2016 Crowd Watch

[Perth Red]

That is bs bunniesman and just another excuse for the fact NRL isn't as popular as we like to think. Having been to a few afl games I can tell you that you end up watching half of it on the big screen at the ground unless you have superman vision to see what is going on 100+ metres away.

Reality is afl fans are more committed to their teams, afl clubs realised early that you can make a shed load of revenue by getting fans engaged and creating a culture of full memberships and going to games and the afl isn't dumb enough to sell its arse to tv and schedule games when fans don't want to go just because it is good for tv viewing figures.

 

[SLRBRONCOS]

The key problem for the NRL is the nature of the game with virtually all the action being within 10 metres of the ball you can see 99.9% of what you need to see on tv. The nature of AFL means what is happening 50+ metres down field is often more important than the immediate vicinity of the ball. The tv cameras are much better at capturing an NRL game. This tilts the scales in favor of staying home on many cold winter days and nights.

AFL crowds are helped by AFL being a less than ideal product for tv. NRL crowds are hurt because it is such a good product for TV.

Spot on.

 

[Emu01]

Look there was 11,450 at ANZ today,if it wasn't raining there would have been another 5-6 thousand making the crowd 17k not bad for out of Sydney team..

11,450 would have looked better at central coast or Belmore. Poor planning from the Bulldogs they should only play big crowd pulling teams at ANZ.

 

[parrawentyfan]

Canberra feels a little more than usual. Maybe just more spaced out??

 

[T-Boon]

The Swans are a bigger brand than any of the Sydney NRL teams and sadly the biggest club football team in Sydney. I don't see that changing any time soon because for some reason they are always a top 4 type of a team on the field.
It would be interesting to see how they went with 3 or 4 years of on field failure, but I don't think the AFL would allow that and they are more than capable of manipulating things for the greater good of the code (which the NRL seem incapable of).
I think GWS will soon attract bigger crowds than the Sydney NRL teams (as they are coming in to a big period of success).
The AFL are just smarter operators in every area and its been that way for decades. I cannot watch AFL but I can acknowledge the facts in that regard.

 

[Clifferd]

Yeh Canberra looks fuller than normal. Maybe 14k?

 

[CC_Roosters]

That is bs bunniesman and just another excuse for the fact NRL isn't as popular as we like to think. Having been to a few afl games I can tell you that you end up watching half of it on the big screen at the ground unless you have superman vision to see what is going on 100+ metres away.

Reality is afl fans are more committed to their teams, afl clubs realised early that you can make a shed load of revenue by getting fans engaged and creating a culture of full memberships and going to games and the afl isn't dumb enough to sell its arse to tv and schedule games when fans don't want to go just because it is good for tv viewing figures.

I agree. The ratings for both codes are similar, yet the afl has approx double the attendance across the season.

Dont agree with the popularity statement. The game is super popular which is evident by the tv ratings, existing crowds per capita and coverage its just the game has no idea how to turn popularity into bums on seats.

 

[Sydney Knight]

Nrl and clubs really need to address crowds... Maybe evening creating a NRL membership, in where by you can become a member for 10 games and you can go to any nrl matches

I would buy that given that I now live in Sydney and go to a lot of games as a neutral

 

[Raiderdave]

The Swans are a bigger brand than any of the Sydney NRL teams and sadly the biggest club football team in Sydney. I don't see that changing any time soon because for some reason they are always a top 4 type of a team on the field.
It would be interesting to see how they went with 3 or 4 years of on field failure, but I don't think the AFL would allow that and they are more than capable of manipulating things for the greater good of the code (which the NRL seem incapable of).
I think GWS will soon attract bigger crowds than the Sydney NRL teams (as they are coming in to a big period of success).
The AFL are just smarter operators in every area and its been that way for decades. I cannot watch AFL but I can acknowledge the facts in that regard.

:lol:
football fan fan alert

 

[Raiderdave]

The telle tubbies are watched by more Sydneysiders then the Swines :lol:

 

[Foreign Legion]

I would buy that given that I now live in Sydney and go to a lot of games as a neutral

Im a big roosters fan... but ill try and go to at least 3 home games a season (live in the west). But for me its much easier to go watch games at homebush, leichhardt and parra so I try and watch roosters their more often. Realistically NRL should have a membership deal with 10 games to any nrl club game.

