Ey
You’re forgetting the direct competition from other nrl clubs.
Clubs that have been there from day one.
Generations of families that have followed the same team.
Victoria has no such thing in terms of rugby league.
Forget AFL that’s a different sport.
I know plenty of people who follow a rugby league team and the swans and syd FC.
We came into the comp just 20 years ago with about as little media attention imaginable.
We were placed in the worst venue in Australia. Our games, up until 2007, were not broadcast live...sometimes we were made to wait up until midnight to watch us play our away games. We still don't have exposure on the main channels, either.
Our home games were some of the worst timings imaginable. I remember once we played the warriors on Sunday midday just to appease the NZ audience.
Then, just as we moved into our new stadium, the salary cap shit broke out. It has really only been the past 5-6 years where we've actually felt like a professional club. We play in a nice venue, with actual seats and an overall nice matchday experience. That has been reflected in membership growth. We are now set to hit around 25k this year. Sure on field success helps but it's not secret as to why we are the fastest growing club in the NRL.
You can't just look at a city's population as an indicator of where there memberships should be at. If you go by that logic you can put a team in any major city and expect them to work.
