2008 Crowd Watch - Final Totals in Post #3778

[Timmah]

:lol:

 

[nqboy]

For anyone interested the crowd at the Sydney v Brisbane AFL pre season game at manuka oval was 2,264.

It would seem the AFL have "lost" Canberra :lol::lol::lol:

 

[Timmah]

Crowds to push profits through roof

By Steve Mascord | March 10, 2008 12:00am


THE first round of the premiership's centenary season is expected to attract a mammoth 216,000 spectators - smashing the previous record by 30,000.

While an economic downturn is expected to affect attendances in the years ahead, club estimates suggest this weekend will be one of the most profitable in the code's history.

Last year, 185,051 people watched the eight games in round one, which included two at the giant Suncorp Stadium.

This season, two matches at Homebush's ANZ Stadium are each expected to nudge the record for a regular season match in Sydney.

"We certainly anticipate big crowds," NRL chief executive David Gallop said yesterday.

"The build-up to kickoff has everyone talking. I can't remember being stopped in the street by so many people telling me they can't wait until next weekend.

"Two blokes just shouted at me from a moving car.

"The centenary is a chance to celebrate the game's history but it is the closeness of the competition that has our sport in such great shape in its hundredth year."

In 1908, the entire first round of premiership football attracted just 8000 fans.

Despite the well-documented rivalry between South Sydney and Sydney Roosters, who play on Friday at ANZ, the second match there at the weekend is surprisingly selling more tickets.

Officials are reluctant to comment on sales but sources say the 5.30pm Parramatta-Bulldogs clash on Saturday is headed towards a 38,000 crowd.

Friday night's season-opener between the Roosters and Rabbitohs is looking more like 35,000. Skilled Stadium is sold out for its official opening an hour later on Friday, with 27,000 certain to see Gold Coast host North Queensland.

Based on previous round-one attendances, Newcastle and Manly are expecting 20,000 and 18,000 respectively for their Saturday night appointments with Canberra and Cronulla.

Penrith attracted just 24,582 to Suncorp Stadium last year but it's understood that many tickets have already been sold for this Sunday's rematch with the Broncos.

And the switch of the clash between the competition's two joint ventures, Wests Tigers and St George Illawarra, from the SCG to the Sydney Football Stadium on Sunday is not expected to hurt crowd numbers.

Wests Tigers officials see the resultant publicity from the scheduling clash with cricket as a positive and are expecting a 25,000-strong turnout.

Monday Night Football sales for Melbourne-Warriors have been a tad slow. The Telstra Dome game is shifting the same number of tickets as the average Olympic Park home match but Docklands staff remain hopeful of hitting their 18,000 target.

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/sport/nrl/story/0,26799,23347134-5006066,00.html

 

[JW]

That's 27,000 a game.

Incredible if we could pull that off, absolutely fantastic.

 

[ByRd]

If they think that the Tigers/Dragons game will get 25k and call that a "strong" turnout is ridiculous, this game has to get over 30k minimum, no excuses, its on a sunday afternoon and is 2 of the bigger sydney teams in the first round, 25k will be disappointing.

Also good to hear about the Dogs/Eels clash, despite having the worst time slot, they are saying sales figures are strong and expecting 38k, i think it should get at least to 35k.

 

[t-ba]

"Two blokes just shouted at me from a moving car.

Too easy tbh...

 

[eels_fan_01]

If they think that the Tigers/Dragons game will get 25k and call that a "strong" turnout is ridiculous, this game has to get over 30k minimum, no excuses, its on a sunday afternoon and is 2 of the bigger sydney teams in the first round, 25k will be disappointing.

Also good to hear about the Dogs/Eels clash, despite having the worst time slot, they are saying sales figures are strong and expecting 38k, i think it should get at least to 35k.

Is it the worst timeslot though, im still undecided.

5:30 gives people a chance to go out afterwards and doesnt clash with alot of peoples plans on a Saturday night.

However the papers seem to always blow up the expected crowds, if they predict there will be 38 thousand than there will probably be 33.

 

[ouwet]

If they think that the Tigers/Dragons game will get 25k and call that a "strong" turnout is ridiculous, this game has to get over 30k minimum, no excuses, its on a sunday afternoon and is 2 of the bigger sydney teams in the first round, 25k will be disappointing.

Also good to hear about the Dogs/Eels clash, despite having the worst time slot, they are saying sales figures are strong and expecting 38k, i think it should get at least to 35k.

I wonder if the ticket sales to date include the Bulldog members being able to gain free admission with our season tickets???

 

[The Tank]

I hate it when the papers release crowd predictions. I'm almost always disappointed come gameday.

 

[In-goal]

25K for St.George v Tigers, would have thought that they would have been hoping for a bit more considering that they claim to be big clubs.

 

[Timmah]

They managed to sell out the same venue less than 3 years ago.

 

[t-ba]

For a Preliminary final.

 

[Timmah]

As opposed to the season opener? You know, that round that manages to smash attendance records annually?

 

[t-ba]

Preliminary finals average in excess of 30,000, and have done so for as long as most here can remember. Season opening rounds have just begun regularly cracking a 20k average.

The last season opener between these two clubs (2006), with the Wiggers coming off a Premiership, drew well under 30k.

I'd say that's a more suitable comparison.

 

[eels_fan_01]

I know they dropped the double headers because they said crowds were falling away, but they used to hold them on a Saturday night.

I would have liked personally to have a Friday night double header at Telstra stadium to start the new year.

Tigers/Dragons
Souths/Roosters

Not sure how they would have worked out the timeslot with tv but i think it would have been a sucess, first night of the year for rugby league. The one thing i hate about playing the two games on Friday night at the same time is the fact that you dont know who officially opened the season.

 

[t-ba]

Contractual obligation to broadcast QLD content on a friday night prevents that.

 

[eels_fan_01]

Contractual obligation to broadcast QLD content on a friday night prevents that.

Oh ok, fair enough.

If that werent the case, i reckon the double header would have pulled 70 thousand.

 

[Timmah]

NSW always kicks off now due to that QLD contractual obligation - Souths v Roosters starts 7:30pm Syd Time, Titans/Cowboys 8:30pm Syd Time.

 

[Cheesie-the-Pirate]

Contractual obligation to broadcast QLD content on a friday night prevents that.

What contractual obligation?

 

[dallymessenger]

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,23346434-23214,00.html

unbelieveable that parra / dogs is close to 38,000 sold.

maybe the eels should play more games at homebush, especially dragons and souths game.

well done all round.