Dark Days For Knights

[antonius]

Dark days for Knights


ALISON BRANLEY
4/06/2008 11:35:00 PM
THE number of Newcastle Knights fans has dropped by almost half since the peaks experienced after the 2001 premiership, according to a report.

Figures from Roy Morgan Research estimate the rugby league team has lost 255,000 supporters since its height in 2003 when it had 593,000 fans, a drop of 43 per cent.

The most damaging loss was in the past year when it lost 148,000 supporters, almost one-third of its base.

The Newcastle Knights have disputed the numbers, saying NRL research showed they had more than 500,000 supporters across Australia and its peak of support was in 2006.

Roy Morgan Sports Monitor polled 21,061 people across Australia for the report.

The drop in Knights fan numbers reflected results across the NRL table where most supporter numbers declined.

Manly, Melbourne and South Sydney were the only teams immune.

Knights fan numbers grew from 506,000 to 593,000 between 2001 and 2003 following the team's premiership, giving it the second biggest following in the National Rugby League. This year it was ninth.

Knights chief executive Steve Burraston conceded the retirement of Andrew Johns, combined with torrential rain had contributed to a drop in crowds in 2007.

He said the club was trying to attract people through advertising, community work, a family friendly hill area, new ticket pricing and US-style cheerleaders.

"We had a 5 per cent drop almost the day Andrew retired so we had to work to get people back," he said.

He rejected suggestions The Jets' success and controversial coach Brian Smith had made fans switch codes.

"With the A-league I think we complement each other. I don't think there's any conflict whatsoever," he said.

Mr Burraston said overall the club's fan base was stable or growing.
Average crowd numbers went up 20 per cent this year. Club memberships remained static at 7000.

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[Yosh]

How do they count that stuff? Also which w*nk*rs are dogging the club just because we aint performing that well?

 

[macavity]

what a cute chick.... :sarcasm:

 

[NthKnight]

Seriously, who could take this stuff seriously. Club memberships would be the only real way to count fan numbers and even then they would be grossly out of whack.

Pffftt rubbish story :thumbd:

 

[roopy]

unfortunately sponsers take this stuff seriously.

 

[Jobdog]

Burro hit the nail on the head this morning on the radio. How can you take a survey of 21,000 people in a country with 21 million people seriously? There's no doubt the Knights crowds have dropped off in recent years, but to the extent of 255,000 supporters over the course of 4 or 5 years? I don't think so.

 

[macavity]

crowds and supporters are different things too.

there are other factors than simple lack of interest effecting crowds - most notably affordability. a day out at the footy simply isnt affordable 12x a year for the vast majority of people. there is a reason old farts (hi Tony.. ;-) ) outnumber families at the footy these days.

 

[Nuffy]

Burro's playing a game methinks, surveys can be statistically significant if the correct protocols are followed irrespective of the sample size.

Look at politicial polling, its typically 1-2 k at most and people are happy to accept that!

I can however understand that hes trying to water down the issue, thats fair enough.

There will be a core level of support and perhaps thats where we are now, the difference is the transistional fans, those who float in and out of the games horizon. We obviously would have had an enormous amount of them in the golden years.

The single biggest driver of support is performance, thats what makes the difference. Notice I didn't say winning, transitional supporters will get behind a team when its competing.

Look at this year, supporters approached 08 with cautious optimism and fans (rusted on and transitional) were estatic at the teams competitiveness. I believe that type of effort draws the fans back.

The tragedy is that sh*t performances like the last 2 games undo all the previous good work and keep the transitional fan at home and money in his pocket not the clubs.

Supporters want to see honourable losses (such as Melbourne) not utter rubbish like the Warriors.

The club and players need to understand that they are auditioning for the transitional fan every single week and they need to build that relationship every week of every season and then the transitional fan will become a rusted on fan like most of us desperados.

 

[NthKnight]

crowds and supporters are different things too.

there are other factors than simple lack of interest effecting crowds - most notably affordability. a day out at the footy simply isnt affordable 12x a year for the vast majority of people. there is a reason old farts (hi Tony.. ;-) ) outnumber families at the footy these days.

Precisely. I live in Brissy so I cant get to many home games but Im still a supporter yet I cant see how I get counted in this survey. This report is speculatative and inaccurate rubbish.

