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Bad behaviour costs Bulldogs at gate
By Stuart Honeysett
August 04, 2004
THE BULLDOGS have won their past eight games and are second favourite to claim the premiership but just can't pull a crowd like they used to.
Figures obtained by The Australian with five weeks of the regular season left show the Bulldogs have lost more than 16 per cent of their supporter base from last season.
The figure was 25 per cent until last weekend when the club drew more than 21,000 against premiers Penrith at Telstra Stadium.
It is the third biggest plunge behind the under-performing Warriors, who have lost 37 per cent of their fans as the club spirals from premiership material to wooden spoon contenders.
The other worrying club is Melbourne, which has seen a steady decline in crowds since 2000, The Storm are averaging only 8787 this year -- a drop of more than 8 per cent.
From a positive perspective, the overall average for crowds across the NRL was up 0.9 per cent from last year's record breaking year while nine clubs recorded increases from 2003.
The most improved club is Wests Tigers, with a 37.4 per cent increase, while South Sydney (20.4) and Manly (10.6) are well up despite being in the mix for the wooden spoon.
The Bulldogs' season had a bad start following gang rape allegations after a trial game in Coffs Harbour.
But the club believes the hooliganism that marred their round-three clash against Sydney Roosters had a bigger impact on gate takings in 2004.
"We've got support that travels well but I think after what happened with the first Roosters-Bulldogs game, away teams' fans probably didn't come in the numbers we would have expected," Bulldogs chairman George Peponis said.
The NRL imposed a good behaviour bond on the club while the Bulldogs initiated a range of security measures and the club has continued to be pro-active since then.
"I think you'll find from here on in and next year our crowds will continue to grow," he said.
Peponis added the decision to switch two home games on late notice to Gosford, due to the unavailability of Sydney Showground, also had an impact on their drop-off.
Wests Tigers believe their ability to put scandal behind them has seen the crowds flock back to Leichhardt Oval and Campbelltown Stadium.
The joint-venture club, which has endured in the past the antics of John Hopoate and the drug case involving Craig Field and Kevin McGuinness, has seen its fan base grow in 2004 from 10,636 to 14,610.
"I think the performance of the team on the field and the style of footy the guys play have helped," Tigers chief executive Steve Noyce said.
"But also we've managed to get in the headlines for the right reasons rather than the wrong reasons which was the problem we had in the first couple of years. And (coach) Tim (Sheens) is the person I give the most credit to."
The Warriors have experienced a turbulent year with coach Daniel Anderson losing his job and star player Ali Lauiti'iti granted a release.
Fans have voted with their feet with an average 10,581 turning up this year compared to 16,795 in 2003.
Canberra also had a significant drop of 19.2 per cent, but chief executive Simon Hawkins said: "It doesn't hurt our bottom line as much as other clubs because we have a revenue share arrangement with the stadium. So we don't get to keep all the money anyway if it is sold out."
The Storm's best year for crowd support in AFL-mad Melbourne was in 2000 -- the season after they won their first premiership -- when they averaged 14,622.
The support has dwindled each year since then and only 8787 fans are turning up to watch one of the most flamboyant teams in the NRL.
By Stuart Honeysett
August 04, 2004
THE BULLDOGS have won their past eight games and are second favourite to claim the premiership but just can't pull a crowd like they used to.
Figures obtained by The Australian with five weeks of the regular season left show the Bulldogs have lost more than 16 per cent of their supporter base from last season.
The figure was 25 per cent until last weekend when the club drew more than 21,000 against premiers Penrith at Telstra Stadium.
It is the third biggest plunge behind the under-performing Warriors, who have lost 37 per cent of their fans as the club spirals from premiership material to wooden spoon contenders.
The other worrying club is Melbourne, which has seen a steady decline in crowds since 2000, The Storm are averaging only 8787 this year -- a drop of more than 8 per cent.
From a positive perspective, the overall average for crowds across the NRL was up 0.9 per cent from last year's record breaking year while nine clubs recorded increases from 2003.
The most improved club is Wests Tigers, with a 37.4 per cent increase, while South Sydney (20.4) and Manly (10.6) are well up despite being in the mix for the wooden spoon.
The Bulldogs' season had a bad start following gang rape allegations after a trial game in Coffs Harbour.
But the club believes the hooliganism that marred their round-three clash against Sydney Roosters had a bigger impact on gate takings in 2004.
"We've got support that travels well but I think after what happened with the first Roosters-Bulldogs game, away teams' fans probably didn't come in the numbers we would have expected," Bulldogs chairman George Peponis said.
The NRL imposed a good behaviour bond on the club while the Bulldogs initiated a range of security measures and the club has continued to be pro-active since then.
"I think you'll find from here on in and next year our crowds will continue to grow," he said.
Peponis added the decision to switch two home games on late notice to Gosford, due to the unavailability of Sydney Showground, also had an impact on their drop-off.
Wests Tigers believe their ability to put scandal behind them has seen the crowds flock back to Leichhardt Oval and Campbelltown Stadium.
The joint-venture club, which has endured in the past the antics of John Hopoate and the drug case involving Craig Field and Kevin McGuinness, has seen its fan base grow in 2004 from 10,636 to 14,610.
"I think the performance of the team on the field and the style of footy the guys play have helped," Tigers chief executive Steve Noyce said.
"But also we've managed to get in the headlines for the right reasons rather than the wrong reasons which was the problem we had in the first couple of years. And (coach) Tim (Sheens) is the person I give the most credit to."
The Warriors have experienced a turbulent year with coach Daniel Anderson losing his job and star player Ali Lauiti'iti granted a release.
Fans have voted with their feet with an average 10,581 turning up this year compared to 16,795 in 2003.
Canberra also had a significant drop of 19.2 per cent, but chief executive Simon Hawkins said: "It doesn't hurt our bottom line as much as other clubs because we have a revenue share arrangement with the stadium. So we don't get to keep all the money anyway if it is sold out."
The Storm's best year for crowd support in AFL-mad Melbourne was in 2000 -- the season after they won their first premiership -- when they averaged 14,622.
The support has dwindled each year since then and only 8787 fans are turning up to watch one of the most flamboyant teams in the NRL.
/ :alcho:
