I firstly think league seems to live on negative publicity. Constantly we are going downhill, under threat, dying. We have been ever since super league, every year the dooms day types trot out their same speech.
Yet our tv ratings continue to be massive and have not waned. You have two weeks early in the year that average below the 2007 average and someone writes a story about falling nrl ratings.
The NRL is going strong in its key indicators. However there are other pressures on clubs like poker machine tax etc.
We all know the NRL TV deal is undervalued in comparison with the AFL deal. That is not going to change, but the a-league is in the same boat.
Some possible facts and figures to counter the negativity.
League crowds have never been and I doubt never will match afl crowds. But to put a slightly positive spin the afl do have a very good set up when it comes to getting great crowds. They play virtually all their matches in melbourne at 2 central easy to access venues. 63% of their total crowds this year have been at those 2 venues.
AFL crowds in the home an away have grown by about 2 million in the last 15 years. Much of this from the vast improvements in the northern markets where prior to the mid 90s sydney and brisbane had dismal crowds. But its not really true, its been afl heartland where the growth has occured, with nearly 80% of crowd growth happening in vic, sa and wa. And about 55% of that in victoria.
Sydney has shown no real crowd growth since 1997, the crowds average between 36000 and 25000 depending on the swans results. Thats despite taking big games to stadium australia. Brisbane similar crowds between averaging between 33000 and 27000 depending on their season's results since the year 20000.
Okay I am not saying afl crowds are anything but fantastic, but I am saying that as a threat to rugby league afl has made most of its ground in its own heartland not in sydney and brisbane after an initial thurst in the late 90s.
Now on the A-league, it is going well for soccer in australia. But quite simply there are no facts and figures that truley support it being anywhere near league. Their crowds have been good, but not a huge amount of growth from the major clubs in the last 2 years. Brisbane, sydney, adelaide, perth and Melbourne have not greatly increased their fan base, since initial good figures in either season 1 or 2.
The pay TV figures don't show a great picture either, certainly not one to get hearts racing. The a-league despite only being on pay and with no real direct tv sport in conflict for much of the year only the GF made the top 100 in a lowly position. The EPL often rated similar in the middle of the night to a-league games. Thats hardly the stuff that will attract
free to air. And the a-league are stuck with a 17 million a year contract till the end of the 2012/13 season. It is also a problem that apart from the final couple of matches in world cup qualifiers all the socceroo matches are on pay.
I agree with soccer being the world game, I like it myself, but I have no pay tv and I have honestly watched maybe 3 games of a-league ever. I would have watched 20 - 30 european games live in that same period.
I think you will find many average sporting fans who love nrl or afl first, but don't mind a good soccer game but don't have pay tv would be in the same boat.
So why is a-league a threat, I don't think it is at all. I think it is a solid comp, doing well for itself that sold its soul to pay tv for 7 years and only 17 million. Even the super 14 deal is worth closer to 25 million a year.
I don't won't to bag any code too much, but why is rugby league always under threat when nothing crowd or tv ratings wise is going backwards.
