2017 Crowd Watch

[Suitman]

Souths had 80 thousand or some shit march down the st
/QUOTE]

I remember reading an article in the SMH written by a statistician stating that there was no more than 20 000 in that march. He had done a count from aerial photos.
I've always laughed at this exaggerated 80000 people at the march claim.
No one has ever verified it yet the media and fools like you always run with it.

 

[POPEYE]

Kicking off each and every round with 2 made for TV slots is a horrible idea..

Fans are all pumped for the weekend, do their tips on the thursday, talk shit at work..

Then the round starts with 1 game in an empty stadium, then game 2 you miss as you are in traffic, game 3 at 7.50 on friday has to be a cracker, with great atmosphere to keep anyone interested..

Every f**king game is made for tv ol' mate . . . who do you think the referees get permission from to blow the first whistle

 

[Suitman]

you don't go to games and only switch over during an ad break in the AFL so why do you pretend to care?

I take my hat off to Cumberland Throw for ignoring all your trolling attempts. Day after day. The same old shit you post to get your count up.
Give it a rest mate. He makes some valid points. and you have nothing in reply.
It's no wonder you aren't a mod anymore.
Could you please stop boring the rest of us with your monotonous repertoire and just stfu.

 

[insert.pause]

I remember reading an article in the SMH written by a statistician stating that there was no more than 20 000 in that march. He had done a count from aerial photos.
I've always laughed at this exaggerated 80000 people at the march claim.
No one has ever verified it yet the media and fools like you always run with it.

And at least half of those 20k thought they were in line for Centrelink.

 

[Foreign Legion]

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...r/news-story/fe38f8bc6dc147bd5b02c3968e4bef68

Rugby league is in big trouble.

Since the independent commission came into power five years ago, 218,064 fans have gone missing.

This despite chairman John Grant declaring in his first mission statement that he would lift average crowds from 16,415 to 20,000 by 2017.

Instead they have fallen by almost eight per cent since he took charge.

Combined with shrinking television ratings and a sharp decline in junior participation numbers, the game is going backwards.

In your columnist’s humble opinion it is a combination of factors.

■ PLAYING too many games at big stadiums that fans don’t like.

■ THE high cost of tickets, food, petrol and parking.

■ POOR and inconsistent refereeing.

■ FOUL play that is rarely acted on.

■ THE concussion debate.

■ NEGATIVE media and lack of promotion by the clubs.

■ THE standard and predictability of football.

■ A POORLY thought out playing schedule.

So go through the issues one by one with NRL CEO Todd Greenberg.

Nothing can take away from the fact that 200,000 fewer fans have gone through the turnstiles and that TV ratings have fallen.

ANGRY: Eels furious at Broncos grubs

KENT: Why fans are wrong to turn on Hasler

CROWDS
Greenberg says: We are currently averaging 15,117 — which is 2 per cent down on last year. We had a pretty rough start to the year with one of the wettest months on record to start the season but we have started to bridge the gap and hope to end up pretty close to last year. In fact, we have beaten last year’s crowds in six of the last seven weeks … so the trend is improving leading into the Finals. Crowds have been pretty stable for the last 10 to 15 years … but I agree we all need to do more to bump them up.

We are in a very competitive environment — not just with sport — because there are so many options for people to choose from when determining how they spend their leisure time.

And, clearly, the television coverage of our game is so good that many people like watching the game at home. But, having said that, we need to work with the clubs to encourage more people to attend games. I was at Cameron Smith’s 350th game at the weekend and I can assure you there is nothing quite like being there.

Crowd decline since Commission
Year Average crowd Round 21 total crowd Total crowd (Rnd 1 - 21)
2012 16,415 (after 21 rnds) 131,320 2,757,720
2016 15,515 (after 21 rnds) 124,120 2,606,520
2017 15,117 (after 21 rnds) 120,936 2,539,656
STADIUMS
Fans don’t want to watch football with no atmosphere and 80 per cent of the venue empty. By far the best games in Sydney this year have been played at the suburban grounds.

