Published at 11:49, Wednesday, 09 January 2013

WHITEHAVEN are aiming to encourage more young fans this season – by offering them free entry to their opening pre-season outing on Sunday.

Home attendances were poor last term with only two four-figure crowds in Championship One, for derbies against Workington Town and Barrow Raiders.

And following promotion to the second tier, the club have offered free entry to kids aged 15 and under for their weekend clash with Gateshead Thunder.

“We want to attract kids to the club and believe the Gateshead friendly is a good one for that,” said chief executive Barry Richardson.

“The area supports our lottery, and the same needs to be true of supporters coming through the gates. In the current climate it’s difficult for people, but for the good of the town and the community, we need to be playing at the highest possible level. We need a marked improvement in crowds to sustain ourselves in the Championship.”

Haven attracted 1,529 fans for the Good Friday defeat to Town last term, and 1,124 saw the loss to Barrow in May.

Entry for adults on Sunday will cost £10 and £5 for concessions.

Thunder opened their pre-season account with a 22-8 defeat to Hull KR last weekend.

Coach Kevin Neighbour handed debuts to 11 of his new-look Gateshead squad and they led 8-6 at the break. Nick Johnson, who had a brief stint on dual registration at Workington Town last term, was first on the scoresheet for the Geordies.

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