Playing numbers

[russ13]

The RU writer for the Courier-Mail produced this article to day. It's about the playing numbers of the rugby codes:

Rugby outstrips league
By Jim Tucker
December 08, 2006 11:00pm
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,20898009-5003411,00.html
MORE footballers Australia-wide are playing rugby union at senior level than rugby league on the latest figures.
Australian Rugby Union chief executive Gary Flowers said rugby's continual national expansion to a participation level of 193,000 people was "very healthy".
Rugby union's official participation figures released yesterday revealed a 9.5 per cent increase from 176,000 players last year and a 70 per cent explosion in playing numbers in Western Australia.
The advent of the Perth-based Western Force in Super 14 triggered a jump in player numbers from 8518 in 2005 to 14,471 this year in WA.
"A growth rate of 9.5 per cent is very healthy and particularly pleasing is the growth in the non-traditional rugby states where we have dedicated a lot of time and resources," Flowers said.
"The benefits of our EdRugby program, which is now in 20 per cent of Australian schools, is also starting to take effect."
National participation in rugby has grown by 29 per cent in the three years since the watershed of the 2003 World Cup on Australian soil, yet the figures also need to be broken down for a fuller picture.
The Australian Rugby League's development arm recorded 34,812 senior players nationally this year.

This compares to the 37,278 playing rugby union from yesterday's figures.
The junior player numbers are harder to compare. League has a robust junior base of 115,492 players but has no figure available for players active in schools.

Rugby union had a 44,227-strong junior nursery this year, was played in regular school competitions by 44,281 players and had another 48,669 school players competing in one-off gala days and knockout competitions on a less regular basis.

The Queensland breakdown is interesting.

The growth in player numbers was the smallest of any state (2.7 per cent).
The Queensland Rugby League's senior (38,023) and junior (14,164) registrations, as furnished by QRL boss Ross Livermore, show the competition that rugby faces in this state when comparing its own senior (8633) and junior (14,233) participation.

The senior RL player figures just don't add up, 38,023 in Queensland v 34,812 nationwide.:sarcasm:

There were about 11,000 junior RL players inthe Brisbane division last year. The RL juniors statewide have just got to be a lot more than the 14,164.

I think he has included the schools in the union number-they just can't have more juniors at clubs.:lol:


There is a thread on one of the other forums saying the playing numbers for RL are 360,000 or so. Can anyone dig it up.

 

[langpark]

There are close to 300,000 players in Australia. 100,000 of them are in Qld, 30,000 of which are juniors, 11,000 of which are from South East Qld.

 

[russ13]

Yakstom said in his post the unconfirmed figures for RL Australia-wide is now 360,000.

The figure at the end of last year was 322,000 or so.

However, what annoys me about the article is union commenting on our numbers. Previously RL was loath to give the school numbers because they are hard to quantify. So what the union journalist does is give a union number which includes schools & compares it with a RL number that doesn't include schools.

BTW I don't know how much solace RU can take from counting the nearly 50,000 who played just one game (at a carnival) as registered players.

Also the number they provide for their juniors in Queensland if it only related to clubs has to be bogus.

 

[langpark]

When I worked at the ARL last year, I looked at the official figures, and for 2005 they were 288,000 Australia-wide, not including schools and colleges. I'm not sure about this years figures, but anything much over a 5% increase I would say is a lie

 

[East Coast Tiger]

It doesn't matter what figures he's using. It's bullsh*t. There is no way there are more union players at senior or junior level. Typical union trying to bend the figures to make it look like their game is doing well when it is actually dying a slow death everywhere except in the private schools that has harboured it for 100 years and kept it alive.
You only have to look at the figures union released during the week to see how full of sh*t they are. They had massive per centage increases, especially in Victoria, Sth Australia and Tasmania. But if you closer at the figures there was little difference in all age groups and categories. The big jump was in kids who had played "infrequently" this year. ie the ARU has got a heap more kids playing one or two games at school through their development programs in the AFL states but few of them are actually playing regularly.

