Featherstone report impressive attendance record

Featherstone Rovers reported its highest opening-round attendance in five years.

A crowd of 2,743 watched Featherstone’s Betfred Championship round one win over rivals Halifax, with the attendance being the second highest for an opening-round fixture in more than a decade.

More than 2,300 Featherstone fans got behind John Duffy’s side while around 350 made the short trip over from Halifax.

Featherstone’s Championship game against Fax attracted a crowd of 1,736 in 2017 while last year’s home opener saw 1,783 cheer Rovers to victory against Oldham.

Davide Longo, Rovers general manager, said: “We were absolutely delighted with the response from both sets of supporters going into Sunday’s game.

“We anticipated a healthy crowd but to break records is testament to the hard work that has taken place in terms of promoting the fixture.

“The players put on a good show and we were pleased to get off to a fantastic start to the new season.

“This club boasts a sizeable, latent fanbase and we are working tirelessly to engage with it.

“We are attempting to break fresh ground by marketing games in new and innovative manner and the response has been good.

“Our ‘walk-up’ was relatively low on the day, meaning pre-game ticket sales were strong.

“On the back of a solid pre-season campaign and a notable recruitment drive, we are confident in our desire to significantly increase attendances in 2018. We are certainly heading in the right direction.

“We hope to see everyone who enjoyed Sunday’s game come out again this weekend, as we welcome Toulouse to the LD Nutrition Stadium.

“If you were unable to attend last week, or you have not been to see the club in action for a while, please do this Sunday.

“John Duffy has made it quite clear he intends to turn ‘Our House’ into a fortress this year and your support will play a key role in helping him and the players achieve this.”