Crowd Watch 2012

[bobmar28]

I absolutely hate seeing so many empty seats! What is it going to take for fans to flock to games in numbers? Even the 29k at the Bulldogs game was under par, Games like that should be pushing 40k!

Some of the billion dollar contract should be used to subsidise entry prices. This would fill those empty seats and would also look good on TV.

 

[bobmar28]

Does anyone know what the rough weekly gates are for the NRL per round?

Say for example the NRL were to drop all prices by 25%, that would be about $25,000,000 a year at a guess - $125,000,000 over 5 years or roughly about 1/4th of the non-grant money from a $1,000,000,000 broadcast deal.

Would a 25% reduction entice people?

Yes but 50% would be even better.

 

[Stewie]

Maybe instead of junior Rugby League players getting the NRL season pass, they should change it to a 50% off family pass. The NRL needs to do more to get families back to the football and alot of people don't have the expendable income to take their kids to games. WOuldn't mind the return of the 3pm kick off on the saturday also, too many night games

 

[Karl]

When you go to, say, the USA, one thing a lot of tourists do is go to an NFL game or a Baseball game
Etc. Its on a lot of to-do lists. It's a quintessentially American thing to do.

We get a lot of tourists in Australia.

The NRL is an iconic code in Australia and a lot easier for the uninitiated to watch and enjoy than AFL or Rugby Union.

What is being done to promote Game Attendance to tourists? Are there leaflets in Hotels? Are Concierges on commission? What about in-room promotions with those little pop-up display things on the desks? 10% discount if you book through the Hotel so you can track the source. Travel Agents, WOTIF, airlines etc

Anyone else think there's an opportunity to position the game in this way?

 

[azza29]

Anyone else think there's an opportunity to position the game in this way?

Certainly would be. I know a lot of tourists make a point of seeing an AFL game when they're in Melbourne, no reason the NRL couldn't attract a similar crowd in the northern states.

 

[Panfas]

When you go to, say, the USA, one thing a lot of tourists do is go to an NFL game or a Baseball game
Etc. Its on a lot of to-do lists. It's a quintessentially American thing to do.

We get a lot of tourists in Australia.

The NRL is an iconic code in Australia and a lot easier for the uninitiated to watch and enjoy than AFL or Rugby Union.

What is being done to promote Game Attendance to tourists? Are there leaflets in Hotels? Are Concierges on commission? What about in-room promotions with those little pop-up display things on the desks? 10% discount if you book through the Hotel so you can track the source. Travel Agents, WOTIF, airlines etc

Anyone else think there's an opportunity to position the game in this way?

It really s**ts me that the game totally dis-regards this aspect of marketing. Every time I visit Canberra and stay in a hotel there is no pamphlets or advertising. Same can be said on the Gold Coast, concierge knows nothing about the games etc. This is something that needs to be changed

 

[Perth Red]

very good idea, Sydney gets milions of tourists a year. Marketing to them as going to a game of NRL is a must do Australian experience would be a good boost. Not having fixed scheduling is hinderance though as it would require regular updating of all the sites as to when games are being played. Also we don;t have an iconic stadium like the MCG which is what draws a lot of tourists to an AFL game in Melbourne. Going to watch Sth's with 12k rattling around in ANZ is hardly the same experience as Collingwood with 80k in the MCG.

 

[Timmah]

I meant disappointing in terms of the rains impact on the crowds and the result was a bad look

I was having a dig at the fact you put Round 1 instead of Round 2 as the header

2. SomeAFL grounds put giant canvas ads over sections of the ground not in use.

The Bulldogs and Roosters already do that at their respective home grounds.

Dunno about the Roosters, but it's a bloody good money spinner for the Dogs.

 

[Russell Crowe's Band]

well.

had the sharks won 1 game in their last 10 id say that crowd is up to 17 thousand.
15 was about right. i was there. we were all bored and depressed 20 minutes in.

7k this monday.

