2025 Crowd Watch

[Sky_Is_The_Limit]

Also a cracking day in Sydney.

A fifth bay has been opened on Level 4 East at Accor for Canterbury vs St George Illawarra. 3/5 bays are effectively sold out.

Less than 10 allocated seat tickets remaining on levels 1 and 2.

 

[Steel Saints]

Yes, the new capacity of Panthers Stadium 2.0 will be 25,000.

For those that don't know Sydney well, the Panthers are located within a ~half hour drive of the new Western Sydney Aerotropolis, Western Sydney International Airport and the North West Growth Area. In other words, Penrith is well positioned to benefit from multiple, multi-billion dollar government investments that will drive population and employment growth at levels beyond the majority of other Sydney (and indeed interstate) clubs. This is an obvious location for Penrith and the NRL to double down on.

And for what it's worth, growth is defined by all metrics - increased crowd attendances, TV ratings, membership numbers and $$$.

Yep, and if a southern stand is built, the capacity of the ground could increase to 28,000. Maybe Panthers Group could contribute towards it.

Panthers Group did fund their own academy or CoE. Panthers also invested in a five star hotel, with the knowledge that within half hour drive, the Western Sydney Airport will open in 2026.

The Panthers Group were strategic in how they invested infrastructure which could compliment the new airport. Chances are the five star Pullman Hotel will become a significant economic driver in tourism/ hospitality sectors for Penrith and Western Sydney.

Maybe that's one of the key reasons why Penrith received stadium funding.

 

[Gobsmacked]

Which other grounds can Cronulla or manly use

Traffic in Sydney is horrendous

It’s not Ike Melbourne

Sure play event games at Allianz once or twice a year but the reality is some Sydney clubs will average 15 to 20k at best

Broncos averaging 40k hasn’t helped them win a comp in ages

Crowd growth has been amazing but utimately nrl is set up to maximise tv ratings not crowds by having so many games in poor crowd time slots

Penrith get the upgrade to 25k, that need to happen to Manly, Sharks, Campbelltown and the gong.

Sharks, Manly and Penrith are going to be really struggling to push upwards of 25k regardless of who they're playing and moving the game only hurts those chances.

Tigers and Dragons can certainly play games at Central stadiums against cross town rivals but Out of town teams will be best suited to Leichhardt, Wollongong and Campbelltown.
Not sure if there's much use for Kogarah, they should use that land and a lease at Allianz as a bargaining chip for a new 25k stadium in the gong.
Tigers should play 1 game each year at Leichhardt for nostalgia purposes. All out of town teams at Campbelltown and all cross town games at Accor or Allianz.

We need
New stadiums :
Cronulla 25k
Manly 25k
Campbelltown 25k
Wollongong 25k
Redeveloped ACCOR 75k

I say 75 k because if you pull everything in close for a great rectangular stadium, the quality taps out on that size and given there's only twice a year 82k is full..
99% of the time the atmosphere will be far better!

 

[Wb1234]

Penrith get the upgrade to 25k, that need to happen to Manly, Sharks, Campbelltown and the gong.

Sharks, Manly and Penrith are going to be really struggling to push upwards of 25k regardless of who they're playing and moving the game only hurts those chances.

Tigers and Dragons can certainly play games at Central stadiums against cross town rivals but Out of town teams will be best suited to Leichhardt, Wollongong and Campbelltown.
Not sure if there's much use for Kogarah, they should use that land and a lease at Allianz as a bargaining chip for a new 25k stadium in the gong.
Tigers should play 1 game each year at Leichhardt for nostalgia purposes. All out of town teams at Campbelltown and all cross town games at Accor or Allianz.

We need
New stadiums :
Cronulla 25k
Manly 25k
Campbelltown 25k
Wollongong 25k
Redeveloped ACCOR 75k

I say 75 k because if you pull everything in close for a great rectangular stadium, the quality taps out on that size and given there's only twice a year 82k is full..
99% of the time the atmosphere will be far better!

Cronulla needs upgrades to 25k

Manly needs 200 million for the hill to go. And maybe the old stand on the other end needs 30k to 35k. Manly has potential to fill that given their geographic isolation to any other nrl club (Newcastle and the roosters)

Gong and Campbelltown won’t get serious dollars till those clubs commit to those areas as their primary location

I agree that tigers and dragons could look at same games at Allianz and one game a year at lo and kogarah provided it’s Sunday not thur or Friday night

Penrith stadium is too small. Their population base is going up by a million. They can be on par with parra averaging 30k one day.

