Anyone can fill me in on semi pro Rugby League in Australia

[Teddyboy]

Don't know what thread this should be in so i just put it in this one but can anyone tell me after the NRL whar semi-pro comps are there for Rugby League both in N.S.W. and Queensland and what sort of money to the players get and what are the crowds like for weekly games as well as grand finals plus what are the clubhouses/bars like and that includes the past to present.

 

[Loudstrat]

So you want the history of the world in one sentence?

Basically you have NSW Cup, The Groupnsystems in country NSW, THE QLD Cup and local comps.

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

There is also the Metro Cup/Bundy Red Cup in NSW played between teams from Sydney and the Central Coast. Crowds wouldn't get above 1000. I don't know much about their money, but my guess is that the "elite" players would get paid weekly during the season and the rest of the squad would be on a per win basis. A few of the clubs entered into the BRC have Leagues Clubs, particularly those on the Central Coast. A few (Sydney Bulls, Penrith Bros, etc) I am not sure what they do after a game.

 

[Teddyboy]

So you want the history of the world in one sentence?

Basically you have NSW Cup, The Groupnsystems in country NSW, THE QLD Cup and local comps.

Not in one sentence or one post but just anyone can post about a certain comp or time frame.
No big reads.
If there was a book about the history of all these comps i would buy it.

 

[Loudstrat]

So would I.

 

[Ronnie Dobbs]

That would be a massive project. Back in the mid 20th century in the bush, just about every town, no matter how small, had a team & towns that now struggle to field three grades in one comp would have three or four different clubs coming out of it.

Where I grew up for example, there were four (before my time) where there is now one.

Be a task in history that would be as massive and challenging as it would be enjoyable.

 

[adamkungl]

Basic structure:
NRL
NYC u20s
QLD Cup/NSW Cup
Here I'm not sure what's 'higher', but you have the Group Leagues in country NSW areas, other country leagues such as the Newcastle Rugby League, and the Bundy Red Cup in Sydney. Similar for QLD I presume.
Below these you have A grade and A reserve competitions in each local league representing an NRL club.
And finally you have junior leagues going from u6s to u21s.

 

[umina panther]

I have a few mates in the Central Coast comp playing for Umina. One bloke gets 500 a game and the others that i know get 300 a win 100 a loss. I still dont know what we paid Geyer or Cliff Lyons.

 

[Goldfields_Titans]

Depends what you mean by 'semi-pro'. The WARL 1st grade comp could be considered semi pro as some clubs pay their players?

 

[Teddyboy]

I saw a picture on the net once of a crowd of almost 20000 for a Newcastle grand final in 1977 and i have read on the net before that the illawarra grand final of 1975 had a record 15000 watching it.

 

[Loudstrat]

In the bigger areas that would be right. You would still get over 10k crowds for GF's in Wagga, Toowoomba and a few other big regionals.

That would be a massive project. Back in the mid 20th century in the bush, just about every town, no matter how small, had a team & towns that now struggle to field three grades in one comp would have three or four different clubs coming out of it.

Where I grew up for example, there were four (before my time) where there is now one.

Be a task in history that would be as massive and challenging as it would be enjoyable.

I actually have that task reserved for my retirement. The big dream would be to write a book incorporating every club in the world. Except Canterbury ;-)

 

[docbrown]

You would still get over 10k crowds for GF's in Wagga, Toowoomba and a few other big regionals.

13,000+ for the Newcastle league last year.

 

[Ulysseus]

13,000+ for the Newcastle league last year.

The Newcastle league can generate a crowd at certain grounds, depends on which teams are flying high at the time.
I went to the Cessnock versus Kurri finals match last year and was lucky enough to get a grandstand seat.
If it had been Cessnock versus someone like Maquarie, whose fans don't travel that much, then you'd have about 35 to 40% less people there.

Grand finals usually don't go bad for attendance, its just a shame its at a sh*t of a ground, f**k me why they don't let them use Energy Australia for that one game is beyond me.
Hell, if there were video refs then the results of a few GF's would be vastly different (Wests Magpies / Maggots I am looking at you right now.........).

 

[docbrown]

Grand finals usually don't go bad for attendance, its just a shame its at a sh*t of a ground, f**k me why they don't let them use Energy Australia for that one game is beyond me.

I've questioned that before to little response. Hopefully the connections between the grassroots clubs in the local leagues, the Knights and the stadium can improve so that common sense things like that happen. Hopefully we get some of those common sense changes with the Tinkler bid.

 

[Ulysseus]

I've questioned that before to little response. Hopefully the connections between the grassroots clubs in the local leagues, the Knights and the stadium can improve so that common sense things like that happen. Hopefully we get some of those common sense changes with the Tinkler bid.

It'd be something different.
Don't get me wrong, the no 1 sports ground has "heritage" value, but its got f**k all seating, the action is a long way from the sidelines and unless you are either super elevated or right at the fence you can't see sh*t without standing behind the posts at the southern end.
Its not modern by any stretch and I know I have frankly had a f**king gutfull of having to either stand for the better part of 3 grades or constantly tell people to get out of the f**king way.
EAS has seats in abundance, for f**ks sake use them!

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

13,000+ for the Newcastle league last year.

If held at EAS, you reckon they could crack 20k?

 

[Teddyboy]

13,000+ for the Newcastle league last year.

Thats a big crowd for this day and age,i suspect people didn't pay to get in (i hope iam wrong).

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

You pay everywhere teddy, it could be a gold coin ($1/$2) or $5 or $10.

They mightn't be the big time, but every club be whatever code relies on gate takings how ever big or small they are.

 

[Perth Red]

Followed the Bundy Cup when the Reds were in it for two years and I'd say most teams get less than 300 to games, some much less. Don't think the players get paid much, a few $'s per game I would imagine and non are FT prof players. Grounds varied from the very good (egReds at NIB) to quite literally a council playing field (eg Belrose).

 

[Scott Gourley's Lovechild]

Followed the Bundy Cup when the Reds were in it for two years and I'd say most teams get less than 300 to games, some much less. Don't think the players get paid much, a few $'s per game I would imagine and non are FT prof players. Grounds varied from the very good (egReds at NIB) to quite literally a council playing field (eg Belrose).

Ron Costello at Shellharbour looks as if it's like playing on a mortar range.