Crowd Watch 2013

[Dogs Of War]

Really this aust v nz match should be taken to Perth, melb etc every year. Avoid Sydney and Brisbane cause this match is always a good promotional tool for our code. Especially in these emerging markets.

 

[Desert Qlder]

This game being in Canberra is important because it will provide strength to the campaign for a new stadium there.

A statement needs to be made on Friday and a sellout is a great start. The Canberra club must use this to amplify their calls for a purpose built, covered ground in the style of the Dunedin stadium.

So I agree Perth and Melbourne should host Tests, but the timing for Canberra is right this year.

 

[hineyrulz]

Iam working on it...maybe it's around this time for the codes to merge thread to beat of Soccer and AFL.

Might be time for you to find a new drop first..........

 

[DIOGENES]

in the late 80s the Saturday afternoon game used to get 5-6 K the NSWRL subsidised clubs who were stuck with it but kept it going because the rights had been sold to the ABC. That may sound funny but I lived in Perth in 1987 and the good old ABC used to show the game live - virtually the only mention the game got.
Things may have changed in 25 years but the sat arvo games then had dreadful crowds.

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

in the late 80s the Saturday afternoon game used to get 5-6 K the NSWRL subsidised clubs who were stuck with it but kept it going because the rights had been sold to the ABC. That may sound funny but I lived in Perth in 1987 and the good old ABC used to show the game live - virtually the only mention the game got.
Things may have changed in 25 years but the sat arvo games then had dreadful crowds.

Dreadful crowds yes, but nationwide TV coverage as you said, the ABC were great for RL years ago until the war.

 

[Teddyboy]

Really this aust v nz match should be taken to Perth, melb etc every year. Avoid Sydney and Brisbane cause this match is always a good promotional tool for our code. Especially in these emerging markets.

As is SOO.

 

[Raiderdave]

From Michael Johnstone (NRL Marketing Manager):

https://twitter.com/michaeljnrl/status/324096886443241472

"a few hundred roo crew tickets left and selling fast. About 1000 tickets left elsewhere. Standing tix to be released"

Sounds like it could be near a sell out, capacity of Canberra is 25k, so must be looking like at least 20k+ turning out this Friday. Great news for the International game!

In excess of 23,000 sold by Monday Arvo
so nearing a sellout

should be one by Friday & if not , won't be far off it.

 

[SLRBRONCOS]

As is SOO.

I barely enjoy a SOO being taken to Melbourne.

It taken to Perth would be such a horrible monstrosity.

 

[undertaker]

For all those folk who are still spruiking the return of Saturday afternoon football.....keep on dreaming. It will never, ever happen and it annoys to no ends when the same old antiquated suggestions such as stand-alone Origin weekends, 3pm GF kickoffs so ppl can enjoy their BBQs etc. keeping running circles on this forum time and time again.

Yes, the older folk on this forum will say that Saturday arvo footy was great to watch on tv back in the days when the ABC used to broadcast it live and ad-free at 3pm. However, even most of them will concur that THERE IS A CLEAR REASON why regular Saturday arvo games were canned in 2001 in favour of the Saturday 5:30pm twilight fixture, before being put into oblivion for a 2nd time after the NRL thought they were smart and tried to re-invent the wheel and revive Saturday arvo games in 2002.

Since regular Saturday arvo matches were given the arse in 2002, there have only been two matches that have been played in this timeslot: Roosters/Dragons Rd 7 2009 and Titans/Rabbitohs Rd 8 2009. The Roosters/Dragons match got a high 28,926 at the SFS because it was the Anzac clash and although Titans/Rabbitohs got 19,833, both teams were high on the ladder at the time (4th and 5th respectively), not to mention that it was a one-off match moved to that timeslot due to no MNF being held as the test match/CC Origin were played the following week (hence 4 matches were played on Saturday in Rd 8).

In 2002 - the last full season of Sat arvo matches - there were 25 Saturday afternoon matches. The stats are as follows:

Average attendance - 9,543
Highest attendance - 22,502 (Rd 25 Brisbane vs Canberra at QE II Stadium)
Lowest attendance - 5,287 (Rd 24 Wests Tigers vs Melbourne at Leichhardt Oval)

As you can see, besides the fact that it was Fox's lowest rating timeslot, an average attendance of less than 10kwas undeniably the main reason why all 16 clubs vehemently opposed hosting matches in this timeslot and thus joined hands together in getting the NRL to remove that timeslot. Even today, Sydney teams would definitely struggle to get 10k in that timeslot just like they did back then.

