Bulldogs poised to overtake Swans as Sydney’s biggest crowd-puller
June 3, 2025 — 7.30pm
Canterbury are closing in on the Sydney Swans as Sydney’s best-attended football team, with the resurgent NRL club attempting to smash its home ground record for a second time this season.
The Bulldogs are hoping to break the record attendance of 65,305 fans at the 32-0 Good Friday win over South Sydney when they host arch rivals Parramatta in the King’s Birthday weekend clash on Monday. The blue-and-white army has made its presence felt as coach Cameron Ciraldo’s side has rocketed to top spot on the ladder at the halfway point of the season.
The Bulldogs are averaging 29,578 through five home games. It’s a figure that would be higher still if Belmore Oval had a larger capacity and if monsoon conditions hadn’t resulted in just 10,412 turning up for their last match, a 44-8 loss to the Dolphins.
The Swans are still the gold standard for attracting Sydneysiders, averaging 37,570 fans for home matches at the Sydney Cricket Ground this season –
but should the Dogs’ crowd on Monday pass 65,000, their average will jump to over 35,000.
-----
“There’s no doubt in my mind that Bulldogs fans are the most passionate in Sydney,” said Canterbury chairman Adam Driussi.
“What we’ve seen this year has been nothing short of extraordinary. Our Good Friday game against Souths drew 65,000 people, and the overwhelming majority were wearing blue and white. That’s the most Bulldogs fans to ever attend a single game – we wouldn’t have had that many Bulldogs supporters even at a grand final.
“We’re on track to exceed 60,000 again for our game against Parramatta. Our hope is to break the record we just set against the Rabbitohs. The response from our fan base has been phenomenal, and we’re working hard to reward that loyalty with a better game-day experience and an improving team on the field.”
-----
Fans have also shown they are prepared to travel to watch their team; Canterbury currently average a crowd of 27,889 for away matches, the most in the NRL. The “Family Club” is also doing a good job of converting fans into members, exceeding the 30,000 mark for the first time in its history.
“We’ve identified other marquee games this year where we believe we can break 40,000 fans, including our matches against the Sea Eagles and Warriors,” Driussi said. “The atmosphere our fans create is becoming a genuine advantage for our team.”
-----
The combination of the Bulldogs’ ladder position, interest in derby opponents Parramatta, a public holiday and the release of cheap tickets has raised hopes of a huge crowd.
“Our fan base has been through some tough years, so we’ve worked hard to ensure everyone can be part of this resurgence,” Driussi said.
“That’s why we’ve introduced $10 tickets in certain sections of level 6 at Accor Stadium. We understand the cost-of-living pressures families are facing, and we want to make attending games as accessible as possible.”
NSW minister for sport Steve Kamper said: “The King’s Birthday match between the Bulldogs and the Eels is set to deliver another crowd of over 60,000 at Accor Stadium.
“Not only are NRL fans creating a great atmosphere at Accor, they’re making history and Monday’s crowd will go close to the largest regular season attendance at an NRL match, set over the Easter Long Weekend when the Bulldogs-Rabbitohs match drew 65,305 fans.
FULL ARTICLE PAYWALLED:
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/bu...y-s-biggest-crowd-puller-20250603-p5m4jr.html
-----
Nice hype article from the SMH. Two of three indicators (media hype and TfNSW travel advice) now indicating 60k is in play. Just need the pax to build up with time as expected and 3/3 indicators will put this on track for another historic attendance.
