SL Club Attendances: 2000-24 vs 2024

I mentioned in the preceding article that attendances don't move around that much season by season but what about over a longer period. From the year 2000 until 2024 for example? The good news is I've done that here, comparing 2024 with all years including 2000 through to 2024.

It seems that the change in the number of fans turning up to games hasn't been that pronounced. At least there has been a general increase. The total figure has gone from an average per week of 8,662 to 9,166 or an increase of 5.8%. The somewhat narrow and repetitive nature of a small league with loop fixtures may not be helping. A feeling of ever decreasing circles. 

Despite that, growth has at least taken place. Only three clubs in the 2024 SL have experienced a drop in attendees for 2024, compared to the century as a whole. Some clubs that were at times present in SL haven't been added if they weren't there in 2024 but they are included in the total average figure. 

Hull KR has done very well in 2024 compared with their historical number. Perhaps surprisingly so has London considering its modest average for the season just concluded. The sooner Huddersfield can get into a more suitable stadium, the expectation that fans will return in greater numbers will then be realised. One can but hope.

Super League Attendances : 2024

Attendances don't move around that much season by season as we see below. Wigan slipped ahead of Leeds to - er - lead. The Wigan team has performed well so the increase isn't surprising, yet a 10.5% gain is still impressive. Leeds on the other hand may have surprised some with a slight improvement in attendees considering its overall less than stellar match day performances in 2024. 

Saints and FC have disapponted fans so no surprise there but Warrington's success hasn't translated to more derrieres on seats, in fact, the opposite. KR has exceeded expectations to come second in the league and crowd numbers reflect that, ground capacity hindering an even better result. The negative is the club's reluctance to release attendance figures. Amateurish.

Leigh does really well for a small borough within Wigan and a 15.9% growth is outstanding but I wonder if it now reaching a ceiling at this point. Cas' impressed with its 10.8% numerical attendance growth considering its mediocre season on the field. Meanwhile, Salford has been going well on the paddock but lost ground on the terraces. Huddersfield may be the Giants but their following is anything but. 

London unexpectedly made the top flight this year but knew from the outset that new required standards would mean certain relegation. Utilising a division two squad, they achieved much more than expected as the season progressed. Compared to the club they replaced (Wakefield), attendance was down a quarter but up nearly 200% in comparison to their 2023 lower division crowds. 

The Magic Weekend figures aren't included in club figures but are in the Average figure. They were down just over 10,000 in 2024. Add London's drop of nearly 20,000 on aggregate from Wakey's number and the total average was down nearly 1%. Had those two just mentioned been the same as last year, then a slight increase of nearly half a percent (0.4%) would have been the outcome. 

So overall not a bad result. Stricter control of clubs qualifying to gain entry into SL that are now in place could impact attendances positively over time although it's hard to see it changing things too much in the short term. Now if a club from the likes of Toronto were added, then greater progress would be made but.......

Picture source: St Helens (Totally Wicked Stadium, 18,000 capacity plus other event options).

Queensland Competition : 2024

The 2024 season has concluded in what is probably the strongest RL competition outside of the NRL and Super League. It encompasses the state of Queensland and Papua New Guinea. Fifteen clubs scattered over a sizable distance were involved.

The final league table is below. The top eight move into a playoff competition and they are highlighted in blue, those missing out in yellow. Six clubs made both finals series over the past two years. Souths Logan and the Brisbane Togers were unable to repeat their 2023 success and dropped substantially in terms of where they finished the regular season. Norths Devils and the PNG Hunters did the reverse.

The finals are outlined below. In the league, the Norths Devils went from a lowly eleventh in '23 to second in '24 and then went on to negotiate the playoffs and win the grand final. What a turnaround! The Northern Pride won the league and got to the semi final but missed out on a grand final appearance due to a slender one point defeat. Tough. The PNG Hunters had a much better 2024. 

The grand final highlights are available by clicking here. 

