2026 Crowd Watch

[CAS]

AFL is Melbourne-centric, NRL is Sydney-centric. The AFL plays games in every state and territory, the NRL ignores Adelaide, Tasmania and Perth (until recently).

How can a national competition prioritise a team iin PNG, a third world country ridden with violence and crime, over Adelaide, the fifth largest capital city!

Because people in other countries want to see RL been played, something that AFL doesn’t have to worry about.

 

[marlins2.0]

If the expected crowd is going to be too large for Campbelltown, why not move it to Allianz Stadium or CommBank where 30,000 fans can sit comfortably? I just don't understand the backwards thinking of NRL clubs.

Sydney fans can't fathom leaving their area codes, even with a well organized and maintained public transit system and state of the art stadia!

 

[drcmuch]

Highest aggregate round ever was last year - round 7 - total attendance = 218,833

Somewhat conservative predictions:
Tigers v Raiders - 16.5k
Cowboys v Sharks - 20k
Broncos v Bulldogs - 45k
Dragons vs Roosters - 39k
Warriors v Dolphins - 33k
Storm v Rabbitohs - 26k
Knights v Panthers - 23k
Sea Eagles v Eels - 16k

Total - 218,500

Going to be get very close to the record, if the Knights stadium was full capacity, I would call it right now.

Hoping the Cowboys and Ticketmaster can come to their senses and provide reasonable ticketing prices asap. Especially rough for North QLD supporters driving 4 hours+ to games with petrol prices.

Would be great headlines fo have a full round sellout and record crowd aggregate over the ANZAC weekend.

It's a bold strategy to be posting something about NRL crowds here in the Sydney vs Melbourne bore-me-to-death thread, can only hope it catches on.

 

[Barney Stubble]

Yeah a maximum of two teams sharing a stadium not 9 even in the nrl a couple teams share a stadium here or there.

Now show me which professional league has 9 teams in the same city sharing 2 stadiums?

also show me which league owns multiple of its sporting clubs over decades and gives them unfair advantages over other teams in the comp?

ALF in dumbourne is sad , bland & boring
same venues every week year in year out, no home grounds ... none

the most un tribal comp on the planet

 

[marlins2.0]

ALF in dumbourne is sad , bland & boring
same venues every week year in year out, no home grounds ... none

the most un tribal comp on the planet

Tell that to the diehards in Delhi mate!

 

[Warriors Fever]

Haha, some dweeb on news.com wrote an article that said the afl gather round was better than magic round because they play some games on smaller grounds so the crowd is on top of the players.

I had to laugh. Every league game has the crowd close to the players, including magic round, except for games played at the toilet bowl in homebush. The suburban grounds even more so.

And there are so many people in here that want to follow the afl model. Stick to afl bozos. They yearn for league type grounds.

League doesn't need huge crowds to make it look popular. As long as the grounds are full, the game has a great atmosphere and looks and sounds great on TV.

.

There was some absolute pillock who couldn’t understand how averages work. (Thought magic weekend because it averages 20k that there were 30k seats unsold) their solution to be more like afl and play at Sunshine Coast, Bundaberg, Redcliffe etc as if those grounds are right near each other.

 

[Kurt Angle]

This got a bit astray

The difference is Sydney is very district oriented

Victoria's AFL sides other than Geelong and Essendon circle the CBD

Melbourne
North Melbourne
Carlton
Collingwood
St Kilda
Hawthorn
Richmond
Footscray

Are all suburbs within 10km of the CBD. As the city grew the population just picked a team.

That would be like the NRL still having Annadale, Newtown and Glebe in place of Penrith, Cronulla and Parramatta

Sydney has districts which identify themselves as distinct. The fans pick a team, generally, on the district they live in, or did Live in as the city has grown.

Cumberland (Parramatta) left in 1909 to forms it's own competition. It would rather be on its own that play at Pratten Park every week

The Broncos being played in Campbelltown is about a commitment to the MacArthur district

Sydney did try to gauge stadium rationalisation. "Sydney Tigers" playing out if Parramatta stadium. It didn't quite work.

 

[footy75]

AFL is Melbourne-centric, NRL is Sydney-centric. The AFL plays games in every state and territory, the NRL ignores Adelaide, Tasmania and Perth (until recently).

How can a national competition prioritise a team in PNG, a third world country ridden with violence and crime, over Adelaide, the fifth largest capital city!

Everybody ignores Adelaide and Tasmania for a reason.

 

[BuffaloRules]

AFL is Melbourne-centric, NRL is Sydney-centric. The AFL plays games in every state and territory, the NRL ignores Adelaide, Tasmania and Perth (until recently).

How can a national competition prioritise a team in PNG, a third world country ridden with violence and crime, over Adelaide, the fifth largest capital city!

Why does the AFL ignore the Hunter Valley ? Has a much higher population than Tasmania … also no team in the Nations capital ?

Adelaide will be on the list for the NRL .. there are just so many ahead of it to work through first

 

[i0Nic]

Why does the AFL ignore the Hunter Valley ? Has a much higher population than Tasmania … also no team in the Nations capital ?

