Ranking every Championship club’s average attendance in 2024 with just FOUR above 2,000
How has every Championship club fared with their average crowds in 2024?
The 2024 rugby league season is complete – which means it’s now possible to look back at how teams in all divisions have performed across a variety of metrics.
And one thing that consistently attracts the interest of supporters across the sport is average attendances. We’ve already extensively covered how every Super League club performed when it came to fans coming through the turnstiles in 2024: but what about the Championship?
The second tier contains some enormous clubs that are still capable of attracting huge crowds: but how did they all fare in 2014? With the help of Dan Spencer, the Rugby Football League’s official statistician, we can reveal the figures.
There is a catch, though. Four clubs are yet to fully disclose their crowd figures for all of their fixtures in 2024, so as such, they cannot be included on this list. Those clubs are Batley Bulldogs, Bradford Bulls, Featherstone Rovers and Whitehaven. But for the remaining ten, here is how they ranked in terms of average attendance: from lowest to highest.
These figures are also for ALL home fixtures in 2024: Challenge Cup, 1895 Cup and league.
Swinton Lions: 915
Swinton’s season ended with disappointment on the field, as they were relegated to League 1 after a defeat to Hunslet in a play-off tie that determined who took the 13th and final spot in the Championship for 2025.
Off the field, they failed to attract a four-figure average crowd, posting just a shade above 900.
Sheffield Eagles: 1,129
A strong start to 2024 for the Eagles ultimately ended in frustration, with Sheffield failing to reach the Championship play-offs. Their season was undisputedly disturbed by Mark Aston’s suspension midway through 2024.
In terms of crowds, they come second-last on the ten teams that have compiled complete figures.
Dewsbury Rams: 1,190
Dewsbury were another side who had a turbulent year, ultimately finishing bottom of the Championship: and they will be returning to League 1. They did pull in a four-figure average crowd, though.
Doncaster: 1,472
The other side who were promoted from League 1 last year fared significantly better both on the field and in terms of crowds.
Doncaster were never in trouble when it came to the threat of relegation and after pulling in almost 1,500 fans on average in all competitions, they will be hopeful of pushing on further in 2025.
Halifax Panthers: 1,658
It was an underwhelming year for the Panthers. They were embroiled in a relegation battle for most of 2024 and ultimately parted company with Liam Finn after just one season in charge.
They will hope to boost their crowd numbers in 2025 under Kyle Eastmond with an improved showing.
Barrow Raiders: 1,995
The Cumbrian club fell just short of 2,000 fans per game on average in all competitions.
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York Knights: 2,031
One of only four clubs with a complete record posted an average above 2,000 in 2024: the first of those being York Knights.
What started out as a disappointing campaign ended with real positivity under Mark Applegarth. They look to be growing on the field – and they are in a healthy position off it to improve, too.
Toulouse Olympique: 2,634
The French club made it all the way to the Championship Grand Final, and ultimately finished second after another strong showing.
Their average crowd size may come as a disappointment, however.
Widnes Vikings: 2,712
The Vikings are hopeful of an improved showing in the IMG gradings this time next year – and they will hope to kick on with their crowd average, too.
Their average across all competitions fell short of the 3,000 mark, but they were the best of the rest on the figures we have so far: just behind..
Wakefield Trinity: 5,538
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s the runaway Championship winners who top this year’s rankings when it comes to attendances in the second tier.
Wakefield had a huge buy-in from their fanbase after relegation from Super League last year, with Trinity actually posting a significant increase on their 2023 attendances in the top-flight.
They consistently had a crowd in excess of 5,000 at their games throughout 2024, and will be hopeful that they can build on that even further as they return to Super League in 2025.
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