 

[firechild]

I highly doubt that. Keep in mind that in 2002 the season average, including finals was only 14k. I'd like to see it re-introduced, let clubs that think it would do well host games in that slot and even keep in confined to a portion of the season just as Thursday night matches have been. I have no doubt clubs would opt for Saturday afternoon games over Monday nights. Failing that, switch Saturday nights to 2x5:30 and 1x7:30 as this is a more family friendly time.

The current scheduling is really bad for young children and is preventing lots of kids from taking an initial interest in the game.

 

[Kirky]

The current scheduling is really bad for young children and is preventing lots of kids from taking an initial interest in the game.

This. Short term Saturday arvo ratings and attendance might not be setting the world on fire, but it's a family friendly slot. It's important to create a culture of attendance in kids, who are the next generation of Leauge supporters, and the more day games the better. Kids still go to games at night, but not in the numbers that attend during the day (I have no stats to back this up, just basing it on what I observe at Raiders games). NRL needs to be looking long term.

 

[firechild]

The biggest argument against Saturday arvo games I've heard is that some kids play footy on Saturday afternoons. Thing is the 95%+ of kids that don't play footy are free at this time but many can't go to Thursday, Friday or Monday night games. The majority of Saturday night games finish at 9:30 leaving just a handful of family friendly slots. I know as a kid if I could only go to a couple of games a year then I would have had little interest in the game. As it was, games were mainly on Saturday and Sunday arvos and I spent lots of weekends at the footy as a result.

 

[undertaker]

I highly doubt that. Keep in mind that in 2002 the season average, including finals was only 14k. I'd like to see it re-introduced, let clubs that think it would do well host games in that slot and even keep in confined to a portion of the season just as Thursday night matches have been.

Although I understand what you're saying, the part in bold is where the problem is. If you allow the clubs that want to host Saturday arvo footy host it, the floodgates will open and then they will also demand similar concessions for games such as MNF (regarding the max number of games they want to play in that timeslot etc.).

We have allowed tv networks so much power and control over the years with scheduling to the point where they won't budge and subsequently allow the clubs to THEN dictate to the networks when they want to host games, how many games they're prepared to play in that timeslot etc. It ain't going to happen, unless we compromise on the value of the tv rights deal and take a substantially lesser offer. As much as MNF is a pain in the arse to go to, it is definitely here to stay in the long-term given the ratings it generates.

Failing that, switch Saturday nights to 2x5:30 and 1x7:30 as this is a more family friendly time.

This sounds like a far better, more realistic option that is a win-win for both fans and tv networks. I would be very happy if the Super Saturday line-up was tweaked to what you just mentioned. You have that extra Saturday game in the earlier, 5:30pm twilight timeslot where the weather is a fair bit warmer than a game finishing around 9:10-9:20pm, especially in places like Canberra and Melbourne during winter. Last year, there was a round where there were 2 Saturday 5:30pm matches played. Also, I believe this formation of 2 5:30pm matches will lead to higher ratings for the stand-alone 7:30pm match.

The current scheduling is really bad for young children and is preventing lots of kids from taking an initial interest in the game.

100% agree

Like many others on this forum who grew up in the days of "around the grounds" on Sunday arvos (where about 4-7 matches were played at the same time) and as much as I would love to see more Sunday games which will entice families back to the traditional day of footy, it ain't going to happen anytime soon in the near future. If the comp expands to 18 teams, 99% sure that the additional 9th match will be held on Sunday evening. I personally would love to see an early midday kickoff after daylight savings and I'm sure most Sydney teams would prefer that over a Saturday night or Monday night game in the middle of winter, but again it wouldn't generate ratings for Fox to justify keeping it. I could see suburban grounds like Brookvale, Kogarah, Leichhardt packed for a midday kickoff. That'd be great

 

[firechild]

I understand it's all about tv ratings, the game has sold itself so conversations about attendance are fairly futile but as an example, Manly has played 2 games so far at Brookie, both against long standing rivals, neither of which bring large numbers of supporters and both on Sundays with good weather. The first was Sunday night against Newcastle, crowd was about 12,500. The second was 2pm against Cronulla and the crowd was 17,500. Hardly a Sharks fan to be seen though Newcastle brought a few more fans. That's a huge difference and made the difference between a financial win and loss for the club.

