More marketing required to boost national leagues

DURING 2016-17 season the average attendance at an FA Premier League game was 35,822. The same figure for an Aviva Premiership game was 15,065. Thus, Aviva Premiership attendances were only 42 per cent of that for the round ball equivalent.

Not seen as a problem by me or anyone involved. Maybe this, however, is an indicator of a problem.

In the same season Football League Championship games were watched by an average crowd of 20,125 whereas second tier Rugby Union was watched by an average of 1,777.

Second tier soccer in England is, by crowd figures, 56 per cent as popular as the tier above, while second tier rugby is only 11.8 per cent as popular as its top tier by the same criterium.

Rugby may never match the round ball for overall attendances but the Aviva Premiership’s record crowd still slightly exceeds a Premier League game.

There are surely more fans for club rugby at tiers two to four out there. Rather unjustly, the marketing just isn’t there.

I was a Leicester Tigers season ticket for a spell. However, one day I found the entertainment and social factor, if not the quality factor, in following local teams at whatever of the various levels they were at of more value and chose to retire elite rugby to my armchair.

Doncaster Knights are currently the highest level team I occasionally pay to watch. I feel I’m putting more value if not cash into the game as I did when buying my Tigers tickets. RICHARD GODDARD Sheffield