2017 NRL Club Membership

[Vic Mackey]

Tigers have confirmed they've gone above 10,000.

 

[Timmah]

Given the NRL own the titans, it doesn't reflect well on their management abilities that the titans are a long way last!

At December 21 last year they had 3,255

Right now on December 12 they have 7,000.

They've doubled their position from last year and then some.

But far be it from you to actually contribute to a discussion without using it to further your anti-NRL agenda.

 

[typicalfan]

That's a hefty investment. Perhaps if there was a monthly payment option, some might like it.

That is how I imagine it would work.

 

[typicalfan]

Some sports/clubs offer savings if you have been a member formX amount of years, a way of rewarding loyalty.

Having discounts for multiple years would lock in fans who are unsure or dont renew year to year. It would keep some fair weather fans. You could also enter prize draws etc etc

 

[sensesmaybenumbed]

That is how I imagine it would work.

I know the tigers do this, with an auto renew setting you actually have to opt out of.

 

[Timmah]

I know the tigers do this, with an auto renew setting you actually have to opt out of.

That's pretty much how all clubs do it.

 

[sensesmaybenumbed]

That's pretty much how all clubs do it.

I'd guess as much, but I can only speak from experience with one club.

 

[Timmah]

Tuesday update:


http://leagueunlimited.com/news/29340-2017-nrl-club-membership-tracker/

 

[Tiger5150]

Pretty impressed and happy with Tigers results so far. In the face of a pretty constant media attack for a couple of seasons now, the doom and gloom does not appear to have set in. Light on the horizon.

 

[Frank Discussion]

So the Sydney clubs have over 100,000 members and the Donkeys haven't even cracked 20k. Awesome.

 

[cleary89]

For years people have been saying pet memberships and stuff shouldn't count. End of the day, its someone willing to donate money to their club. I doubt clubs want to be in the business of saying "your pet membership doesn't really count" or "you only pay $180 for 4 games, you aren't a real member" just so autistic people on rugby league forums can feel good.

End of the day its more money to the club, more people on the clubs mailing list. But people would rather piss it away for a dick measuring contest.

 

[cleary89]

In the afl swans have 60k members and average 32k. Collingwood has like 80k members dont they?

Id say most clubs around the world have more members than average attendance. Which is a good thing. People giving up their hard earned when they cant/dont want to attend games.

 

[Perth Red]

Few countries have memberships, mostly just season tickets.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

What were the membership numbers 5, 10 years ago?

 

[Perth Red]

Dire, which shows how slow clubs are to wake up to new funding opportunities. It's really only when smith came in looked at afl and went wtf, Australia has a sports membership culture worth hundreds of millions and NRL clubs have only a few thousand each, that we saw a concerted effort to build membership numbers.

He did the same with attendances, hence the optimistic strategic goal of 20k avg by 2017. Shame he wasn't allowed to stay and build to that goal.

 

[taipan]

Dire, which shows how slow clubs are to wake up to new funding opportunities. It's really only when smith came in looked at afl and went wtf, Australia has a sports membership culture worth hundreds of millions and NRL clubs have only a few thousand each, that we saw a concerted effort to build membership numbers.

He did the same with attendances, hence the optimistic strategic goal of 20k avg by 2017. Shame he wasn't allowed to stay and build to that goal.

Smith didn't start till when? Early 2013.
Memberships yes were involved in the NRL since at least 2011 and were growing , and people were only getting used to the benefits in the following years .
I don't know whether his influence made that much of a difference to the clubs who were already aware of the benefits.

Look Smith did a reasonable job, but crowds did not grow (despite his 20,000 ave prediction), he maintained expensive sidekicks who did little and there was waste in terms of admin expenses.He was a vast improvement on Gallop.He handled the drugs saga professionally.
However since he left, $5m saved on admin expenses, something must be amiss.

IMO he would have been an ideal CEO , if he had his head around rugby league culture at the beginning, not gone on the hang the expense crusade and treated the code as a sport not a Bank.

He was able to lobby Govts to secure stadium deals and infrastructure setups, that I will admit was a plus.He got out in the bush, whereas Gallop liked the Sydney CBD.

Membership continues its upward projectory, and he is not in charge.Give some kudos to the marketing people in the NRL clubs. People like Gorman at the Sharks.

 

[T-Boon]

So the Sydney clubs have over 100,000 members and the Donkeys haven't even cracked 20k. Awesome.

they need some competition.

 

[T-Boon]

Smith didn't start till when? Early 2013.
Memberships yes were involved in the NRL since at least 2011 and were growing , and people were only getting used to the benefits in the following years .
I don't know whether his influence made that much of a difference to the clubs who were already aware of the benefits.

I think you are right that Smith came in after the membership push had begun. But it was definitely an NRL driven exercise.
The NRL had to come up with clever little competitions between the clubs so as to motivate them (semi conference type ideas). It is not something clubs were thinking of as they had pockies revenue.
This is definitely an example of the clubs not being able to see the benefit of something until they were slapped in the face with it by head office.
It kind of sounds like how they feel about expansion or digital. Too far fetch. Not necessary. Maybe next decade.

 

[taipan]

I think you are right that Smith came in after the membership push had begun. But it was definitely an NRL driven exercise.
The NRL had to come up with clever little competitions between the clubs so as to motivate them (semi conference type ideas). It is not something clubs were thinking of as they had pockies revenue.
This is definitely and example of the clubs not being able to see the benefit of something until they were slapped in the face with it by head office.
It kind of sounds like how they feel about expansion or digital. Too far fetch. Not necessary. Maybe next decade.

It was indeed NRL driven.
Agree clubs have in the past the luxury of a constant flow of money from their Licensed clubs.That is fast drying up.
They have had it easy ,with little competition from other codes, now it's every man for himself.

The very reason NRL clubs are getting professional and/or business types on their boards, is to improve the bottom line and ensure longevity.

Clubs and the same applies to AFL, are concerned with their own survival and being in the black.
There were plenty of people within rugby league, who did not want the Warriors or the Storm in the comp.

 

[Tiger5150]

Dire, which shows how slow clubs are to wake up to new funding opportunities. It's really only when smith came in looked at afl and went wtf, Australia has a sports membership culture worth hundreds of millions and NRL clubs have only a few thousand each, that we saw a concerted effort to build membership numbers.

He did the same with attendances, hence the optimistic strategic goal of 20k avg by 2017. Shame he wasn't allowed to stay and build to that goal.

This takes me back to a meeting of Balmain Tigers members in 1993 (PRE SUPER LEAGUE) when the ARL sat us all down and explained that THEY were bringing in a set of criteria that if they were not met, clubs would be kicked out of the comp. One of the key criteria was each club had to average home crowds of 10K. It was as a result of this and at this meeting that Balmain changed theirname to Sydney Tigers and started playing out of Parra Stadium etc. Pretty dark days that were later overshadowed by the SL war.

Seems incredible that over 20 years later and in the context of other codes boasting healthy crowds that the clubs are struggling to beat 10K let alone hit 20K.