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The Rugby Football League (RFL) claims the sport has coped well with the economic downturn after reporting another capacity crowd at the Engage Super League Grand Final at the weekend.

The game at Old Trafford attracted 71,526 fans – a five-year high for the competition. It followed the success of the Carnegie Challenge Cup final which attracted a sell out 85,217 at Wembley Stadium in August – the highest crowd seen at the Cup final since 2007.

The 2010 Engage Super League Play-off series also recorded record crowd numbers, with the first round of games attracting 67 per cent more fans than the corresponding fixtures last season.

The RFL’s commercial director Paul Kimberley believes rugby league’s success in selling out two of the biggest competitions reflects a rise in popularity across the board for the sport, which continues to build its sponsorship and commercial portfolio.

“We are delighted to have seen such fan support in what is still a very tough economic climate,” he said. “We’ve done a number of things this year to recognise the challenges thrown up by the economy and we’re pleased to see that loyal supporters have responded in their droves.

“Our fan base has embraced the initiatives we’ve delivered on tickets and group travel. We’ve offered early bird and cash back promotions with clubs as well as competitions and upgrade offers, and the result of all the effort was two sell-out finals.

“The trend is also reflected within the regular rounds of Engage Super League competition which has witnessed a number of record attendances and record TV viewing figures, including round 22 which attracted a record aggregate crowd of 89,356 – around six per cent up on the previous best.

“When considering our core metrics of attendances and TV viewing figures, rugby league is performing really well in difficult times and looks set to go from strength to strength with innovations such as the recently announced Millennium Magic weekend in Cardiff that will open the 2011 season with a real bang.”