 

[drcmuch]

With the increased capacity it would probably take two seasons at the most. Their average last year was just under 19000. Their average this year is 15000 (excluding Vegas and Magic round).

2024 - 11 games at Penrith - avg 19,497
2025 - 6 games at Parra - avg 14,482 - 2 to play include a Thursday.

I was probably a bit pessimistic, the numbers in my head were that they'd be down 6,000 these 2 years and up under 3,000 after the upgrade (given before / after nominal stadium capacity of 22,500 / 25,000).

 

[titoelcolombiano]

25k for Penrith seems too small if we are looking at projected growth. They get a once in a lifetime chance at a new stadium and Panthers will never average over 25k out of it. Seems as short sighted as building Suncorp at 52k in the early 2000s

 

[drcmuch]

25k for Penrith seems too small if we are looking at projected growth. They get a once in a lifetime chance at a new stadium and Panthers will never average over 25k out of it. Seems as short sighted as building Suncorp at 52k in the early 2000s

I'd say Suncorp was about the right size for 20 years or so.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

I'd say Suncorp was about the right size for 20 years or so.

It was always too small for Brisbane's main stadium if you factor in all the main events that would go there...

Origin, Union internationals, Soccer internationals, concerts, let alone Broncos games that were drawing 40k+ before the SL War and were always going to build back up again eventually.

Then you'd have to factor in population growth which they would have been able to project back then and we end up where we are now, a stadium that is too small as our main event stadium just 22 years later.

60k would have been the sweet spot. Origin, Union and Soccer internationals would easily do that. Then you've got Magic, potential ability to bid for the GF, concerts and the Broncos wouldn't be stuck at 40k average for God knows how long now until we get a bigger stadium.

 

[Burns]

Raiders social media did say yesterday that there was only 3,000 seats left. Could well sell out today?

 

[League Unlimited News]

 

[Vlad59]

Frigging magnificent

 

[Vlad59]

For those interested in these things (I am) the game is going gang busters in the Canberra Regional Rugby League with a nice increase in participation including a new comp in the Snowy. With the Raiders crowds on the up once again the flog ballers are left scratching their has as to how they kill off the pest that is rugby league.

 

[cleary89]

Do they still play GWS games in Canberra? Didn't the state govt pay like 3 mil for 3 games a year?

 

[Vlad59]

Do they still play GWS games in Canberra? Didn't the state govt pay like 3 mil for 3 games a year?

Yes and yes. It’s a joke

 

[Sky_Is_The_Limit]

Well done to Canberra, very solid crowd.

 

[Wb1234]

Looks like 25k ish at accor

Lower bowl only has six bays empty

 

[Vee]

I'd say Suncorp was about the right size for 20 years or so.

So you agree they didn't plan for the future.

 

[Vee]

It was always too small for Brisbane's main stadium if you factor in all the main events that would go there...

Origin, Union internationals, Soccer internationals, concerts, let alone Broncos games that were drawing 40k+ before the SL War and were always going to build back up again eventually.

Then you'd have to factor in population growth which they would have been able to project back then and we end up where we are now, a stadium that is too small as our main event stadium just 22 years later.

60k would have been the sweet spot. Origin, Union and Soccer internationals would easily do that. Then you've got Magic, potential ability to bid for the GF, concerts and the Broncos wouldn't be stuck at 40k average for God knows how long now until we get a bigger stadium.

Fn Queensland Labor mate. Plenty fluff, little substance.

 

[SLRBRONCOS]

Just back from Canberra Stadium. Took 95 minutes to get from the Canberra centre to the game - absolute nightmare of a stadium to get into.

It’s simple, get them a central stadium and they will be up there with Newcastle and NQLD

 

[Sky_Is_The_Limit]

Looks like 25k ish at accor

Lower bowl only has six bays empty

There looks like more people than usual (for a 25-30k crowd) in the GA sections, particularly the north-west corner. I wonder if they closed some GA bays to bunch the crowd up?

I think this is 27/28k. Good result.