45,491 Census 2021

....and that's only the registered ones.

Makes the crowd % all the more better!
Hopefully Wire bring a good following next week and fill out the south stand.!

This thing about IMG wanting the likes of Newcastle and London in SL...they can want all they like, but the amount of money needed to turn those teams into viable SL teams is gargantuan by RL standards.

Remember London have had a very wealthy man ploughing money into them for years and they are currently playing in front of crowds of about 300-400 in a horribly inaccessible soccer stadium and languishing in the bottom half of the Championship.

Newcastle have stripped right back, gone back to part time, slashed their budget and look prime candidates to be relegated back to League 1.

Even Toulouse seem relatively cash-strapped, they have played all year without a major jersey sponsor and have been unable/unwilling to make any major signings this year and are struggling accordingly (losing at Sheffield, Bradford, Swinton and Batley).

There's more to building a SL club than just locating it in a big city.

Hello Horsey, is this the year that Fev make it to Super League? It would certainly be a good time for promotion.

Regarding attendances, a big issue appears to be travelling away support on Thursday and Friday nights (especially involving trips across the Pennines). Well supported Leeds only brought a handful of supporters on a Friday. Local derbies are going down a storm, so for me it is better to have teams located closer than further away. If further away then more games need to be televised.

Catalans home games appear far less on Sky than in previous years.

Regarding your first question - maybe, though the table is a bit misleading. We're probably the best team in the division overall, but certainly not so far clear that we couldn't get upset in the play-offs like last year. We are certainly nothing like as dominant as you were by this time last year.

Agree 100% that they should try to feature Lancs v Lancs or Yorks v Yorks games on Thursday/Fridays. M62 is far more palatable on a Sunday (or even Saturday) going either way.

Hello Phantom. Good to see you gracing the forum on this side of the Pennines. I have missed the Leigh/Fev rivalry and fans' banter that we all enjoyed last season, of which you were undoubtedly a part.

From what I have seen of the Championship this season and from what I saw first hand of Fev last season - including that dark wet night on 2nd February - promotion is your likely reward this time.

I understand your caution, because we all appreciate the glorious uncertainty that is sport, but I cannot see a play-off cock-up coming for Fev as happened with Batley last season. What was it with Batley with you boys?

More to the point, Fev have since got rid of Big Mac, who was not the messiah that some thought he was, and who turned out to be something of a weight around the team's collective shoulders.

Fev for promotion for me this season. What should make that prospect even more delicious for you is that it is likely to be at the expense of one of your nearest and dearest local rivals, either Wakey (almost certainly) or Cas (poor but just a little better than Wakey).

Reading the comments of the Wakey fans the realisation that relegation is likely has not escaped them. What they do not seem to realise is that relegation for them, this season, could spell the end of Super League for them, full stop. They are likely to be excluded under the new IMG criteria and part-time Championship level rugby is likely to be their lot for eternity. This is not the season to be relegated.

It is however a very good season to be promoted. So, good luck to your boys for this season and I look forward to our teams' renewing their on-field rivalry next year

PH, nice to have you back. You are usually spot on with your facts, but on May 21st last year Fev nilled Whitehaven by 78pts to go 3 league points ahead of Leigh in The Champ table.

The 1895 Cup Final was one week later with the bookies and pundits going for a Fev win in a tight one - though Bongser seems to recall you getting a little antsy on TRL in fairness.

I'm an old codger and pay £18 for wire home games. My adult son pays £24. Leigh are charging us £27 and £24. I don't like having the **** took out of me so reluctantly decided to give it a miss. I know some will say I won't be missed, just giving some feedback. BTW pleased to see how your season is going.

When Leigh played Warrington at the HJ, I checked for the price of seats - preferring to sit and not behind the sticks.
The price of Warrington seats is £34. Warrington fans get a reasonable deal if they stand, but the seats are way more expensive than at the LSV.

As the old adage goes: There are three sides to every story!

Predictions
Fev will win the league and the playoffs. This time they have the right coaching team to do it. In my opinion (and I’m not know to be bright) they had the team to run us close last season, but the coach (not a coaching team) was all wrong. I don’t rate the guy who was in charge and never will.
Re Wakey, doomed and Cas can relax. I really respect how that have survived for so long in SL but the writing is on the wall. Cas are not great but will win a couple more games. Wakey may win one, full stop.
Prices,
I believe we are being affected by LSV in ways that are directly affecting our ticket prices and DB’s ability to give us fans what we want. I honestly believe that the ticket prices are at the lowest level they can be right now, and that the LSV is the reason they are not lower. The prices are not being affected by the pre-match entertainment (and neither is that affecting our signing of players). Derek is funding both independently to build the whole match day experience as a long term fan base goal. I honestly trust that DB has probably the best business plan to put is in the IMG SL long term future.

Don't you get your parking chucked in for free when you buy a ticket for leigh? Not the rip off everyone says when you factor that in. I won't be there next Friday, but its due to work and not the ticket prices. Bit gutted as my last trip there was very enjoyable when we walloped Wakefield in the CC semi.

Well said, Moe. Your Leigh ticket gets you good pre-match entertainment too and, for Wire fans, the travel costs are lower than those of attending away games in Yorkshire.

Well if you'd put T'pau on for our game I'd have thrown a sickie