some more straws they can grasp in this argument surely ?