The Game 2023 Crowd Watch

[Wb1234]

Eden park really looks dated

if Tonga was playing capacity would’ve been tested

 

[Diesel]

Eden park really looks dated

if Tonga was playing capacity would’ve been tested

Eden Park was a run down dump when I last visited it in 2001 and nothing I have seen over the past 22years has changed my mind. It’s not fit for rectangle sport and it’s an embarrassment to cricket.

 

[yakstorm]

Kiwis v Toa Samoa - 23,269

 

[Diesel]

Kiwis v Toa Samoa - 23,269

23269 more than what the afl got to watch their 4’n twenty all Australian team play whoever they play

 

[beave]

IMO they got the venues for the Aus games around the wrong way if the organisers wanted to maximise crowds.

There looked to be a decent Samoan presence in Melbourne in the lead up to the WC final last year with the crowd gatherings and marches, Aus V Samoa last week should have been in Melbourne and the Kiwis v Aus game played at QCB.

I honestly think the 18k crowd figure at QCB was fudged a few thousand last week as I have been there a few times for 18k crowds and with the western stand only having the lower section opened, the rest of the ground did not look full enough to me to overcome that handicap.

 

[The_Wookie]

23269 more than what the afl got to watch their 4’n twenty all Australian team play whoever they play

Its possible to just enjoy a good crowd without mentioning the AFL.

Im not sure they'll miss that 23,000 all that much when they had 3.75 million more in attendance this year. (8,139,464 to 4,379,569 (4,120,461 season/finals, + 259,108 at Origin/PacificChamps )

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Its possible to just enjoy a good crowd without mentioning the AFL.

Im not sure they'll miss that 23,000 all that much when they had 3.75 million more in attendance this year. (8,139,464 to 4,379,569 (4,120,461 season/finals, + 259,108 at Origin/PacificChamps )

Do those NRL numbers include crowds in NZ???

 

[The_Wookie]

Do those NRL numbers include crowds in NZ???

Yes they do.

 

[Wb1234]

Kiwis v Toa Samoa - 23,269

That’s a pretty solid crowd

obviously mt smart would’ve been heaving with that crowd and it’s not like the alll blacks didn’t pay a test there this year

 

[Iamback]

IMO they got the venues for the Aus games around the wrong way if the organisers wanted to maximise crowds.

There looked to be a decent Samoan presence in Melbourne in the lead up to the WC final last year with the crowd gatherings and marches, Aus V Samoa last week should have been in Melbourne and the Kiwis v Aus game played at QCB.

I honestly think the 18k crowd figure at QCB was fudged a few thousand last week as I have been there a few times for 18k crowds and with the western stand only having the lower section opened, the rest of the ground did not look full enough to me to overcome that handicap.

Auckland council apparently chipped in for this week and chose Eden Park, Aust government likely had a say in last week too.

The heavy Islander presence in Western Sydney and SW Brisbane. Last week was a no brainer to be played there

 

[Wb1234]

Auckland council apparently chipped in for this week and chose Eden Park, Aust government likely had a say in last week too.

The heavy Islander presence in Western Sydney and SW Brisbane. Last week was a no brainer to be played there

Why would they care between mt smart and eden park both are in Auckland

the one game that should’ve been at Eden park was the wahs final

 

[Iamback]

Why would they care between mt smart and eden park both are in Auckland

the one game that should’ve been at Eden park was the wahs final

A Rugby comp starts there next week, maybe they have the ground booked from this week

 

[Wb1234]

Crowd average is around 20k for this comp which is simply excellent. The arlc will have learned from this first tournament and next year will have more time to plan it

 

[yakstorm]

Why would they care between mt smart and eden park both are in Auckland

Because they spent NZD63m on bailing out Eden Park during the pandemic, so they are trying to generate a return from the venue.

Aust government likely had a say in last week too.

Aus Government didn't have a say in the Australian venues, both venues were tied to legacy deals. As part of the QCB Stadium build, the NRL committed to taking a Test there, whilst in the most recent Origin negotiations, also included a Kangaroos Test.

