Rugby League fans seem to have an obsession with attendance numbers with figures often used as a metric for the game being strong or weak in certain areas, and as such Hull KR have often prompted anger from rival fans for not sharing details of their attendance.
That’s in spite of the club confirming in each of their last five games dating back to last season that they have sold out Craven Park, however, for those who like to see hard physical data, the club have now confirmed the numbers.
News of the attendance figures that Hull KR have recorded in 2024 so far has been revealed within the club’s Supporter Council minutes, which can be read here, but the figures make for very positive reading.
The meeting was held prior to the recent Hull derby at Craven Park, also a sellout, therefore there are only figures available for the home clashes with Leeds Rhinos and Warrington Wolves which have been reported as 9,879 and 9,524 respectively.
Of course the derby was another sell-out and just today the club have confirmed that they have sold out their game this week against London Broncos, a huge achievement which marks the sixth consecutive home game that will be played in front of a packed-out Craven Park.
Such impressive numbers and consistency, as well as the club’s on-field performance, does potentially suggest that Hull KR are now the biggest team in the city and that stadium limitations are all that is preventing them from those higher attendances, something that could be set to change.
Over 10,000 home tickets sold for Friday night! We are heading for our sixth home league sellout in a row 😍👏
Less than 100 places remaining – secure your place now 👉 https://t.co/5XbOq7Vcr8#UpTheRobins🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/A2bTPhuYOE
— Hull KR (@hullkrofficial) April 3, 2024
Will Hull KR expand Craven Park?
Credit: Imago Images
There has long been talk of an extension on the East Stand at Craven Park and that will continue to grow given the club’s run of sell-outs at the stadium, but when that will be is another question.
The Supporter Council Meeting minutes confirm that the capacity of Craven Park is actually 10,200, which is clearly more than the two recent ‘sell-outs’ and the club have explained why that is.
Chief Operating Officer Craig Franklin explained: “Every single space was taken, the variance in numbers is the away support. We’ve seen some comments on social media around empty seats for sold-out games, especially with Thursday night games, we do see some members not attend so of course the seat would be empty. But the places have been sold.”
Details of a possible extension for the East Stand were also revealed in the minutes with Hull KR clearly focusing on growth year on year, as explained by Chief Executive Paul Lakin.
Lakin noted: “Within the sport itself there is no one with as much growth as we’ve had, but we recognise that with our growth brings growing pains. How can we grow again next season? The cost for stand extensions are astronomical – it would take 10 years to recoup the expenditure, so we are exploring all options.
“We are looking to grow the club, not just matchday, we expect three further announcements will be made in the next two months, hopefully before the next meeting.”
On possible East Stand extensions, Lakin added: “We are looking at all options, the cost would be in the millions and significantly higher than anticipated/previous work. We are also looking at temporary seating around the stadium.”
With this week’s upcoming game now confirmed as a sell-out and the home game after that being a rematch of the Challenge Cup final against Leigh, it could be that the Robins post another huge attendance highlighting that they truly are the fastest-growing club in the sport as Lakin suggested.
