2025 Crowd Watch

[Senor M]

They should play prelims in Melbourne at Docklands again.

That would require the NRL to have foresight of the possibility of a Storm home prelim and book Marvel in advance.
Currently Marvel Stadium isn’t maintaining the grass and is using the precinct for a pop-up pickleball venue & corporate dining.

 

[newc18]

They should play prelims in Melbourne at Docklands again.

I don't like the idea of making the experience worse for the supporters there just to fit more people in.

 

[Timmah]

They should play prelims in Melbourne at Docklands again.

Hate to break it to you, but Marvel is a poorer experience.

Give me a capacity AAMI any day over a 2/3rds full Marvel.

 

[Jonno]

A Grand Final that doesn't sell out is an embarrassing look for the game, so I don't like seeing it and I want a matchup that

When has the GF ever been an “embarrassing look for the game”?
Excluding 2020 and 2021 restricted covid years, only 2017 wasn't a sell out (79,722) and I dont recall seeing swathes of empty seats.
Maybe a few keyboard warriors from Melbourne like to bring it up when there is a few hundred empty seats.

 

[Sky_Is_The_Limit]

When crowds are up and TV ratings are up, there isn’t much to be embarrassed about…

 

[Captain Apollo]

Hate to break it to you, but Marvel is a poorer experience.

Give me a capacity AAMI any day over a 2/3rds full Marvel.

Also, the AFL wouldn't allow it to be brought into a rectangular configuration. They'd ensure the ground would be kept as an oval, making it an even worse experience for the fan attending a rugby league game there.

 

[Lidcombe Bull]

That would require the NRL to have foresight of the possibility of a Storm home prelim and book Marvel in advance.
Currently Marvel Stadium isn’t maintaining the grass and is using the precinct for a pop-up pickleball venue & corporate dining.

Ahh that does make it challenging

 

[newc18]

When has the GF ever been an “embarrassing look for the game”?
Excluding 2020 and 2021 restricted covid years, only 2017 wasn't a sell out (79,722) and I dont recall seeing swathes of empty seats.
Maybe a few keyboard warriors from Melbourne like to bring it up when there is a few hundred empty seats.

People can make excuses, but last year was embarrassing, especially when we keep calling ourselves the biggest sport in the country. It's supposed to be our biggest showcase of the competition.

I'm going to try and keep the faith that this year is different, especially with the the huge growth in television and streaming.

 

[Lidcombe Bull]

Yeah fair point

Also, the AFL wouldn't allow it to be brought into a rectangular configuration. They'd ensure the ground would be kept as an oval, making it an even worse experience for the fan attending a rugby league game there.

 

[Senor M]

Also, the AFL wouldn't allow it to be brought into a rectangular configuration. They'd ensure the ground would be kept as an oval, making it an even worse experience for the fan attending a rugby league game there.

Why wouldn’t the AFL allow the stadium to be in rectangular configuration?

The next full stadium events at Marvel Stadium will likely be in the rectangular configuration (I haven’t looked at seating maps), as the concert configuration last spring was rectangular.

Understandably the AFL doesnt want to change the configuration in the middle of their season, but IF the NRL was proactive an arranged for the Storm’s final home game (during the last round of the NRL & the AFL bye round) and any potential Storm finals at Marvel with foresight (ask a year in advance, not in August) then I suspect the AFL will agree

 

[Canard]

Also, the AFL wouldn't allow it to be brought into a rectangular configuration. They'd ensure the ground would be kept as an oval, making it an even worse experience for the fan attending a rugby league game there.

Given its the off season they likely would but.

It's only good for like 10,000 of the 55k seat venue.

AAMI with ~30k is one of the best venues in our sport for viewing and atmosphere.

Docklands is like 28th on that same list.

 

[Jonno]

People can make excuses, but last year was embarrassing, especially when we keep calling ourselves the biggest sport in the country. It's supposed to be our biggest showcase of the competition.

I'm going to try and keep the faith that this year is different, especially with the the huge growth in television and

2024 was above 80,000 and official capacity now is around 80,500 since they removed a stack of seats with that scoreboard.
So what, a few hundred individual seats didn't sell.
Hardly an embarrassment.

 

[newc18]

2024 was above 80,000 and official capacity now is around 80,500 since they removed a stack of seats with that scoreboard.
So what, a few hundred individual seats didn't sell.
Hardly an embarrassment.

