Huge Super League clubs unable to score big crowds as Challenge Cup problem persists

The Challenge Cup used to be the pinnacle of our sport but nowadays the oldest and most prestigious competition in the sport plays second fiddle to Super League.

This is resembled by the plenty of empty seats seen at some of the top Super League stadiums. At the AMT Headingley the crowd of 15,000 the week before for the same meeting between two huge Super League clubs – Leeds Rhinos and St Helens – was dramatically reduced and it was the same at Huddersfield Giants and many other stadiums.

Leeds Rhinos recorded the biggest attendance of the weekend with 7,108 but that is less than half of what they recorded for the same fixture in Super League a week ago.

Huddersfield Giants meanwhile were just shy of 2,000 for their game against Hull FC which was also true of the game between Halifax Panthers and Catalans Dragons whilst most games, even Warrington Wolves’ fixture who normally have a crowd of over 10,000, failed to reach 5,000.

This is not the fault of the clubs. They marketed the games brilliantly as always and we have some of the biggest fan bases in the sport in this country especially at Leeds. As for the Rhinos, it probably didn’t help that it was the same fixture for the second game in a row against St Helens.

But overall this is a problem with the competition as a whole. This has been a recent trend for Challenge Cup fixtures for the better part of a decade.

It is likely related to the fact that fans have to pay separately to their season tickets and in a world where the cost of living is through the roof you can understand why fans don’t turn out in their droves like they usually do.

Furthermore, the competition has arguably lost its magic. Now Super League teams only have to win three games to get to Wembley and the overall feeling of the competition has gone.

IMG made the competition a key focus when they took over and a revamp is desperately needed to make the games matter again and provide appeal. It probably doesn’t help that this round didn’t have a premium spot on TV like in the past which could have been used to attract more fans.

This kind of attendance for a cup game is not the fault of any club but does point to the need for IMG’s revamp.

Super League club attendance trend in the Challenge Cup

Wigan Warriors always record a five figure attendance and were even able to secure a sell out earlier this season.

Against Sheffield Eagles in the Challenge Cup their crowd was only 5,733 which shows a dramatic drop off from their average.

Meanwhile, Leigh Leopards welcomed a crowd of 4,287 which is again about half of the crowds they typically record in the Betfred Super League.

Again, this is no fault of the clubs but this kind of trend needs to be addressed with a revamp of the Challenge Cup under IMG.