2016 Crowd Watch

[Billythekid]

61,818 for those wondering.

Fantastic crowd. It's a shame the NRL don't work to get big crowds like that. I don't think the A league is taking over, it's clearly still a minor sport in this country and yet they can pull a crowd like that. It should leave the NRL questioning why we struggle to.

The support is definitely there it's just about getting them to the game.

 

[T-Boon]

Fantastic crowd. It's a shame the NRL don't work to get big crowds like that. I don't think the A league is taking over, it's clearly still a minor sport in this country and yet they can pull a crowd like that. It should leave the NRL questioning why we struggle to.

The support is definitely there it's just about getting them to the game.

The NFL have found that there is a direct correlation between points scored in a game and crowds that attend the game. As points go up, attendance goes up. So they have a philosophy of making rule changes that favour offence, passing and touch downs. When patterns emerge that defines is getting on top they change the rules.

Since the wrestle has taken over in RL points have declined and so have attendances when they should have gone up (due to increased revenue and membership drives).

The simplest thing RL can do to increase crowds across the board is make rule changes that favour offence, passing and point scoring. The average points scored in a game at present is approximately 41. We should get that up to about 55.

That would bring big crowds because the game looks great when line breaks are bing made and risks are being taken. The game looks extremely boring when teams are risk averse and obsessed with wrestling tactics.

NRL needs to make rule changes that favour attack.

 

[Warriors Fever]

The NFL have found that there is a direct correlation between points scored in a game and crowds that attend the game. As points go up, attendance goes up. So they have a philosophy of making rule changes that favour offence, passing and touch downs. When patterns emerge that defines is getting on top they change the rules.

Since the wrestle has taken over in RL points have declined and so have attendances when they should have gone up (due to increased revenue and membership drives).

The simplest thing RL can do to increase crowds across the board is make rule changes that favour offence, passing and point scoring. The average points scored in a game at present is approximately 41. We should get that up to about 55.

That would bring big crowds because the game looks great when line breaks are bing made and risks are being taken. The game looks extremely boring when teams are risk averse and obsessed with wrestling tactics.

NRL needs to make rule changes that favour attack.

How do you explain soccer crowds, it has to be a contest though you can't just have it like toyota cup or 20/20 cricket. I take back what i say about A-League fudgers no way there was 9.5k at Perth last night the whole stadium was empty.

 

[T-Boon]

How do you explain soccer crowds, it has to be a contest though you can't just have it like toyota cup or 20/20 cricket. I take back what i say about A-League fudgers no way there was 9.5k at Perth last night the whole stadium was empty.

Yes it has to be a tough contest.
There was a lot more open football in the 90s and early 00s. If we still played like that crowds would have grown with the revenue and membership. If we went the other way in 06 (i.e. more ball playing not less) I think our crowds would be very healthy.

Get a bunch of teams playing like the Tigers in 05 and Parra in 09. One or two playing even more radical like the Ipswich Jets 'contract football'. Then you could still have dour teams like Storm and Rabbitohs. You just need rules tweeked so that it is more likely a team willing to play football is going to beat a team who wants to drag arse wrestling and one-upping all game.

People want to see players making plays.

 

[CowboyFuriousFury]

A less than 5 year rivalry outdraws 100 year rivalry in Souths/Roosters said alot about the heartland when it's very best crowd still get drawn outdraw by other codes. All that time and still outdrawn.

 

[Timmah]

Fantastic crowd. It's a shame the NRL don't work to get big crowds like that. I don't think the A league is taking over, it's clearly still a minor sport in this country and yet they can pull a crowd like that. It should leave the NRL questioning why we struggle to.

The support is definitely there it's just about getting them to the game.

It was a Round 1 match and a derby to boot. Biggest they've ever gotten.

It's also worth nothing that while they got 61k to the ground, only 142k watched on Fox.

That's 21k less than the lowest NRL Foxtel figure.

 

[Warriors Fever]

Yes it has to be a tough contest.
There was a lot more open football in the 90s and early 00s. If we still played like that crowds would have grown with the revenue and membership. If we went the other way in 06 (i.e. more ball playing not less) I think our crowds would be very healthy.

Get a bunch of teams playing like the Tigers in 05 and Parra in 09. One or two playing even more radical like the Ipswich Jets 'contract football'. Then you could still have dour teams like Storm and Rabbitohs. You just need rules tweeked so that it is more likely a team willing to play football is going to beat a team who wants to drag arse wrestling and one-upping all game.

People want to see players making plays.

I think going back to one ref would be a good start, and if all games were reffed like the NQL V Bris final then we wouldn't need to tweek the rules

 

[Raiderdave]

The NFL have found that there is a direct correlation between points scored in a game and crowds that attend the game. As points go up, attendance goes up. So they have a philosophy of making rule changes that favour offence, passing and touch downs. When patterns emerge that defines is getting on top they change the rules.

Since the wrestle has taken over in RL points have declined and so have attendances when they should have gone up (due to increased revenue and membership drives).

The simplest thing RL can do to increase crowds across the board is make rule changes that favour offence, passing and point scoring. The average points scored in a game at present is approximately 41. We should get that up to about 55.

That would bring big crowds because the game looks great when line breaks are bing made and risks are being taken. The game looks extremely boring when teams are risk averse and obsessed with wrestling tactics.

NRL needs to make rule changes that favour attack.

Oh sure

Let's just turn our game into touch football then shall we ?

With the intensity of an u 12 girls netball game ?

That'd bring the crowds pouring in wouldn't it
Lol
So many lols ...

