2013 Memberships

[Timmah]

A lot of SCGT members never turn up to anything except the Sydney test in January, an ODI and maybe 1-2 Swans games. :lol:

 

[Big Sam]

You gloat about all your members, yet in 2012 - your most successful season in over 20 years - your club averaged around 2,000 more per game than Manly. More than twice as many members yet only about 12% more in attendances. In 2011 it was only a difference of about 1,000. Seems that even your members don't care. Souffs get less people to their games than they have members and if you factor in away supporters, that's a lot of members that don't bother going to games.

http://stats.rleague.com/rl/crowds/2012.html

Manly - 14593
Souths - 18904

A bit more than 2k/game isn't it?

 

[papabear]

It's funny watching manly and easts fans trying to dance around the fact that despite their success they are a poorly suPported clubs.

 

[applesauce]

One thing that is never mentioned when we discuss member numbers is the high percentage of Roosters fans that are SCG Trust members

If you are a member of the SCG Trust you are given the following:-

GOLD Member ticket - access to Roosters, Swans, Waratahs, Sydney FC, NSW cricket + tennis courts, gym etc
GOLD Guest ticket - guest ticket for Roosters, Swans, Waratahs, Sydney FC, NSW cricket etc + tennis courts, gym etc
Club cards x 2 - access to Roosters and NSW cricket + tennis courts, gym etc

So if you are a member of the trust you get 4 tickets to every Roosters home game. I often ask guys at work who are Roosters fans if they've got their memberships and they merely reply, no need because they're members of the trust :?

Same can be said for Suncorp Stadium members ($1500) gets you every event held in the place (with a few exceptions eg a 2nd SoO game is extra).

 

[papabear]

Manly - 14593
Souths - 18904

A bit more than 2k/game isn't it?

Way more also weren't manly reigning premiers and had there crowd figures boosted by an artificially high crowd in Perth.

All in all if manly aren't winning trophies they aren't relevant to rugby league.

 

[firechild]

Manly - 14593
Souths - 18904

A bit more than 2k/game isn't it?

My mistake, I looked across to the H&A column. Still not as big a difference as the memberships would suggest. And in 2011 Manly had a higher average than Souffs despite substantially lower membership.

 

[firechild]

Way more also weren't manly reigning premiers and had there crowd figures boosted by an artificially high crowd in Perth.

All in all if manly aren't winning trophies they aren't relevant to rugby league.

Good thing Manly historically don't spend much time achieving mediocrity. Longest period between GF appearances was 1997-2007 and that was with the NE years thrown in the middle.

 

[yobbo84]

To continue on that tact completely ignores his main point - that South Sydney have a higher membership base than crowd average. That means, particularly when away fans are accounted for, that there are A LOT of members who actually DO NOT go to games.

In my mind, and in the minds of many, that's a significant issue the Bunnies have to address - because there's a shitload MORE money to be made on that front.

You're a battler. Firstly, our average crowds are much higher than our TICKETED membership count.

Secondly, if thousands of people want to become non-ticketed members (essentially a $90 donation to the club), then that's brilliant. Something the Bulldogs could do much better.

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

Way more also weren't manly reigning premiers and had there crowd figures boosted by an artificially high crowd in Perth.

All in all if manly aren't winning trophies they aren't relevant to rugby league.

I think that applies to many clubs don't you think? What were Souths' crowds like before Rusty took over? They've had a couple of good seasons coupled with high expectations. Be interesting how they fare if things don't go well.

 

[Big Sam]

I think that applies to many clubs don't you think? What were Souths' crowds like before Rusty took over? They've had a couple of good seasons coupled with high expectations. Be interesting how they fare if things don't go well.

Membership grew most significantly between 2008 and 2011 when we didn't make the finals so I'd expect numbers to at least be maintained if we went through a rough patch.

As for the pre-takeover average crowds, we had:

2002 - 14,790 (4th best in the NRL)
2003 - 9,524 (worst in the NRL but only 100 short of the next worst Melbourne)
2004 - 11,380 (11th best in the NRL)
2005 - 12,028 (14th best)
2006 - 10,612 (14th best)

Source: http://stats.rleague.com/rl/crowds/souths.html

Those crowds are pretty good considering we had 3 wooden spoons (4 really) in that period. If a lot of other clubs performed that poorly they'd have had significantly less.

 

[CowboyFuriousFury]

The NRL needs to be aggressively marketing memberships in the lead up to round 1, it's nice to see growth from some clubs but at the same it can be continually improve. Improvement in growth the next couple of years is the goal.

The likes of the Broncos, Bulldogs, Manly should be way way better considering the success they have good on Souths for there commitment to membership. The Cowboys hopefully will improve too since we have the best squad yet in the history of the club but the damn drug scandal is a black cloud in NQ currently.

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

Membership grew most significantly between 2008 and 2011 when we didn't make the finals so I'd expect numbers to at least be maintained if we went through a rough patch.

