1,817 spectators at Crusaders v Catalans

[John S]

But John it is a Rugby league area. As far as I'm any area with a proffessional RL team is a RL area.
Just face facts the support is on the wain. Even the League attendance is on the slide from 10,000 to 4,000.
I wish people wouldn't keep coming on defending them. RL area or not they shouldn't have been allowed to up sticks & move there. So the RFL could save face hoping to get more away support & claim what a successful move it was.
The simple fact is apart from big Derby or big meaningful games RL don't travel in huge numbers, so Crusaders need to build a fan base which they just aren't doing. I reckon they'll struggle to average more than 5,000 for the rest of the season.
And The RFL will end up with egg all over their faces again.

You say "just face facts".  Just because you place a rugby team in an area you cannot say its an RL area--there is no evidence of North Wales being a hot bed of any code of Rugby--at least in South Wales there was a passion for Union.
I am not defending them--I cannot stand them and it was always on the cards that their crowds would wain but there will always be those who say the M62 corridor teams have had over a 100 years at it and can only muster a few thousand more than a brand new set up.  I'm not one of them--but I find it hard to muster too much of an argument.

We have a great set up at Widnes at the moment--we have to concentrate all our efforts on getting to Super League not wasting our time taking every opportunity to have a go at Crusaders.

[rayvon]

You say "just face facts".  Just because you place a rugby team in an area you cannot say its an RL area--there is no evidence of North Wales being a hot bed of any code of Rugby--at least in South Wales there was a passion for Union.
I am not defending them--I cannot stand them and it was always on the cards that their crowds would wain but there will always be those who say the M62 corridor teams have had over a 100 years at it and can only muster a few thousand more than a brand new set up.  I'm not one of them--but I find it hard to muster too much of an argument.

We have a great set up at Widnes at the moment--we have to concentrate all our efforts on getting to Super League not wasting our time taking every opportunity to have a go at Crusaders.

Possibly the most succinct arguement for NOT haviing a team in North Wales....... 

[GSF]

Rick you may have mis understood Johns original comment .There is a counter argument when fans of traditional heartland RL clubs sneer at attendances at London and Wales, which says that many old clubs,some with a hundred years behind them,are struggling along on similar gates or less.It's a hard one to defend but in our case I would respond by saying Widnes can go 3/4/5 or 6 years in the lower league,surviving on crowds of 2500/3500 but as soon as some expansion teams dip to that level of support they are under threat of folding.Look at the fervent support of HKR now.Not too long ago they were lucky to pull in 1800,and that went on for 5 years or so,but they are still here to tell the tale.I wouldn't bet on Wrexham Crusaders being around after 5 games of 1800 gates,nevermind 5 years.