Yet the NRL blatantly ignores this and gets into bed with the State Government to spend $1.6 billion at ANZ, Allianz and Parramatta. The upgrade at Parramatta is a wonderful investment in Sydney’s west but fans at other Sydney clubs have been ignored.

Greenberg says: I think we have seen that, given the right game, we can attract a big crowd to any stadium. Our Origin matches are sell outs, Brisbane attract big crowds to Suncorp every week and we had great crowds at the big stadiums over Easter and Anzac Day.

And one of the highlights for me was the community day the Sharks put on which attracted a sellout crowd. So the fans will attend if there is good reason.

Although good value membership packages are available for rusted on supporters, the casual fan and families can easily spend $250 by the time they have purchased seats, food and beverages, petrol and parking. It’s far easier on the weekly budget to watch on television from home.

Greenberg says: I think the cost of tickets — particularly the family tickets offered by most clubs — are pretty attractive and good value. And, while tickets and food and controlled largely by the stadiums and clubs, we’d love to see any reduction which will attract more fans to the game. Certainly, we will be looking to make ticket prices affordable during the Finals series.

Refereeing
Social media is in meltdown almost every game, every week. The biggest problem is inconsistency. Penalties at the 2pm Sunday game are ignored in the 4pm game. Both St George-Illawarra coach Paul McGregor and the Canberra Raiders’ Ricky Stuart have gone ballistic in the last two weeks. McGregor even described it as “Incompetent and embarrassing.”

Greenberg says: I think people have been passionate about referees since the game began more than 100 years ago and I don’t expect that to change. Most people watch games through their team colours and that’s what creates so much passion and debate, which is one of rugby league’s greatest strengths. As long as you have humans involved there will be errors from time to time.

We are doing all we can to minimise mistakes but there are so many 50/50 calls in a game that there will always be people who have a different view to the referees.”


Foul play
This is a game that sends players to the sin bin for slapping. Yet if you bash superstar fullback Billy Slater unconscious with a vicious swinging arm and closed fist you’re allowed to stay on the field. Again last weekend. Parramatta’s Kenny Edwards attacks the head of an opponent on the ground, UFC style. Manly forward Addin Fanua-Blake bashes Cooper Cronk in the jaw. No send offs no sin bins. This is a massive turn off for women and families.

Greenberg says: I know we have had a few unfortunate incidents recently but, overall, I think the game has never been cleaner. There have been very few deliberate and serious acts of foul play this year. Coaches and players know they cannot afford to miss games.

Concussion
Stories out of America about the plight of former NFL players has had a carry-over effect in the NRL. At least Todd Greenberg has cracked down on the treatment of head knocks with the immediate removal of players from the field of play. Sadly he does nothing about the foul play involved in many of the head injuries.

Greenberg says: I think we have led the way in dealing with concussion. That work is continuing and we will not let up. But the clubs have really come on board and recognise the importance of identifying and dealing with head injuries.




Media
The clubs wouldn’t have a clue how to promote big time sport. Instead of using communication and marketing experts to sell the game, coaches often determine the amount of newspaper, TV, digital and radio coverage that players and the club gets. All players are well trained now to give boring, stereotype answers.

Greenberg says: Overall, I think the media coverage of our game is very positive. Naturally people are going to talk about issues which arise but that is part of the game. I have said consistently that people will judge us on how you deal with issues rather than the issue itself.

Scheduling
Who would allow a draw that robs free-to-air viewers from watching Cameron Smith’s 350th game in Melbourne yesterday. Instead they show the care-factor-zero Titans game against the Wests Tigers. This happens every week. Parramatta play the Bulldogs this week. A huge game for Eels fans that would attract 35,000 on a Sunday afternoon. It’s on Thursday night. Hopefully it’s a problem that should be solved when the NRL takes control of the schedule next year.

Greenberg says: So much work goes into the schedule and there are many conflicting demands. We have to take into account the availability of grounds, we try to limit 5 day turnarounds, there are requests from clubs for particular match-ups and the host broadcasters want to televise matches which attract the most viewers. So it is tough to please everyone.