As for the pre-takeover average crowds, we had:

2002 - 14,790 (4th best in the NRL)
2003 - 9,524 (worst in the NRL but only 100 short of the next worst Melbourne)
2004 - 11,380 (11th best in the NRL)
2005 - 12,028 (14th best)
2006 - 10,612 (14th best)

Source: http://stats.rleague.com/rl/crowds/souths.html

Those crowds are pretty good considering we had 3 wooden spoons (4 really) in that period. If a lot of other clubs performed that poorly they'd have had significantly less.

According to the link you provided, we had a crowd average of 12,876 in 2009, our wooden spoon year and apparently we have no fans. Doesn't that demonstrate that Souths crowds are as vulnerable as anyone else? Souths are looking good but things can turn. Souths fans during their golden era wouldn't have imagined at the time, what their club was going to go through eventually. Nothing's forever Sam.

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

 

[firechild]

No doubt being kicked out of the comp has affected the membership numbers of Souffs. They are a big club and will always do well but in years to come as that becomes a distant memory, I think they will drop back to the pack and fall behind several clubs including the dogs and Parra.

 

[RWB]

My mistake, I looked across to the H&A column. Still not as big a difference as the memberships would suggest. And in 2011 Manly had a higher average than Souffs despite substantially lower membership.

Not to mention there's a far higher profit margin in tickets compared to memberships.

So long as Manly are still getting decent crowds which ~14,000 is then I don't see the issue.

 

[Big Sam]

According to the link you provided, we had a crowd average of 12,876 in 2009, our wooden spoon year and apparently we have no fans. Doesn't that demonstrate that Souths crowds are as vulnerable as anyone else? Souths are looking good but things can turn. Souths fans during their golden era wouldn't have imagined at the time, what their club was going to go through eventually. Nothing's forever Sam.

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

One wooden spoon year is not comparable to virtually 4 wooden spoons in 5 seasons.

No doubt being kicked out of the comp has affected the membership numbers of Souffs.

Rubbish. Membership numbers between the 90s and 2005 (i.e. pre and post-exile) would've been very similar. What changed was the long term membership strategy the club decided to implement in 2007, before other clubs and even the NRL had cottoned on to the fact that memberships are a great source of revenue. We were probably one of the first clubs to have TVCs for our memberships and establish a loyalty programme. For that reason we were able to have such high growth despite not making the finals for 4 seasons.

I think they will drop back to the pack and fall behind several clubs including the dogs and Parra.

Again, I wholeheartedly disagree. If the club's membership base has widened so dramatically during a non-successful on-field period, we can easily be the first to crack 40k if we actually win the comp in the next 3 seasons. In fact, by the end of the decade, I can easily see us, Brisbane, Canterbury, and Parramatta (and St Merge if they sort out their stadium strategy) having over 40k members each.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

You gloat about all your members, yet in 2012 - your most successful season in over 20 years - your club averaged around 2,000 more per game than Manly. More than twice as many members yet only about 12% more in attendances. In 2011 it was only a difference of about 1,000. Seems that even your members don't care. Souffs get less people to their games than they have members and if you factor in away supporters, that's a lot of members that don't bother going to games.

http://stats.rleague.com/rl/crowds/2012.html

Mate, I never gloat about Souths numbers.

And I don't bag anyone's numbers.

And the comment I made about Manly was to highlight the "silliness" of his comment.

All clubs should be encouraged by the NRL to boost membership numbers AND the clubs should encourage fans to do it. Souths have been very active in this dept (over the past 4-5 years [esp in the existing member referring new members to SSFC]). I don't know about other clubs but I'd imagine they'd be doing the same now.

I also got tired of begging my SS workmates who could afford it to sign up and become a member. Just a member. They say they'd die for the club but aren't a member...BS! And there's plenty of reasons why people aren't members / ticket holders, and that is cool too.

And at the end of the day, I want all clubs to have more members so every game I go to, Souths involved or not, there's a big crowd with plenty of atmosphere.

 

[papabear]

Good thing Manly historically don't spend much time achieving mediocrity. Longest period between GF appearances was 1997-2007 and that was with the NE years thrown in the middle.

True. It will be interesting what happens when they suck for a bit

 

[The Mad Hatter]

True. It will be interesting what happens when they suck for a bit

I've always wondered that about the Brisbane Broncos.

It's not like they've ever had lean/spoon years like the rest of us out there.

And sure, they missed the 8, what once in the past 20+ years...

 

[Feej]

In my mind, and in the minds of many, that's a significant issue the Bunnies have to address - because there's a shitload MORE money to be made on that front.

Maybe if the allowed pets into the stadium?

 

[Lockyer4President!]

Can't believe people are knocking Souths for having non-ticketed members... It's just silly, I wish every club had their 'problem'.

I've always wondered that about the Brisbane Broncos.

It's not like they've ever had lean/spoon years like the rest of us out there.

And sure, they missed the 8, what once in the past 20+ years...

1999 showed that everyone loves the underdog.