Some good and valid points but…

What is the main reason for losing almost a third of our fans in a season where we’ve done pretty well in comparison with the previous season and miraculously so if you consider the starting position of the club off the field?

Fev has clearly managed to buck the trend and probably because they’ve marketed the super league aspirations really well. This is something that’s only just got going at Leigh, and unlike at Fev, we’ve been there seen that so a ‘super league drive campaign’ is, unfortunately, unlikely to bring the fans back.

Speaking personally, I have access to free tickets and it shames and pains me to say this, I haven’t used one of them. I’ve been away for many games, but for those which I have been around, I have given in to the many other family pressures. Why? I guess I’m just not excited enough to sacrifice a family day out for a meaningless game v Batley.

No disrespect intended. Batley is a great side, one of our bogeys and this is clearly a more competitive league than SL. Every fixture holds interest from a playing perspective, BUT the fact that the games are largely meaningless tips the balance in terms of whether I choose to go to a game above some other option.

I have also asked friends and family if they’d like to go and the answer is pretty much the same for the same reasons.

This dramatic reduction in crowds during a time of relative success is really worrying, and I agree with the O/P that the board needs to continue to work its collective butts off to try and reverse it.

However, I really do fear that they may be fighting a lost battle until P&R and, preferably, a return to the value of finishing top of the league is restored.

I have to agree with Waterfields Finest and re his summation it is something I have been saying since the idea of licencsing was first muted.

It has not worked and never will and if you have mates who are footie fans ask them what they would think of footie without promotion and relegation.







































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Re the fans or lack of WF you almost answered the question yourself. As for the use of free tickets...............

From my point of view the thing the club does control is the kick off day and time when not on TV.
Its affected mine and my families financial contribution to the club and thats 3 down each midweek game.
It also effects long term though as I've surprisingly found its very easy to get out of the habit of watching live RL.
On Saturday I opted to stay in Scotland after a football match , last season I would have drove home knowing we had a match but this time I actually thought it wasn't worth it and as I was out the habit I didn't really miss anything (having not seen a game of RL on a sunday for a while).

The other major factors are not directly attributed to Leigh but DO have a big factor.
All our big games go to a Thursday night (how many times have Leigh been on TV this season ?), the Fev game Thursday if (rightly) played on Sunday would have generated huge interest in both towns and we would have seen a Big gate (I'd have hoped for high end 3-4,000), instead its a Thursday so in effect Leighs support will be a quarter of what you'd expect and Fevs home support will also suffer the effect.
Now lets throw in the Play off set up following this game - what other sport allows clubs to be MASSIVELY disadvantaged by not having the same amount of rest days before a huge game, in effect TV dictate who gets to a final - and yet this TV Channel is a Minority one amongst other Minority pay for view ones !
Time for the clubs to start bargaining as it cannot be left to the governing body alone (talking of which anyone after seeing SL Trucks will be pleased to note they can be found between Carlisle and Perth - I saw 12 - including 2 Wakefield ones 10 mins behind each other !).
The Championship clubs need a guy from the RFL who is in charge purely of Championship RL and that particularly brand with a remit to drum up interest in each town - the clubs however must drive this and not just sit back and do nothing, the gates are sliding across the board in this league.

Finally one thing that does effect gates, the actual importance of fixtures.
There is no getting away from it - it does effect a lot of peoples perceptions.
Whilst P&R won't be a back immediately I actually think in the Championship we perhaps need to look at what we have, is the play offs a help when calculating week to week attendances - do fans view a certain fixture pointless as 'we'll make the play offs in anyhow' ?
Should we go for first past the post as true Champions and maybe have the 'play offs' as a seperate competition but have the Top 4 from each Championship division (4 Championship , 4 Championship 1) with the Top 2 guarenteed a home tie in a random draw - perhaps then make it a true Championships play off day out , you'd still win a cup in the main event so it wouldn't be any different than the play off finals day IMHO.

I think RL is at a crossroads, I'm not convinced the sport is really moving forward at all levels but to be honest my major concern is purely Leigh Centurions and the towns local clubs, whilst this season has seen massive strides by our club both on & off the pitch I personally feel there is a lot of work to be done to stop the slide - and lets not forget next year the word on the street will be 'Leigh are playing in a feeder league'.....a very hard sell to get in new supporters and new sponsorship.

lets not forget next year the word on the street will be 'Leigh are playing in a feeder league'.....a very hard sell to get in new supporters and new sponsorship.

If the RFL and SL teams get their way i bet all of us in this league will become feeder clubs at some point.But with this bulls scenario it just shows its a closed shop would'nt we be better breaking away? Getting our own sponsorship,Tv rights etc i know darts isnt a big sport realy but it seemed to work their.What have we got to lose? IMO nothing unless something changes quickly which i very much doubt will happen and the SL and RFL will only get stronger feeding off our clubs at us fans expense.Just my opinion but surely im not the only one that sees where our game is heading.

I think the original poster needs to get a good grip on reality. We were so close to going bust and look where we are now. Yes, things can be improved, but I think the management need our grateful thanks and further support for what has been achieved.

Rugby League as a spectator sport is going down the tubes and there is only so much a club like Leigh can do.

Nowt to do with me other than being compared with "Fev" but I always get suspicious of these types of rants especialy when Hiding behind a new user name....Looking back at some posts from your forum im amazed your still in business,and on the field you are next to nowt away from being league winners In the mix for the GF and the inform team at this end of the season

Nowt so strange as folk eh ?

Dont agree with the rest between play off games bit, surely that is part of the advantage of finishing as high up the table as possible.
As for Fev i would love to know what crowds clubs like Leigh and Halifax would have to generate to take in the same amount of cash as Rovers do. I know Sunday was record bar sales its almost impossible not to buy a pint there are bars in your face the min you go through the turnstiles. I spent a fiver within 5 mins Sunday, golden gambles, raffles, programmes, liquid refreshment, some of the lads i took were downing ale all game, we must of took 50 / 75% of the gate income on secondarys. I would guess clubs not owning there grounds would need in excess of 4k to rake in what we did from 2800, your also more inclined to spend when you know its going to your club, for me a club must own there own ground to stand a chance in this day and age or at least work some deal out with the owners whereby your earning from secondarys

Missed you where have u been?

I know what you're getting at, but there's also the expense of maintaining and improving your own ground, I could be wrong (it has been known once before ) but hasn't it been stated recently that we now live rent free at LSV? this has to be a massive boost to the club.

You raise a good point there Glow and whilst it would be nice to have the bar and food income, I think then also having to pay for the upkeep of our ground and stadium (and staffing it all) would more than swallow that income.

An international standard stadium doesn't come cheap.

where are you Bungo.....Prik ?