 

[russ13]

I think the ARL/NRL have been forced to alter their method of recording playing numbers to fall in line with what the opposition are doing. The AFL & union have so much bulls**t in their playing number stats that to get accurate data of their playing strength the Department of Sports & Tourism has to do surveys.


Here is an extract from the ARL's 2005 Annual Report:

Just to add to that from the official report:

Sponsorship:
- Club sponsorship revenue up 12%
- NRL sponsorship revenue up 39%
- Bundaberg Rum and Sony Playstation 2 have joined the main sponsor family which now includes Telstra, QANTAS, Kelloggs, Harvey Norman, Coca-Cola, Wizard (GE Finance), AAMI and Carlton & United Beverages.

Crowds:
- Crowds have grown by 27% over the past 3 seasons (more than 530,000 extra people)
- Crowd average of 16,484 sets the 3rd successive year of crowd records.
- Origin and Grand Finals both had their earliest ever sellouts

Licensing:
- Up 41% in royalities revenue, excluding the Rugby League video game by end of quarter 2
- Top 5 Selling Clubs are: 1. Bulldogs, 2. Roosters, 3. Broncos, 4. Dragons, 5. Eels
- NRL Merchandise to be expanding in the UK and will be sold in between 70 - 80 outlets by November 2005

TV:
- Origin has provided the top 3 rating shows of any kind in Sydney and Brisbane in 05
- NRL games account for 9 of the top 10 subscription TV programs in 05
- More than 3.9 million different viewers have watched RL match coverage on Fox Sports.

Radio:
- Commercial coverage expanded to Perth and Melbourne in 05
- ABC network takes coverage to more that 500,000 listeners across NSW, Queensland and ACT.

Participation:
- Junior participation up for the 4th year in a row
- All Sydney districts were up in numbers (except Manly who were steady)
- Jnr League increases: CRL (up 7%), NSWRL (Up 7.5%), QRL (Up 8%) Affiliated States (Up 11%)
- Including school figures (still to be finalised), Rugby League will have 12% growth in 05, and break the 300K participation barrier for the first time.

Welfare and Education:
- Over 110 players have recieved grants from the NRL to help with the completition of Uni or TAFE courses
- Rookie camp to be kept for next year
- Career transition program has helped 25 players nearing the end of their career help secure their financial future
- All 15 clubs have completed the 'Playing by the Rules Workshop' dealing with sexual ethics
- Alcohol and sexual ethics education programmes have been taken to all U/20's squads.

Community
- NRL has helped 450 charities, clubs and schools with fundraising in 05.
- Legends relay raised $334,419 for the Make a Wish foundation
- Tsunami appeal - over $100,000 raised
- Heart Foundation - $75,000 raised
- Breast Cancer Foundation - $110,000 raised

Here is the addendum to the report about playing numbers:

RUGBY LEAGUE JUNIOR PARTICIPATION 2005

> up for the 4th year in a row (18,000 new players since 2002)

> total participation in clubs & schools for 2005 is 322,560

Actual junior numbers (ie aged 6-18):

> Queensland (QRL) - up 8% - 33,765
> New South Wales - up 7% - 71,283 - (NSWRL 32,681; NSWCRL 38,682)
> Affiliated States (NT WA SA VIC) - up 11% - 3,552

I was just wondering how many of the playing numbers are just for one off games like the 50,000 for union.

Also the ARL/NRL should form some alignment with the Australian Touch Association. If that game isn't an abbreviated game of RL what is? Union include their 7s & the AFL has their Auskick number included in their playing numbers.

http://www.austouch.com.au/

 

[russ13]

Speaking about Touch Football, I found this article about the Touch Team for Kempsey - Greg Inglis's home town.

http://www.news.com.au/sundaytelegraph/story/0,22049,20894886-5006066,00.html

THE weed-infested Macleay River is the unlikeliest spring for freakish footballing talent.

But having tossed up Greg Inglis last year, the same brown waters are again bubbling with a new generation of stars raised from the same well as the NRL's hottest prospect.

After claiming every touch football title available to them this year, a young team made up entirely of Inglis' relatives has thrust the Mid-North Coast town of Kempsey to the edge of becoming league's greatest nursery.

