How Super League’s Round 1 attendances in 2025 compare to every previous year as huge record set

Ben Olawumi 18 Feb 2025 6:00 AM

Wigan Warriors v Leigh Leopards — Fireworks are set off at The Brick Community Stadium ahead of the clash between Wigan Warriors and Leigh Leopards in Round 1 of the 2025 Super League season

Cumulatively, more than 75,000 supporters flocked to grounds to watch Super League’s opening round over the weekend as a new record for the biggest-ever crowd at a Round 1 game was set.

That record was achieved on Thursday night at The Brick Community Stadium in the opening game of the season, where 21,478 watched on as Leigh Leopards beat rivals Wigan Warriors away from home for the first time in 42 years.

For the first time in the history of the competition as the 30th edition of Super League got underway, a game ended 0-0 after 80 minutes.

And after Gareth O’Brien’s Golden Point drop goal won it for the Leopards, that game is now officially Super League’s lowest-scoring encounter of all time.

Elsewhere over the weekend, all bar two of the remaining five top-flight games had five-figure attendances.

More than 15,000 watched Wakefield Trinity’s shock win at Headingley against Leeds Rhinos on Saturday, and over 12,000 were in attendance at the Totally Wicked Stadium later that day for St Helens’ pummelling of Salford Red Devils’ youngsters.

A full run down of the Round 1 results and their attendances from over the weekend can be seen below…

Wigan Warriors 0-1 Leigh Leopards (AGP) – 21,748
Leeds Rhinos 12-14 Wakefield Trinity – 15,364
St Helens 82-0 Salford Red Devils – 12,218
Hull KR 19-18 Castleford Tigers (AGP) – 11,020
Catalans Dragons 4-24 Hull FC – 9,273
Huddersfield Giants 12-20 Warrington Wolves – 5,871

* AGP – After Golden Point

How Super League’s Round 1 attendances in 2025 compare to every previous year

If you had your calculator out, as we did while writing this, you’d have got a total sum of 75,494 when pooling those six attendances.

But cumulatively, how does that tally compare to every previous year of Super League in Round 1?

Well, here’s a pretty handy ranking for you.

The cumulative attendances in all 30 Round 1’s we’ve seen to date are ranked below from lowest to highest, with any important information noted underneath the respective year.

We’ve also included in brackets at the side of each year how many games were played in Round 1. It’s always been either six or seven dependent on the size of the competition, but we still thought it was important to note.

Without further ado, the ranking in full…

30. 2021 – 0 (six games)

Castleford Tigers v Warrington Wolves - 2021

An action shot from a Round 1 clash between Castleford Tigers and Warrington Wolves in 2021, played behind closed doors at Headingley during the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 broke out in March 2020, and by the time the opening round of the 2021 campaign came around 12 months later, fans still weren’t allowed into grounds. All six games were played behind closed doors at Headingley.

29. 2003 – 46,463 (six games)

28. 1999 – 47,766 (seven games)

27. 2017 – 47,883 (six games)

26. 2001 – 48,119 (six games)

25. 1998 – 49,171 (six games)

24. 2000 – 51,104 (six games)

Adrian Vowles in action for Castleford Tigers in 2000

23. 1996 – 53,879 (six games)

22. 2002 – 54,524 (six games)

21. 1997 – 54,987 (six games)

20. 2019 – 56,736 (six games)

19. 2018 – 56,742 (six games)

18. 2022 – 57,793 (six games)

Supporters watch on at Belle Vue during a clash between Wakefield Trinity and Hull FC in Round 1 of the 2022 Super League season

17. 2011 – 60,214 (seven games)

2011’s opening round saw Magic Weekend take place in Cardiff. 30,891 were in attendance on the Saturday, with 29,323 watching on at the Millennium Stadium on the Sunday. A run down of the games from that weekend can be seen below…

Saturday

Huddersfield Giants 28-18 Warrington Wolves
Harlequins 11-4 Catalans Dragons
Castleford Tigers 40-20 Wakefield Trinity
St Helens 16-16 Wigan Warriors

Sunday

Salford City Reds 12-42 Crusaders
Leeds Rhinos 32-28 Bradford Bulls
Hull FC 22-34 Hull KR

16. 2008 – 60,320 (six games)

15. 2023 – 61,187 (six games)

14. 2020 – 63,294 (six games) – Double-header involving Toronto at Headingley

Six games took place during the opening round of the 2020 season, but the final two came as a double-header at Headingley, so the crowd there is only counted once.

Canadian outfit Toronto Wolfpack’s first-ever Super League game ended in a 28-10 defeat to Castleford Tigers before Leeds Rhinos were beaten 30-4 on home soil by Hull FC. The crowd for the double-header was 19,500.

13. 2015 – 63,434 (six games)

12. 2013 – 64,387 (seven games)

An action shot from a Round 1 clash between Hull KR and Catalans Dragons in 2013

11. 2006 – 65,522 (six games)

10. 2005 – 67,031 (six games)

9. 2016 – 68,528 (six games)

8. 2007 – 69,235 (six games)

7. 2004 – 69,499 (six games)

6. 2014 – 72,966 (seven games)

An action shot from a Round 1 clash between Warrington Wolves and St Helens in 2014

5. 2012 – 73,720 (seven games)

4. 2025 – 75,494 (six games)

3. 2024 – 76,752 (six games)

2. 2009 – 77,911 (seven games)

1. 2010 – 78,090 (seven games)

An action shot from a Round 1 clash between Wigan Warriors and Crusaders in 2010

With 2010 taking the accolade of the highest-ever cumulative Round 1 attendance, we thought it was worthwhile sharing the games and attendances from that year with you…