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2018 Crowd Watch

carcharias

Immortal
Messages
43,120
Keep free for what? If NRL was an attractive option then it would be one of the main items to look forward to and planned for the weekend. Clearly everyone looks more forward to a trip to the shops than watch Rugby League, that surely does not sound right.

I'm in a different bubble down here but going to a live sports match is something you planned other things around not went to if it fit in with everything else, including a shopping trip. NRL has to get their matches to front of mind more, that is obvious.

Where is down here?

...and people do do other things on weekends
Movies
Restaurants
Bbq’s
Parties
Work
Drive kids all over town
Play sport
Build racing cars and rocket ships
Church
Take drugs
Save their money to go away
Save their money to instead spend on $11 drinks while trying to pick up.
Fishing
Surfing


Some people do not even follow rugby league.
 

Timmah

LeagueUnlimited News Editor
Staff member
Messages
100,874
Where is down here?

...and people do do other things on weekends
Movies
Restaurants
Bbq’s
Parties
Work
Drive kids all over town
Play sport
Build racing cars and rocket ships
Church
Take drugs
Save their money to go away
Save their money to instead spend on $11 drinks while trying to pick up.
Fishing
Surfing


Some people do not even follow rugby league.
This ^

I think people on here sometimes get so blinkered by their love of RL they can't accept that everyone doesn't. And that those who are interested aren't always able to attend.
 

Canard

Immortal
Messages
34,147
Where is down here?

...and people do do other things on weekends
Movies
Restaurants
Bbq’s
Parties
Work
Drive kids all over town
Play sport
Build racing cars and rocket ships
Church
Take drugs
Save their money to go away
Save their money to instead spend on $11 drinks while trying to pick up.
Fishing
Surfing


Some people do not even follow rugby league.

He is clearly an AFL troll from Bigpoofy
 

Hank_Scorpio

Juniors
Messages
353
Where is down here?

...and people do do other things on weekends
Movies
Restaurants
Bbq’s
Parties
Work
Drive kids all over town
Play sport
Build racing cars and rocket ships
Church
Take drugs
Save their money to go away
Save their money to instead spend on $11 drinks while trying to pick up.
Fishing
Surfing


Some people do not even follow rugby league.

In Melbourne, follow the storm, so understand it's a different market to Sydney.

Every major city has those options for weekends, just found it a little amusing that the NRL should take into account people's propensity for shopping as a reason why people don't want to attend a Saturday afternoon game.

There is no 'perfect timeslot' where you can reach everyone as like you said, other things are on weekends but on that list you wrote, how high up do you think attending an NRL game is for people living in Sydney? How does the NRL get front of mind more to see it as on of the first things families think of when they ask 'what are we going to do this weekend?'.
 

carcharias

Immortal
Messages
43,120
In Melbourne, follow the storm, so understand it's a different market to Sydney.

Every major city has those options for weekends, just found it a little amusing that the NRL should take into account people's propensity for shopping as a reason why people don't want to attend a Saturday afternoon game.

There is no 'perfect timeslot' where you can reach everyone as like you said, other things are on weekends but on that list you wrote, how high up do you think attending an NRL game is for people living in Sydney? How does the NRL get front of mind more to see it as on of the first things families think of when they ask 'what are we going to do this weekend?'.

Depends

I look at one city teams not in Sydney who are going like shit and see shit crowds.

What is their problem?

Storm crowds don’t impress me either.
1 team in the entire state with no NRL competition.
 

Hank_Scorpio

Juniors
Messages
353
Depends

I look at one city teams not in Sydney who are going like shit and see shit crowds.

What is their problem?

Storm crowds don’t impress me either.
1 team in the entire state with no NRL competition.

Storm crowds are shit because we have no NRL competition? Not sure if stupid or throwing bait in the water....
 

taipan

Referee
Messages
22,402
Keep free for what? If NRL was an attractive option then it would be one of the main items to look forward to and planned for the weekend. Clearly everyone looks more forward to a trip to the shops than watch Rugby League, that surely does not sound right.

I'm in a different bubble down here but going to a live sports match is something you planned other things around not went to if it fit in with everything else, including a shopping trip. NRL has to get their matches to front of mind more, that is obvious.