UK Super League Table : 2024

The twenty seven match regular season has ended, too long in my opinion for such a physical sport. Regardless, Wigan secured the top spot for a second year in a row and along with the much improved Hull KR, will have the following week off. So securing a top two spot in the league is a useful advantage.

The next four now play a sudden death round, the winners advancing to play the top two. The top six from last year are much the same as this one, apart from Salford replacing the Catalan club. Salford box above their weight.

A couple of odd things I noticed this year. One is that eight of the twelve clubs had a positive points difference and that shows the bottom four were well off the pace. Adding to that, a tiering was evident. Usually points are spread down the table somewhat evenly. This season, the top three finished in a tight group, fourth to eighth another tier which all battled for a top six placing. 

Then the bottom four just making up the numbers and never looked finals candidates. That last group included two teams whose best hope was to avoid the wooden spoon, only points difference separating them. So there were two groups within the last one. 

The finals series will be covered once completed. 

Picture source: Wigan Warriors.

UK League One : 2024 Season

The third division of RL in the UK has had it tough. Reduced finances has led to teams struggling and one team less for 2024. So just nine teams competed in the division. Despite that gloomy backdrop, there are some positive things happening here. 

Firstly, the table after the conclusion of the regular season before the finals series. Blue shows those into the finals and yellow those who failed to qualify. Oldham were the star team, automatically qualifying to return to the second division Championship in 2025. They are hungry for success. The next five battle it out for the second spot, a summary coming after it has been concluded. 

Of the three lowest ranked sides, Newcastle were the big disappointment, being relegated to this division and then failing to be competitive. A change of ownership and then a move to Gateshead during the season hopefully sees the club progress in 2025. Of the other two, Cornwall is progressing well considering its far short existence. North Wales has a new owner so hopefully that will improve things for the club in 2025.

The Goole Vikings were formed in 2018 and have been admitted into this division for the 2025 season, and with an extra side dropping from the Championship will bring the number of sides to eleven. The club is situated on what I believe is the western edge of the city of Hull. London Skolars pulled out in 2023 and the West Wales Raiders in 2022.

Picture: Oldham RLFC. 

Australasian NRL Attendances : 2024

In 2024 crowds were up 4.2% compared to the 2023 season. Then taking that further, by comparing it to every season from (and including) 2000 to 2024, the average is up 20.4%. There must be a ceiling on attendances at some point but they can still grow quite a bit more in most cases. 

The NZ Warriors are getting sell out crowds so they can't grow unless they move some or all their games to a larger stadium. The Dolphins average depends largely on how many games they can get at Suncorp Stadium. Their home ground holds about 10,000. 

I didn't think Brisbane could exceed the 35,000 they achieved way back in 2010, viewing that as an outstanding result. I was wrong as the average nearly reached 40,000 in 2024 and a new record. Considering the poor season the team has had, all the more remarkable. As the saying goes, hope springs eternal. 

Manly had the biggest gain of any club for 2024 and South Sydney the largest fall. The NZ Warriors and Syndey Roosters both exceeded a 50% increase when a comparison of 2024 and the 2000-24 seasons is made. The biggest loser over the historical figures is the Wests Tigers, down 16%. Cronulla has the lowest attendance in 2024 and over the years under consideration here has not grown. 

Please note the 2000-24 average is each year's average figure divided by the number of years. I'm not sure if that is a statistically ideal way of doing it but it gives a reasonably accurate figure and it was expedient. 

NRL Regular Season Table : 2024

The regular season has ended and the finals kick off next week. For nine clubs, the road ends here as far as 2024 is concerned. For another eight, the grand final victory beckons. 

Melbourne came third last year but went two better this season. The picture to the left is Melbourne Storm celebrating a try against the Brisbane Broncos.

Penrith dropped a place but still got a coveted second, which gives home ground advantage going into the finals. 

Two disappointed clubs will be the Brisbane Broncos, that dropped from second to twelfth and the NZ Warriors from fourth to thirteenth. The Wests Tigers claimed their third wooden spoon in succession.