The line-up for the Challenge Cup semi-finals at Doncaster has been revealed

If you were to tell someone who has never watched rugby league before that a place in the final of the sport’s biggest cup competition is up for grabs, surely their first question would be “Why is the stadium only half full then?” “.

And he would be right. The limited eyeballs the sport gets on terrestrial television must show it at its best. Those concerns also extend to the Challenge Cup final, with attendances down by 65,000 from 2017. This has raised questions about a new home that could be occupied.

How to fix Challenge Cup attendance issues?

Credit: Imago Images

Bring back the luck of the draw and eliminate neutral venues from the Challenge Cup semi-finals. For a Hull KR fan, a trip to Wigan would be nearly double the distance, but the 1,500 or so loyal fans who make the journey each week would no doubt turn up and turn out for an event that was close to sold out. or at least surpassing a crowd of 11,000.

On the other hand, if Hull KR had been drawn at home then they would surely have sold out their stadium and even if it meant less than 11,000 fans would be in attendance, a stadium full of Craven Park atmosphere would have been better for the sport than a three-quarter neutral place.