For Rugby League fans in Merseyside and beyond, this year’s World Cup has been a long time coming.

The tournament should have been played last year, but has been delayed because of the lockdown restrictions of the Pandemic.

Now the best teams and players in the world are here so the hence the attendance of 5,453 for New Zealand’s opening game in Warrington on Sunday, was seen as a major shock.

This is a game that should at least draw in five figures – over 43,000 saw England’s opening game in Newcastle at the weekend. Although the North-East has been a growing area for the sport in the past decade, it doesn’t have the history of Rugby league in the North West, which includes the history associated with the likes of like Warrington, St Helens, Wigan and Widnes – all established teams and Rugby League support to match.

This is also in stark contrast to 2013, when Warrington also hosted New Zealand’s opener against Samoa. Over 13,000 went through the turnstiles that Sunday evening – so, what’s the difference?

Ticket Prices

To watch this fixture, adults seated in the best seats, the Category A’ section had to stump up £70 for a ticket. While cheaper sections were available, the “posh seats” take up the majority of the North Stand. The only seated stand along the side-line of the pitch, ‘Category B’ tickets were £55. Even in the lower category sections behind the sticks, just 4 blocks of seats were priced under £40. Even the terracing was charged at £40 inaccessible for many fans who either don’t want to stand in the cold for two hours or physically can’t. Rugby League has a lot of older fans who enjoy going to games, which this obviously doesn’t overly appeal to. Not to mention, no concession ticket was made available for the elderly – pricing out a big part of your audience is a massive own goal from the organisers.

These eyebrow raising prices also come in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis heading into the winter. Regarded as a working-class sport, supporters will not be in a position to fork out hundreds of pounds on a ticket while their energy bills get higher. Once again, the demographic is priced out, limiting realistic access.

Ticket Prices for the next group stage game at Warrington

Bums on seats is vital – not only do you miss out on so much income with supply and demand, food and drink and potential repeat custom, but you’re also missing out on a great opportunity to show off the sport and make a big event of some of the world’s best players being on our doorstep. It hardly looks a spectacle when the ground is half empty.

The Spectacle

One big factor aside from pricing is obviously what you’re paying for, which would have to be heavily justified at £70 a go. 2013 boasted the likes of Sonny-Bill Williams for the All Blacks, a player many thought they may not have got to see again, which will have undoubtedly swayed a lot of fans at the time to buy a ticket to the game. There’s no reason this couldn’t have been done this time round though too – while an icon like Sonny-Bill essentially sells himself, having players like Brandon Smith and Joseph Manu on display is more than enough to work with from a marketing perspective. It makes you wonder whether the RLWC should’ve done more in identifying stars before the tournament.

Tying into ticket prices, while New Zealand and Lebanon are both great teams to watch, it is a group stage game at the end of the day. There’s obviously going to be less demand in a match with less on the line – why did the pricing system not replicate this?

A Fan’s Perspective

Wigan Warriors fan Michael Lavelle was at the game on Sunday expecting an atmosphere worthy of the action on the pitch, but was left disappointed by the turnout.

“The more expensive sections were the most sparsely populated. When there’s such a low crowd there, there’s very little atmosphere, which doesn’t look or sound good on TV. I don’t think it reflects well.”

“The game itself was definitely worth the money I paid in terms of what the 80 minutes was like. Outside of that though, there was very little to make it feel like a World Cup event. If I’d paid a higher price for my ticket, I wouldn’t have felt like I got my money’s worth.”

“I think apart from the England games, attendances will remain relatively low until the knockout stages. I can’t see the semi at Arsenal being well attended though.”

The organisers of the competition may be keeping their impartial fingers crossed that England make it to the final 4 and therefore play at the Emirates in November. Otherwise, it could be a grim turnout for whoever plays on what should be one of the biggest stages of their career judging on the attendances so far.

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