In March, the all-Aboriginal side was crowned national under-20 champions at the Australian titles in Coffs Harbour.

Last weekend they doubled up, laughing and jinking their way past 15 rivals to the state title at Port Macquarie.

Three of all-conquering side – brothers Mikey and Richard Davis and Malcolm Webster Jr – are Inglis' cousins.

But co-coach Malcolm Webster Sr – the Melbourne Storm star's uncle – confirmed the family tree's roots extend throughout the entire team.

"It goes on and on and on . . . everyone is related somehow," he said. "I don't think it's really sunk in what they've achieved. They are the best team in NSW and Australia and they're still the same, mucking about together everyday."

Accordingly, there was no gala celebration to mark the historic double for a team that arrived at last weekend's titles in the local Aboriginal health services bus.

Instead of a civic reception, the boys were last night treated to their pick of the Kempsey Macleay RSL's delectable smorgasbord. "We'll probably bring $20 along each and order up big," said Webster Sr yesterday.

Before gobsmacking the NRL, Inglis tuned his masterful skills in touch beside the older members of the current team.

They spent endless days together at nearby Crescent Head beach or "down the river" honing their already outlandish natural talents.

Mikey Davis, 20, also attended John Hunter Sports High in Newcastle with his more illustrious cousin. He maintains any of the team could emulate Inglis but the town's anti-social honeypot of high unemployment and binge drinking is a significant barrier.

"I grew up with Greg and never expected him to be as far high up as he is now," Davis said. "If he can get there from Kempsey, we can too.

"A lot of boys in this town have the potential – it's just that they hang out with the wrong type of people.

"There's nothing to do in this town, so this keeps us occupied. To be honest, I'd probably be up to trouble if it wasn't for footy."

While Inglis is a magnet for new fans, his achievements also double as a repellent for his longest-serving admirers.

According to Webster Sr, Inglis' deeds have switched the boys off "running amok in the street". "Greg always had talent oozing out of his body but most of the boys have the same talent," he said.

"The only difference is Greg was more disciplined with his sporting career. There's no difference in talent or ability.

"'Greg has been an inspiration for all the boys in this touch side to make it in the NRL."

Not a double chin or ounce of fat on those kids & it is pleasing to see the code of choice is RL. They all aspire to play in the NRL.

Steve Renouf who is now working for the State Government Sport's department said (in an interview on 4BC last week) that there are literally dozens of kids in the aboriginal settlements in the Queensland bush that have the same potential as Greg Inglis. He is starting a program more of them to play in elite RL competitions.


So if it wasn't patently obvious that RL has the best athletes of all the football codes in Australia this type of evidence confirms it.

 

[russ13]

From Yakstrom in the comments section of the article:

"Lets put forward the official League Statistics for 2006:

Junior Participation: Clubs - 115,492 Schools - 219,884
Senior Participation: Clubs - 34,812
Total Participation: 370,188


Growth for the 4th year in a row and largest ever recorded Rugby League participation figures. I don't think the game is under threat.

Good work to Union for growing their numbers, but lets compare apples with apples.

RL's school figures were made available with the club participation figures, so I don't know how one can say they are unavailable, and next the QRL stats are mixed, the 38,023 are jnr club participants in Queensland, not senior."




What the union journalist was trying to say was the the senior RU players' number was 37,000 to RL's 34,000.

It is a very misleading headline though.

 

[russ13]

The feedback so far:

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/comments/0,23836,20898009-5003409,00.html

Vinay Prakash clearly has no idea about the history of either code of rugby.

Yes - rugby league does owe its existence to rugby union. But not for the reason he suggests.

It was rugby union's refusal to accept the payment of players for "broken time" (look it up if necessary) that saw the games split in 1895.

Certainly rugby league clubs have purchased rugby union players throughout the years (and vice versa for that matter, witness players such as Sella and Bourret in France), but at no time have rugby league national bodies funded such purchases as the ARU continues to do now.

The refusal of rugby union to pay players above the table - as opposed to below it (eg. boot money, shamateurism) - directly contributed to this situation.

