Accountants always say that!

I'd say a marketing manager would be an astute investment about now - on a reasonable basic salary, but incentivised based on gate receipts; someone with a sports background and the right skills to produce a proper marketing plan - it could pay dividends. For various reasons, the Wakefield public have fallen out of love with WTW - someone with the right skills could find out why, and do something about it.

Excellent post highlighting key issues

I think we're overthinking it to be honest.

We have a crap stadium in which we've largely played crap rugby for most of the season, when we're on SKY, on Friday night and its raining meaning most fans will get wet then it's not hard to fathom why the crowd was low.

Wholeheartedly agree, I've gone from being a home and away wakey fan that went to wembley finals, GB games and watched other teams games on Sky.
I haven't been to a CC final or GB game for years, I rarely go to away games, sky got cancelled and when we were beating Wigan I was at Nostell Priory for armed forces day.
Fair enough life changes and circumstances/financial situations alter, but for me the root cause for much of my apathy is that as a Wakey fan I feel disenfranchised from the wider game.
I see a home Wakey match as a day or evening out with my mates more than the chance to watch "my" team pit their wits and skills against the best in the competition.
I think the game in general and our club could do much more to make the average fan feel more included and valued.
I used to think this was the greatest game, now I'm not so sure that people like me are part of the future of the game, if indeed the game has any kind of sustainable wider appeal.
Certainly recent events call that into question.

My sentiments exactly.

Or is this just superleague, do fans of teams in the Championship and Championship 1 feel apathy towards the game aswell?

Bit like kinleycat my self went to International/County games all away games even went to watch second division games Hunslet/Dewsbury/Batley if we didn't have a game.Now go to some away games but most home games missed Leeds game due to being away for the weekend but did get to watch it on sky.

One thing that seemed obvious over recent weeks is the fall in number of away fans. I am sure many away supporters see a visit to Agbrigg and Belle Vue as one of the less desirable away locations.


However ! what really gets me is the massive latent support the club have and somehow more people need to be encouraged to come along to games. After every game, two or three of us go into various pubs in our 'colours' and the amount of people asking about the match is amazing. If you go into a pub with say 40 or so customers more than half are interested how we have got on. The interest and affection for the team is out there, getting them to pay into the ground is more difficult.

I can fully agree with this. We always call in a few pubs on the walk home from the game and the number of people who ask what the score was is amazing. There are also a number of people who will join in discussion about the game but then reveal they watched it on Sky in town with a gallon of ale, a gallon of ale that would have probably cost the same as the entrance fee to Belle Vue.

When asked how we went on after a game and if we have won I start with"you missed a great game you should have been there" even if its not been a very good game all round.

Shows how many people only turned up because of cheap or free tickets. Loyalty eh? I personally know of people who only went cos they could buy cheap tickets

Talking of freebies, a mate of mine, who, up to this season had been an ST holder, has been to 3 games this year, all with freebie tickets, when asked where there from he wont say, but obviously there still out there.