Grass roots dying warns Whitcombe
BRADFORD & BINGLEY DoR Martin Whitcombe believes that the success of the Aviva Premiership as one of the best-supported leagues in the world is contributing to the slow death of grass roots rugby in England.
Last season’s Premiership campaign attracted over two million people through the turnstiles for the first time since the competition began two decades ago, while this season’s average attendance over the first six rounds stands at an impressive 12,442.
While spectator numbers in English rugby’s top-flight continue to push upwards, anecdotal evidence from respected figures like Widcombe points to a bleaker picture in terms of player participation up and down the country.
“I played in some big Boxing Day games for Leicester against the Barbarians but, nowadays, every game is a big game in terms of the size of the crowd. Look at the Tigers today and they are close to 26,000 sell-outs every game,” said the former England B, Leicester, Sale and Leeds prop.
“The Premiership has generated a whole new generation of supporters. Back in the day if you wanted the rugby experience you had to physically take part in rugby and play in the first team, the fourth team or the Vets or whatever, whereas today you can get the rugby experience from watching at home on TV or by going to the game itself and seeing some of the great players in the Premiership in the flesh.
“Fifteen years ago, it wasn’t unusual for local clubs to run a fourth and fifth team, now that is the exception rather than the norm because there aren’t the people playing the game on a Saturday like there used to be – certainly not around here.”
More localised leagues would help bring people back to the game, in Whitcombe’s opinion. In Bradford & Bingley’s case that would save them making five-hour round trips to Northumberland.
“Part of the reason why rugby around here is falling apart is that we are in North East 1, so we’re playing fixtures against clubs like Alnwick and Morpeth.
“We have a team that can’t travel because they have work and family commitments so we basically have one team that plays the local fixtures while the young lads play the away legs,” he revealed.
“When we played Northern (near Newcastle) a few weeks ago, we probably drove past 100 rugby clubs to play the game. Had we played against local opposition, say an Otley, Ilkley or Keighley, we’d have got a crowd of five or six hundred, many of whom would’ve put money behind the bar and enjoyed a few songs.
“The game has lost its traditional values, and it is a big problem,” he warned.