 

[Raiderdave]

A less than 5 year rivalry outdraws 100 year rivalry in Souths/Roosters said alot about the heartland when it's very best crowd still get drawn outdraw by other codes. All that time and still outdrawn.

And if Sydney had just 2 RL sides for the past 100 years

How many times do you think theyd of outdrawn last night's game lol ?

They'd average more then last night


Seriously
It's like comparing camembert & apples

 

[Raiderdave]

I think going back to one ref would be a good start, and if all games were reffed like the NQL V Bris final then we wouldn't need to tweek the rules

2'sets of eyes from different angles tends to tidy the rucks up.
Ie speed them up

What we need is action on deliberate slowing down of the rucks near the line.
Sides wearing penalties on purpose to disrupt the flow.

Fix that up & you'll get a better spectacle.

 

[T-Boon]

Oh sure

Let's just turn our game into touch football then shall we ?

With the intensity of an u 12 girls netball game ?

That'd bring the crowds pouring in wouldn't it
Lol
So many lols ...

The game didn't always have the wrestle David.

 

[Raiderdave]

The game didn't always have the wrestle David.

And who says it was better back when
Old fogies who tell you every thing was better in their day.

The game doesn't need to speed up to the point where it's touch football like ....
There's ways of limiting the effects of wrestle , and things like shot clocks , reduced interchange, and proper policing of deliberate slowing down of the ptb near the line

Will improve the spectacle.

 

[T-Boon]

And who says it was better back when
Old fogies who tell you every thing was better in their day.

The game doesn't need to speed up to the point where it's touch football like ....
There's ways of limiting the effects of wrestle , and things like shot clocks , reduced interchange, and proper policing of deliberate slowing down of the ptb near the line

Will improve the spectacle.

The game was great in the late nineties when teams had worked out how to attack well under the 10 metres but hadn't yet got to the point of understanding the sheer importance of ruck speed and how you can manipulate it with different techniques that involve contorting the opponents body. Once the coaches went down that path it has just become too much of that. Bellamy had 3 or 4 years of dominance before everyone else twigged.

 

[Raiderdave]

The game was great in the late nineties when teams had worked out how to attack well under the 10 metres but hadn't yet got to the point of understanding the sheer importance of ruck speed and how you can manipulate it with different techniques that involve contorting the opponents body. Once the coaches went down that path it has just become too much of that. Bellamy had 3 or 4 years of dominance before everyone else twigged.

You'll find ruck speed wasn't that much quicker 20 years ago.Coaches & players didn't understand the importance of quick ptb's fully , so there was less emphasis on numbers in tackles when defending.This new trend in the game is impossible to reverse now.
The 2 referee system was brought in as a measure to limit the effect of wrestle , shot clocks, interchange reductions etc.
There is a strategy.
It will work.
You can play great attacking football in this modern era.
The Raiders are the proof.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

And when we get heaps of tries, the cry will be 'what shit defence!'.

 

[Captain Apollo]

And when we get heaps of tries, the cry will be 'what shit defence!'.

Yep. Look at Super League in 1997. Had teams scoring tries left, right and centre yet their crowds did not go through the roof. In fact when the competition recombined for 1998, many admitted that Super League going for speedy play the balls and points fests was hurting more than helping the game.

Part of the issue with regular season games? Lack of publicity. Once you get passed the season launch what does the NRL do for advertising games each round? Do we see TV ads (on pay and free to air) saying what games are going to be on that weekend? Nope, it is pretty much left to the clubs who rely mostly on "free media" as their pr strategy. That plays favourably with the TV Networks as they can spruik their network's coverage and encourage you to sit at home and watch it on the box, which many fans do. They view it as "too hard" to get to a stadium that requires pretty much any travel so many take the easy option.

That said how many of that 60k at the Sydney FC v Wanderers match will be at each respective team's next home games? Are they dedicated supporters or 1 off people who just went because it was an event?

 

[Teddyboy]

NRL should get every junior,adult,social playing clubs, alongside Touch and Tag package deals for there nearest NRL team to support alongside travel deals and even hire buses.
After watching the magic of both grand finals in Australia and England TGG needs more crowds and respect.

 

[T-Boon]

You can play great attacking football in this modern era.

You can, but it doesn't pay.
Its better to master the wrestle techniques like Storm, Cowboys 15, Rabbitohs 14.

 

[T-Boon]

And when we get heaps of tries, the cry will be 'what shit defence!'.

Those will be cries from the rusted on old fans who also want to bring back the biff.

They will keep watching and turning up. But importantly we will attract new fans which is something the code hasn't done in years.
Got to address the criticisms head on "too much one out" "too much 5 and kick" - I don't know how many times I've heard it.

 

[T-Boon]

Yep. Look at Super League in 1997. Had teams scoring tries left, right and centre yet their crowds did not go through the roof. In fact when the competition recombined for 1998, many admitted that Super League going for speedy play the balls and points fests was hurting more than helping the game.

Average crowds went up fairly steadily between 1987 and 2005 (from 9000 in 87 to 16,500 in 05 ((big dip in 97 and 98)) when point scoring was on a general climb (from average 32 points per game in 87 to average 46 points per game in 2005). I guess this was due to things like bringing in the 10metres.

Between 2005 and 2016 crowds have declined down to 15,200 as points have gradually dropped down to about 40 points per game. I guess this is due to the wrestle.

Get point scoring up and exciting offensive play (particularly passing) = increased crowds.

The NFL theory is that that is true at any point in the spectrum (i.e. even if you don't also reduce ticket prices etc).