How do we get the crowds to internationals?

[Thatwasnthighref]

The crowds will come if the Kangaroos start to get beaten regularly and if internationals are played often enough to build rivalries.

Yea agree. Plus its hard for fans to become more invested if players aren't either.

The players say all the right things and I'm sure there's pride in the Roo jersey - but lets be honest... if only allowed to pick one, how many would turn down an Origin jersey in favour of a test one?

Game needs to prioritise test footy and the players need to prioritise test footy. If/when that leads to meaningful contests, then fans will start to prioritise it too.

Dunno if it'll ever get there though tbh.

 

[shadowformz]

Australian league fans are well aware we are the only country that play it at a high level and have no interest in watching the Kangaroos belt everyone by 30+

The crowds will come if the Kangaroos start to get beaten regularly and if internationals are played often enough to build rivalries.

And the players selected actually want to play for the kangaroos. I'm so sick of seeing half the team refusing to sing the national anthem. Fill the team with players that are proud to be Australian.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

England does pretty well for TV viewers when on FTA TV over here.

We also do alright in World Cup’s as well for actual attendances . The lowest World Cup crowd in 2021 was 18,760 in Sheffield, which isn’t a rugby league city (plus it was Greece as opponents) and 22,276 in 2013. The big issue is the rest of the time. 15k and 16k against Samoa, 11k, 12k and 15k against Tonga and then there’s 8k and 5k against France in England and crowds of 4k and 9k when the ridiculous Combined Nations were revived.

Our issue is basically just everything with the game. We don’t typically organise games well in advance so can’t sell tickets in advance, our opponents are limited for mid-season games because the French are awful and England have a God complex and believe they should be playing better nations despite being abysmal themselves and we don’t have the history or heritage behind tests compared to how we do with the Ashes. The 4 Nations were good for England and attendances but sadly that went.

Hopefully we are starting to learn the lessons. The Ashes are a good example, announce it early, get the tickets on sale and promote it. I'd go further and lock a Kangaroo tour in every four years in England from now on. Should be a given that we get this every year:

Pac Championships plus one of NZ, Tonga, Samoa or Australia touring England AND France on rotation. The only exception to this should be a world cup year.

Maybe it can be

Y1: England host Tonga and Samoa in a 4 Nations with France.
Y2: England v Kiwis series/ both play France once
Y3: England v Kangaroos series / both play France once
Y4: WC

I sent Tonga and Samoa to England together to make sure both get to tour once every cycle, plus it would be a cracking tournament. In that year, I would just have a Australia v NZ three test series to decide the Pacific Champions for the year (another series that needs to return to the calendar).

Put this in place in perpetuity until something changes (i.e. PNG develop enough to start touring, France develops enough to form an annual tri nations with England and the touring side).

 

[siv]

The only problem with that idea is that Samoa and Tonga will be without thier Origin players.

Thier games will lose appeal for fans with thier B team. And theyll get smashed by NZ

Simple answer

Origin to include players who want to play for Australia

 

[Thatwasnthighref]

Simple answer

Origin to include players who want to play for Australia

Why hasnt the NRL already made that change though? Why are they instead considering the opposite?

Is it really an altruistic desire to promote and grow the game in the Pacific Islands and NZ?

Or are they quietly concerned that, if forced to choose, a lot of these players might not actually choose Origin...?

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Why hasnt the NRL already made that change though? Why are they instead considering the opposite?

Is it really an altruistic desire to promote and grow the game in the Pacific Islands and NZ?

Or are they quietly concerned that, if forced to choose, a lot of these players might not actually choose Origin...?

Probably a bit of both

 

[shadowformz]

Why hasnt the NRL already made that change though? Why are they instead considering the opposite?

Is it really an altruistic desire to promote and grow the game in the Pacific Islands and NZ?

Or are they quietly concerned that, if forced to choose, a lot of these players might not actually choose Origin...?

I can't help but feel that the NRL want to guarantee that all the best players are playing origin. The problem with this is that it'll slowly change origin to nothing more then a glorified all stars game with zero passion from the players. I can see the real passion emerging in the international tests, with the old 80's-90's passion occuring there. The problem with this is that the kangaroos team will become the All Whites.

 

[Last Week]

Also, maybe just have a schedule that everyone knows about? I don't even know if or when the Kiwis are playing this year and whether they'll be close to the best available team.

This is the precise issue.

The ARLC don't give a shit about international league apart from the jersey sales that Tonga and Samoa bring in.

There was absolutely no reason why the schedule for this year's Pacific Championships couldn't have been organized the week after last year's final. But here we are, less than 3 months until the competition is supposed to start and we don't even know when and where matches will be played.

