Lost fans to the game

[BunniesMan]

Bagging Leichhardt Oval is ridiculous. The fans rock up there and have a genuine love for the place which isn't the same as Campbelltown. Leichhardt absolutely deserves multiple games per year for the foreseeable future.

 

[Perth Red]

The only loss in nsw was norths but as said many went to souths and by now kids growing up in the old bears territory are buying bulldogs, souths or some other clubs merchandise.

As for souths, you got lucky, no you got very lucky. If you hadn't got lucky with a fan making it in Hollywood and having some rich friends you would undoubtably still be bumbling along on chuck raffles and 10k crowds. Yes it shows that many clubs have untapped potential but how many years do you wait in the hope that one day the stars line up and that potential gets realised? The NRL is clear that other lucrative markets won't be tapped whilst current clubs are unsustainable. Grant expects clubs to be operating on $19-20million incomes. There's a long way to go until some clubs will achieve those things.

 

[butchmcdick]

its a real shame what happened to Rugby League due to the Super League war.

not sure how old most people are but up to 1995 the game was going from strength to strength.

had murodoch not ambushed the game wed still have a club in perth, never lost a lot of the good sydney clubs, have a second brisbane team going for 20 years.

not only have we lost fans in sydney, but look at the crowd drops in the former super league clubs like canberra and broncos, they went to rival sports too.

lucky the game is actually such a good product or wed be close to dead now ie like union is here.

Perhaps if the ARL didn't bury their head up their arses the super league war could of been avoided

There were mistakes from both sides

 

[butchmcdick]

Bagging Leichhardt Oval is ridiculous. The fans rock up there and have a genuinely love for the place which isn't the same as Campbelltown. Leichhardt absolutely deserves multiple games per year for the foreseeable future.

Have u ever been there ?

 

[1 Eyed TEZZA]

I think people are making suggestions based on a couple of really bad crowds. Take it easy, there's no need for drastic change yet.

 

[Packy]

I used to work with a proud Norths supporter who hated Manly with a f**king passion. His interest in Rugby League came to an end when they merged.

this. i don't know a norths fan that grabbed another club. They just gave up.

 

[tumbidragon]

Got a mate who was a Norths fan, who now supports the Eels. Think it was due to a few Bears players moving over to the Eels at the time.

 

[thorson1987]

this. i don't know a norths fan that grabbed another club. They just gave up.

Actually there are a few of us on here.

I guess it depends on how old they were and if their family were bears fans aswell.

 

[undertaker]

Just a couple of things I'd like to share...(long post coming up here)

1)

http://stats.rleague.com/rl/crowds/brisbane.html
http://stats.rleague.com/rl/crowds/lang_vn.html

On the topic of the Broncos,

When the Broncos moved back to Suncorp in 2003, they averaged 28275/home game (not to mention their late season form slump where they lost their last 8 matches of the season). Since then, their average has moderately improved in the following years to 30-35k/home game (peaking with 35032/home game in 2010 - the year the Broncos missed the finals for the first time since 1991).

The Broncos averaged 43200/home game during their first year at QE II Stadium in 1993, the highest seasonal home crowd average of any team in the history of NSWRL/ARL/NRL . During 1993-95 (before the effects of the SL-war on crowds started to show in 1996), there were 5 times (6 if you include the 1997 SL GF) where the Broncos got 50k+ to a match there. Most who have been to both Suncorp and QE II Stadium will agree that Suncorp is by far the better stadium, let alone closer to the CBD.

The question I want to ask is this: Do you believe the Broncos will ever get back to averaging 40k+/home game in a season? If so, what will it take for that to happen? Does it concern you that their blockbuster home match vs Cowboys got 42,303 compared to the 50k+ it got in 2007 and 2008?

I'll continue my 2nd point in the next post

 

[undertaker]

2) On the topic of 1995 that some have mentioned:

http://stats.rleague.com/rl/crowds/1995.html

Interesting to note the Crushers got 21029/home game. Getting back to my original post about the 1994 crowd averages of those merged Sydney teams, combining the 1995 Broncos, Crushers and Seagulls home averages yields a total average of 63713 between those three teams. I know the Seagulls were based in NSW (Tweed Heads) but given their close proximity to SE QLD, I counted them in as they're basically a stone throw's distance across the other side of the NSW-QLD border. Last year, the Broncos and Titans combined averaged 44,508. Do you believe that those people who were originally fans of the Crushers and the Seagulls/Chargers franchised were lost to the game when those teams folded?

Also, the Warriors averaged 26,450/home game, which is more than what the NZ S15 rugby franchises get. Do you believe the Warriors can ever get back to averaging these crowds, especially with them moving more home matches to Eden Park which has a larger capacity than Mt Smart Stadium?