It is interesting to consider which sport than completely rejected its own ethos after 100 years in 1996 - and the answer is not rugby league.

By all means follow the sport you wish Mr Prakash, but do some research before displaying your ignorance in public.

As for "having a dig at rugby", who wrote the article in the first place, a rugby union writer or a rugby league one? The title is at best misleading, at worst a gross distortion of the true state of affairs.

Rugby league is now played in more countries than at any other time in its history - a fact which would suggest the growth of the game is not exaggerated or hyperbole.

Posted by: Miguel Sanchez of New York 1:37am today
Comment 23 of 23

Please return Mr Tucker to the remedial mathematics class at his local primary school. Even his fictional figures don't add up!

Posted by: Daniel Emerson of London 11:09pm December 11, 2006
Comment 22 of 23

I wonder if the Union statisticians who compiled these figures are the same geniuses that managed to claim an audience of 1 billion for the Union WC final?

Posted by: Jim 11:04pm December 11, 2006
Comment 21 of 23

I still say Union is such boring spectical compared to League. Sure Union is tough, but the common difference in League is that the Props run upright and hit hard (Love it!),with Union the average front rower just waddles up buries himself in the ruck(BORING as). What we need is a better domestic comp like NZ and S Africa and make it more exciting, get more people to domestic comps like our A league, NRL and AFL. The only question is can the Aussies make Union more exciting to watch like the All Blacks do, I doubt it. So bring on the NRL, and bring on the Origin (Oh, and Go the Mighty Maroons!).

Posted by: Cameron Stone of Bondi NSW 10:22pm December 11, 2006
Comment 20 of 23

Lets put forward the official League Statistics for 2006:

Junior Participation: Clubs - 115,492 Schools - 219,884

Senior Participation: Clubs - 34,812

Total Participation: 370,188

Growth for the 4th year in a row and largest ever recorded Rugby League participation figures. I don't think the game is under threat.

Good work to Union for growing their numbers, but lets compare apples with apples. RL's school figures were made available with the club participation figures, so I don't know how one can say they are unavailable, and next the QRL stats are mixed, the 38,023 are jnr club participants in Queensland, not senior.

Posted by: yak 8:45pm December 11, 2006
Comment 19 of 23

It does not surprise me that same old league fans are having a dig a Rugby. Richard Green has short memories given that league owes its existence of Rugby (poaching players for years).

Like all successfuly business and sports, we must improve with times and rugbys pro-type being trialled in South Africa is structured approch as opposed to league mickey mouse approach to golden point etc. Its a joke.

We have international benchmark in rugby unlike to other code and yes rugby should poach league players (its professional sports, remember).

Go the wallabies, Green and gold all the way.

Posted by: Vinay Prakash of brisbane 7:28pm December 11, 2006
Comment 18 of 23

not having a foot in either camp, most comments below are amusing to say the least and highlights that sport for the sake of it is no longer sport, simply numbers, sponsorship and 'my game is better than yours'. Most amusing is the head in the sand approach by most league followers when it comes the the perceived growth of their game.....I can only assume they venture no further than the Qld border or the southern NSW border, they would certainly be a voice in the wilderness if they left these shores, and please don't mention the strides being made by the Strom in Melbourne.

Posted by: stu of Gold Coast 1:13pm December 11, 2006
Comment 17 of 23

If union is so good and has so may players why do they have to buy league players?

Posted by: Sergiu of Brisbane 12:23pm December 11, 2006
Comment 16 of 23

Poor Jim Tucker, suffering the habitual small man's syndrome that all Unionites are infected with at birth. What makes this all the more disconcerting is that the figures have been manipulated to support sloppy journalism. How can the headline read Rugby outstrips league when you have published the story without all the numbers submitted? "......but has no figure available for players active in schools." Jim if you bothered to research like a couple of your readers you will see that Union is stuggling in comparisson. Why not produce a story about the panic mode the IRB are in, funding a team to COMPLETELY overhaul the rules in a South African school at the moment. The sport is fundamentally flawed and without continued success there is no need to support the game, for the general public. It will always have a place in the back pockets of GPS boys who appreicate their pay packets that get handed to them by an old boys network after school. Rugby is an ancredible bigot when it comes to sport, the way the sport has attempted to stand on the throat of it's every increasingly popular cousin, Rugby League, is a travesty that will hopefully in the long run lead to it's demise. For further details on the prejudices the game has been subjected to. please read; http://www2.umist.ac.uk/sport/SPORTS HIS...16/melling.html

Posted by: Richard Green of Sydney, Australia 9:33am December 11, 2006
Comment 15 of 23

Just to cast some perspective on this story, League has 334,204 players nationwide in 2006.

