YORK Rugby League Club today unveiled an offer designed to woo "the missing 500".

Chief executive Phil Elliott announced a four week window for reduced price season tickets in an effort to double the second division club's home attendances.

A season ticket for the Wasps' ten home league games in 1998 will cost £40 if purchased between today and Friday, March 20, before reverting to normal price.

The ticket will allow access to all parts of the stadium, seated or standing, and includes a pair of free Junior Wasps season tickets.

Elliott declared it was vital the club increase Huntington Stadium gates from the 1997 league average of 610 to more than 1,000 in the 1998 season, which starts on April 10.

"The board believe it is a great offer. We want to get back some of the missing 500. We know things have been very lean but we are giving this offer to potential fans to come back," said Elliott.

"We actually believe we have put a squad together that is worth watching. It would be atrocious next season if we got a good team together and got only 500 people watching. We have made it as cheap as we can."

The Wasps are also to make an offer - lower than the £40 ticket price - to players of local amateur rugby league sides, to encourage them to support their professional side.

Elliott said: "I am going to write to the amateur clubs and give them better offers to get them supporting their local club. We are going to do extremely well.

"My estimate for last season is that we sold less than 40 season tickets. This season I have ordered 600 adult and 1,000 Junior Wasps tickets, which will be at the club."

The full rate for a 1998 season ticket has not yet been set but admission for the ten games is expected to be £8 for seating and £6 for standing.

Last year's main stand season ticket price was £90, which included ten league games, four play-off games and Alliance fixtures.

Meanwhile, Elliott also revealed the club's wage structure had been passed by the Rugby Football League under the new salary cap.

Clubs are required to spend no more than 50 per cent of their income on player wages and the Wasps forecasts for the season stand at 43 per cent.

The chief executive, who claimed the second division average was 44 per cent, said: "They have our previous accounts and forecasts for this year.

"Ours has been more difficult because we are paying winning pay based on league position, not wages and if you lose you get nowt.

"It is a variable offer and if we are first in the division we will have a big wage bill. The thing about business is you can always cut costs but I am interested in increasing revenue."

The RFL plan to carry out an audit check on each club every quarter to ensure they continue to meet the salary cap requirements.

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