Cowboys averaged 21670/home game. I know the capacity of 1300Smiles Stadium has decreased since 1995, but I do find it interesting that in 1996 (when crowds suffered greatly during the middle of the SL-war), the Cowboys got 27096 to a home match vs Souths (who were crap at the time and continued to be crap until they were kicked out of the comp in 1999), 25068 vs Penrith and 24989 to a Friday night match vs Crushers. The Cowboys were in a battle for the wooden spoon, and Souths/Penrith/Crushers were not in contention for the finals. Now, I don't remember much of the Cowboys at the time as I don't remember Ch9 televising their matches. But, how the hell did they draw 27k to matches vs Souths? If Nth QLD is a rugby league stronghold, why have home crowds declined since then (even after they made they first made the finals in 2004)?

 

[butchmcdick]

Because 1300 smiles is a shithole

 

[umina panther]

I was a Bears fan and gave up as soon as they merged. Lucky I was only 12-13 so I was young enough to pick Penrith ( picked them cause they were down the bottom and I loved Girdler) but I was was any older when it happened I doubt I'd have a team

 

[eozsmiles]

I'm a former norths fan and I never picked up a new team but I didn't give up on the game either. It was extreme and it's a different thing when you don't have a team but it's not the end of the world. There's nothing to get emotional about, in either a good or bad way. For some people that meant game over, but I can find something to get a kick out of. I'm riding the titans and tigers bandwagon at the moment. Both clubs could do with a good year.

I can understand why some fans gave the game away but for me that's like cutting off your nose to spite your face. I like footy, regardless of who is playing.

 

[thorson1987]

I'm a former norths fan and I never picked up a new team but I didn't give up on the game either. It was extreme and it's a different thing when you don't have a team but it's not the end of the world. There's nothing to get emotional about, in either a good or bad way. For some people that meant game over, but I can find something to get a kick out of. I'm riding the titans and tigers bandwagon at the moment. Both clubs could do with a good year.

I can understand why some fans gave the game away but for me that's like cutting off your nose to spite your face. I like footy, regardless of who is playing.

I think it's the majority that either found a new team (us young people) or don't follow a team but still watch NRL or even just watch NSW Cup.

IMO it would be a small minority who no longer have any interest in any level of the game.

 

[El Diablo]

anyone who chose to follow another sport was never a fan of the game

i know two former Norths supporters and one now follows Souths and the other follows the Gold Coast

both are over 50 too

 

[Cammo]

anyone who chose to follow another sport was never a fan of the game

i know two former Norths supporters and one now follows Souths and the other follows the Gold Coast

both are over 50 too

Not entirely true. I know a Norths supporter who is still very involved in his local Rugby League club, but no longer has any interest in the NRL competition.

I would be the same if the Bulldogs were no longer there. Would still be involved in the game as I love the game, but the NRL comp would have very little meaning for me as I could not follow another team.

 

[El Diablo]

Not entirely true. I know a Norths supporter who is still very involved in his local Rugby League club, but no longer has any interest in the NRL competition.

I would be the same if the Bulldogs were no longer there. Would still be involved in the game as I love the game, but the NRL comp would have very little meaning for me as I could not follow another team.

i said anyone who went and followed another sport

 

[undertaker]

I think it's the majority that either found a new team (us young people) or don't follow a team but still watch NRL or even just watch NSW Cup.

IMO it would be a small minority who no longer have any interest in any level of the game.

During my early high school years, I recall going to 4 matches involving the Northern Eagles:

Northern Eagles vs Melbourne at Gosford, 2000
Newcastle vs Northern Eagles at Newcastle, 2001
Northern Eagles vs Newcastle at Gosford, 2001
Newcastle vs Northern Eagles at Newcastle, 2002

From those 4 matches I went to, although I saw the Eagles fans in either the Northern Eagles or old Manly Sea Eagles jerseys, I don't ever recall seeing one person in a Norths jersey. I wonder why that is? Do you think the Norths fans believed that their fate was doomed once their team entered into the merger?

 

[Cammo]

i said anyone who went and followed another sport

Yea, and he watches the A-League more than the NRL now as he has a team he is passionate about in that comp, despite liking Rugby League more as a game and has no involvement in any soccer clubs.

The fact is people are passionate about their teams, and when their team leaves people will react differently. I can't see how that means that during the time their team was in that they were any less a fan than anyone else.

He went to every Norths home game, that is far more of a fan than many people on this forum

 

[I Bleed Maroon]

97 was honestly a complete flub. The Rams? Yes, they deserved to go. The Bears? Arguable (I wouldn't have chopped them. One of the other sydney teams that were performing more poorly would have went) but the Reds? That was a disgraceful decision that set League in WA back decades.

Norths and Illawarra technically still exist, so I'm not sure if their fans have merit to be angry enough to ditch the code in that regard. I do feel for the Bears supporters though. I strongly believe you should only be let back in at the cost of another Sydney club and I stand by that, but had it been me, you wouldn't have gone in the first place.