Best Attended UK Clubs : 1981 - 2022 (3rd & 4th Are Hull FC & St Helens)

The series "Best Attended UK Clubs : 1981 - 2022" looks at which clubs have the highest attendances but also the evolution that has occurred over the period. A club must have been in the top flight for at least half of the seasons and featured in each decade to be considered. We continue with the clubs just below the top, Hull FC from Yorkshire and the St Helens RLFC from across the Pennines in Lancashire.

3) Hull FC. Average 9,356.

The club was successful in the early 80's but slipped away badly and was out of the top division for three consecutive seasons. They came back and as far as attendances are concerned, are similar to what they were achieving nearly 40 years ago. The crowd numbers have been very consistent in recent times. The post-Super League era has seen numbers up 40%.

4) St Helens RLFC. Average 9,084

A very successful club and along with Wigan, Saints have been the most successful club on the field. Off it the fans have grown solidly. Each decade have produced an increase. The move to SL has produced a 43% gain. Looking at the number of spectators back in the early 80's, the growth has been impressive. Has it reached its zenith?

In the chart, Hull FC missed three seasons due to being in a lower division. That doesn't affect the average as only years that the team was in the top flight competition count. The green column is annual average and the blue column is the average over each decade. Covid didn't allow the years 2020 and 2021 to be included.

Others in the series can be seen by clicking on the following rankings:

1st & 2nd, 5th & 6th, 7th & 8th, 9th & 10th, 11th & 12th, Summary.