You would probably find more fans from away teams coming to support their club. I know i would... You could make packages like travel to auckland, melbourne or queensland and watch the game and get a discount air fare ticket or accomodation.

Also my mates are doggies, parra and storm fans which I go watch as a neutral with my mates...

 

[Bronxnation]

:lol:
football fan fan alert

been to a few Afl games. I think it's shit live. I don't see why people go apart from the atmosphere

I don't find it fun either getting smashed or smashing another team each week but whatever floats his boat

 

[Cumberland Throw]

The key problem for the NRL is the nature of the game with virtually all the action being within 10 metres of the ball you can see 99.9% of what you need to see on tv. The nature of AFL means what is happening 50+ metres down field is often more important than the immediate vicinity of the ball. The tv cameras are much better at capturing an NRL game. This tilts the scales in favor of staying home on many cold winter days and nights.

AFL crowds are helped by AFL being a less than ideal product for tv. NRL crowds are hurt because it is such a good product for TV.

Heard this same story for 30 years, but why is almost every NFL sold out every year, all action takes place in a 10 yard space... etc..

the swans have about 75,000 fans in sydney, problem is they 50% go to games..

Parra have about 400,000 fans in sydney, only 5% go to games

 

[T-Boon]

Hi Raiderdave, nope. Nobody hates AFL more than me.
It embarrasses me as a league fan (Parra is my team) that the Swans are the biggest Sydney football team.

 

[BunniesMan]

Heard this same story for 30 years, but why is almost every NFL sold out every year, all action takes place in a 10 yard space... etc..

the swans have about 75,000 fans in sydney, problem is they 50% go to games..

Parra have about 400,000 fans in sydney, only 5% go to games

The difference for the NFL is sheer scale. 32 teams for 320 million people. The NFL is dominant in pretty much every city there. We have 16 teams and the NRL is truly dominant in just NSW and QLD, a population of about 12 million.

 

[WireMan]

The key problem for the NRL is the nature of the game with virtually all the action being within 10 metres of the ball you can see 99.9% of what you need to see on tv. The nature of AFL means what is happening 50+ metres down field is often more important than the immediate vicinity of the ball. The tv cameras are much better at capturing an NRL game. This tilts the scales in favor of staying home on many cold winter days and nights.

AFL crowds are helped by AFL being a less than ideal product for tv. NRL crowds are hurt because it is such a good product for TV.

:lol:

So after the excuse of scheduling, weather, public transport, price and stadiums, we now have the product is so darn good for tv the millions and millions of RL fans just can't be bothered to go to the game.

If people are willing to accept pathetic excuses for crowds then nothing will done to increase them.


The problem you have is the clubs have no reason to spend the money to increase the crowds and a fair few don't have the resources to do it with no reason.

 

[Bronxnation]

13,420 at raiders. Good. Compared to 8-9k last time they played... Of course that wasn't on Anzac weekend though

 

[Cumberland Throw]

The difference for the NFL is sheer scale. 32 teams for 320 million people. The NFL is dominant in pretty much every city there. We have 16 teams and the NRL is truly dominant in just NSW and QLD, a population of about 12 million.

Yes agreed usa population is huge... but attendance to sport in Aust is not based on the size of the ground or the metres squared area where the action happens1.

It is the ability to transfer casual fans into died in wool supporters who will go to games..

Every NRL team has about 8,000 of these, (ie if it snows, torrential rain, etc, about 8000 will go for most teams) brisbane maybe 15,000 as an exception,,

Every AFL team, (except gws, suns, has about 25,000 of these people)

NRL needs to work out how to double that 8,000....

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

Bloody hell, half the fanbase lives in the bush and a fair few in other places where they'll be lucky to make a game a year, the afl more or less has cities with bugger all regional fans compared to the Eastern states.

 

[BlueandGold]

Crowd Predictions
Broncos vs Souths - 36k Suncorp 40k (+4k)
Bulldogs vs Titans - 16k ANZ 11.5k (-4.5k)
Raiders vs Wests - 12k Gio 13.5k (+1.5k)
Cowboys vs Eels - 19k Smiles 2nd vs 4th
Sharks vs Panthers - 16k Shark park
Knights vs Manly - 19k hunter Anzac day game
Dragons vs Roosters - 37k Allianz Anzac day game
Melbourne vs Warriors - 27k AAMI Park Anzac day game