Posted by: Sam el Perro 5:19am December 11, 2006
Comment 14 of 23

How did the Courier Mail even allow such an obviously incorrect story to be published? Rugby league participation is approximately double that of rugby union in Australia. Shame, shame, shame.

Posted by: Miguel Sanchez of New York 2:53am December 11, 2006
Comment 13 of 23

League and Union and the fans of each code are just plain stupid with trying to outdo one another because the real threat to the codes are AFL and Soccer.I don't think we need 2 codes now.

Posted by: john hudson of brazil 1:45am December 11, 2006
Comment 12 of 23

The way Rugby Union calculate their participation figures would have to be pretty crooked I reckon, then again rah rah is a much easier game to play on the body at senior level so I am not surprised that anybody who hasn't done any sort of physical activity for years could still play quite easily. Neville - you know rugby i the better game, just admit it.

Posted by: tom of Coonabarabran 9:08pm December 10, 2006
Comment 11 of 23

Neville that comment is rubbish. Here is the The 2005 ARL/NRL report about playing numbers: " Participation: - Junior participation up for the 4th year in a row - All Sydney districts were up in numbers (except Manly who were steady) - Jnr League increases: CRL (up 7%), NSWRL (Up 7.5%), QRL (Up 8%) Affiliated States (Up 11%) - Including school figures (still to be finalised), Rugby League will have 12% growth in 05, and break the 300K participation barrier for the first time."

The final report showed: "RUGBY LEAGUE JUNIOR PARTICIPATION 2005

> up for the 4th year in a row (18,000 new players since 2002)

> total participation in clubs & schools for 2005 is 322,560

Actual junior numbers (ie aged 6-18):

> Queensland (QRL) - up 8% - 33,765 > New South Wales - up 7% - 71,283 - (NSWRL 32,681; NSWCRL 38,682) > Affiliated States (NT WA SA VIC) - up 11% - 3,552"

Interim figues for 2006 have RL playing numbers at 360,000. So RL has nearly twice as many players as RU in Australia & is growing at a higher rated i.e. 40,000 increase versus a 20,000 increase.

What the journalist has done in his article is compare RU numbers that includes schools & RL that don't include schools. Also I think RU can take little solace from the fact that 50,000 or so (that's more than 25%) of their playing number only played one game.

Posted by: Russell 7:23pm December 10, 2006
Comment 10 of 23

Neville, League is already bigger nationally. Many people have watched games and must of been dissapointed, hence the dwindling ratings for all its marquee games.

Posted by: Pete 2:59pm December 10, 2006
Comment 9 of 23

Those figures don't make sense. If Qld senior RL players are excluded it means there is a negative number of senior RL players in Australia.

The article has zero credibility. How many of the other figures are dodgy?

Posted by: Paul of Australia 1:01pm December 10, 2006
Comment 8 of 23

Rugby league is obviously a game for Labor Party supporters. This party regulalry indulges in branch stacking - fiddling with the numbers. Seems that it now extends to player registration stacking.

The national league says it has 34,812 senior players. Queensland league says it has 38,023. Queensland is a component state of the national league. "Produce numbers that show we are competitive", is the catch cry. What a bunch of unbelievable boofheads.

Posted by: Bruce of Bananaland 9:29am December 10, 2006
Comment 7 of 23

Funny that. Nrl reckons its league is the best in the game, which I think is blowing its own trumpet.

No wonder all the high profil players are running off to play either rugby or Super League. Latest is Gower. NRL is desparate, I reckon.