But, from next year, we will have more control over the schedule and we will take on board the feedback we receive from clubs and fans to deliver the best possible outcome.

Why aren’t the fans showing up?
Standard of footy
There have been too many low quality matches this year. Thursday night should be a marquee television production yet we get shockers like Penrith against Canterbury last week. There is still too much of the four hit ups, a shift and a kick. Teams are too programmed. No-one wants to take a risk.

Greenberg says: I don’t think anyone can criticise the standard of football. Our players and clubs are so strong. Look at the quality of football during the Origin period. It sometimes drops away with the stars missing but the squads are so strong now that we had some of our best games during the Origin rounds.

 

[POPEYE]

The last paragraph outlines the NRL's addiction to 'mediocrity is a fine leveller'

 

[carcharias]

I remember reading an article in the SMH written by a statistician stating that there was no more than 20 000 in that march. He had done a count from aerial photos.
I've always laughed at this exaggerated 80000 people at the march claim.
No one has ever verified it yet the media and fools like you always run with it.

"80,000.00 or some shit" I wrote.
Which means I wasn't sure of the number which I think was probably bullshit.
But fools like you obviously can't read.

 

[Raiderdave]

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...r/news-story/fe38f8bc6dc147bd5b02c3968e4bef68

Rugby league is in big trouble.

Since the independent commission came into power five years ago, 218,064 fans have gone missing.

This despite chairman John Grant declaring in his first mission statement that he would lift average crowds from 16,415 to 20,000 by 2017.

Instead they have fallen by almost eight per cent since he took charge.

Combined with shrinking television ratings and a sharp decline in junior participation numbers, the game is going backwards.

In your columnist’s humble opinion it is a combination of factors.

■ PLAYING too many games at big stadiums that fans don’t like.

■ THE high cost of tickets, food, petrol and parking.

■ POOR and inconsistent refereeing.

■ FOUL play that is rarely acted on.

■ THE concussion debate.

■ NEGATIVE media and lack of promotion by the clubs.

■ THE standard and predictability of football.

■ A POORLY thought out playing schedule.

So go through the issues one by one with NRL CEO Todd Greenberg.

Nothing can take away from the fact that 200,000 fewer fans have gone through the turnstiles and that TV ratings have fallen.

ANGRY: Eels furious at Broncos grubs

KENT: Why fans are wrong to turn on Hasler

CROWDS
Greenberg says: We are currently averaging 15,117 — which is 2 per cent down on last year. We had a pretty rough start to the year with one of the wettest months on record to start the season but we have started to bridge the gap and hope to end up pretty close to last year. In fact, we have beaten last year’s crowds in six of the last seven weeks … so the trend is improving leading into the Finals. Crowds have been pretty stable for the last 10 to 15 years … but I agree we all need to do more to bump them up.

We are in a very competitive environment — not just with sport — because there are so many options for people to choose from when determining how they spend their leisure time.

And, clearly, the television coverage of our game is so good that many people like watching the game at home. But, having said that, we need to work with the clubs to encourage more people to attend games. I was at Cameron Smith’s 350th game at the weekend and I can assure you there is nothing quite like being there.

Crowd decline since Commission
Year Average crowd Round 21 total crowd Total crowd (Rnd 1 - 21)
2012 16,415 (after 21 rnds) 131,320 2,757,720
2016 15,515 (after 21 rnds) 124,120 2,606,520
2017 15,117 (after 21 rnds) 120,936 2,539,656
STADIUMS
Fans don’t want to watch football with no atmosphere and 80 per cent of the venue empty. By far the best games in Sydney this year have been played at the suburban grounds.

Yet the NRL blatantly ignores this and gets into bed with the State Government to spend $1.6 billion at ANZ, Allianz and Parramatta. The upgrade at Parramatta is a wonderful investment in Sydney’s west but fans at other Sydney clubs have been ignored.

