2018 Crowd Watch

[Stallion]

Junior player numbers does not automatically mean big attendances and positive membership. If it did, the A-League would be one of the world's biggest leagues with sold out 70,000 seat stadia every week.

We need to break free of this myth that kids playing junior sport is automatically a sign they follow a team in the local area (or any other team in the elite competition, for that matter). I wouldn't doubt that grassroots engagement is important and the connections are there, but a region having a good junior base isn't an automatic ticket to sold out games every week either.

Agree. However there is firm potential rather than a small chance of flow on support.

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

The Titans need to build an animosity to the Broncos... It would help if they play against each other in finals. The Broncos will always believe they are biggest club in South East Queensland.

I think the GC need to actively become the anti-Broncos team. I think they have been trying to avoid that fight and tried to be non-confrontational about it, but thats just made them a bit bland and boring.

Trying to brand themselves as the SQLD team and the Broncos as "just" the Brisbane City team is their way forward. Challenge the big guy, step on toes, stop being pussies!!!

Edit:
I also still think a conference-based finals system would really help with these local rivalries. Instead of just leaving it to chance and HOPING this games occur, we could shape a finals format that guarantees rivalries like this build every year.

IIRC, last year, people were complaining that the match-ups for the finals series were dull. I dont see why we should leave this to chance when we could have i finals system that not only guarantees derbies but builds these rivalries year to year.

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

Junior player numbers does not automatically mean big attendances and positive membership. If it did, the A-League would be one of the world's biggest leagues with sold out 70,000 seat stadia every week.

We need to break free of this myth that kids playing junior sport is automatically a sign they follow a team in the local area (or any other team in the elite competition, for that matter). I wouldn't doubt that grassroots engagement is important and the connections are there, but a region having a good junior base isn't an automatic ticket to sold out games every week either.

I dont think Soccer-RL is a fair comparison...

Soccer is the go-to team sport for kids. More often than not, their parents picked it for them. And even if they do like it, ALeague is too low quality to draw attention.

RL on the other hand is one of the more dangerous kids sports, so kids are only going to play in they or their parents really love the game.

Not to say that these people should automatically turn up to games. Just that there if a good market for local fans. The problem is that the Titans are just not tapping that local potential.

 

[typicalfan]

I dont think junior rugby league is particularly dangerous. Injuries happen but soccer injuries happen as well. Junior league is a world away from NRL.

 

[Canard]

Fairly consistent slide since then - basically they were a shiny new toy for a few seasons and have been middling to average ever since. Now last in NRL club membership several years running.

Try to stick to facts in this thread, not emotive claims.

 

[Stallion]

I dont think junior rugby league is particularly dangerous. Injuries happen but soccer injuries happen as well. Junior league is a world away from NRL.

Agree however general public perception does not see it that way. Especially mums.

 

[ReddFelon]

Junior league participation can build memberships and audiences, but it requires a direct connection with the club. Not just reserve grade players occasionally dropping in to watch training. You need to invest in clinics, constant association with the grassroots clubs. The NRL in general would benefit hugely from an equivalent to auskick, so many young kids get into sport via school holiday clinics and camps, the NRL needs a uniform system, heavy club participation but not one where some clubs put in the effort e.g. Penrith with juniors, and some don't. Greater centralisation in operation but allow the clubs to carve out a catchment so that every kid knows their local club is tied directly with the professional side.

 

[typicalfan]

As for the Titans they are starting to get some players they can make an identity with. Taylor, Wallace and Arrow for example. I think targeting the Broncos juniors works for them they can pick off the ones the Broncos can’t hold onto and with good coaching make them rep players. How many players have gone to the Titans and then became rep players? Arrow and Wallace are two but this needs to continue. They need better edge defenders and they will jump up the table.

 

[beave]

GC crowds are not currently great considering the size of city directly surrounding their home. The crowds they were getting in the early years was IMO probably on par for a region of that size. The titans shit the bed when they signed off on the original stadium deal for Robina thinking that they could then in turn charge ridiculous prices for the average punter and even the coporates (my best mates old man had to cut away his corporate box because of the huge price increase). When Searle f**ked on the locals by not paying the tradies for the new CoE, crowds dipped, which meant prices went up to make up the difference, more people stopped going. Vicious downward cycle. The only way they’ve cut costs was shut the southern stand down for 90% of games.

 

[Stallion]

Junior league participation can build memberships and audiences, but it requires a direct connection with the club. Not just reserve grade players occasionally dropping in to watch training. You need to invest in clinics, constant association with the grassroots clubs. The NRL in general would benefit hugely from an equivalent to auskick, so many young kids get into sport via school holiday clinics and camps, the NRL needs a uniform system, heavy club participation but not one where some clubs put in the effort e.g. Penrith with juniors, and some don't. Greater centralisation in operation but allow the clubs to carve out a catchment so that every kid knows their local club is tied directly with the professional side.

Leaguetag would be the way to go for gaining primary school age participation. If interschool leaguetag competitions were supported by rugby league development and linked with local junior rugby league clubs the positives would be immense.

 

[Mister M]

No I think you were totally wrong regarding the MCG Origin attendance. Something even you admit.

So your record is 100% incorrect since you arrived here.

Why would I or anyone else want to discuss crowds or anything else to do with RL with you?

