Blog with Buzz: As NRL crowds slump by 15 per cent, is it time to ditch fixed scheduling?
NRL CROWDS have slumped by an alarming 15 per cent this year with 135,000 fewer fans after six rounds.
Television ratings are steady but Channel 9 boss David Gyngell wants to scrap the fixed scheduling.
Daily Telegraph Sports Editor-at-Large Phil Rothfield sat down with NRL boss Dave Smith on Wednesday to discuss the big issues.
REFEREEING
The St George Illawarra full-time siren blunder was not a one-off. The results of three games in the last two rounds have been affected by refereeing blunders.
In round five, Storm were dudded against the Titans when Luke Douglas lost the football and the referees incorrectly called it a strip.
Greg Bird kicked the penalty goal and its game over. But why no use of the video ref for such a contentious call?
The same thing happened in New Zealand last week; Josh Reynolds loses the ball cold. The refs again rule stripped. It clearly wasnt.
The Dogs kicked a penalty goal to level the scores and then a field goal to win.
Smith says: I think referees will be the subject of discussions forever. There were probably three games affected last year and the year before that.
The error in Melbourne was 0.6 of a second. Thats a line-ball call. They are human beings and they are going to get it right and they are going to get it wrong.
By and large they are doing a good job but when they get one wrong, its very public. What I will say is that the referees decision is final.
AD CAMPAIGN
Season-launch TV commercials were aimed at members the fans that are already rusted on to the clubs and the game. Membership numbers have stayed steady with small increases.
There was no advertisement showing the extraordinary skills of heroes Greg Inglis, Billy Slater, Johnathan Thurston, Daly Cherry-Evans or Sonny Bill Williams that would have appealed to the more casual fans.
How the first 20 rounds of the NRL are shown on TV.
Source: News Limited
The treatment of members at some clubs is a disgrace.
A Wests Tigers supporter paid for two season tickets at Leichhardt Oval and ANZ Stadium. His tickets didnt arrive in time for the first game at ANZ Stadium against St George Illawarra.
He didnt go.
He turns up at Leichhardt Oval for the game against Manly. One seat is in Row H and the other in Row L. They cant sit together.
The member is one of the most respected public relations operators in this city. There are probably other similar stories we dont hear of.
At the Cronulla Sharks, officials bumped up membership prices by up to 50 per cent. This is despite the cloud and the uncertainty over the ASADA scandal.
And they wonder why membership numbers havent increased.
In fairness, AFL crowds are down by 10 per cent too. However, soccers A-League is up by 3 per cent on top of a 27 per cent increase last season.
Smith says: Our campaign did include many of the players you are talking about.
We filmed them talking to the members.
Our campaigns have all been around families and the players connection with the fans. It was deliberate to appeal to a wide range of our audience.
Its the families engagement with their heroes that will grow the game.
Membership is the highest its ever been in the games history. We have 228,820 to be exact. All the clubs are working hard.
This isnt a short-term play. I want to get to 400,000 by 2017. As for the Wests Tigers member, well ask them about that and get the specifics. Members should get great customer service.
THE COST
Ticket prices, food and drinks and transport are issues fans are always raising.
This columnist recently travelled to Newcastle with three children to watch the Sharks against the Knights.
Throw in tickets, meals and petrol and it was a $200-plus day. Most families cant afford that much for their weekend entertainment.
Not when they can watch from the comfort of home on Channel 9 or Fox Sports. At least the NRL is now offering cheaper tickets, but only at the bigger venues where seats would otherwise be empty.
Smith says: This weekend we have a family pass for six for $30. Plus the kids get an Easter egg and an ice cream. And its going to be a cracker of a game.
Every club in Sydney now has a $50 ticket for the family. You can get it online or when you turn up.
Were also negotiating with the food and beverage operators to come up with things like a hot dog and a bottle of water cheaper.
The premium stuff will always be more expensive but were very conscious it costs families a lot to do anything these days.
The Easter Show is $111 for a family ticket. Thats three times more than going to our game on Monday for six people. Im absolutely committed that we have a price point that families can afford.
TV RATINGS
Channel 9 boss David Gyngell wants to scrap the fixed schedule that was introduced two years ago to lift free-to-air-ratings. The Parramatta Eels are the best example to support his views. They won two wooden spoons in a row and have been given only four Friday night games.
Now everyone wants to watch them because they are the most exciting side in the competition.
Were interested in going back to a schedule that acknowledges teams that are performing, he says.
Parramatta, the Wests Tigers and St George Illawarra and Canterbury are all performing very well but you couldnt have predicted that last October when the draw is being done, especially with the equalisation the salary cap has created. If they want great ratings, having the best games on free-to-air in a fickle Sydney market is important.
Were definitely of the view that the old scheduling system of doing the draw six weeks in advance provides more ratings momentum.
You always get traction out of Parramatta, St George, Canterbury and the Wests Tigers when theyre winning.
Smith says: I understand what David is saying. The fixed schedule discussion was before my time. I believe there was a vigorous debate about it.
Weve tried to take the fixed system and work with the broadcasters but its based on historical performances.
This year there have been some surprise results and the historic performances havent come through.
We should give it some more thought. For me its about learning and working with our broadcasters to say how can we all get the right outcomes so the ratings are strong and were playing at the right time at the right grounds.
I can also see the argument for a fixed schedule where fans get their certainty. I also see the constraints with that.
WEATHER
The lousy weather is definitely an issue, according to Channel 10s Tim Bailey.
It has rained in Sydney for 30 of the last 46 days and a lot of that has been on the weekends, he said. Its officially our wettest start to an autumn in 24 years. The footy codes and the racing have definitely been hit pretty hard.
Penrith, despite their on-field success, are averaging only 10,000 for home games but it has rained at the venue for almost every match.
Smith says: Its early days and we havent had a lot of luck with the weather.
Again our long-term objective is to get to a 16,500 average crowd by the end of the season. Last year was 15,900. By 2017 I want an average of 20,000.
Were talking to the clubs every week and looking at the draw very closely. In the next six rounds well have five family fun days designed to get families to the games.
MULTIPLE VENUES
Fans dont seem to know when or where their team is playing each weekend.
At Campbelltown last weekend, only 6000 turned up for the Wests Tigers against the Cowboys.
Everyones confused, says David Gyngell. The Wests Tigers are at Campbelltown, ANZ, Leichhardt Oval.
St George are at Homebush, Wollongong and Kogarah. How would you know if you are a punter where your team is playing?
Families going to the football like consistency.
Smith says: We want to consolidate the blockbusters at two stadiums, ANZ and Allianz. Over time we want the biggest crowds at the best stadiums.
The idea at those venues is to create a really premium experience. But these are tribal clubs and theyve got to get the balance right with their spiritual homes.
THE STADIUM POLICY
Both Allianz and ANZ have been under fire this year because of poor crowds.
This Easter weekend there are two blockbusters at ANZ Stadium that will attract a combined total of 80,000.
The problem is that games like Canterbury v Cronulla on a Monday night should not be played there.
The fans want more football at their traditional suburban home grounds.
Smith says: Im working very hard with the government to make sure we have an experience like Melbourne and other major cities that have had more funding of the infrastructure of their stadiums. We want world-class stadiums. Thats the big picture. Its all about balance.
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