Lets agree to disagree then shall we.

Hopefully we get a Broncos win tomorrow to freshen things up a bit.

 

[Captain Apollo]

Why wouldn’t the AFL allow the stadium to be in rectangular configuration?

The next full stadium events at Marvel Stadium will likely be in the rectangular configuration (I haven’t looked at seating maps), as the concert configuration last spring was rectangular.

Understandably the AFL doesnt want to change the configuration in the middle of their season, but IF the NRL was proactive an arranged for the Storm’s final home game (during the last round of the NRL & the AFL bye round) and any potential Storm finals at Marvel with foresight (ask a year in advance, not in August) then I suspect the AFL will agree

They run the ground and also own it is one reason. Secondly it was announced a few years back the ground would be kp[et in a oval configuration at "all times" so that (and this is the reason I remember being given at the time) it didn't negatively impact the turf where the stands would come in for the rectangular configuration.

The AFL wouldn't do the NRL any favours in relation to using a ground that the AFL now own.

 

[Wb1234]

They run the ground and also own it is one reason. Secondly it was announced a few years back the ground would be kp[et in a oval configuration at "all times" so that (and this is the reason I remember being given at the time) it didn't negatively impact the turf where the stands would come in for the rectangular configuration.

The AFL wouldn't do the NRL any favours in relation to using a ground that the AFL now own.

There some agreement with the vic govt about giving other codes access

Dunno why they would turn away money when the ground isn’t being used it certainly wouldn’t be cheap

 

[Billythekid]

Aami park is perfectly fine for prelims. This isn’t a team playing out of a dumpster suburban ground with sub 20K capacity with a world class stadium just up the road. Even if the storm managed to pack marvel out (they wouldn’t) it would be a far worse experience both at the ground and on TV. 30K is also fine for a prelim IMO.

Bigger isn’t inherently better. The reason people focus on Sydney is because the stadiums aren’t just bigger they’re also significantly better and as such tend to draw in more people and give a better experience at the ground and on TV.

 

[Senor M]

They run the ground and also own it is one reason. Secondly it was announced a few years back the ground would be kp[et in a oval configuration at "all times" so that (and this is the reason I remember being given at the time) it didn't negatively impact the turf where the stands would come in for the rectangular configuration.

The AFL wouldn't do the NRL any favours in relation to using a ground that the AFL now own.

You do realise that Marvel Stadium had the seats in a rectangular configuration for 2 months at the end of 2024?

It was rectangular to Coldplay and for the RMIT graduation ceremonies in December.

Yes— Marvel Stadium won’t be switched to a rectangular set up during the middle of the AFL season. But once the H&A season is done there is nothing stopping the NRL using the ground and getting the stadium into a rectangular configuration.

The owner of the stadium (in the case the AFL) want to make money from the venue— pretending that they are “petty” enough to deny access to another sporting code is ridiculous.

Storm played games there only 2 years ago when AAMI Park was unavailable.

 

[CAS]

When crowds are up and TV ratings are up, there isn’t much to be embarrassed about…

Trust me, there are some utter tools on this thread who will find something to moan about, 150 thousand crowd, should have been 150 thousand and a 100, its embarrassing.

 

[Wb1234]

Aami park is perfectly fine for prelims. This isn’t a team playing out of a dumpster suburban ground with sub 20K capacity with a world class stadium just up the road. Even if the storm managed to pack marvel out (they wouldn’t) it would be a far worse experience both at the ground and on TV. 30K is also fine for a prelim IMO.

Bigger isn’t inherently better. The reason people focus on Sydney is because the stadiums aren’t just bigger they’re also significantly better and as such tend to draw in more people and give a better experience at the ground and on TV.

If storm keep growing then they should take a prelim there

For now aami is the perfect size but if they could get an extra 24k in they would be mad not to do it

You’re talking about potentially 2 million dollars extra ticket revenue even if the ground costs more to hire

 

[newc18]

It's pretty funny seeing the same people who don't want the Broncos or Maroons to play games at the new Olympic Stadium now want the Storm to move a prelim to Marvel.

They have an awesome purpose built stadium in AAMI Park. There is no need to create an inferior atmosphere so they can sell 10-15k more tickets.