2018 Crowd Watch

[Stallion]

So do what AFL did in the 1990s to build crowds - scrap SOO, close all the suburban club grounds and make all teams play out of two central stadiums. Parra/ANZ/SFS. That would boost NRL crowds for sure. Or would it? Perhaps it would rip the heart out of the game.
It would destroy what makes the game in Sydney great. You can’t have both. RL needs to build on its strengths not it weaknesses.
This is what the NRL can learn from the AFL.
1. Great stadiums that are easy to get to can increase crowds by 50% overnight
2. You must create a big game / blockbuster mentality amongst fans for certain games. There needs to be more sellouts. People need to know that the only way to get a ticket next time is to become member, then keep that cycle going.
If clubs insist on keeping their local stadiums, any money spent should be on improving amenities not increased capacity.

The venue scenario in Sydney is still very different ti Melbourne. Sydney's geography and transport network is more complicated than in Melbourne. This matters in a big way.

 

[Stallion]

Really? Their NSW Cup feeder team is the Wyong Roos and they have taken the area on in terms of junior development in response to the lack of junior numbers in their area in Sydney. The only thing I would like to see is them play an extra game or two up there.

Wyong Roos have ceased the arrangement with the Roosters as of this season ! Or is this not true!

 

[Stallion]

Yes but if you don't spend that money and grow, then you die.

I'm not actually advocating the cutting of any Sydney club BTW. I'm just refuting Stallion's rediculous idea that the Bears should be added back into the NRL. The last thing we need is another Sydney or NSW club for that matter.

Wrong! Its another club. Its fixing up a stuff up made 20 years ago and giving an 330000 populated a side to follow along with regaining long lost fans. Not to mention the many local derbies to enjoy!

 

[ReddFelon]

The venue scenario in Sydney is still very different ti Melbourne. Sydney's geography and transport network is more complicated than in Melbourne. This matters in a big way.

I disagree with the Sydney travel argument, I
lived in Sydney for 3 years and never found the travel any more difficult than I do in Perth. In context; I drove 30 mins to the nearest train station and then an hour on the train to make the double header. I make that same trip each week for Wildcats and Scorchers games along with plenty of other people in my area, not to mention just going out on weekends. All up that's 3 hours travel on average.


Anecdotal evidence; relatives and friends still in Sydney were notorious for the attitude of "if it takes more than twenty minutes to get somewhere it's not worth going", sometimes I think Sydney folks are just lazy tbh. Almost like they want the events to come to them.

 

[OldPanther]

So do what AFL did in the 1990s to build crowds - scrap SOO, close all the suburban club grounds and make all teams play out of two central stadiums. Parra/ANZ/SFS. That would boost NRL crowds for sure. Or would it? Perhaps it would rip the heart out of the game.
It would destroy what makes the game in Sydney great. You can’t have both. RL needs to build on its strengths not it weaknesses.
This is what the NRL can learn from the AFL.
1. Great stadiums that are easy to get to can increase crowds by 50% overnight
2. You must create a big game / blockbuster mentality amongst fans for certain games. There needs to be more sellouts. People need to know that the only way to get a ticket next time is to become member, then keep that cycle going.
If clubs insist on keeping their local stadiums, any money spent should be on improving amenities not increased capacity.

So we're are agreed. There are a few lessons to be learnt.

 

[Stallion]

I disagree with the Sydney travel argument, I
lived in Sydney for 3 years and never found the travel any more difficult than I do in Perth. In context; I drove 30 mins to the nearest train station and then an hour on the train to make the double header. I make that same trip each week for Wildcats and Scorchers games along with plenty of other people in my area, not to mention just going out on weekends. All up that's 3 hours travel on average.


Anecdotal evidence; relatives and friends still in Sydney were notorious for the attitude of "if it takes more than twenty minutes to get somewhere it's not worth going", sometimes I think Sydney folks are just lazy tbh. Almost like they want the events to come to them.