Do I hear Rogers is going back?...Last time I checked he is lucky to make bench for Wallabies, needs to earn spot rather than demand but will be lucky to make bench of Berrick Barnes continues to shine in 07.

Rugby has been growing at a furious pace for couple of years now and it will be awesome when new laws start post World Cup and make the game more attractive to new fans both in Australia and globally.

I would finally make critics (most league people), sit up and take notice and realise how beautiful the game really is. It offers contest all the way in every facets of the game compared to League which is rather one-dimensional and bit like 7s footy.

Cannot really wait for rugby post RWC 2007. I know its will be a spectale all the time rather than spectacle when team want it to be.

I wonder what league folks will complain about, salary cap or Channel 9.

I agree with John, Its onwards and upwards for rugby nothwithstanding a less than rugby-friendly australian media.

Posted by: Vinay of brisbane 5:50am December 10, 2006
Comment 6 of 23

Rugby union always has someone to put a ridiculous spin on the popularity of league v union. what a stupid headline. It does not bear out as truthful after looking at the actual figures and how they were obtained.

Posted by: karl juhnke of perth 1:50am December 10, 2006
Comment 5 of 23

It`s great to see the myth of Rugby Leagues strength in Australia shattered once and for all - with such incredible growth in Rugby player numbers since the WC it`s onwards and ipwards for Rugby in Australiai now I guess.

Posted by: john bates of Norway -bagen 11:51pm December 09, 2006
Comment 4 of 23

rob irwin comments on the footy show i agree.but it will never be bigger than rugby internationally or nationally. my advice mate watch a game and you won't be disappointed

Posted by: neville of goodna 5:11pm December 09, 2006
Comment 3 of 23

There is something wrong with these figures. If Queensland has 38,023 senior RL players how can Australia wide total be 34, 812.

Posted by: Russ 12:39pm December 09, 2006
Comment 2 of 23

Lets clean up the image of League!!! Firstly, can I suggest that we get rid of the Footy Show. This "Show" alone is an absolute blight on the game and a blight on Australian society as a whole....we are more intelligent than that. All the signs were there when "Fatty" fell on his head. No offence to Paul Vaughtin, but this show is ony going to attract a small percentage of Australians that are interested in the wonderful game we have. I must admit that I watched it initially, then it became a different genre, turned in a different direction and now it is absolute crap!!!! Where is it appealing to and encouraging ball sport fence sitters to make the change to league? As a family person would you make the change to league after watching the Footy Show? And we need to reach out to all families in the country, not just Footy Show watchers. League is such a spectacular art with many skills attached to the scoring of points and with non-stop action, not like other ball games. It should be so far above others if was marketed more professionally. In both 2005 and 6 we have witnessed some of the greatest moments of league in the history of the game. But unfortunately, this hasn't helped to greatly improve the interest in the game at home or abroad to the level it rightly deserves. Secondly, lets stop the continuous bashing of referees in the live telecasts and in the print media, let them get on with officiating without that added pressure each week. Lets focus on the many positives of the game, not the few low points like the Footy Show and ref bashing. What sort of image is that sending young families that are considering sports for their children to play or are looking for a relaxing afternoon at the local footy ground. Thirdly, Queensland HAS to have a greater role in the running of the game and distribution of resources from the gate receipts or we are doomed.

Posted by: Rob Irwin of Manhattan New York 11:20am December 09, 2006

 

[russ13]

Here is a classic post from a Tasmanian commenting on RU playing numbers in that state:

http://www.austadiums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2497

..Maybe a lot of those 3,383 are juniors, I don't really know.
The only team I knew of that played here was a team called the Hobart Tigers and they owned a big old 1960 Bedford bus with name emblazened down the side.

It was around the same time as the other Hobart Tigers were playing in the TFL still, and we were thinking the footy club must've bought and renovated a big old bus, only to see a whole heap of Maoris & Tongans on board...

 

[russ13]

looks as though the ther ARL have developed the union playing numbers strategt/bull***t:

ARL Participation Report
Thursday, December 21, 2006 - 2:48 PM

Victoria and NSW Country have headlined an impressive set of figures to come out of the Australian Rugby League’s annual participation report, which has demonstrated Rugby League’s ability to encompass a truly national playing base.

