If they are good enough they will get a chance, however I think you are overstating what these clubs will bring to games. The last time Halifax were in Superleague they avaraged less than 3000. You will be lucky if you get 400 traveling to the KC. And 55% of the entire population of Featherstone would have to go every week to beat Catalans avarage.

Well 400 paying fans at £20 each is 8 grand, this is without food/drink etc, better then none, & i was just using fax & fev there is other big clubs.

But you are working off assumption now. You can't project how much growth those clubs will have unless you are a part of there marketing campaign.

All clubs should concentrate on growing there home fan base rather than worrying about how much the other team will bring. Just look at your playoff game in 2012 at home to Huddersfield, they are just over an hour down the motorway but your attendance on Friday night vs Catalan was much larger than your playoff game against the Giants!

I think London is a failed project and there days are numbered in SL but I think Catalan provide a lot for both SL and the growth of Rugby League in general. Keeping the game constricted to the M62 corridor is a crazy idea, it's like telling the rest of the world "this is our baby, so keep your noses out".
That's not how you grow a sport. How are you supposed to gain investment that way? You wouldn't have international sponsor interest by keeping it 'between us'.

Hull fans spend on going to Catalans? Catalans fans spending money on flights does nothing for the uk economy (though they do for the tourist industry)

Anyway, we tried the whole being a prudent business means you get a place thing, people didn't like it - it got booted out for p+r

Catalans, despite having very few away fans still have the 3rd (?) biggest budget of any team this year - proof away fans doesn't correlate success.

Catalans have been a Super League success story, average gates of circa 10k, but there was never going to be travelling support, I think a few target a couple of games, Wigan being one, and quite a few come over for Magic weekend. Wouldn't want to lose the Catalan trip abroad which several clubs take a 1,000 fans or more to.

London a different story the nomads of RL, should have been a sucess and in the early days of Fulham it looked like it would be but several homes and rebrands later time for London to drop down to the Championship, grass roots down there is very strong a "London" team may come back at some point in the future.

Down to 12 SL teams at the end of this season so if as expected London drop out say with Bradford then at the end of SL 2015 Bradford / London / Fev / Halifax will be battling with the bottom SL team say Wakey for 1 place in SL. Think it will take at least another 3 or 4 years before we see a Fev or Fax make it to SL

We had that many at your dump when we played you last season on a Friday night.

Are you sure about that? I beg to differ but I'll happily admit I'm wrong if you can back it up!

And I don't think there was any need for the 'dump' comment, I haven't put your nose out of place yet have I?

Away end was rammed with plenty down the sides. Couldn't have been far off.

That doesn't prove anything. The capacity for that stand is 5000, people might have spaced out more for all you know. Without official figures, there is no evidence for an argument here.

Don't make such a bold statement if you don't have the ammunition to back it up.


My comments to the OP wasn't about entering a slanging match between who takes more fans away from home, I was simply defending the justice of keeping Catalan in the league and what they bring to the table besides how many fans go to away games.

I was replying to your Q of when we last took 3000 away on a Friday night.
In my guesstimation we weren't far shy of that number when we played you at yours last season.
It was first game of the season and we went in numbers but I don't have absolute proof because I was busy getting p!ssed rather than counting our support through the turnstiles.

Have you got a bent nose by the way?

nb... We probably took that many to the Probiz as well and I'm thinking from memory that was also a Fri night (?)

I'm very much a traditionalist, I'd love to see Featherstone/Halifax/Leigh compete in Super League, but they have to earn their spot. Catalans bring a hell of a lot to the competition, focusing on their lack of away support as the primary reason for not having them in Super League is daft. I've never been a fan of the London experiment so personally, I would replace them. But, as has been mentioned, the twelve best teams will compete.

No you didn't though. You're opening contribution to this thread was a statement:

"We had that many at your dump when we played you last season on a Friday night."

This never started out and still isn't a question of FCs fans loyalty, as it is common knowledge that you travel well in numbers. I was simply pointing out to the OP that you can't decide to kick a club out of SL purely based on how many fans they bring to an away fixture, otherwise the league would end up being reduced to 8!

It appears to me you either read my opposition statement wrong in the first instance or you saw a Leeds fan posting on the FC board as threat and decided to have a pop!

Let's ask the same question a different way, just to make sure you don't think I'm questioning the FC travelling support, out of the 182 fixtures per season (I've done it based on 26 rounds because it wouldn't be fair to include the magic weekend in this) how many have 3000+ away supporters at them? And out of that number how many are on a Friday night? - I bet you could probably count them on 1 hand.

The fans didn't solely stay away just because a potential lack of atmosphere. The weather on Friday was horrible, the choice between a nice warm living room watching on sky or a freezing cold stadium with gale force winds was probably a very strong leveller!

You talk about no media attention, how much attention would you like? I mean sky have signed a new 5 year deal, the bbc are still covering the challenge Cup, everyday there is something in the Hull Daily Mail regards to one of the Hull teams!

Home grown talent - you do realise the rfl genralised in this department? Home grown meaning British talent (which there was an abundance of playing this weekend across all the fixtures), it's not restricted to say Hull Dockers. Yes eventually we lose a lot of our superstars to either the NRL or union but it's a trend that will always continue, it's not just a sport to these guys it's a job and like anybody you want to be the best at your job and to be the best you want to go up against the best - that and/or a big payday!