Why is that the case? Is money an issue or are just plain lazy and take their supporters for granted?
The players should be going to schools and having clinics, etc. and in no time they would become a Panthers fans.
I am very disappointed to read this, especially in an area the new afl team will target.
It's a similar reason as happens in Melbourne with newer AFL clubs.
Carlton, Collingwood & Essendon have been around since day dot and people grew up with their families supporting these clubs. It's often a father > son thing and it gets passed on down the line.
Clubs such as Hawthorn and North Melbourne came later and as such the areas they were moving into already were filled with people who supported other clubs. Or alternatively they were growth areas where people had moved from other areas and brought tribal loyalties with them.
A lack of on field success compounds this problem. Hawthorn enjoy larger members than say Norths - but they've been more successful. But give them a lean period and their core of supporters drops well below what Carltons or Collingwoods would.
It's the same in Penrith. The club started later than Souths, St George, the Tigers, etc. Also Penrith is a growth area. Alot of people who live there have moved out from say the South Sydney, St George or Eastern Suburbs areas. These people bring their tribal loyalites with them and many kids follow who mum / dad follow.
For Penrith to really grab a strangle hold on the area the club need a period of prolonged success - finals appearances etc. They also need for 2nd and 3rd generations to be in the area. Born and bred offspring of born and bred people tend to veer towards local teams. How many of Penriths 300,000 had parents and grandparents born in the area? I doubt if it would be half that number.
Penrith have everything in place to take advantage of their huge demographic area - but they need success and a bit more time before those numbers translate into a truly huge supporter base.
