I know this is very early days for the new Board and there is much to do, but I would like to state the reasons why I have stopped watching Leigh. Hopefully this will give them some food for thought as I know a number of others who have stopped for the same reasons.
1. Last season I had a season ticket but ended up losing out as lots of our games ended up being played at different days and times. I can’t make weekday matches due to work commitments and ended up missing the Thursday and Friday night games.
2. This is something that really bugs a lot of people – Swinton have first choice over the LSV. They get to play Sunday afternoon and we get whatever is left.
3. Last season and the beginning of this season we have been playing the most boring one man up the middle rugby. The last times I went this season I ended up so bored I wasn’t watching the game half the time, I was turned round talking to the person next to me –WYSISYG as it happens, so you can see how bored I was.
4. The Dual Registration deals over the last few season have annoyed me, I’m not naïve enough to believe we can have a squad who were all born within the sound of Leigh Parish Church bells, but I want players playing who are signed by Leigh, not by Warrington etc. and called back on a match by match basis.
5. Leigh becoming Wigan’s reserve team this season has really done it for me. Sorry but I won’t be coming back until that is gone.
And before anyone accuses me of being a plastic Leyther, I have watched Leigh home and away for over 45 years. I went to Wembley and Whitehaven etc. etc.
The frightening thing is though, how easy it is to get out of the habit of going to matches.
It is much more difficult to get back into it.

Listen mate , i respect your opinions and understand what you are saying , ive said it before , in an ideal world we all want the same a Successful Leigh Centurions , stocked with Leigh players , maybe not Leigh born , but stiil our Players , at the moment it wont happen , our Squad is not big enough , or strong enough , through injuries and such like , so Paul R has to do whatever he can to provide us with a Team he feels can win games ,and at the moment it involves DRs .

We have an arrangement with Wigan , so its their players at our disposal , a good thing because Wigan have the BEST youngsters around , we ARE playing good rugby now , im certainly not bored these days watching , as for your Season Tickets , i understand your work always comes first , but don't turn your back on the Team , come along when you can , don't stand near Wysigig , you might be surprised , and have a good time , hope you change your mind , show the lads you care .

I have to say Charlie that Starbugs idea for 5 and 10 ticket booklets is looking a very good one to get some stayaway fans back. This season we have been up and down with our performances but it's now that we need to start playing well and we are doing that. The day we play really does make a difference to people coming back. Personally I would like to see us play Saturday and Sundays with only Thursdays if we are on TV.
I hope that the LCTV message gets around the town and some stayaways buy into it, this would show them that we are playing some good stuff now. Even though we lost at the weekend I came away not that down mainly because we tried and the atmosphere was back to normal. You stayaways need to comeback and sample it and what on view I don't think you will be disapointed. Forget this Wigan thing we are in the 21st century.

However if people base there reasons on there own perceptions and pub gossip rather than fact...........

The duels we have give Leigh 100 pc and that's all Leigh fans want

This post graphically illustrates the problem Leigh have........previously loyal fans going awol.
It seems to me to be of little use to appeal to their better nature to encourage them to return. Even giving reasons to return will not work.
As the poster says 'once you get out of the habit......

The reasons given by advocatus diaboli are all factors. What would get him back?

I think the answer is success. Fev seem to thrive because they have an excellent team producing good results and are favourites to succeed.

I'm sure the new BoM are aware that we are losing loyal fans. Getting them back is not going to be easy unless there is a change in the structure of the game. If we play Wigan sometimes it might get us a better crowd than playing Keighley or the like.

Are we the only ones losing loyal fans? It would be interesting to see some figures but I assume not. The Championship clubs have to make clear to the RFL that we are in terminal decline and insist they take steps to change the structure, including the DR fiasco.

Our crowds have not declined since the tacit Wigan agreement was made public but of course are still lower than last season.

I think a lot of it is down to the increase in prices to attend. Then the scrapping of reserve teams which lead to Twinning ' which is unsustainable imo and should never have been allowed to happen.

The RFL is run by the Chairmen of the top 5/6 clubs and they just look to the fortunes of their own clubs and not the future of the whole game.

