I imagine your board will be aiming all the marketing to start for next season, little point in spending money trying to get people to watch a poor team this season. Getting a new fan to come along and see Salford get hammered at home would put that fan off for life!

next year is the start of a new era for Salford, and I hope they really go at it with the marketing.

Yeah I think this year has been written off by most at the club and we're aiming for a fresh start next season on and off the field. A few seasons ago I remember huge posters in pub beer gardens allover Salford, nothing like that happens anymore although i suspect that will change next year, as you say. And Starbug that absolutely slipped my mind about the biggest advertisement we have, the stadium itself on the busiest stretch of motorway in Salford

same goes for huddersfield, marketing of the club,advertising games etc is absolutely non existant.
if more people knew about us and therefore knew we were 2nd in the league then more might turn up?rather than the diehards who would be there anyway.

yeah....much better to ignore it or pretend it's not happening

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About a 50/50 split id have said, worrying from a Salford perspective. Hopefully the new coach factor will draw a few fans back

If they splash the cash and build a decent team, there is no doubt that attendances will improve but, unless they actually win something, they will end up like Huddersfield, decent team, poor support.

Problem with that model is A) very few teams win silverware in SL B) Even fewer teams win silverware every year. Of course you will get bandwaggoners who jump on board when you are challenging but building the hardcore of 6-7,000 is what is needed. Game day experience, pricing, fixture times, marketing etc are what are needed as much as signings.

Totally agree with you JB.
The trouble is everyone wants to wave a magic wand and make things rosy in the garden, without doing the hard graft and building on sound foundations.

Spot on, logically there is no limit to the number of fans any club can attract, but the old ' a winning team and they will flood through the gates ' idea is re used over and over by the lazy and unimaginative

100% cast iron clad spot flippin" on!

Yep. Agree. On average, across the league, teams will win half their games. If crowds only come to winning teams, we're just moving attendance figures around.

Nothing puts bums on seats better than star players with skill, or other box office ( like being experts at annoying rival fans). Even if they're losing!

Still only a short term fix , Constant marketing and community work is the only long term option in building a fan base

It takes a lot more than a panto villian or a few star players to put bums on seats.

Of the 30 Professional Rugby League sides on the planet, the one packed with the most stars and skilled players is......16th on the list by average attendance:

Brisbane 33377
Canterbury 23572
Newcastle 20919
Souths 18904
New Zealand 17111
Parramatta 16803
St George Illawarra 16426
Wests Tigers 16227
Wigan 16,043
Leeds 14,948
Manly 14593
North Queensland 14415
Gold Coast Titans 14405
Saints 14,088
Cronulla 13234
Melbourne 12685
Sydney Roosters 12482
Hull 11,885
Bulls 11,761
Wire 11,430
Penrith 10858
Canberra 10190
Wakey 8,172
HKR 7,786
Hudds 7,709
Cas 6,633
Widnes 5,942
Salford 5,492
London 2,808

Melbourne have made a massive effort off the field for 2013....they are the defending champs and have made gains so far, but they wouldn't make the top 10 yet......and they are the Harlem Globetrotters of our game.

Star Players=Bums on seats?...Maybe in some cases in the short term they do.....but long term,it'sa risky strategy.

This year the Roosters have a show pony in SBW......but they have also marketed him to buggery and have increased their average so far in 2013 due to games against the 2 best supported teams in Sydney and Brisbane....let's see how they cope with Penrith, the Warriors and Canberra, as well as Penrith and the Gold coast.......he needs to increase their average by 2,500 a game for them to get their money back......he's on target to deliver,but when he's gone, will they stay?

So how do we make our players into stars? They have skill, lots of it. How do we make them box office stars?