Well considering I suggested that the NRL Grand Final rematch between the Storm & Cowboys on a Thursday night (up against round 1 of the AFL)would get a poor crowd months before anyone else demonstrates that I haven’t had a 100% incorrect track record.

If you have no interest in discussing crowds or anything else with me, maybe you should just ignore my posts rather than making childish comments about every single one of them?

 

[Suitman]

Junior player numbers does not automatically mean big attendances and positive membership. If it did, the A-League would be one of the world's biggest leagues with sold out 70,000 seat stadia every week.

Agree to a certain extent, but despite the fact that junior football (soccer) participation in this country is huge compared to other sports, there are some mitigating factors.

1. Almost all soccer players I know come from a family who primarily support a RL club.
2. The sport is 3rd or 4th tier of the football codes in the country as a spectator sport for numbers.
3. Pathways to higher ambitions are more difficult considering the junior numbers, hence most players do not continue playing beyond their teens.
4. Fees are exorbitant for the elite players. Indeed, they are even exorbitant for the middle of the road players trying to make it to the next level. I know that for a fact.

So yes, I agree that if junior player numbers was indicative of attendances of major leagues, the A-League would be killing it. I can't ever see football getting it's act together in this country in my lifetime. It has decades of history of political in-fighting that is destroying it from within.
People like Gallop and Lowy ain't going to change nothing. So much potential, so little desire from within.

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

I dont think junior rugby league is particularly dangerous. Injuries happen but soccer injuries happen as well. Junior league is a world away from NRL.

Thats not really the point...

What im trying to say is that, in my experience, people dont just randomly pick RL for their kids to pay. They might do it for Soccer, Basketball, etc. but i have never come across a parent who was like "yeh, we wanted to get Timmy into a team sport so we picked Tackle Football". Either the parents love the game and want to share it with the kids or the kids found the NRL and asked their parents.

I dont believe there is the same "junior player > first grade fan" disconnect in RL that we see in Soccer or Basketball. If GC juniors dont care about the Titans, it is NOT that the kids dont care about the NRL. The titans have just not converted these local NRL fans into crowds...

 

[adamkungl]

Titans crowds are poor because Titans results are poor. Nothing more nothing less.

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

So yes, I agree that if junior player numbers was indicative of attendances of major leagues, the A-League would be killing it. I can't ever see football getting it's act together in this country in my lifetime. It has decades of history of political in-fighting that is destroying it from within.
People like Gallop and Lowy ain't going to change nothing. So much potential, so little desire from within.

Soccers best chance in Australia is to convince the VFL to just change their rules to something approximating Soccer.

Short of that, i dont see it ever happening.

 

[Canard]

Junior league participation can build memberships and audiences, but it requires a direct connection with the club. Not just reserve grade players occasionally dropping in to watch training. You need to invest in clinics, constant association with the grassroots clubs. The NRL in general would benefit hugely from an equivalent to auskick, so many young kids get into sport via school holiday clinics and camps, the NRL needs a uniform system, heavy club participation but not one where some clubs put in the effort e.g. Penrith with juniors, and some don't. Greater centralisation in operation but allow the clubs to carve out a catchment so that every kid knows their local club is tied directly with the professional side.

Yeh, they could call it mini-footy, then mod-League.

GC crowds are not currently great considering the size of city directly surrounding their home. The crowds they were getting in the early years was IMO probably on par for a region of that size. The titans shit the bed when they signed off on the original stadium deal for Robina thinking that they could then in turn charge ridiculous prices for the average punter and even the coporates (my best mates old man had to cut away his corporate box because of the huge price increase). When Searle f**ked on the locals by not paying the tradies for the new CoE, crowds dipped, which meant prices went up to make up the difference, more people stopped going. Vicious downward cycle. The only way they’ve cut costs was shut the southern stand down for 90% of games.

Only Sydney teams are allowed excuses regarding crowds

 

[ReddFelon]

Yeh, they could call it mini-footy, then mod-League.

Same principle, but compare the level of support for the idea. The AFL run routine ads across FTA and Fox for Auskick, I don't think I've ever seen an advertisement for mod-League. Also they need a better name.

 

[Timmah]

Try to stick to facts in this thread, not emotive claims.

Not sure what you think emotive claims are, but below are some clear facts.

Fairly consistent slide since then - basically they were a shiny new toy for a few seasons and have been middling to average ever since.



LINK: https://afltables.com/rl/crowds/titans.html

Now last in NRL club membership several years running.



LINK: http://leagueunlimited.com/news/31031-2018-nrl-club-membership-tracker/

 

[Stallion]

Same principle, but compare the level of support for the idea. The AFL run routine ads across FTA and Fox for Auskick, I don't think I've ever seen an advertisement for mod-League. Also they need a better name.

Really do think that Leaguetag would be very useful in gaining interest off parents and young kids. Suggest a flow on effect will occur into later years and linking this with local junior rugby league clubs is the way to go.

 

[Disinterested third party]

Well considering I suggested that the NRL Grand Final rematch between the Storm & Cowboys on a Thursday night (up against round 1 of the AFL)would get a poor crowd months before anyone else demonstrates that I haven’t had a 100% incorrect track record.

If you have no interest in discussing crowds or anything else with me, maybe you should just ignore my posts rather than making childish comments about every single one of them?

Yep you are a genius.

I doubt I've read posts from anyone that contributes less here than you.