Sharks keen to lure more fans after good start
Sale are looking at ways of filling the AJ Bell Stadium to capitalise on a strong start to the season which took them to second in the table behind also unbeaten Saracens.
The Sharks' average crowd for their first two home Premiership matches against Northampton and Exeter was under 5,000 and 1,735 turned up to watch the Premiership Cup match against Leicester last month.
Sale's co-owner Simon Orange is concerned at the attendance figures. As Sale do not own the stadium, their income from it is restricted to ticket and merchandise sales.
“We need more supporters at games if rugby is going to grow and rugby needs to grow to avoid clubs getting into trouble,” Orange wrote on Twitter last month. “Too many empty seats today!
“We're looking at reducing some prices to help people to afford to come. What would your view be of £10 tickets in the north stand and £5 for kids? Would we fill the stand?
“Hopefully we can continue to improve the experience for fans when we control the stadium. Negotiations are ongoing but slow.”
Sale's chief executive Sid Sutton said earlier this year that buying the stadium was crucial to the future of the club. They put in a bid to owners Salford City Council last year in conjunction with Salford FC, who would move to the ground.
The deal hinged on Salford Red Devils, who currently lease the ground with the Sharks, finding a new home.
But they will be playing at the AJ Bell next season and have opened talks with the council about purchasing the site themselves having secured the backing of local businessman Sebastian Gerrard.
“We are competing against football and rugby league,” Sale's director of rugby Alex Sanderson said. “When I was at Saracens and the club was playing in Watford, we had a hard core of 5,000 supporters. When you win and continue to do so is when attendances start to rise. We had a couple of sellouts last season so we can do it. All I can control is success on the field and that has a massive factor in whether people come back. The acquisition of the stadium would give us control. At the moment we rent and do not earn money on food and drink.”
A number of Premiership clubs have taken matches to major grounds such as Wembley, Twickenham and St James's Park to attract new fans. Sale entered into talks with South Africa about a fixture next month with the idea of playing it at Old Trafford, but Bristol trumped them.
“We could not make it work in terms of feasibility or hiring Old Trafford,” said Sanderson. “We are still a club that is growing massively and we have to get other ducks in a row, such as the ground, before we can start to think about filling Old Trafford.”
Sale were boosted by Jean-Luc du Preez and his brother Dan signing new contracts. The 27-year old forwards have agreed to stay for another three years having been in demand elsewhere.
“Jean-Luc and Dan are two of the very best and most consistent performers in the Premiership and for them to both commit three of the best years of their careers to this club goes so far in shouting out what a special place this is,” said Sanderson.
“This is more than a rugby club. It is a home, a vocation. It has to be more than a club if we want to aspire to good things and leave legacies behind as we build a family.”
Sale's form at the start of the season was in part due to their improved discipline with fewer visits to the sin-bin, although prop Nick Schonert was sent off at Bath for a dangerous challenge on Dave Attwood.
“I took the squad to a three-day disaster training camp in Wiltshire during pre-season,” said Sanderson. “Our yellow cards have improved after the last two seasons. With a number of cards for contact with the head, you have to mitigate for it in training. You have to be adaptable and flexible, thinking on your feet and staying on the same page.
“I spent some time with Sir Andrew Strauss who adopted a similar approach when he trained his cricket team to win the World Cup. We look to embrace chaos every Tuesday and put the players under pressure, getting them to understand the calculated risks needed to deal with moments of adversity and come out on the other side.”
