at least with a 4198 paying crowd, NW Crusaders will get some much needed income......

SW would be pi$$ed with that

Atmosphere doesn't pay either ours or Crusaders' wages, that's why. Nothing to do with feeling superior, but 4k at a tenner each is better than 8k paying nothing.

Soemthing has to be done to get these figures higher, though, I am in complete agreement with that. RL fans don't seem to like paying out again once they've purchased their ST, which is why we see poor crowds across the board in the early rounds of both the cup and the playoffs.

Superior? WTF?

Nah mate just rather have some cash coming through the gates that can help our club and should ensure a team like Crusaders getting some cash out of the event.

Look at Fev and Cas yesterday for example. Last year the vast majority of a good crowd would have got in for free yet this season fans were still prepared to pay and Fev get a nice windfall from it that can help them along.

The lower league clubs can't afford to have to give free tickets away in their biggest matches of the year.

If the prices were £10 we still wouldn't have got 8K.
Last year we only managed 8K v Barrow with FREE tickets for season ticket holders.

Even a tenner was OTT for what was a practice game, and certainly £15 on the day, or for non-ST holders was way too much. The crowd would have probably been higher had it been a tenner for everyone.

I've always thought RL has missed a trick when it comes the 'extras' that get people going to games. I don't think prematch and half time entertainment adds much, but imagine if, instead of overpriced pies and kitkats ( allright,[u as well as [/uoverpriced pies and kitkats) there were some massive (pitchside?) barbecues, where you get a really good steak sandwich, say at a fair price. Seriously, my missus would probably double the number of games she attended per season ( from 3ish to at least 6) if there was nice food on offer. My dad used to take me watching Orrell when I was little (as well as Wigan I add), but I'm sure we only went for the hotpot and (first class) pickled cabbage you got afterwards.

Sounds flippant, but little things like that sway some of the 'shall I / shan't I?' crowd - its even subconscious. It dawned on me recently that I only actually like the cinema because I can eat my own bodyweight in popcorn.

Or havn't the money spare to pay out for one sided practise games

Apologies if it came across that way but I definitely wasn't criticising fans who simply cannot afford to attend all the games, and obviously games like today would be top of the list to miss rather than pay tickets/travel/food etc to attend a game we already know the outcome of before kick off. The clubs and the RFL have to come up with a plan to get the fans through the door without giving thousands of tickets away for free. Something like £10 non-ST holders, £5 ST holders, £2.50 all concessions could work.

I went to the pub with 2 friends to watch the FA Cup semi final yesterday, neither rugby league fans, and was so embarrassed at the sport when I was trying to explain why Widnes Saints was being played in a near-empty stadium.

but will manage to find the money to attend more expensive later rounds, ie semi , and final, should we get that far..........which will brass off the many non season ticket holders who attended today.


and thats another way to improve atendances at early round games.........PRIORITY VOUCHERS.......wont cost the earth to print them, and its not rocket science distributing them.

What's the point of priority vouchers when Wembley never even sells out? And as for semi-finals, we couldn't even fill the HJ v Saints last year.

Everyone who wants a ticket for the big games can get one.

I only go to the DW because I enjoy having my hot dog

Seriously though, I have a season ticket, and when we play a team that I expect us to win, and I'm not feeling up to going to a game, the thought of the hot dog sways me.