The rot started when licenscing was introduced and sadly people who shall we say' are not as passionate about the game as one or two of us' perceive most games as friendlies.

Fax for example are losing fans too and so are most clubs and not just in the Championship.

Why have Fev maintained their so called crowd average ? Well maybe they think they will be in the elite league soon when London Cas Wakey Hull KR or another club go bust.

For me I think the reintroduction of promotion and relegation is a must. The scrapping of twinning' the reintroduction of the top league reserve sides and finally a more equitable spread of TV money.

I think it is a real shame that you no longer come to watch a club you have supported for so long, i hope the new BoM can come up with something to attract people like yourself back.
While i agree the fixture days last season were frustrating, they have obviously took peoples comments on board as this season the majority of games are on sunday at 3pm.

A good point about Swinton seemingly taking the Sundays and leaving us the scraps ,no odds to me as being retired I can go whenever ,but as for the Wigan factor I think Tom Spencer has been a stand out for us last season and this ,and if we could have two more piemen with Toms attitude I would be more than pleased. like it or not things are as they are and we must put up with it ,my first match was 1949 and I ain't gonna change now ,come back to Leigh your team needs you

Is that actually true though?

I don't know why there is the continued use of the phrase 'losing loyal fans' in discussions about various reasons for falling crowds. The loyal fans are still attending and will continue to do so as long as there is a team to watch. The lapsed fans are not giving reasons for their absences they are giving excuses for it.
There is a more positive feel about the club that wasn't there not too long ago yet people take great pleasure in coming on here to bore us to death with their repetitive dismal reasons why they have given up. Does it really matter that we know to the penny what the new benefactors are investing in the club, does it really matter that there is an occasional young Wigan lad PLAYING FOR LEIGH?
Is it it time for the doom merchants to either turn up or shut up? The club would be better served aiming their efforts at new fans rather than trying to get the malcontents back.

I totally agree with every word in your post . I too am sick to death of the excuses because lets face it thats what they are .Loyal fans are just that ...Loyal ,they take the rough with the smooth and do not jump ship when something irks them .If they no longer wish to watch Leigh then thats their prerogative but its the same old reasons every time .Maybe its best to concentrate on new fans and leave the lapsed so called loyal fans to carry on with their excuses.

On the other hand, I do welcome the original post because I did not sense a really negative tone about it - of course there were the reasons why he does not come, and to be honest, they are all valid concerns. It is important that people get things off their chests. It may be that some factors CAN be changed because of this type of feedback.

Having said that, I think all those lapsed fans need to look deep, deep into their soul and see if they can still find a love for Leigh down their somewhere. I bet 99% of them will not go and support another RL team - why? Simple, because Leigh, not just rugby league, is in their blood. Fans of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years standing must realise this about themselves and not throw in the towel at this stage - get back on the terraces and support your club. Forget, for now, what time of day it is or who is putting on the Leigh shirt - those things can be addressed - IF we get enough people through the turnstiles and allow us to make our own destiny.

The fewer fans that turn up, the more we will have to rely on imports - it is not rocket science, is it?

mapleyther

The fact that others like myself still post on here , or just read the forum suggests that they aren't completely lost , just perhaps a little tired,bored,dissolutioned,skint or maybe just all ' rugbied ' out

But that interest is still there [ even with WYSIWYG ] so I'd suggest listen to them , by all means disagree with them , but dont attempt to force them away completely , time travels quickly and peoples feelings towards things changes just as quickly

It isn't and has never been a " You get down and watch or else bugger orf " situation , the club belongs to the whole town , yes perhaps more so to those that loyaly follow through thick and thin in both the clubs fortunes and their own , but every day is a new dawn , and every day gives a new opportunity for the club to attract new or old fans to enjoy watching and being involved in what is essentially ' LEIGH '

The disgruntled need a soapbox and this forum is ideal for them but the minority that state their cases on here are willing to debate. The bigger problem is the majority of the disgruntled who spout their bile at every opportunity in various establishments, they don't debate but trot out their well used phrases in an attempt to discredit the club and the fans that still attend.