Betfred Super League confirm record breaking start to 2025 season

Betfred Super League attendances will smash through the 500,000 barrier for the 2025 season in the triple header of Rivals Round fixtures on Good Friday – and the record-breaking start to the campaign is set to continue with a potential new high for a single six-match round over the Easter weekend.

Two sell-out crowds are guaranteed for the Hull derby, at the MKM Stadium on Friday lunchtime, and the classic Wigan Warriors versus St Helens showdown which follows at The Brick Community Stadium at 3pm. Both games are live on Sky Sports Main Event.

Wakefield Trinity are 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 tonight.

Leeds Rhinos are also confident of another bumper five-figure turn-out at AMT Headingley for the visit of Huddersfield Giants on Good Friday evening (530pm), that means the current aggregate attendance for the season of 451,113 after the opening seven rounds will be well past 500,000 by the time Round Eight concludes with two more matches on Saturday. 

And with Leigh Leopards set to attract another strong gate when they host Warrington Wolves at 130pm – a game that will be shown live on BBC Two – and the round concluding in Perpignan on Saturday night when Catalans Dragons face Salford Red Devils at the Stade Gilbert Brutus, 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 Warriors 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 of 10,741 is 11.3% up on last season – and is set to increase again this weekend. 

The 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% on 2024 – with last Friday’s Grand Final rematch between Hull KR and Wigan Warriors attracting the third highest average audience of the season so far. 

SuperLeague+, RL Commercial’s global streaming platform which was successfully introduced in 2024, has gone to another level in 2025.

There have been record viewing figures and sales in each of the last two weekends, with exclusive live coverage of the Betfred Challenge Cup Quarter Final between Wakefield Trinity and Leigh Leopards – which was free to existing monthly and annual subscribers – attracting more viewers than for any domestic fixture previously shown on the platform. Last weekend’s Round 7 fixtures also generated record numbers of match pass purchases, beating the record set in Round 2 earlier this year.

SuperLeague+ will have live coverage of four of the Rivals Round fixtures in the UK – the matches at Wakefield on Thursday night, Leeds on Friday evening, and Leigh and Catalans on Saturday – with a Round Pass available for £12.99 also including delayed coverage of Friday’s derbies at Hull FC and Wigan. 

It has also been the best start to a Betfred Super League season on record across key social media metrics with 1.8m engagements (+57% v 2024), 39M video views (+116% v 2024) and 78M impressions (+97% v 2024). 

Betfred Super League channels have grown by 30k, 60% more than the same period in 2024. Super League have also seen specific upturns on platforms such as YouTube with video views and impressions up by 10% whilst TikTok video views are up 115% and engagements are up 60% against the same period in 2024. 

Rhodri Jones, Rugby League Commercial Managing Director, 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.”

In the coming weeks Rugby League Commercial will also be announcing new commercial partnerships for Magic Weekend and a new England partnership ahead of the Ashes Series in the Autumn.