Attendances
Printed From: National League Rugby Discussion Forum
Category: League Rugby - www.leaguerugby.co.uk
Forum Name: The Championship
Forum Description: Discuss the 12 clubs forming the English Championship.
URL: http://www.leaguerugby.co.uk/forum_posts.asp?TID=19117
Printed Date: 12 May 2025 at 14:54
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.04 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Attendances
Posted By: The Blues
Subject: Attendances
Date Posted: 16 Mar 2022 at 20:23
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At least Blues topped one table with an average of 2,658 despite our home performances being generally poor W4 L6! Knights 2825 - W Richmond 2735 - L Ealing 2172 - L Nottingham 1877 - W Scottish 2070 - W Jersey 4004 - W Ampthill 3431- L Hartpury 2073 - L Pirates 2571 - L Cov 2818 - L |
Replies:
Posted By: oneagainstthehead
Date Posted: 16 Mar 2022 at 20:52
------------- Speak softly, but carry a big stick. |
The Blues wrote:Posted By: The Blues
Date Posted: 16 Mar 2022 at 20:58
| Sorry those were Blues Attendances with the W or L, sorry wasn’t clear. I have also assumed that we beat Coventry (didn’t look it up) who would usually be the next on the list. |
Posted By: OldNick
Date Posted: 16 Mar 2022 at 21:01
1ath - these are not averages, nor are they any use for comparison. In a typically one-eyed Bedford way, all they are is a list of home attendances achieved at Goldington Road, with no figures from other grounds for comparison.
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Posted By: oneagainstthehead
Date Posted: 16 Mar 2022 at 21:48
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I get it now - sorry, being characteristically obtuse. ------------- Speak softly, but carry a big stick. |
Posted By: The Blues
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2022 at 00:03
And in a typical Coventry way they moan about the Blues. There is no central place to collect the data that I am aware of, perhaps you could give us an insight with the number for Coventry after Saturday.
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Posted By: kempstonblue
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2022 at 07:51
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2,658. So the best that English second tier Rugby can attract is under 3,000. Be interesting how it compares to RL Championship, way below its French equivalent I suspect, For the league is it the product? Bad management of the competition? Lack of interest in the sport? ------------- The older I get, the more the RFU leave me confused. |
Posted By: cheshire exile
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2022 at 08:42
| Opening weekend crowds in the RL Championship averaged 2326, ranging from 1200 to 3600 (according to loverugbyleague.com). |
Posted By: Thatbloke
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2022 at 09:15
| And funnily enough the make up of teams that are full or part time in the RL 2nd tier mirrors that of the RU championship and maybe a clue that however much championship clubs go on about wanting Central funding so we have a fully pro league it just ain't going to happen |
Posted By: cheshire exile
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2022 at 10:00
It was of course the RFU who stipulated that the Championship should be fully professional.
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Posted By: Thatbloke
Date Posted: 18 Mar 2022 at 10:19
| It was indeed but since then they have been told to consider themselves to be "the top level of the Community game." Any club in the land can be fully professional if they so choose but don't expect the games governing body to fund it especially having been put firmly in their place by the above statement. |
Posted By: OldNick
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2022 at 19:48
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I had a couple of hours to spare today, so took a look at The Rugby Paper's results for this season, and did a quick spreadsheet of attendances for the whole Championship. My figures for Bedford do not agree with the ones that started this thread, due to a discrepancy for the Bedford v Nottingham game. As it is an outlier, I suspect The Rugby Paper is incorrect, but it makes very little difference overall. We have mocked Ealing Trailfinders for their poor crowd. To be fair on them they broke the 1000 average with some slightly more respectable figures late in the season, and ended up near mid-table on attendances. Anyway, hear mare the mean home crowd figures for the season, for the whole Championship... Bedford Blues: 2593 Coventry: 2098 Cornish Pirates:1550 Jersey Reds:1257 Ealing Trailfinders: 1006 Hartpury: 990 Richmond: 969 Doncaster Knights: 984 Nottingham: 977 Ampthill: 764 London Scottish: 730 We all know that these figures may not be particularly accurate, but it does seem pitiful that two clubs failed to get anywhere hear an average of about 1000, and that five further clubs, including the top two performing clubs only managed about 1000. Jersey Reds 8s to a large extent a special case, with a very consistent crowd size, presumably largely of home supporters. Only four clubs have what could be called decent support, well above a thousand - a very poor figure. I'm planning to do some further analysis looking at the positive or negative effects of away support, and the variability of support, but for now, here are the base home figures. |
Posted By: Kimbo
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2022 at 19:56
Good old Readly 
------------- Our Club |
Posted By: The Blues
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2022 at 21:43
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Good stats! So Blues and Coventry added together is more than the bottom 5 from those numbers. Crowds do appear down generally (other than Blues and Coventry) compared to other seasons but this was the first season without the Premiership club, which must have made a difference to the lower averages in particular. Was the Blues v Jersey the largest gate? The Blues v Ampthill one may have been the 2nd largest? https://bedfordrugby.co.uk/news/2021/11/report-blues-rampant-victory-over-nottingham" rel="nofollow - https://bedfordrugby.co.uk/news/2021/11/report-blues-rampant-victory-over-nottingham
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Posted By: Kimbo
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2022 at 22:12
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Cov's were well down on the previous 'real' season.
------------- Our Club |
Posted By: Stalwart
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2022 at 22:41
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CPs crowd has held up pretty well. If we had had the Boxing Day game (postponed due to Covid in the Hartpury camp) the average would have been a bit better as we always expect a big crowd on Boxing Day. |
Posted By: castleparknight
Date Posted: 09 Apr 2022 at 08:02
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We started to recover as the season wore on - Covid has a part to still play in this ------------- Onward and Upwards C'mon Donny! |
Posted By: Kimbo
Date Posted: 09 Apr 2022 at 08:33
Definitely. Cov were probably down 3-400 per game, but building back as the season went on. It'll be interesting to see what the figures are like for the post-season friendlies. ------------- Our Club |
Posted By: Cherub
Date Posted: 09 Apr 2022 at 12:46
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Old Nick says that Ampthill’s average attendance of 764 is pitiful. And as an Ampthill supporter I wholeheartedly agree. The attendance for the Play off final against Bishops Stortford a few years back was just under 2,000. I remember thinking that would be the norm for the Championship home games and how well the Ampthill committee had organised things. A small club reaching the dizzy heights of the second tier of English rugby would surely attract excellent crowds. Yet here we are. The spectators haven’t shown up. And I do not know why. ------------- Always trying to stay bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. |
Posted By: kempstonblue
Date Posted: 09 Apr 2022 at 12:59
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I still feel we have to get back to a 14 team league. In a world of distractions it’s easy to lose the habit of being at a match. I know I use the reason that I work shifts, so I don’t invest in a season ticket in case I miss too many games. I know others in the same situation. Of course French D2 has 16 clubs, is 30 matches a season the correct number for our level? Locally the football club promoted a top of the table clash and got a four figure crowd, but now back to 500 mark as a promotion season concludes. But with about 20 league matches, people are creating a football attending habit. ------------- The older I get, the more the RFU leave me confused. |
Posted By: FHLH
Date Posted: 09 Apr 2022 at 14:10
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The Cambridge v Shelford derby garnered 2,000 at both grounds when we were both in National 2 16 teams is right for all leagues - including the Premiership ------------- "My father told me big men fall just as quick as little ones, if you put a sword through their hearts." |