Adelaide will be on the list for the NRL .. there are just so many ahead of it to work through first

Northern NSW, Hunter region, Greater Sydney, Illawarra, Southern NSW... each of these is it's own market or it's own state if the other states you're comparing it to are SA or Tas.

That's the thing the fumblers don't understand. The states aren't created equal. They keep harping on that they're huge in Tasmania like it means much.

 

[storm1999]

Why does the AFL ignore the Hunter Valley ? Has a much higher population than Tasmania … also no team in the Nations capital ?

I think the AFL will have a team in Canberra by 2032. Newcastle by 2050.

 

[BuffaloRules]

I think the AFL will have a team in Canberra by 2032. Newcastle by 2050.

The NRL will have an Adelaide team prior to 2050… probably 2040… the city will be pounding the table for one

 

[Éamonn an Chnoic]

You are entitled to your opinions …Im not gunna say you are wrong …

As I mentioned to you yesterday though …I think it’s a moot point for a long while ..they have done deals with the local councils for Leichhardt and Campbelltown upgrade money in return for games through 2041 …. We don’t know for sure the numbers or split of games officially … but I recall Richardson when he was still the CEO saying something like that 7/3 split Cambo /LO I mentioned earlier …

the reality is that the Tigers SHOULD be looking at a Campbeltown + Sydney Olympic split (with a Bulldogs style Back To Liechhardt event once a year)

Campbeltown = obvious growth region. Work on getting a redevelopment like the Panthers

Sydney Olympic = Wests Tigers are the MOST Inner West team we have! Across Wests and Balmaine, they have 4-5 home grounds (excluding Campbeltown). The furthest is 15 minutes drive or 30 minutes train from SOP



Accor is obviously a piece of crap, but Tigers should be campaigning with the Bulldogs, NSWRL and ARLC for a redev

it makes more sense for Wests Ashfiled to be sending games there and Parra!!!

Liechardt = for all of the nostalgia, it has averaged 12k across the last decade (excluding covid). No one is turning up….

 

[yakstorm]

Cowboys v Sea Eagles
Thursday night is always a hard timeslot for the Cowboys, though this one isn't selling too badly. Trending slightly ahead of the Cowboys v Titans game which was 16,999, so will possibly land in 17-18K territory.



Rabbitohs v Dragons
Games at Accor never look great on TV, this is on track to look horrible. There is a huge number of seats still unsold in the TV, with most Rabbitohs members on the other side of the ground. Its a shame how far this fixture has fallen, what use to be able to draw 20K+ for a pre-season game comfortably, now is struggling to sell at all. I'd be expecting maybe 13-14K.

​

Roosters v Knights:
Reserve seating is pretty much exhausted in the lower bowl, just down to the GA areas selling out. Hasn't been a huge amount of movement in the north-east corner on Level 2, which is not a great indicator. People may be waiting for Level 2 south to come on sale. Looking around 16-18K realms.



Eels v Bulldogs:
Sales have unfortunately slowed for this one, especially in the Bulldogs corner in the south-east corner.

 

[yakstorm]

Dragons v Roosters ANZAC Day:
Match is trending well for another 40K crowd with the lower bowl pretty much sold out, and only corners left on the second level. Corporate hospitality on Level 3 is all sold out, and can expect the SFS members to turn up in big numbers for tghis one, even if the Dragons are 0 - 7.

 

[i0Nic]

Looking like the worst round coming up in terms of crowds yet, will probably end up around 16-17k average.

 

[marlins2.0]

Looking like the worst round coming up in terms of crowds yet, will probably end up around 16-17k average.

The early season glow is done, time for Sydney clubs to start engaging with their fanbases again.

 

[cleary89]

Got in contact with sharks membership team about getting some group tickets for sharks v dragons in June.

"We are sold out of reserved seats and can only offer GA.
Our next available game that has reserved seats is Sharks v Knights on 17th July. The only reserved seats we have available will be in the Concourse behind the goal posts."

Wonder how much it's costing them playing out of a 12k stadium.

 

[Steel Saints]

The early season glow is done, time for Sydney clubs to start engaging with their fanbases again.

Still got ANZAC and Magic Rounds to follow.

 

[BuffaloRules]

the reality is that the Tigers SHOULD be looking at a Campbeltown + Sydney Olympic split (with a Bulldogs style Back To Liechhardt event once a year)

Campbeltown = obvious growth region. Work on getting a redevelopment like the Panthers

Sydney Olympic = Wests Tigers are the MOST Inner West team we have! Across Wests and Balmaine, they have 4-5 home grounds (excluding Campbeltown). The furthest is 15 minutes drive or 30 minutes train from SOP

View attachment 111943

Accor is obviously a piece of crap, but Tigers should be campaigning with the Bulldogs, NSWRL and ARLC for a redev

it makes more sense for Wests Ashfiled to be sending games there and Parra!!!

Liechardt = for all of the nostalgia, it has averaged 12k across the last decade (excluding covid). No one is turning up….

It’s too late though mate … the deals have been done at Cambo and LO through 2041.. thats the reality at the end of the day