Warriors record slight average attendance increase

A bumper crowd of 15,706 for their final home game against Castleford yesterday saw them finish the campaign with an average of 13,668.

That figure is a rise of 1.2 per cent on the 13,499 figure last year, which itself was an increase on the 13,151 figure recorded in 2015 – though one of those Super-8s home games was taken on the road to Millwall.

Wigan’s average crowd figure is for Super League games only, and so does not include the 21,011 who watched Shaun Wane’s men beat Cronulla in the World Club Challenge in February.

The highest league attendance was, not surprisingly, for the Good Friday derby against St Helens - 23,390 - with the lowest the visit of Huddersfield last month (10,614).

Chairman Ian Lenagan has previously blamed the Super-8s structure - and the uncertainly of not knowing fixtures beyond July - for a drop in crowds over the past three seasons.

The 2011 average of 16,125 was the highest in their time at the DW/JJB Stadium.

In 2012, Wane’s first as head coach, an average of 16,045 watched Wigan’s home league games but it dropped to 14,544 the year later - when they won a Challenge Cup and Grand Final double - and 14,102 in 2014.