The season may be young, but there is cause for concern given the low attendances in the Aviva Premiership, according to Robert Kitson in The Guardian.
"It is too early to panic. September is always a month of colliding priorities. But what exactly has happened to Premiership crowds? Take away Northampton's Friday night gate of 13,491 and the average attendance for the elite tier of English club rugby at the weekend was in the region of 6,500. London Irish's crowd of 8,267 was lower than anything they attracted for a league game last season. The empty seats at Wasps for the high-profile visit of Leicester told a similarly downbeat story.
"The previous weekend, you may recall, Saracens could tempt only 6,087 souls to Watford for their game against Sale. Newcastle attracted barely 5,000 for the visit of Wasps and even Gloucester have recorded their lowest regular season gate for five years. Only a few short weeks ago, Premier Rugby was restating its ambition to attract higher average gates than football's Championship by 2015. That goal suddenly seems a long way off.
"Why? It did not appear to be an issue when 75,000 attended the London double-header earlier this month, basking in the feelgood glow of an exciting new season. That occasion now appears to have been the exception to the recessionary rule. People have less spare cash and are being increasingly choosy where they spend it. The early signs suggest they are saving up for a handful of big games each year, rather than splashing out every week."
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