Are you kidding? Saturday nights for free time doing whatever.Ditto Sundays.
Check the shopping centres on a Saturday just after lunch ,packed to the rafters.More so winter.

You won't get an argument from me ,on scheduling.If I had my way 6pm Fridays out,Thursday nights out.
Two on Friday night,Two Saturday ,four Sunday.

People are leaving Sydney's bubble in numbers, moving up or down the coast or Interstate.Cost of living, chaotic transport and plain crowding.It's getting worse not better.
 

9701

First Grade
Messages
5,398
Pathetic response. But I.must admit I should proof read before I post as the preemptive text is not doing my writing favours. The scenario from Dudley Public school is true. I spoke to a Catholic school deputy principle about this experience and he remarked " It makes you wonder what things will be like in 20 years time!"
Well that explains a lot, Dudley Public was Gateshead Publics bitches in League cricket and soccer when I was a lad, stands to reason they decided to play afl.
 

Mister M

Juniors
Messages
124
Depends

I look at one city teams not in Sydney who are going like shit and see shit crowds.

What is their problem?

Storm crowds don’t impress me either.
1 team in the entire state with no NRL competition.

Or how about we look at how the NRL has no idea about how to grow the game into an expansion market like Melbourne?

There was a massive opportunity to gain additional Victorian supporters following Origin I at the MCG. I took a friend to his first Rugby League game that night (as we were able to get $15 seats on level 1). Since June 6th there's been the following Melbourne Storm home games:
  • Vs. Broncos on Sunday 10th June (4 days after Origin)
  • Vs. Dragons on Thursday 5th July (A Thursday night game where the Origin players weren't eligible to play)
The next home game is Saturday 28th July Vs. The Raiders. This person wasn't interested in backing up and seeing another game so soon after his first experience so didn't go to the Broncos game, wasn't interested in watching a B-Team side so didn't go to the Dragons game.

This means it's 7 & 1/2 weeks from his first Origin experience until he can watch a full strength Storm side play at home. It's also 7 weeks between 'full strength' Storm games for any passing Melbourne Storm supporter during the middle of the season.

If you want to convert AFL supporters into switching or watching both, this is the time of year you should start focusing on having the Storm in Melbourne. By the middle of this year Carlton, St. Kilda and Western Bulldog supporters have all already given up on their team as they can't make finals this year-- they may've looked for an alternative team to get before for the rest of 2018. Or even looking at the AFL bye rounds (Round 12-14) when AFL teams had the week off, the Storm only had 1 game in Melbourne (the Broncos game).

A run of 2-3 home games here could've gained new supporters that were either curious about the NRL and the Melbourne Storm due to the hype of Origin (which was bigger than I thought). Instead it was an opportunity wasted.

Or even look back at the Round 3 match between the Melbourne Storm and the North Queensland Cowboys. The game was a Grand Final replay, potentially (now guaranteed) JT's final game in Melbourne and a match featuring the Cowboys (who have built quite a rivalry with the Storm in recent years). What did the NRL do?? Schedule the game 5 days after we'd just had a home game on the same night as the first game of the AFL season! If this game was played the week before (free of AFL) it would've got a crowd of 20,000+ instead it got 13k.

Before people go (as they have every time I've mentioned this game) that the NRL fixture was released first-- it doesn't take a brain surgeon to google the previously released date (which was a Thursday night) for the AFL season (which was published in August last year), look that the AFL has played Richmond/Carlton on the first Thursday night the MCG has been available of the season for over a decade and that with Richmond as the reigning premier of the AFL that crowd would be big.

Having 90k at the MCG at the same time makes it difficult for the Storm for two reasons
  • The segment of fans who support both the Storm and one of Richmond/Carlton forcing them to choose
  • The concern of Melbourne Storm supporters (who live predominately in the outer suburbs) that traffic will be bad after the game due to the excess congestion in the area on a school night.

If the NRL actually thought about the fixture they had in Melbourne, the Storm would have the second largest crowd average to only the Broncos. But because they fixture us so poorly our average is lower,but still competitive with clubs in the 'heartland'.
 

carcharias

Immortal
Messages
43,120
Storm crowds are shit because we have no NRL competition? Not sure if stupid or throwing bait in the water....

