2017 Crowd Watch

[LeagueXIII]

Marketed passion.

No it's genuine, I've seen it first hand, similar to English league crowds.

 

[Canard]

No it's genuine, I've seen it first hand, similar to English league crowds.

I think it's genuine to, clever marketing doesn't make something false.

Driving a culture of membership and really pushing the "Australian" code works(they even make people believe that the game has indigenous roots)

 

[LeagueXIII]

Even without that they love the game and their club and want to go to games.

It's part of their (main AFL playing states) culture.

 

[PJ]

Marketed passion.

If it is it is well marketed.

When I walk through customers offices in Melbourne I reckon you would know who 70-80% off the staff support through bears, posters, mugs, hats etc.

Sydney it would be lucky to be 20%.

Reflected in how many get off their arse and watch the games as well.

 

[JamesRustle]

If it is it is well marketed.

When I walk through customers offices in Melbourne I reckon you would know who 70-80% off the staff support through bears, posters, mugs, hats etc.

Sydney it would be lucky to be 20%.

Reflected in how many get off their arse and watch the games as well.

Are you in the circus?

 

[PJ]

Feels like it somedays

 

[Canard]

Even without that they love the game and their club and want to go to games.

It's part of their (main AFL playing states) culture.

Without that push it's not as big, for mine.

 

[Timmah]

For all the 'romance' around suburban grounds I'm firmly of the belief they are what prevent our crowds from growing. Long term, centralising venues and only playing limited games at spiritual homes is the way to go.

It's worked for AFL clubs in Melbourne, I think it'll work in Sydney.

 

[Cumberland Throw]

i honestly think 4 people from this forum could sit around with a large sheet of paper and schedule a season that would average at least 18k / game...

pretty simple ideas;

Big game at ANZ every Sunday arvo with Sydney rivals
Throw marketing cash at a strong regional market for Thurs (like knights / Gold coast)
Leverage NZ Friday early game,
Make DST work for you on friday nights with 8.45 Broncos games
Schedule storm around AFL
Throw serious revenue bonus' at clubs, that exceed crowd targets .
Reciprical rights to all NRL members at all stadiums all games.. (first in first served)
Kids $5 all games all stadiums
Every member who goes to all 12 home games, gets a free A reserve GF ticket

 

[LeagueXIII]

For all the 'romance' around suburban grounds I'm firmly of the belief they are what prevent our crowds from growing. Long term, centralising venues and only playing limited games at spiritual homes is the way to go.

It's worked for AFL clubs in Melbourne, I think it'll work in Sydney.

I disagree we should have stadiums in Penrith, Manly, Cronulla etc. Why can't we. Central stadiums work in Melbourne because they are central and very easy to get to. Sydney is way more spread out. It's proven that with better stadiums crowds will increase but they need to draw on their local area

 

[LeagueXIII]

i honestly think 4 people from this forum could sit around with a large sheet of paper and schedule a season that would average at least 18k / game...

pretty simple ideas;

Big game at ANZ every Sunday arvo with Sydney rivals
Throw marketing cash at a strong regional market for Thurs (like knights / Gold coast)
Leverage NZ Friday early game,
Make DST work for you on friday nights with 8.45 Broncos games
Schedule storm around AFL
Throw serious revenue bonus' at clubs, that exceed crowd targets .
Reciprical rights to all NRL members at all stadiums all games.. (first in first served)
Kids $5 all games all stadiums
Every member who goes to all 12 home games, gets a free A reserve GF ticket

Add in a team from Perth and another Qld team, and when these clubs play Sydney teams beam them live into Sydney at night.
Or consider blackouts on TV of certain home cities to add to crowds.

 

[Emu01]

Add in a team from Perth and another Qld team, and when these clubs play Sydney teams beam them live into Sydney at night.
Or consider blackouts on TV of certain home cities to add to crowds.

Finally someone has some great ideas that would work.Email these ideas to the Nrl because what ever they are doing is clearly not working..

They need us fans to spell it out to them.They could start with $5 tickets for behind the posts in big stadiums. 5 bucks is cheap but no one sits there now so let's fill up the ends with cheap tickets.

 

[Teddyboy]

To build crowds in Sydney......every club in Sydney should have a modern 20-25,000 seat stadium similar to the MSL grounds in the USA....rectangular.
We should stop settling for second best and start building for the future....tap more into tradition. People always go on about too many teams in Sydney, I think this is Bs and just giving up territory to other sports besides look at the turnaround in the fortunes of Souths and Cronulla. The game is going to have more money flow into it in the years ahead as the digital platforms start next year. Also Sydney's population is expected to grow by 2.2 million in the next 20 years. We lost North Sydney and that area has become AFL and union stronghold with little league presence.
I would also try and play as many Sydney games on a Sunday afternoon as it use to be to build the routine of going to games again. Out of Sydney games can be played at night. If Sydney becomes weak we can kiss goodbye big TV money besides why not grow Sydney to increase revenue, the AFL drool at the potential Sydney offers we talk about culling clubs. We once had 12 clubs in Sydney, now we have 9 and we still want less, why?

Is North Sydney a AFL stronghold.

 

[Jamberoo]

I got those prices off ticketek today
I just went to a home game
The cheapest were $15 and 17
Both for a random seat from what I could gather.

Some of those are child tickets. Need to select Adult to compare apples with apples.

 

[Jamberoo]

Mind you, it's hard for a club to justify making the effort when the NRL shafts them on scheduling before the season even starts.
No amount of free tickets will make Thursday night @ ANZ appealing.

