English Club Rugby goes from Strength to Strength

By BrianC
September 30 2004

In the aftermath of last years rugby world cup victory club rugby in England is at an all time high. In the first four rounds the 03/04 Zurich Premiership season 190k spectators watched the 24 games. The same period this season has seen 247k watching the same number of games, an increase of 30%.

 

There are a number of factors behind this growth perhaps the most significant being the hugely successful inaugural London Double Header. This was an idea conceived by premiership rugby in conjunction with the four 'London' based clubs whereby those teams would play each other home and away at Twickenham over a two year period. The supporters got to see two games for the price of one and it was a chance to attract many newcomers to club rugby. It was a huge success. Fifty one thousand spectators turned up on the day as opposed to the fifteen to twenty thousand who would have been expected to watch two normal home games. The sun shone, car park parties flourished, a new date now seems to be firmly establishing itself in the calendar.

A world cup factor also appears to be at work here. Without doubt new supporters have been attracted to the club game by success at international level but there is another aspect. In the same period last season the England and other international players were training with their national squads. This had the effect of somewhat lessening the appeal of the club game at that time and thus the crowds that followed it. With the international stars again playing for their clubs this seasons figures are made to look all the more healthy.

Ground capacity, or rather lack of it, has for some time been a major issue with the club game. Some of this seasons growth has come a result of latent demand being taken up by ground extensions at Gloucester and Bath. Even with these capacity extensions it appears that both grounds are still to small, both clubs have already recorded capacity crowds this season.

Premiership new boys Worcester Warriors have struggled thus far on field against their established rivals. The crowds they have attracted, however, place them firmly in amongst their rivals. With two gates thus far of 8k and  6.3k they look set to overtake their predecessor's (Rotherham) season total of 35k by Christmas.

Looking forward total crowds for this Zurich Premiership season look set to be 10% - 15% above those of the previous one. Even at the lower end of this forecast the average ZP crowd this season will be in excess of 9.3k, Since the start of the decade there will have been five seasons of continuous growth resulting in a whopping 65% increase in average gates.

The future of the club game in England looks ever brighter, the challenge now facing other rugby nations is how to compete.