How does being at the top level of a sport affect attendance figures compared to when relegated to a lower division? I thought I'd look at that with regard to the Sheffield Eagles club. It's situated in South Yorkshire, not a traditional RL area. Of course, it is a city known for steel and particularly stainless steel. The present population is nearly 600,000.
As for the RL club, it was founded in 1984 so one of the new North English clubs. Despite its short history, it has managed a famous Challenge Cup victory (1988) against a fine Wigan side.
| Pre-Super League | Super League | ||||||
| 89-90 | 4,038 | 11/14 | 1996 | 4,704 | 7/12 | ||
| 90-91 | 4,033 | 13/14 | 1997 | 4,413 | 8/12 | ||
| 92-93 | 3,069 | 10/16 | 1998 | 4,641 | 8/12 | ||
| 93-94 | 2,980 | 6/16 | 1999 | 3,540 | 10/14 | ||
| 94-95 | 2,662 | 8/14 | |||||
| 95-96 | 3,106 | 5/11 | SL Average | 4,325 | |||
| Pre SL Average | 3,315 | ||||||
| Combined | 4,168 | ||||||
The 1980-81 and 1981-82 top flight presence (shaded yellow) was ended for a season, followed by eight consecutive seasons in the top division (salmon). The club was then 'persuaded' to merge with Huddersfield for the year 2000 but it didn't work and the club returned to its former name.
For a soccer mad city, getting RL going and keeping it going has been a challenge. In recent times, having an acceptable field to play on in Sheffield has been an issue, one hopefully now resolved (see pic above) with a new stand coming (see pic below).
Please note the Pre-SL Average above includes only the figures shown above from 1980-81 to 95-96. The attendance numbers below are some way down from the time at the top, but with all they have been through, the club is only here today because people believed in it and showed plenty of steely resolve.
| Sheffield | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Championship | 1,178 | 1,012 | ? | 1,249 | 627 | 583 | 684 | 944 |
2 comments:
I think the damage was done with the Huddersfield merger and recent move away from the city. I think if the team finally nails down a home and stays there and shows a renewed commitment to Sheffield, the fan base and attendances could explode.
I agree about the club moving around putting off supporters. Trying to get the fans back will be a challenge but not an impossible one.
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