SBR has used the like-for-like fixtures, though - not the total attendances so far.

Some big games may not have been played yet, and conversely some small games may not have been played - I think SBR's figures are the best in this case.

May well be. Bulls, Castleford, Wakey and the quins have yet to have a visit from the neewbies and there are some big games to come. Problem is, Quins v Salford, Wakey v Welsh, Casltleford Celtic and Bradford v Salford aren't exactly top of ticketmasters demand list are they. Leeds Saints is the only game that stands out (especially as wire wigan will be a dead game for one set of fans after this weekend).
Sorry, -2% is where I see overall attendence figures sitting for this season and that's not bad.
Next year (Genesis2) is the real test. Every club has to add fans..........

Is there a point at which we'd have to accept that this is as big as RL will ever get .

That few people outside of the infamous M62 Corridor are interested .

And just get on with playing a minority sport in front of a few thousand hardy souls .

Or ........ do we just keep trying to expand forever , in the hope that one day the rest of the world will catch on .

Expect attendances to drop again in the next few years as boredom creeps in

Well that hasnt happened at union yet so i wouldn't be to worried.

I don't see why anyway. It's not like we've had vastly different clubs in the last 15 years in the top flight.

Bitter......very bitter

All that is showing is that clubs are getting lower attendances for games against Salford and Celtic than they were for second home games often against a nearby rivals. Which is hardly unexpected.
Overall attendance is up by about 50,000 so far - but that is due to an extra fixture each week.

Except Union have promotion and relegation , plus a fight for European places , and different teams winning the big prizes .

RL has the same 14 teams for 3 years , Leeds and Saints winning everything , and nothinhg for the other teams to play for .

What we have to accept is that to do expansion right costs alot of money and takes alot of time. There is no such thing as instant success but if you work long enough and have enough money to fund it there is no reason why RL can't expand and grow to anywhere. We always want to rush things (CC are a good example and to some degree Salford who shouldn't be back in yet).

Should some of that cost involve the clubs excluded ?

No I don't see one has to come at the cost of another. I do think that expansion areas HAVE to receive more support and finacial support to grow the game to a level where a SL club would be sustainable but I don't see why any club from the heartlands should not be in SL if they can prove to be a sustainable club at that level. Reality is not all can and not all will.

We should be strategic about it though and decide which areas have the best chance for long term sustainable futures and will add value to the SL. These areas should be targeted and worked on to get them there.

Who mentioned SL , I was talking about survival outside SL not getting into it

Several clubs are going for broke in an effort to get what will most likely be the last chance for any heartland club to get in , little to nothing is being done to improve the off field performance of the clubs below SL apart from encouraging clubs to find Sugar Daddys

The gap between SL and the Championships will continue to grow , I would go as far as saying the RFL dont want strong heartland clubs outside SL as that will make it more difficult to bring expansion clubs through the lower leagues

So you are suggesting a system were certain clubs get more assistance than others in a direct attempt to ' groom ' them for a SL place , and you think this wont have a detrimental effect on the other clubs in the competition

I agree Starbug, I think the gap will get bigger, I think come the next TV deal there could be a big increase regarding money, I think once we come out of this recession SL crowds could boom, especially at the 'lower' clubs with Sheds as grounds currently.
Championship clubs wont be able to compete with this unless they receive their own TV deal.
Sadly I dont think clubs like Leigh, although their stadium is mighty impressive have a chance of promotion and if the Championship becomes a good comp in its own right, it wont do it any favours for its best team to be cherry picked every other year.

Or maybe not