 

[dogz08]

Round 3

St George Illawarra Dragons v Wests Tigers 16k
Newcastle Knights v Brisbane Broncos 30k
Gold Coast Titans v Melbourne Storm 12k
North Queensland Cowboys v Parramatta Eels 15k
Warriors v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 18k
Sydney Roosters v Canberra Raiders 10k
Penrith Panthers v South Sydney Rabbitohs 17k
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks v Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 10k

 

[undertaker]

During daylight savings when a Friday night match kicks off at 8:50pm AEDT, that match should be held in QLD. With the game in Newcastle this week starting at close to 9pm, this is definitely going to turn a lot of fans away since the match does finish till nearly 10:30. Very poor scheduling from the NRL. Newcastle may have to settle for 20-25k, which is a shame as 30k should be turning up for this match

 

[undertaker]

If the Dragons /Tigers doesn't sell out (barring bad weather), something is terribly wrong

 

[Frailty]

Round 3

St George Illawarra Dragons v Wests Tigers 16k
Newcastle Knights v Brisbane Broncos 30k
Gold Coast Titans v Melbourne Storm 12k
North Queensland Cowboys v Parramatta Eels 15k
Warriors v Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 18k
Sydney Roosters v Canberra Raiders 10k
Penrith Panthers v South Sydney Rabbitohs 17k
Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks v Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 10k

VERY optimistic with that Sharks and Penrith figures....

Penrith will be 12k, and Sharks sub 10k

 

[bazza]

When you go to, say, the USA, one thing a lot of tourists do is go to an NFL game or a Baseball game
Etc. Its on a lot of to-do lists. It's a quintessentially American thing to do.

We get a lot of tourists in Australia.

The NRL is an iconic code in Australia and a lot easier for the uninitiated to watch and enjoy than AFL or Rugby Union.

What is being done to promote Game Attendance to tourists? Are there leaflets in Hotels? Are Concierges on commission? What about in-room promotions with those little pop-up display things on the desks? 10% discount if you book through the Hotel so you can track the source. Travel Agents, WOTIF, airlines etc

Anyone else think there's an opportunity to position the game in this way?

I reckon the NRL should promote something like this in backpacker hostels in Sydney.
Make it cheap and easy for the backpackers (because they are cheap and easy) - for $20 organise a bus to pick them up at the hotel, drive them to the ground and pick them up again and take them back to the pub. Maybe throw in a few free drinks.

It won't make much impact in crowd figures but for not much investment they could add some new fans for the game when they get back to England/Ireland/Scotland

 

[otori]

I used to refer people to games when I worked at a hotel in Brisbane as something fun to do on a weekend. It is lacking though as I had to get all the info myself and then advise them whereas most other activities are detailed in pamphlets we had lying around.

 

[Valheru]

not to mention whoever was the fruitloop at ANZ Stadium who put half strength beer....well that is one way to NOT get me going to that stadium!

Completely agree. Dumb decision!!

 

[Timmah]

Yep. Because going to the football is all about drinking beer.

Deadset, people who spend more time in beer lines than in their seat should be removed.

 

[Timmah]

During daylight savings when a Friday night match kicks off at 8:50pm AEDT, that match should be held in QLD. With the game in Newcastle this week starting at close to 9pm, this is definitely going to turn a lot of fans away since the match does finish till nearly 10:30. Very poor scheduling from the NRL. Newcastle may have to settle for 20-25k, which is a shame as 30k should be turning up for this match

There are a few initiatives up there for this game that will hopefully balance the ledger when it comes to getting a good crowd - the Knights are running free buses from somewhere (I can't remember) and they're using the weekend as a "massive Newcastle v Brisbane weekend", with the Jets and Roar playing the following night in the A-League.

Hopefully the joint promotion and buses do the trick, because the late kickoff time is redundant.

 

[Valheru]

Whether you like it or not it actually partly is about drinking beer. It’s called Australian culture. Nothing better than having a couple of beers before a game and then watching the footy with a couple more and a pie and chips.

 

[juro]

Interesting that the attendances in round 2 were higher than in round 1 this year. The last time this happened was in 1995 but that was due to round 1 only having 4 games compared with round 2 having 10. Prior to that, the last time it happened was in 1987...