Attendances for the UK elite division in 2026 are up 16.6%. A positive result, but more complicated than that. Going to 14 teams has lifted total attendances, but all the new clubs are below the average figure. Yet it hasn't affected the average.
That's a positive, as the three new teams should have negatively impacted the average. That begs the question, why has the average held up well? The incumbent clubs have, for the most part, broken even or gone up. Well done to them and their fans.
A recent issue is playing a games in the USA. Wigan in 2025 (45,209) and Hull KR in 2026 (45,719) has affected their averages greatly. I just can't ignore their 'home game' overseas and the people who turned up to watch. This year Wigan are well down and KR well up just because of this one promotion.
I was going to do historical averages as I did with the NRL. However, with promotion and relegation, it was going to be fiddly to do. I might do a piece separately on that.
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