 

[Last Week]

Add to that, bringing back the Anzac Test and putting it on the stage it deserves by playing it on Anzac Day.

Thatll give int footy credability and show the fans the NRL is serious about it.....

But NO!, the NRL prefer club games.

The success of all the ANZAC Day games has affirmed that there is no chance of it ever being an international fixture again. Shame really.

 

[Taking The Two]

Hopefully we are starting to learn the lessons. The Ashes are a good example, announce it early, get the tickets on sale and promote it. I'd go further and lock a Kangaroo tour in every four years in England from now on. Should be a given that we get this every year:

Pac Championships plus one of NZ, Tonga, Samoa or Australia touring England AND France on rotation. The only exception to this should be a world cup year.

Maybe it can be

Y1: England host Tonga and Samoa in a 4 Nations with France.
Y2: England v Kiwis series/ both play France once
Y3: England v Kangaroos series / both play France once
Y4: WC

I sent Tonga and Samoa to England together to make sure both get to tour once every cycle, plus it would be a cracking tournament. In that year, I would just have a Australia v NZ three test series to decide the Pacific Champions for the year (another series that needs to return to the calendar).

Put this in place in perpetuity until something changes (i.e. PNG develop enough to start touring, France develops enough to form an annual tri nations with England and the touring side).

I’d just love to see one of these 4 year international calendars that get announced, stuck to and actually take place. That way people know what’s happening, they know (roughly) when it’s happening and we can build up to what’s happening in that window.

Personally, I really enjoyed the Tri-Nations and then the Four Nations when that happened. I think we’re at a stage now where we’ve probably got enough nations of a sufficient quality to have some form of Six/Seven Nations with England, Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji and PNG.

 

[siv]

Why hasnt the NRL already made that change though? Why are they instead considering the opposite?

Is it really an altruistic desire to promote and grow the game in the Pacific Islands and NZ?

Or are they quietly concerned that, if forced to choose, a lot of these players might not actually choose Origin...?

They are concerned that International RL will return as the pinacle of the game and Origin will return to its prior Interstate status

Rather than a All-Stars game which is where it's heading

Just look at the NFL this year

It became a "tag" game

 

[titoelcolombiano]

I’d just love to see one of these 4 year international calendars that get announced, stuck to and actually take place. That way people know what’s happening, they know (roughly) when it’s happening and we can build up to what’s happening in that window.

Personally, I really enjoyed the Tri-Nations and then the Four Nations when that happened. I think we’re at a stage now where we’ve probably got enough nations of a sufficient quality to have some form of Six/Seven Nations with England, Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji and PNG.

4 Nations was awesome

 

[Coastbloke]

So many variants, I have no answers. Just the same opinions already stated on here.

Currently having a beer at my local on the NSW Central Coast (Rugby League heartland) Posters up on the wall ‘Go the Wallabies.’ They had the same at Origin..

No such posters for the Kangaroos in last years Pacific Championships and I’ll bet nothing for the Ashes tour..

 

[Billythekid]

For me there are a few key things. The first and biggest one is the game taking it seriously. It’s incredibly obvious that the people running the game just don’t take it seriously and that trickles down. If you’re not willing to actually make a concerted effort to push international games it ain’t gonna happen. You can’t expect the fans to be keen when the administrators, media and high profile figures in the game treat it like shit.

The next biggest has to be some sort of regular schedule. Now we can argue all day exactly what that needs to be but honestly I think that matters less than just making it regular and announcing it in advance. Announcing it so late makes it all feel like Mickey Mouse bullshit and doesn’t give fans enough time to plan around attending.

Also international sport is all about rivalries and you build that by playing regularly and allowing narratives to flourish.

Lastly I do think as much as people dismiss it the kangaroos winning so much hurts us. Comparisons to the all blacks are misguided IMO as there are a few key differences. Firstly no matter how dominate they are NZ are a small country and in some way it still feels like an impressive feat that they continue to dominate they’re sport.

Secondly union is viewed as a proper international game (whether we like it or not). Dominating in a sport that is seen as a global sport with genuine competition isn’t seen as a negative.

If the Socceroos won the next 3 world cups you wouldn’t see Australian fans get bored, their popularity would f**king explode.

The problem is international rugby league is viewed closer to something like baseball. Australia is this big rich country and really the only major player in league just beating up on everyone else. Is that fair? It doesn’t matter. Having other teams regularly beat or compete with Australia will help change that narrative.

I don’t see it ever happening but if the ESL ever managed to grow closer to the NRL or if the NH teams actually became more competitive that would change international league forever I think.

 

[Perth Red]

RFL got on the front foot with ashes and have sold over 100k tickets. Meanwhile zero tickets sold for the pacific comp due to nrl still not making them available,