Super League breaks impressive 17-year attendance record as 2025 crowds boom
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
Super League crowds continue to rise in impressive fashion: with the competition setting a 17-year record in the opening fortnight of the new campaign.
Attendances were up significantly in 2024 as the impact of IMG’s arrival in the sport begins to take shape. And that trend has continued into the early stages of 2025, Love Rugby League can reveal – with the highest combined attendance for the opening two rounds of a season for almost 20 years.
Not since 2008 has the competition posted a bigger number in a 12-team competition, with a combined 131,428 supporters clicking through the turnstiles in the first two rounds of the new season.
That is an average of almost 11,000 supporters per game, the highest figure since all the way back in 2008.
Back then, 132,033 fans attended the opening two rounds of the campaign.
This year’s figure has been boosted by the biggest-ever crowd for the opening weekend of a season, with 21,748 fans watching an historic occasion between Wigan Warriors and Leigh Leopards, with Adrian Lam’s side clinching an incredible 1-0 victory in golden point extra-time thanks to Gareth O’Brien’s drop goal.
There have also been five more crowds in excess of 10,000 – with over 15,000 watching Wakefield Trinity’s victory at Leeds Rhinos and 14,751 for Hull FC’s first home game of 2025, as they were beaten by Wigan Warriors.
Wakefield attracted their biggest crowd to Belle Vue since 2008 as well, as they were narrowly beaten by Hull KR.
In fact, five of the six clubs who were at home in Round Two posted a crowd figure larger than their seasonal average for 2024, hinting that the trend of attendances increasing will continue once again in 2025.
Super League 2025 crowds: Rounds 1 and 2
Wigan Warriors 0-1 Leigh Leopards: 21,748
Catalans Dragons 4-24 Hull FC: 9,273
Hull KR 19-18 Castleford Tigers: 11,020
Leeds Rhinos 12-14 Wakefield Trinity: 15,364
St Helens 82-0 Salford Red Devils: 12,218
Huddersfield 12-20 Warrington Wolves: 5,871
Wakefield Trinity 12-14 Hull KR: 8,065
Hull FC 4-46 Wigan Warriors: 14,751
Warrington Wolves 18-12 Catalans Dragons: 11,157
Salford Red Devils 6-32 Leeds Rhinos: 5,798
Castleford Tigers 6-46 St Helens: 7,723
Leigh Leopards 24-10 Huddersfield Giants: 8,440
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