Newcastle Falcons hope Jonny Wilkinson can reverse decline in attendances when he returns to Kingston Park with Toulon this weekend. The Times' John Westerby reports (via paywall).
"There was a time when Newcastle Falcons, with Jonny Wilkinson in their ranks, would travel away from home and put a few extra thousand on the gate for their opponents.
"This evening, the Falcons are expecting the process to work in reverse. When Wilkinson returns to the club for the first time since he left in 2009, as a replacement for Toulon in the Amlin Challenge Cup tie, Newcastle are hoping to attract their best crowd of the season.
"That does not mean that there will be a sell-out, because home attendances at Kingston Park are in decline. The average crowd for Premiership matches has fallen from 6,177 in Wilkinson’s final season, in 2008-09, to 5,316 last season and, in five Aviva Premiership home games this season, to 4,528.
"It is not an easy sell for the club’s marketing department because a number of leading players have left in recent seasons. The loss of quality is evident at a club who finished eleventh last season and are six points adrift at the bottom of the table this season."
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