The original Victorian deal stated "As part of a seven-year deal with the Victorian Government, Melbourne will host two Origin clashes in 2021 and 2025 and Kangaroos' Tests in 2022 and 2023 in a package deal that has also claimed the return of the All Stars fixture in 2019."

I imagine one Pacific Championship match will be played at MRS next year as well as the NRL tries to honour the very rich deal.

 

[Iamback]

Because they spent NZD63m on bailing out Eden Park during the pandemic, so they are trying to generate a return from the venue.


Aus Government didn't have a say in the Australian venues, both venues were tied to legacy deals. As part of the QCB Stadium build, the NRL committed to taking a Test there, whilst in the most recent Origin negotiations, also included a Kangaroos Test.

The original Victorian deal stated "As part of a seven-year deal with the Victorian Government, Melbourne will host two Origin clashes in 2021 and 2025 and Kangaroos' Tests in 2022 and 2023 in a package deal that has also claimed the return of the All Stars fixture in 2019."

I imagine one Pacific Championship match will be played at MRS next year as well as the NRL tries to honour the very rich deal.

I thought the QCB deal was the feds to get their share across the line?

Either way it meant crowds are secondary here as the deals cover the costs lost

 

[bazza]

Crowd average is around 20k for this comp which is simply excellent. The arlc will have learned from this first tournament and next year will have more time to plan it

yeah - happy that the games are being played and hopefully build some rivalries for next year

 

[Burns]

Turning attention to Melbourne this week, correct me if wrong but the last time Australia played NZ there was 2010 (which was the first game match played there).
Otherwise Australia have played England three times at AAMI Park - so there isn’t much to go off in terms of comparison.

I’ll await some better analysis, but the Upper Western stand looks like it won’t go on sale, and parts of the Northern and Southern end seem to have every second row on sale.

Further, it just appears there isn’t a lot of tickets that have been released for sale.

Anything near 15,000 could be the pass mark here?

 

[yakstorm]

15,000 would be a pass mark based upon current sales, still it would be a huge disappointment compared to what Melbourne has drawn for internationals over the past 20 years.

2006 v New Zealand : 30,732 (Docklands)
2008 v England : 36,927 (Docklands)
2010 v New Zealand : 29,442
2010 v England : 18,894
2014 v England : 20,585
2017 v England : 22,724
2017 England v PNG : 10,563

Hopefully there can be a late surge to get at least up to the same numbers the 2010 Four Nations match against England got. Looks like they are fiddling around with holds now for the week, every section is on sale (yet no one can buy any tickets)

 

[Suitman]

The Matilda's have pretty much sold out 3 Olympic Qualifiers in Perth in the next 10 days. Perth???
1 x 58 000 at Optus stadium.
2 x 20 000 at HBF.

Why are we struggling to sell out one game in Melbourne and thinking that 15 k may be acceptable?
It's quite clear that football is the absolute dominant sport in this country when it comes to internationals. Cricket is probably its equal.
All other sports are a distant 2nd to cricket and football when it comes to internationals, except, laughably, Rugby Union.

 

[yakstorm]

Why are we struggling to sell out one game in Melbourne and thinking that 15 k may be acceptable?

We're barely promoting it, which is part of the problem. It feels like the NRL has happily just taken Visit Victoria's money and isn't doing much else. I've also seen more ads for this game in Sydney then I did when I've been in Melbourne, which would have been fine if it was being advertised and sold 6 months ago, not now.

The other problem is lack of appearances of the Kangaroos on home soil. The Matilda's just played in a record breaking World Cup which set new records for TV audiences. It would be a bit concerning for the FFA if they couldn't capitalise on that hype.

The Kangaroos last played in Australia in 2019 in Wollongong, then before that was the RLWC. The old saying of 'out of sight, out of mind' comes to mind when looking at the state the Roos are in. The Kiwis aren't faring much better. The crowds they are drawing are off the Tonga and Samoa hype, versus people wanting to get out there and watch the NZ national team play.

Hopefully we get two good games between the Roos and Kiwis over the next couple of weeks to change that (or the Kiwis just humiliate Australia, that will also bring the fans out)