The Australian Rugby League’s concerted effort to develop the game within Victoria has resulted in a 138.7% increase in total participation in the region (20,495 participants in 2006, up from 8,587 in 2005), while Victorian school registrations alone have risen 161%.

The NSW Country region enjoyed similar success, with total participants in 2006 reaching 108,518, compared to 98,983 in 2005 – an increase of 9.6%.

The Australian Rugby League’s schools program continues to flourish, with the total participation rate in schools nationally rising by 16.8%, while junior club registrations have also enjoyed a national growth rate of 3.6%.

Significantly, an increase of 37% in total participation rates – i.e at junior and senior levels - within the ARL’s Affiliated States (Victoria, Western Australia, Northern Territory and South Australia) has contributed to a national total participation rate rise of 11.2% (371,557 in 2006, up from 223,204 in 2005), and shown that more kids are experiencing Rugby League than ever before.

Other figures of importance include the success of ARL Development’s Smaller Steps Program, which has resulted in 110,250 children participating in 22,874 clinics held in 2006, and a total of 190,649 taking part in Rugby League Gala Days such as the Legends of League competition and ARLD Cup.

Overall, a total of 874,258 kids received a rugby league experience of some capacity in 2006.

Source: NRL
http://svc002.wic103cx.server-web.com/News/Latest/NewsArticle/tabid/76/NewsId/3785/Default.aspx

 

[yakstorm]

Why have you highlighted the clinics / gala day / school contact numbers of the report and stated these are B/S ?

They are real figures based upon the work ARL Development does. Unlike AFL or Union these numbers aren't included within the Participation numbers which only include those players who take part in Rugby League school and club competitions.

So as we can see, 370,000 played League in 06, but then an additional 110,250 participated in clinics, 190,649 in gala days, both two very important figures, cause regardless whether those kids play any more league or not, at least they have had a taste of it, and may now become fans, future sponsors or what not.

 

[Copa]

Why have you highlighted the clinics / gala day / school contact numbers of the report and stated these are B/S ?

They are real figures based upon the work ARL Development does. Unlike AFL or Union these numbers aren't included within the Participation numbers which only include those players who take part in Rugby League school and club competitions.

So as we can see, 370,000 played League in 06, but then an additional 110,250 participated in clinics, 190,649 in gala days, both two very important figures, cause regardless whether those kids play any more league or not, at least they have had a taste of it, and may now become fans, future sponsors or what not.

110,250 children participating in 22,874 clinics

Over 22,000 clinics??

 

[yakstorm]

Well ARL Development alone has around 63 Development Officers, throw in Queensland DO's, CRL DO's, Affiliated States, ARL and the few NSWRL DO's there is well over 100 of them out there.

They are all full time employees, so are meant to be doing something each day which could easily be constituted as a 'clinic', so each doing roughly 200 a year isn't all that unrealistic.

I know some areas with schools can get 2-3 clinics done in a day, throw in an afternoon clinic with a club and the numbers can be done.

 

[Sydney Carton]

Some of you have not mentioned the social level which is alive and well in rah rah but near non-existent in league. There are a lot of lower grades in subbies rah rah in Brisbane that people play to keep fit.

Subbies league is full of grubs and thugs.

This is a factor in senior playing numbers.

 

[Copa]

Some of you have not mentioned the social level which is alive and well in rah rah but near non-existent in league. There are a lot of lower grades in subbies rah rah in Brisbane that people play to keep fit.

RL needs to have more social games with social rules..

 

[aarondoyle]

Yeah... it's all well and good to say we should have good players, and good competitions etc. But I would love to play spocial RL in Brissy but can't find a comp.

I could play for real I'd be killed

 

[Sydney Carton]

RL needs to have more social games with social rules..

I believe Ipswich has a social grade and the head of the former Southern Division has a keen interest in the concept. If he lands a job in the new combined SEQ Division perhaps Brisbane will have its first Social Grade.