but that average is only being hit by certain super league teams because of the away fans turning up in bigger numbers, some of them would struggle to reach 2,500 average if they were in the championship

But what does that matter. They dont have to meet any criteria to apply.

Championship clubs need to make themselves more attractive whether that be as a potential SL candidate or simply to keept this league going.

Come the season after the franchise decision you would think that we will see a drop in crowds as apathy starts to grow in the Championship.

I would love to see clubs get to grips with players wages at this level. Spend less on the first team players and then for instance each side is forced to put £10k aside specifically for marketing or promotion of games. Maybe even into a joint pot ala the idea Starbug had on the VT whereby an RFL appointed marketing team then do it on the clubs behalf with the funds they have set aside each.

It isnt going to get everyone flocking in but it is a start and at least the clubs start to breathe a bit of life into themselves.

You would think on the face of it that we are heading to SL but if we dont then it will be a hard three years to keep motivated and keep things ticking over.

What am saying is put a few of them in the championship they would struggle with that average, they might not have to achieve it as a criteria.

many sides are struggling to get that target as attracting new fans to come and watch a game with no hopes of a promotion at the end of the season, how can clubs like fax and leigh who are generally just below that average attract the new fans.

I highly doubt he's doing all this to make a profit and walk away! You saying you'd rather not make SL then have an owner investing to get you there and trying to make the club as self sufficient as possible?

This is true but as Fax found yesterday one big push and it's done? Leigh could of done one freeby game and made it, Widnes did comfortably! You make it 2000 and how do you differ the apps without someone else moaning about another area?

I don't think 2,500 is too bad tbh! But as mentioned somewhere else SL should be 5k or in trouble!

They want you to show you will DEFINATELY add to competition, with Leighs & Fax's crowds last seasons in SL, I can't blame them can you?

well no not really, getting 0 points is never going to help a club get new fans.

yes but we have offered these free tickets before but if we have a game in ther play offs most of these kids we gave free tickets too will be there, we need to run this promotion maybe 3 games in a row to get them hooked.

the club cant really afford to have so many freebies so many games in a row though.

That's what i'm saying big push do it once and hey presto!

Only my opinion of course but if Leigh had played Widnes , Fax , fev and barrow on a sunday instead of midweek , we would probably have had an ave of around 2,500

Much as we all enjoy the thursday night games they can decimate your attendances and therefore your income streams as well

Leigh made an attempt to get a decent crowd on saturday , just as we did last year for the Toulouse fixture , but I'm sorry to say that the addition of the French team does nothing to impress the local floating support

So thats both televised games and foreign opposition experiments that are failures IMO

The RFL can bleat on all they want about how it gives the game and the competition a bigger profile , well sorry , they dont , not where it matters most , on the bank statement

Whilst the whole thing is a bit pathetic, all Halifax have actually achieved is that they’ve managed to hit one more of the criteria in order to waste their time and money in making another bid. The average attendance of 2,500 will be easily trumped by Widnes’ average of over 3,000 – without freebies. This is with a team which hasn’t set the league alight.

How will Halifax be marked for youth development, Turnover and financial backing?

Probably quite poorly, or not at all.

A West Yorkshire Championship club will not receive the same benefit of the doubt that a club like Toulouse will. If Halifax have managed to meet the average needed to put a bid in, by giving out freebies and good marketing, then hats off to them. It might help them to gain the ability to make a bid, but it’s unlikely to be successful (imo) and it won’t make it better than Widnes’bid either (imo).

This is not me having a go at Halifax. I think most people, with any sense, should be able to see what I’m saying here.

But Widnes have managed to average just over 3,000, with pretty similar circumstances.

Personally , I think that the way fax are looking at it is , in another 3 years time they will be able to say that they are the only Championship club [ apart from Toulouse and whoever drops down ] that has submitted an application every time , thinking that this will in some way give them extra influence

Very funny though