 

[roopy]

IMO a guy named AJ took 100,000 fans with him when he left, and a guy named DB will take a fair few as well - but not nearly as many.

 

[antonius]

A lot of it is to do with game scheduling. Newcastle fans love Sunday afternoon games. We have been getting very few of those lately plus the intoduction of Monday night games has really hit us hard. If all our games were Sunday Arvo games the crowds wouldn't have changed much at all. Also like it or not, the team has changed dramatically in recent times, crowd favourites such as Tahu, McDougall (in the old days) Robbie O'Davis, A Johns, M Hughes, Butts and so on have all gone replaced by guys from out of town. Like it or not the Newcastle fans associated with the local product ( I know some I've mentioned above aren't that) But they were long term players. The likes of Parsons and Kennedy also pulled the crowd. The current side if you like don't have anywhere near the pulling power of those guys. Kids in particular related to those blokes. Harsh but IMO true.

 

[antonius]

what a cute chick.... :sarcasm:

You talking about this young lady? The picture was with the story.

Knights fans Karl Beahan, Eli Reckwell and Justine Mutton.

Here's the story
Time for fans to show their true colours


4/06/2008 11:53:00 PM
THE past 12 months have been testing times for Knights fans but despite the tumultuous year they remain hopeful.

In 2007 the team lost Andrew Johns, had its worst injury toll and its most devastating loss, 71-6 to Brisbane.

The club reported a $1.3 million loss, coach Brian Smith attracted controversy and by the end of the season the Knights narrowly avoided the wooden spoon.

Justine Mutton, of Islington, is a member of the The Crusade, the Knight's cheer squad and has been following the team since she was 10.

She said these were the times when true fans showed their colours.

She said the team's start to this year had made fans hopeful about the rest of the season.

The team are tenth on competition ladder.
"As long as they keep going out there and putting their all in we will be happy with that," she said.








Link
http://theherald.yourguide.com.au/n...r-fans-to-show-their-true-colours/783482.aspx

 

[macavity]

its my sis-in-law

;-)

 

[PrideKnight]

The Crusade, the Knight's cheer squad

wheres my cute little red and blue pleated mini skirt and baton?

thought the Crusade was a supporters group

 

[macavity]

Ready? Ok!

Gooooooooooooo Team!

 

[Hanscholo]

I nearly chocked on my chinsese food reading this bullshit. Clearly, if they thought we had 150k more a few years ago then those 150k werent fans at all. It isnt a prime minister popularity pole, what a crock of ****.

 

[roopy]

I don't know if it is as bad as they say, but the problem of our lower profile exists.

We need to get Kurt, Scotty, Jarrod, Cory and Aku as well known as our old players were.

It is yet another reason to get Aku into firstgrade as soon as possible. Two of his trademark tries and every kid in Australia will know who Aku is and he will have 50k fans to bring to the Knights.

As much as it sucks, James McManus only has 10 fans, and they are all committed knights fans anyway.

 

[Misanthrope]

I wouldn't be surprised to find it was true, really. None of the passion that used to be there seems to exist, and we've struggled to put together a season worthy of note in recent memory.

 

[antonius]

I wouldn't be surprised to find it was true, really. None of the passion that used to be there seems to exist, and we've struggled to put together a season worthy of note in recent memory.

Exactly, There's a thread elsewhere about the lack of noise chanting etc. I'm with Roops, I think we have a side that the crowd doesn't relate to anymore. We have a team that lets face it is basically made up of low profile players from other clubs where they couldn't crack it in first grade. That has slowly evolved over the past 4 or five seasons. Mullo, Buderus, Simmo and Kidley are all that's left. With Buderus leaving next year and no high profile players comming here I can't see it getting any better, we need another Tahu, O'Davis, Albert, or Johns (LOL).

 

[Stranger]

I wouldn't be surprised to find it was true, really. None of the passion that used to be there seems to exist, and we've struggled to put together a season worthy of note in recent memory.

Too f**king right.


When was the last time we managed to string 6 wins together? Let alone playing a whole season... As much as it sucks crowds will get behind the team when we start to win, why is that? because at the moment they are going to go to a game to see McManus, Wicks, Houston, Tia, when they have no idea who they are.

Kiddley is probably our only player that brings the crowd to its feet. Thats probably the only reason i would bring in Uate at the moment, because he is someone the crowd could attatch to. Wicks could be like that but he is a lazy fat **** with no heart.