Greenberg says: I think we have seen that, given the right game, we can attract a big crowd to any stadium. Our Origin matches are sell outs, Brisbane attract big crowds to Suncorp every week and we had great crowds at the big stadiums over Easter and Anzac Day.

And one of the highlights for me was the community day the Sharks put on which attracted a sellout crowd. So the fans will attend if there is good reason.

Although good value membership packages are available for rusted on supporters, the casual fan and families can easily spend $250 by the time they have purchased seats, food and beverages, petrol and parking. It’s far easier on the weekly budget to watch on television from home.

Greenberg says: I think the cost of tickets — particularly the family tickets offered by most clubs — are pretty attractive and good value. And, while tickets and food and controlled largely by the stadiums and clubs, we’d love to see any reduction which will attract more fans to the game. Certainly, we will be looking to make ticket prices affordable during the Finals series.

Refereeing
Social media is in meltdown almost every game, every week. The biggest problem is inconsistency. Penalties at the 2pm Sunday game are ignored in the 4pm game. Both St George-Illawarra coach Paul McGregor and the Canberra Raiders’ Ricky Stuart have gone ballistic in the last two weeks. McGregor even described it as “Incompetent and embarrassing.”

Greenberg says: I think people have been passionate about referees since the game began more than 100 years ago and I don’t expect that to change. Most people watch games through their team colours and that’s what creates so much passion and debate, which is one of rugby league’s greatest strengths. As long as you have humans involved there will be errors from time to time.

We are doing all we can to minimise mistakes but there are so many 50/50 calls in a game that there will always be people who have a different view to the referees.”


Foul play
This is a game that sends players to the sin bin for slapping. Yet if you bash superstar fullback Billy Slater unconscious with a vicious swinging arm and closed fist you’re allowed to stay on the field. Again last weekend. Parramatta’s Kenny Edwards attacks the head of an opponent on the ground, UFC style. Manly forward Addin Fanua-Blake bashes Cooper Cronk in the jaw. No send offs no sin bins. This is a massive turn off for women and families.

Greenberg says: I know we have had a few unfortunate incidents recently but, overall, I think the game has never been cleaner. There have been very few deliberate and serious acts of foul play this year. Coaches and players know they cannot afford to miss games.

Concussion
Stories out of America about the plight of former NFL players has had a carry-over effect in the NRL. At least Todd Greenberg has cracked down on the treatment of head knocks with the immediate removal of players from the field of play. Sadly he does nothing about the foul play involved in many of the head injuries.

Greenberg says: I think we have led the way in dealing with concussion. That work is continuing and we will not let up. But the clubs have really come on board and recognise the importance of identifying and dealing with head injuries.




Media
The clubs wouldn’t have a clue how to promote big time sport. Instead of using communication and marketing experts to sell the game, coaches often determine the amount of newspaper, TV, digital and radio coverage that players and the club gets. All players are well trained now to give boring, stereotype answers.

Greenberg says: Overall, I think the media coverage of our game is very positive. Naturally people are going to talk about issues which arise but that is part of the game. I have said consistently that people will judge us on how you deal with issues rather than the issue itself.

Scheduling
Who would allow a draw that robs free-to-air viewers from watching Cameron Smith’s 350th game in Melbourne yesterday. Instead they show the care-factor-zero Titans game against the Wests Tigers. This happens every week. Parramatta play the Bulldogs this week. A huge game for Eels fans that would attract 35,000 on a Sunday afternoon. It’s on Thursday night. Hopefully it’s a problem that should be solved when the NRL takes control of the schedule next year.

Greenberg says: So much work goes into the schedule and there are many conflicting demands. We have to take into account the availability of grounds, we try to limit 5 day turnarounds, there are requests from clubs for particular match-ups and the host broadcasters want to televise matches which attract the most viewers. So it is tough to please everyone.

But, from next year, we will have more control over the schedule and we will take on board the feedback we receive from clubs and fans to deliver the best possible outcome.

Why aren’t the fans showing up?
Standard of footy
There have been too many low quality matches this year. Thursday night should be a marquee television production yet we get shockers like Penrith against Canterbury last week. There is still too much of the four hit ups, a shift and a kick. Teams are too programmed. No-one wants to take a risk.