Would love to see the AFL pull 70k on a Thursday if their marquee stadium was out the back of Tullamarine instead of a short walk from Fed square

Actually the VFL used to run mid week night series and finals would get 30k - 60k on a Tuesday at Waverley (much further out than ANZ).
It think we just need to accept that particular sports have particular cultures. AFL and soccer fans prefer to attend and RL fans prefer to watch on TV.
It is not a city based thing, it is a sports based phenomenon. I can't get anyone to come to a Storm game with me but my mates might have a look when on TV. Yet most of them would go to the AFL at least every second week.
Read the 2012 version of this thread I bet everyone is said the same thing. It is unlikely to ever change.

 

[adamkungl]

Central stadiums won't work in Sydney.
The spread of teams and layout of public transport doesn't work for it.
All public transport in Sydney is pointed towards the Central/CBD hub.
The biggest stadium in Sydney is not here. It's a pain in the arse to get to because it takes most people 2-3 transport links to get to.
The pretty good stadium near town is a pain in the arse to get to because you have to walk up a bit of a hill.

It's all about roadblocks. It is what it is, Sydney people will take any excuse to stay home. Having to take 2-3 transport links is a roadblock. Catching a train then walking 20 mins up a hill is a roadblock. The attitudes don't change without incentive and the government certainly isn't changing the public transport system to suit Rugby League.

Compare to Melbourne - the MCG is a stones throw from the middle of the city. And 8 or so of the teams in the AFL are adjacent suburbs to the CBD. The AFL doesn't have a Penrith, Cronulla, St George, Manly, Campbeltown, even a Parramatta. It has the equivalent of Easts, Souths, Norths, Wests, Balmain, Annandale, Glebe, and Newtown.

Copying Melbourne won't work because Sydney is not Melbourne. The situations aren't remotely similar.

Cronulla will be staying in Cronulla.
Penrith will be staying in Penrith.
St George should have a greater focus on Wollongong.
Manly I believe will eventually be pushed towards Gosford as the council continues to f**k them over at Brookvale.

Any upgrades from these grounds won't be coming from state government - a combined effort between the NRL, clubs and councils is required to keep them improving over the coming decades.

The new Parra stadium will house Parra, and I would hope the majority of Wests Tigers games, far more suitable than ANZ or SFS for their fanbase.

The upgraded ANZ will hold the Bulldogs.

The upgraded SFS will house the Roosters.

Souths will likely stay at ANZ despite being far better suited to the SFS.

 

[Perth Red]

I disagree we should have stadiums in Penrith, Manly, Cronulla etc. Why can't we. Central stadiums work in Melbourne because they are central and very easy to get to. Sydney is way more spread out. It's proven that with better stadiums crowds will increase but they need to draw on their local area

Bit of a myth this Melbourne travel time thing. Get outside a 15km radius of the cbd and you are looking at a min 40min trip from home to mcg. If you live inner city yes it's easy to get to mcg or dome but once outside of that it's just as long as going from Cronulla to Allianz.

Ideally you'd see Wests, parra and Bulldogs at the new stadium. Souths, Roosters and 4 dragons games (with a greater city wide appeal) at Allianz, onebig Sunday afternoon game a week at anz with free admission to any nrl club full member, and Penrith, sharks and manly at their grounds with an acceptance that unless they find a way to get decent stadiums they will eventually struggle to keep up.

 

[adamkungl]

Bit of a myth this Melbourne travel time thing. Get outside a 15km radius of the cbd and you are looking at a min 40min trip from home to mcg. If you live inner city yes it's easy to get to mcg or dome but once outside of that it's just as long as going from Cronulla to Allianz.

Difference is
1) Etihad and the MCG are literally on the doorstep of major transport hubs - Google Maps puts the SFS at a 28 minute walk from Sydney Central Station/
2) NONE of the AFLs Melbourne teams are more than 15km out from the CBD. Most are less than 5!
Cronulla is 28km from the SFS. Penrith is 53. Manly is 18.

 

[Perth Red]

Bit of a myth to think that the inner city clubs are only drawing support from that suburb. You think Carlton have 70k member all living in in a suburb with a population of 14k? Lol

Flinders station to mcg/aami is about a 20min walk, all be it a nice one along the river and usually takes me about 2hours via south bank

Somewhere like Blackburn to mcg is 20km and the Melbourne afl teams draw fans from further than that, you don't get crowds like they get from a handful of small inner city suburbs.

And let's suppose this to be true what's the excuse for parra, Wests, and these clubs like Cronulla etc that are on the doorstep of their grounds yet drawing sub 15k?

 

[carcharias]

Bit of a myth to think that the inner city clubs are only drawing support from that suburb. You think Carlton have 70k member all living in in a suburb with a population of 14k? Lol

Flinders station to mcg/aami is about a 20min walk, all be it a nice one along the river and usually takes me about 2hours via south bank

Somewhere like Blackburn to mcg is 20km and the Melbourne afl teams draw fans from further than that, you don't get crowds like they get from a handful of small inner city suburbs.

And let's suppose this to be true what's the excuse for parra, Wests, and these clubs like Cronulla etc that are on the doorstep of their grounds yet drawing sub 15k?

It can take me up to an hour, door to door to get to my seat at Shark park on game day if I drive.
I live in the shire.

Traffic is alway heavy
Parking is challenging
A good 15 min (at best) walk is a given.

So your perception of doorstep and the reality of it are two different things.