Rugby league can’t afford to take the fans for granted – Peter Smith

They don’t always (in fact, never) say backside, but the sentiment seems universal across the sport. So is it true?

To an extent, rugby league has always lived a hand-to-mouth existence.

Partly because of its northern, working-class roots, the game struggles to attract investors and high-profile sponsors and that challenge was made much more difficult once tobacco companies were banned from advertising their products.

Lack of money is and always has been the game’s major problem and 18 months of trying to stay afloat during a pandemic has only made that worse.

Hopefully the days of matches played behind closed doors are in the past, but there were two possible scenarios for what would happen when crowds were allowed back. One, was spectators – starved of live, at-the-stadium rugby – would flock to matches in their droves. The alternative view was the opposite and the early indications are that was the correct prediction.

When attendances were limited to 4,000 or so, some home clubs were unable to sell that out. That was a warning and then restrictions were lifted and the scale of the problem became starkly apparent, with Wigan Warriors reporting a gate of just 5,555 for the visit of Wakefield Trinity in their first home match after ‘freedom day’.

Leeds Rhinos’ home fixture against Warrington nine days ago was watched by an official attendance of 9,196. That was the first four-figure crowd for a game at Emerald Headingley in the regular Super League rounds since 2003.

When Huddersfield Giants played host to Wakefield Trinity at 3pm on a Sunday, two days ago, 3,964 turned up.

The attendances the previous time those particular fixtures were played in front of a crowd were: 10,203 for Wigan v Wakefield; 12,124 for Leeds against Warrington and 5,104 for Giants v Trinity.

Clearly, some fans are staying away, but why? It may not necessarily be directly related to the sport – money is particularly tight at the moment and some supporters might, understandably, be wary of mixing in a crowd.

But it seems there’s also a significant number who are simply fed up with the game and the way it is being run.

Weird kick-off times – 7.30pm on a Sunday for Leeds against Warrington – clearly don’t help, neither does the fact nobody knows for certain if games are going to actually be played or called off at short notice because of Covid.

The quality of rugby on show is a factor. Some matches this season have been low on entertainment value, for a variety of reasons.

The standard of overseas players in Super League has declined and rugby league followers know when they are being short-changed, for example if a team are playing their third game in nine days. Why would anyone pay full price for a substandard product?

The administrators have done a good job keeping the game alive since coronavirus struck in March last year but, at times, common sense goes missing. For instance, when clubs are struggling to get a team on the field because of injuries and illness, is there really any need to suspend players for trivial offences?

Some allowances have to be made for the current unprecedented situation, but there appears – from social media and comments made in person – to be a widespread feeling the administrators simply don’t grasp the scale of the issue, or of fans’ unrest.

Alienating clubs, players and coaches is not the way forward and neither is dismissing the views of those who pay everyone in the sport’s wages, the supporters.

After a year without live rugby, many have got out of the habit or found other things to do. Winning them back is an enormous challenge.

One step would be to actually listen to what they have to say. Not every gripe is legitimate, but many are and should not be ignored. It’s time rugby league actually asked its customers what they think and acted on the answers.

Taking fans for granted will only accelerate the decline.

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