Greenberg says: I don’t think anyone can criticise the standard of football. Our players and clubs are so strong. Look at the quality of football during the Origin period. It sometimes drops away with the stars missing but the squads are so strong now that we had some of our best games during the Origin rounds.

Greenburg all but confirming we do in fact take control of the draw back next year
although I'd of liked a stronger word then
more control , although i think what he means by that is , we don't control the days games are played or the kickoff times , but we do get to decide the games played on those days & at those times
not complete control
but a huge difference nonetheless

 

[El Diablo]

I take my hat off to Cumberland Throw for ignoring all your trolling attempts. Day after day. The same old shit you post to get your count up.
Give it a rest mate. He makes some valid points. and you have nothing in reply.
It's no wonder you aren't a mod anymore.
Could you please stop boring the rest of us with your monotonous repertoire and just stfu.

suck Les Murray's balls

 

[hutch]

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...r/news-story/fe38f8bc6dc147bd5b02c3968e4bef68

Rugby league is in big trouble.

Since the independent commission came into power five years ago, 218,064 fans have gone missing.

This despite chairman John Grant declaring in his first mission statement that he would lift average crowds from 16,415 to 20,000 by 2017.

Instead they have fallen by almost eight per cent since he took charge.

Combined with shrinking television ratings and a sharp decline in junior participation numbers, the game is going backwards.

In your columnist’s humble opinion it is a combination of factors.

■ PLAYING too many games at big stadiums that fans don’t like.

■ THE high cost of tickets, food, petrol and parking.

■ POOR and inconsistent refereeing.

■ FOUL play that is rarely acted on.

■ THE concussion debate.

■ NEGATIVE media and lack of promotion by the clubs.

■ THE standard and predictability of football.

■ A POORLY thought out playing schedule.

So go through the issues one by one with NRL CEO Todd Greenberg.

Nothing can take away from the fact that 200,000 fewer fans have gone through the turnstiles and that TV ratings have fallen.

ANGRY: Eels furious at Broncos grubs

KENT: Why fans are wrong to turn on Hasler

CROWDS
Greenberg says: We are currently averaging 15,117 — which is 2 per cent down on last year. We had a pretty rough start to the year with one of the wettest months on record to start the season but we have started to bridge the gap and hope to end up pretty close to last year. In fact, we have beaten last year’s crowds in six of the last seven weeks … so the trend is improving leading into the Finals. Crowds have been pretty stable for the last 10 to 15 years … but I agree we all need to do more to bump them up.

We are in a very competitive environment — not just with sport — because there are so many options for people to choose from when determining how they spend their leisure time.

And, clearly, the television coverage of our game is so good that many people like watching the game at home. But, having said that, we need to work with the clubs to encourage more people to attend games. I was at Cameron Smith’s 350th game at the weekend and I can assure you there is nothing quite like being there.

Crowd decline since Commission
Year Average crowd

Another buzz rothfield crisis article where his opinion is written as fact! He is the biggest leech in the media.
Greenberg also just deflects most of the answers and has no idea about the common fans.

Does any other sport have to put up with crap like this constantly about how their sport is in 'big trouble', going backwards and a big turn off for women and families? The daily telegraph have been spewing out this rubbish for 15 years now.

 

[AlwaysGreen]

Didn't click the link but assumed it was an alcoholic at large article. What a Cumberland tosser class f**kwit he is.

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

You have one team in the entire state.

You've never had to build a club.
It was just invented for you.
A fake footy club full of blokes from QLD.
With not one single opposition team within cooee.

Stick 6 more teams around the storm and let's see how popular they are.

The storm has 7 teams to compete against in a non heartland city, no derbies to boost crowd numbers, 3 of the best players in the professional era obtained after being rejected by another team and still averages more than the reigning premier. As crowds go, you have got to be a little embarrassed

 

[carcharias]

The storm has 7 teams to compete against in a non heartland city, no derbies to boost crowd numbers, 3 of the best players in the professional era obtained after being rejected by another team and still averages more than the reigning premier. As crowds go, you have got to be a little embarrassed

It's not even the same bloody sport.