You have no excuse for what I think are pretty average crowds
The storm have been one of the most successful teams in their existence.
It is clearly easy to get to footy grounds in Melbourne... look at how many go to AFL.
No sport can constantly get those crowds in Sydney .

It is a rugby league thing
It is just not as popular as you think it should be.
 

carcharias

Immortal
Messages
43,120
Or how about we look at how the NRL has no idea about how to grow the game into an expansion market like Melbourne?

There was a massive opportunity to gain additional Victorian supporters following Origin I at the MCG. I took a friend to his first Rugby League game that night (as we were able to get $15 seats on level 1). Since June 6th there's been the following Melbourne Storm home games:
  • Vs. Broncos on Sunday 10th June (4 days after Origin)
  • Vs. Dragons on Thursday 5th July (A Thursday night game where the Origin players weren't eligible to play)
The next home game is Saturday 28th July Vs. The Raiders. This person wasn't interested in backing up and seeing another game so soon after his first experience so didn't go to the Broncos game, wasn't interested in watching a B-Team side so didn't go to the Dragons game.

This means it's 7 & 1/2 weeks from his first Origin experience until he can watch a full strength Storm side play at home. It's also 7 weeks between 'full strength' Storm games for any passing Melbourne Storm supporter during the middle of the season.

If you want to convert AFL supporters into switching or watching both, this is the time of year you should start focusing on having the Storm in Melbourne. By the middle of this year Carlton, St. Kilda and Western Bulldog supporters have all already given up on their team as they can't make finals this year-- they may've looked for an alternative team to get before for the rest of 2018. Or even looking at the AFL bye rounds (Round 12-14) when AFL teams had the week off, the Storm only had 1 game in Melbourne (the Broncos game).

A run of 2-3 home games here could've gained new supporters that were either curious about the NRL and the Melbourne Storm due to the hype of Origin (which was bigger than I thought). Instead it was an opportunity wasted.

Or even look back at the Round 3 match between the Melbourne Storm and the North Queensland Cowboys. The game was a Grand Final replay, potentially (now guaranteed) JT's final game in Melbourne and a match featuring the Cowboys (who have built quite a rivalry with the Storm in recent years). What did the NRL do?? Schedule the game 5 days after we'd just had a home game on the same night as the first game of the AFL season! If this game was played the week before (free of AFL) it would've got a crowd of 20,000+ instead it got 13k.

Before people go (as they have every time I've mentioned this game) that the NRL fixture was released first-- it doesn't take a brain surgeon to google the previously released date (which was a Thursday night) for the AFL season (which was published in August last year), look that the AFL has played Richmond/Carlton on the first Thursday night the MCG has been available of the season for over a decade and that with Richmond as the reigning premier of the AFL that crowd would be big.

Having 90k at the MCG at the same time makes it difficult for the Storm for two reasons
  • The segment of fans who support both the Storm and one of Richmond/Carlton forcing them to choose
  • The concern of Melbourne Storm supporters (who live predominately in the outer suburbs) that traffic will be bad after the game due to the excess congestion in the area on a school night.

If the NRL actually thought about the fixture they had in Melbourne, the Storm would have the second largest crowd average to only the Broncos. But because they fixture us so poorly our average is lower,but still competitive with clubs in the 'heartland'.

No offence but save your 1000 word essays for someone who could be f**ked reading all that.
I’m right , you’re wrong ..that’s all you need to know.
 

Hank_Scorpio

Juniors
Messages
353
You have no excuse for what I think are pretty average crowds
The storm have been one of the most successful teams in their existence.
It is Cleary easy to get to footy grounds in Melbourne... look at how many go to AFL.
No sport can constantly get those crowds in Sydney .

It is a rugby league thing
It is just not as popular as you think it should be.

I am well aware of how lucky we are in Melbourne with the stadium infrastructure and no doubt its a factor on how well attended sports are here.

But Rugby League IS a massively popular sport in this country and a good game to watch, it just doesn't translate into crowds, which I find baffling. TV audiences suggest there is a significant connection to the sport.

