Super League's Easter attendance record in sight with two Good Friday sell-outs guaranteed

Two sell-out crowds are guaranteed for the Hull derby at the MKM Stadium on Friday lunchtime and the traditional Wigan Warriors versus St Helens showdown which follows at the Brick Community Stadium at 3pm.

Wakefield Trinity are also approaching their third sell-out of the season at the DIY Kitchens Stadium for the resumption of their local rivalry with Castleford Tigers, which kicks off Super League’s Easter weekend on Thursday.

Leeds Rhinos are also confident of another five-figure crowd at AMT Headingley for the visit of neighbours Huddersfield Giants on Friday evening, meaning the current aggregate attendance for the season of 451,113 after the opening seven rounds will be well past the 500,000 barrier by the time Rivals Round concludes, with two more games on Saturday.

And with Leigh Leopards to attract a strong gate when they host Warrington Wolves at 1:30pm, and the round concluding in Perpignan on Saturday night when Catalans Dragons take on Salford Red Devils, advance sales are on course to challenge the six-match Super League round record, currently a total of 83,357 that was set over the Easter weekend in 2023.

That would add to the attendance records that have already been set in the 30th Super League season, with Wigan attracting a best-ever Round One crowd of 21,748 for their opening night clash with Leigh Leopards, and an official figure of 45,209 for the champions’ Round Three clash with Warrington Wolves in Las Vegas, representing the best in Super League history outside the Grand Final. With the Vegas figure included, the average attendance this season is 10,741 is 11.3 per cent up on last season, and is set to increase again over the Easter weekend.

The historic Vegas fixture also attracted a record viewing figure for a regular season Super League fixture on Sky Sports, other than a single match during Covid, and average audiences across Sky Sports and the BBC are up 52 per cent on 2024, with last Friday’s Grand Final rematch between Hull KR and Wigan attracting the third highest average audience of the season so far.

RL Commercial managing director Rhodri Jones said: “Super League continues to deliver both on and off the field, with the positive news continuing as we look forward to a mouthwatering Easter programme.

“The opening game of the season set a standard, and every club has jumped on board to continue the positive narrative around the competition which the fans have embraced and supported through the turnstiles or through broadcast. And it doesn’t stop, with Magic Weekend back at its spiritual home of Newcastle on the horizon, and an exciting summer campaign to be launched – and that’s before we get to the play-offs and Grand Final.”