...was the official attendance at bridgend yesterday. on a sunny day with loads of free tickets flying about, and shortly after their first win, what does this have to say about RL growth potential the area?

was a pretty depressing watch imo

They are bottom of the league, only success will bring the crowds in. Which will come I am sure, with Mr Money bags behind them! They have not even completed a full season in SL. Give em a bloody chance.

Don't forget Wakie wouldn't have taken many, they can hardly get fans in when they are at home never mind miles away.

that was kept quiet no result page had it on this morrning they are in the mire if they cant get it up even with 1000 free tickets but they have another 2 years to get it better but i wont hold my breath

No one gave Leigh a chance, and we couldn't sign anyone due to it being far too late too.

We are half way through 1 SL season, but if they keep getting tatered in a non RL area, then I feel they will not be with us soon.

1000 paying spectators will not keep them ticking over. They need wins, and fast!

after yesterdays showing that seems impossible

*sigh*

Not this again.

Their crowds are only going down as the season goes on and this is the week after winning at Bradford. They won't fold while Leighton Samuels is funding them but the day he walks out they'll fold on the spot, and he walked out on Celtic Warriors in RU (his first sport) due to bad crowds there. People might like to mention junior development in Wales, but junior development doesn't pay the bills, and Gateshead folded after more success and higher crowds than this.

Would have liked SL to have worked in Wales, but it should have been done properly, would rather there was a decent Championship team in Wales with Welsh players than a SL club made up of Aussies playing in a town smaller than Widnes and getting hammered at home to Wakefield in front of 2000 people

While it is true that a successful team will generate higher crowds, they can be quite separate issues.

For example, if there is an appetite for RL in South Wales, people will go to watch the Crusaders games. Perhaps to see the likes of Saints, Wigan, Leeds etc if not the local side.

Also, surely yesterday was the worst day to hold a live RL game in a development area. FA Cup Final, glorious weather, top-level RL on terrestrial TV, plus the game was televised.

Rome wasn't built in a day.

So what? wakey a team in existance more than a hundred year got 5,000 for a derby match last week and they gave out some free tickets too, the celts had to compete with an FA cup final, international RU, challenge cup rugby and to top it all off the game was on sky! Give them a chance and if its still the same in 3 years we may have to try something new but anybody who seriously expected them to have anything but the lowest crowds in the league this season is not very bright.

By the way wakey fans this isnt a dig at you i could have used say salford as example but your game stuck in my mind from last week.

a bit unfair , wakey have a good travelling support even if the home support is down to its bare bones its still quite evident that the hardcore element is still there

Last week Leighton Samuel himself said that he had put in £745k so far this season just to keep the club operating. Extrapolate that and he's looking at maybe £1.5m for the season. He also professed his disappointment at season ticket sales (less than 250 sold), failure to attract corporate hospitality and the general lack of interest locally (low take-up of free admission vouchers etc).

Make of that what you will.

Get used to it. If they won every game between here and the end of the season, RL fans would accuse the RFL of bias.

Are none so blind etc.