Infrastructure, fixturing, ticket pricing etc seem to have a large influence but it also comes down to culture and engagement? I drive/train an hour to the city to watch either NRL, AFL, Cricket or NBL because its a great outing to watch professional sports. It just feels like many of these events feel like a 'must see', I don't get that impression in Sydney outside of Origin.
 

carcharias

Immortal
Messages
43,120
I am well aware of how lucky we are in Melbourne with the stadium infrastructure and no doubt its a factor on how well attended sports are here.

But Rugby League IS a massively popular sport in this country and a good game to watch, it just doesn't translate into crowds, which I find baffling. TV audiences suggest there is a significant connection to the sport.

Infrastructure, fixturing, ticket pricing etc seem to have a large influence but it also comes down to culture and engagement? I drive/train an hour to the city to watch either NRL, AFL, Cricket or NBL because its a great outing to watch professional sports. It just feels like many of these events feel like a 'must see', I don't get that impression in Sydney outside of Origin.

Have you ever considered people prefer watching AFL live more than NRL?

It is obvious in every place it’s played it is not the most populated sport going around.

My team is almost to a person crowd ave = members

It’s a game for the die hards.
 

beave

Coach
Messages
15,527
No offence but save your 1000 word essays for someone who could be f**ked reading all that.
I’m right , you’re wrong ..that’s all you need to know.

He actually made some really good points.......



I’ve said it for years, get a club rep and some fans from each club and sit down over a few days and nut out a draw. Hiring companies from the US/Canada to come up with a draw has proven to be rubbish (4rds turnaround for re-matches, a run of 3-4 home/away games in a row). I’m sure they’d save money and come up with a better outcome than the complete dross that the draw is now. The NRL spruiked on how they wanted 20k averages and took control back of the scheduling and there’s been minimal obvious effort to achieve this other than double headers.
 
Last edited:

carcharias

Immortal
Messages
43,120
He actually made some really good points.......



I’ve said it for years, get a club rep and some fans from each club and sit down over a few days and nut out a draw. Hiring companies from the US/Canada to come up with a draw has proven to be rubbish (4rds turnaround for re-matches, a run of 3-4 home/away games in a row). I’m sure they’d save money and come up with a better outcome than the complete dross that the draw is now. The NRL spruiked on how they wanted 20k averages and took control back of the scheduling and there’s been minimal obvious effort to achieve this other than double headers.

So he could’ve just said ...Scheduling needs to better?
 

Timmah

LeagueUnlimited News Editor
Staff member
Messages
100,874
While scheduling could be better I think they're on a hiding to nothing regardless. Someone will always walk away unhappy.
 
Messages
1,850
Walk into a pub when a game is on. Theres always a buzz with crew watching the game.

We've given away so much of the game to TV yet people act surprised when Joe Average will actively seek out places to watch it on TV; pubs, clubs, a mates place, home.

These places have every comfort conceivable; cold beer, comfy seats, massive HD screens, a range of delicious food.

Going to the games is old hat. You don't change the culture of attendance without a massive shift in culture across the games supporters.
 

Hank_Scorpio

Juniors
Messages
353
Have you ever considered people prefer watching AFL live more than NRL?

It is obvious in every place it’s played it is not the most populated sport going around.

My team is almost to a person crowd ave = members

It’s a game for the die hards.

That's a good conversion if you can get as many members as your crowd average. Hopefully growth in memberships will result in the same conversion rate to crowd averages.

The game will struggle to grow if it is left to the diehards to carry it. It needs to develop beyond the reliable core base and engage the more casual fan. Don't need them to be rusted on fans, that's why specials and things like 3-game memberships are becoming more important for the time poor or financially uncommitted to the game.
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
65,411
Wow, dont like Thursday nights as school night, dont like Fridays as traffic too busy, dont like Saturday afternoon as shopping is a bigger draw card. So we need to schedule 8 games into 4 slots to have any hope of reasonable crowds?

Much more likely tickets are too expensive, stadium facilities/experiences are very avg, game day entertainment is stuck in the 1970's and fans dont care because the NRL and its clubs dont care. Sort all that out and you can play a game whenever you want and get 25k to it!
 
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