Travel is relative to where you reside. In a roundabout way you have agreed with the travel issue as , even though you suggest its laziness and I agree, its ultimately the reason used . Time is a big factor in modern day society and this matters with people committing to attend things. It's reality. I think pricing, promotion and relevance are equally important for attendance. The struggle to the ground and home and the time taken is in the mix somewhere as well.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Wrong! Its another club. Its fixing up a stuff up made 20 years ago and giving an 330000 populated a side to follow along with regaining long lost fans. Not to mention the many local derbies to enjoy!

Ok - let's do this your way then. Add the Bears back in. Then what? We have 17 sides, 10 of them in Sydney. Do you move the Bears to CC? Because as it currently stands it seems it is not viable to have a team play full-time out of CC or Wollongong. So you add one more team to Sydney and another team that averages around 12k a game at a stadium that is probably past it as an NRL venue (North Sydney Oval).

Then what? Perth, Brisbane 2, NZ 2, Adelaide 2? We are not going to have 21 teams in the NRL and we are not going to have 10 Sydney sides.

What is your ideal future for the NRL? Can you honestly say that bringing in yet another Sydney club is a great idea? One that will bring no more that 16k average attendances in their very best of seasons and have almost zero impact on TV viewer numbers.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Wyong Roos have ceased the arrangement with the Roosters as of this season ! Or is this not true!

Not according to their website:

Welcome to the website of the Wyong Rugby League Football Club. The Wyong Roos are the 'feeder' club to the NRL Sydney Roosters. In 2018 the Wyong Roos will have teams competing in the Intrust Super Premiership NSW, Central Coast, and Ladies League Tag competitions. All Club/team information is available from this website, or on our Facebook and Twitter links.

http://www.wyongseniorroos.com.au/cgi-bin/home.cgi

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Your logic and support of the Roosters in Central Coast is based on a club neglecting its area in the eastern suburbs. Thats running away from an area that can and has produced juniors into grade. Pretty poor allround solution. Not genuinely good for the code. Runnng away from an area is poor development in my books. The Bears have a locality advantage compared to the Roosters and have a presence in Gosford. Im sure gaining back Bears supporters would be a better option than losing more Roosters fans. And I will jump ship if the Roosters base themselves in Gosford. Pretty sure alot of Rooster fans would do the same or not like it at least?

It has been pointed out to me by another poster that a full-time team on the CC may not be vialble so I will have to go with their superior knowledge of the area. But we have to do something.

What is your vision for the future of the NRL? Because doing nothing in Sydney is currently not working and adding the Bears (another Sydney team) crowds the market even more for an extra maybe 12k fans a year and very little impact on the TV ratings.

 

[Timmah]

Wyong Roos have ceased the arrangement with the Roosters as of this season ! Or is this not true!

They were fairly clear that they'd be seeing out THIS season and ceasing it at the end of the year.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

They also tend to have more fans of other teams than the roosters up there.

If they did make the move it would have to be a long-term generational thing I guess. It appears that a full-time team may not be viable on the CC as it stands currently.

 

[Hoofhearted]

This thread is slowly morphing into an Expansion/Relocation thread, how many expected in Melbourne tonight?

 

[titoelcolombiano]

This thread is slowly morphing into an Expansion/Relocation thread, how many expected in Melbourne tonight?

You would think it deserves a sell-out, realistically hope for 20 - 22k but who knows when it is schedule up against 90k at a stadium a stone's throw away.

 

[Hoofhearted]

You would think it deserves a sell-out, realistically hope for 20 - 22k but who knows when it is schedule up against 90k at a stadium a stone's throw away.

Exactly, I noticed that the Sunday of SOO 2 neither Sydney AFL team is playing in Sydney (Swans have the bye) and there is no late Sunday arvo game in Melbourne so all games will be finished before the Origin kicks off. Who would of thought it, it is actually possible to schedule your competition around other major events to make sure it doesn't have an impact on your product!!!