 

[undertaker]

I understand it's all about tv ratings, the game has sold itself so conversations about attendance are fairly futile but as an example, Manly has played 2 games so far at Brookie, both against long standing rivals, neither of which bring large numbers of supporters and both on Sundays with good weather. The first was Sunday night against Newcastle, crowd was about 12,500. The second was 2pm against Cronulla and the crowd was 17,500. Hardly a Sharks fan to be seen though Newcastle brought a few more fans. That's a huge difference and made the difference between a financial win and loss for the club.

Although I am a fan of a fixed schedule, the WAY it was done is what I objected to. The NRL/ARLC allowed Ch9 to completely hijack the implementation process and a result, there's always going to be a handful of teams that get screwed over in a big way. This season, your team appears to be one of them (not just with only 2 Sunday home games until Rd 20, but also 7 MNF matches).

I know it is not possible for every team to receive the exact number of FTA games and factor all their preferences such as the number of home games they'd like to play on whatever day, who they'd like to play twice etc.. However, the only way a MORE EVEN distribution of FTA matches occurs is if teams like the Broncos and Bulldogs (where Ch9 have placed a huge number of FTA matches on this year) perform very badly. That way, it will teach Ch9 a lesson in the ratings and the following season they will be forced to spread the distribution a bit more.

OT: like in the English Premier League, I'd absolutely love to see all Rd 26 matches kick off at Sunday 3 or 4pm - one shown on Ch9 live into NSW (with the QLD game shown later that night), the other on Ch9 live into QLD (with the NSW game shown later that night) and the remaining 6 games on Fox Sports live via viewers choice. However, as I've said, it will never happen unless there was a fairly big financial compromise involving Ch9 and Fox Sports.

 

[undertaker]

Also another thing that I don't know if it has been mentioned: Warriors playing some Saturday 5:30pm (3:30pm AEST) home games. Until Perth is in the NRL (which opens up the option play live on Friday and Saturday nights at 9:30pm AEST), that'd also give Fox the option of a Super Saturday live triple header - 3:30pm (Warriors home game), 5:30pm and 7:30pm.

How would 5:30pm matches over in NZ be perceived?

 

[docbrown]

How would 5:30pm matches over in NZ be perceived?

I think there's sometimes a 4:30pm Super Rugby match. Sunday afternoon games in New Zealand are probably the best.

As much as people want to sell the concept Saturday afternoon games, people watch in lesser numbers on television so it's going to have an impact.

Also sure, you can have a Perth game live at 9:30pm on a Saturday but the finish time is also going to kill off audiences.

 

[beave]

I think the inclusion of a perth team would really benefit the 6:30-7pm sunday slot for tv.

4:30-5pm (local)game early in the season when its a bit hot is great for the players as its later in the arvo when the bite is out of the sun and in the winter months the crowds will be home at an early enough time so as to allow the kids to be in bed at a reasonable time (also applicable in the earlier months as well)

 

[Frailty]

I understand it's all about tv ratings, the game has sold itself so conversations about attendance are fairly futile but as an example, Manly has played 2 games so far at Brookie, both against long standing rivals, neither of which bring large numbers of supporters and both on Sundays with good weather. The first was Sunday night against Newcastle, crowd was about 12,500. The second was 2pm against Cronulla and the crowd was 17,500. Hardly a Sharks fan to be seen though Newcastle brought a few more fans. That's a huge difference and made the difference between a financial win and loss for the club.

Get f**ked you lying piece of shit.

 

[Valheru]

It annoys to no ends when the same old antiquated suggestions such as stand-alone Origin weekends, 3pm GF kickoffs so ppl can enjoy their BBQs etc. keeping running circles on this forum time and time again.

This has to be the most bizarre complaint that regularly gets mentioned on LU.

Apparently you can’t have a BBQ after 3PM..