Its like you blokes are the only ones selling beer.
The rest are selling wine.

There is literally no competition what so ever in terms of other rugby league teams.

None

The sharks have been completely surrounded by the most famous clubs in the game from the very first game we played.

I don't even count other codes because that would be a bullshit excuse.

 

[Timmah]

The solution is to either increase the number of people willing to attend or reduce the clubs and try and keep as many of the 140k engaged as possible.

That last part is the flaw in your plan. You cull a bunch of Sydney clubs then that's tens of thousands lost to the game. Too many will walk away.

(And I'm not saying we can't reduce the number of clubs in Sydney - just noting the important effect it will have on people's interest in the game)

 

[Billythekid]

It's not even the same bloody sport.

Its like you blokes are the only ones selling beer.
The rest are selling wine.

There is literally no competition what so ever in terms of other rugby league teams.

None

The sharks have been completely surrounded by the most famous clubs in the game from the very first game we played.

I don't even count other codes because that would be a bullshit excuse.

Shit we need to put teams into china, the US and throughout Europe. With literally zero competition no doubt we'll be packing out stadiums every week. I'd like to give you enough credit to know why your position is so hilariously dumb.

This sort of post is what makes this thread a total waste of time. 80-90% of the posts in this thread are either trolls or so incredibly stupid that even responding to them is a waste of time (and likely met with a similarly ill thought through post and some variation of salt or u mad).

The rest is just this ongoing back and forth between Perth red and the usual suspects.

 

[adamkungl]

A conversation between Rothfield and Greenberg is easily the low point of this thread.

What's the point of being a bitter negative merkin like Rothfield if he won't even challenge Greenberg on his slimy, politician piss weak answers?

 

[El Diablo]

Didn't click the link but assumed it was an alcoholic at large article. What a Cumberland tosser class f**kwit he is.

at least Sloth goes to games so it's fair enough for him to comment

Tosser just comes here to bitch and moan about crowds yet never goes to games himself

i don't think Tosser has ever posted in the Parra forum or any game day topic. i doubt he even watches games on TV

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

It's not even the same bloody sport.

Its like you blokes are the only ones selling beer.
The rest are selling wine.

There is literally no competition what so ever in terms of other rugby league teams.

None

The sharks have been completely surrounded by the most famous clubs in the game from the very first game we played.

I don't even count other codes because that would be a bullshit excuse.

If you think that having 7 teams of the most dominant sport in the city, engrained for the last 120 years, is not a direct competition for a stand alone RL team in a non heartland city, you've got rocks in your head.

 

[carcharias]

Shit we need to put teams into china, the US and throughout Europe. With literally zero competition no doubt we'll be packing out stadiums every week. I'd like to give you enough credit to know why your position is so hilariously dumb.

This sort of post is what makes this thread a total waste of time. 80-90% of the posts in this thread are either trolls or so incredibly stupid that even responding to them is a waste of time (and likely met with a similarly ill thought through post and some variation of salt or u mad).

The rest is just this ongoing back and forth between Perth red and the usual suspects.

I'm sorry ...but when I get blokes bragging about how good a team in a one team states crowds are I laugh.
They hang shit on little clubs who are doing it under toughest conditions in the game.

f**king Melbourne??
Bank rolled to the roof from day one and then still cheated like merkins
They play like merkins
The best thing I've ever seen is manly and sharks kicking their arse in the GF.
I was cheering for Manly
A sharks fan cheering for manly !!!
That tells what people think of the cheating scum that is the Storm.
Bellamy couldn't lie straight in bed.



We know the crowds are not amazing.
It's no f**king secret that TV is killing it.

 

[carcharias]

If you think that having 7 teams of the most dominant sport in the city, engrained for the last 120 years, is not a direct competition for a stand alone RL team in a non heartland city, you've got rocks in your head.

Try having 7 playing the same code on your doorstep.