 

[Jamberoo]

You would think it deserves a sell-out, realistically hope for 20 - 22k but who knows when it is schedule up against 90k at a stadium a stone's throw away.

Don’t think it makes much difference here. Only Tiger and Blues fans would be going to the MCG, that leaves 80% of AFL fans who follow other clubs free to go to Storm. The lack of parking might put a few off, but AAMI could not be better located public transport wise.
There is not a lot of cross over between Storm fans and AFL fans unfortunately.
I predict a solid crowd of 19,570 tonight.

 

[CowboyFuriousFury]

You would think it deserves a sell-out, realistically hope for 20 - 22k but who knows when it is schedule up against 90k at a stadium a stone's throw away.

'Sporting capital' couldn't sell out for slater 300th and storm first home game as premiers, a least Brisbane bandwagon on successful teams like lions/reds and match bronco crowds. Yet storm can't even average 20k in spite of all that success a true sporting capital would have storm playing in sell out crowds.

 

[Stallion]

Ok - let's do this your way then. Add the Bears back in. Then what? We have 17 sides, 10 of them in Sydney. Do you move the Bears to CC? Because as it currently stands it seems it is not viable to have a team play full-time out of CC or Wollongong. So you add one more team to Sydney and another team that averages around 12k a game at a stadium that is probably past it as an NRL venue (North Sydney Oval).

Then what? Perth, Brisbane 2, NZ 2, Adelaide 2? We are not going to have 21 teams in the NRL and we are not going to have 10 Sydney sides.

What is your ideal future for the NRL? Can you honestly say that bringing in yet another Sydney club is a great idea? One that will bring no more that 16k average attendances in their very best of seasons and have almost zero impact on TV viewer numbers.

Just have Brisbane 2, Adelaide & Melbourne 2 or NZ2 ! 17 plus 3 equals 20. Simple.

 

[Mister M]

You would think it deserves a sell-out, realistically hope for 20 - 22k but who knows when it is schedule up against 90k at a stadium a stone's throw away.

Don’t think it makes much difference here. Only Tiger and Blues fans would be going to the MCG, that leaves 80% of AFL fans who follow other clubs free to go to Storm. The lack of parking might put a few off, but AAMI could not be better located public transport wise.
There is not a lot of cross over between Storm fans and AFL fans unfortunately.
I predict a solid crowd of 19,570 tonight.

I think these crowd numbers are definitely optimistic, overly so considering the Storm got 18,189 to Slater's 300th last week.

I've already mentioned my reasons for thinking the game will struggle to pull a 'big' crowd repeatedly in this thread.

My prediction will be that there will be less than 12,000 there tonight for Storm/Cowboys which is a real shame considering it's a Grand Final rematch, potentially Thurston's last game in Melbourne, the NRL Footy Show is in town and we are a premiership side.

 

[Saint Doc]

Don’t think it makes much difference here. Only Tiger and Blues fans would be going to the MCG, that leaves 80% of AFL fans who follow other clubs free to go to Storm. The lack of parking might put a few off, but AAMI could not be better located public transport wise.
There is not a lot of cross over between Storm fans and AFL fans unfortunately.
I predict a solid crowd of 19,570 tonight.

Everyone in Melbourne will be watching AFL tonight. 10,300 “announced” crowd

 

[Jamberoo]

'Sporting capital' couldn't sell out for slater 300th and storm first home game as premiers, a least Brisbane bandwagon on successful teams like lions/reds and match bronco crowds. Yet storm can't even average 20k in spite of all that success a true sporting capital would have storm playing in sell out crowds.

Melbourne has the biggest crowds for a Cricket, AFL and soccer. Do you really expect it to be Number 1 for RL as well?
The MCG is top 10 in the world for total sports attendances. Double any other Australian stadium. And Etihad is second. Reckon that says it all.