Knights fans, where are you?

[macavity]

An open letter to absent Knights fans

BY BRETT KEEBLE

15/04/2009 12:08:00 AM

Dear fans,

Where are you?

Why have you stopped coming to EnergyAustralia Stadium and cheering on your team?

Is the recession biting that deeply into your hip pocket that a day at the footy with family and friends is a luxury you can no longer afford?

Does the dog's breakfast of a construction site around the soon-to-be dismantled western grandstand put you off?

When you sit in the Andrew Johns Stand in the afternoon, does the sun in your eyes annoy you?

Wasn't it just as glary when it was a grass-covered hill and you squashed in like sardines and stood there in your thousands?

Do you still pine for Andrew Johns?

Did watching Joey every second weekend in winter for the best part of 15 years spoil you?

Is it no longer a case of "Our Town, Our Team"?

Can you no longer identify with your Knights because the 17 players that run out each weekend were not all born of white Anglo-Saxon heritage in Cessnock or Kurri Kurri or the John Hunter Hospital?

Are there too many Polynesian players for a city and a region that is a million miles away from the multi-cultural melting pots of Sydney, Melbourne, Wollongong, Auckland and other NRL bases?

Are you racist?

Is it the coach?

Has the relentless character assassination Brian Smith has endured from some sections of the media for most of his quarter-century coaching career poisoned your minds to the point where you can't cop him so you won't cop his team?

Is it the team?

Don't you like watching a team who, unlike many of their NRL rivals, actually play with some attacking flair and enterprise rather than run from dummy-half five times then kick?

Didn't you like seeing them run the ball from deep in their own territory on the last tackle, on the first set after the kick-off, to score a 70-metre try against Souths a few weeks ago?

Don't you like the fact the Knights of 2009 hit and hurt and sting in defence like the Knights of 1989?

Are you a Jets fan now and there is room for only one Newcastle football team in your life?

Where are you?

Where have you gone?

Brett Keeble Herald rugby league reporter since 1992

also:

http://newcastlefootball.net/forums/showpost.php?p=295281&postcount=10390
Poll in the Herald. Give the Jets a vote.
http://www.theherald.com.au/news/loc...s/1486519.aspx

I voted "redevelopment is turning fans off" - what do you think? register your vote... don't let the jets boys skew it!

 

[Karmawave]

The point of that letter has definite merit.

Some of the questions, like ' Are you racist ' seems a bit over the top though...

While it can be frustrating to see a lot of athletic polynesians with no real football ability running around across the NRL in general, I'd hate to think there are Knights fans who stop supporting their team and going to the games just because a few more Polynesians are in the side than in the past?

Surely not?

Having said that, this is a very interesting read...

http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/lhqnews/roy-masters/2009/04/10/1239223049605.html

A definite issue in the game, but reasons Knights fans aren't coming to the games? I think not.

The answer lies in most of my threads in here about the matchday experience for fans... You know the ones, where you think I'm merely whingeing...

I think there might be a fair few Knights fans not attending games who have felt the same at one time or another.

 

[macavity]

Foxtel. that is the crux of the matter.

most people dont have a footy-crazy mrs (I am lucky..) - and you can't justify $100 to take the kids (or $50 to take yourself!) to one game, where you can get every game for $70 a month....

 

[Karmawave]

Foxtel has been around longer than just this year Macca.

Its not like the Knights can't draw over 20,000 with Foxtel around man. We did it a few times just last year.

Foxtel is a cop out.

 

[antonius]

I sent this to the herald today. It's part of a piece I wrote for the forum sevens a couple of days ago (how ironic eh?) Hopefully my piece will be in the next round of the sevens, if not I'll post the whole thing in here.

Dear Sir,
Once upon a time you could go to the game and watch Jersey Flegg, Reserve/Premier League and sometimes even a Ball or Mathew’s game prior to first grade. There was nothing better than sitting on the hill at EAS with the regulars there, and discussing the progress of this junior, or how so and so was going coming back from injury. Making predictions about this young guy, and when he may hit first grade was all part of the match day experience.
Now you go along watch the youth game, then straight to first grade, the middle step for juniors (Premier League) is gone, and we fans are left to guess what happened to them.
To watch them now requires you to travel to the distant grounds that make up the local Newcastle competition and watch them with a handful of the local fans. This was brought about by the clubs decision not to field a team in Premier League due to costs. Instead they farm the players not required for first grade to clubs in the local competition. Whilst this might be good for the local competition, it leaves the Knights fans in the dark as to the progress of juniors they have been following in previous years, and of course their form, and likely hood of them making it to first grade.

Prices have risen enormously, 3-4 years ago it cost me $32.00 for a family ticket. Now you get 2 games, no opportunity to watch players coming through the grades, and it costs a family $53.50, or $62.50 if you buy at the gate. That is a huge increase. It's no longer a reasonably cheap day out for mum, dad and the kids. We are paying more for less.
Call me old fashioned, but I long for the Sunday or for that matter the Saturday arvo game, three grades, sitting on the hill, in a big bunch with my mates chanting for my team. Not the clinical setting of today in plastic seats, stuck in front of some idiot for the whole year with my season ticket, watching two games, (if your lucky,) and wondering where that guy in the centres came from. We can’t change the ground format, that’s progress, but we can improve the game day.
Regards

 

[Karmawave]

Fair point all of that Antonius.

Basically we as fans are getting less for more.

Less entertainment for a higher price.

 

[antonius]

I will add the article goes on to explain where the money would come from to re-instate premier league. It also discusses to effect Monday and Sat night games have had on crowds here.

 

[Baron Vo Mandor]

For non local fans its bloody expensive is the reason.

$25 for a return ticket from Rockdale to Broadmeadow. So $50 right their for a couple.

$33 for Cat A lower stand reserve tickets so another $66 per couple there.

You cant take lunch on a 2.5-3 hour train ride or you could I guess but I aint walking around with an esky. So lets say another $100 for food and drink for the day and I'd spend more from the moment I leave til the moment I return but thats being conservative......

$50 + $66 + $100 = $216. (Most day trips up to newie I normally, spend well over $300)

Not cheap at all. Locals could probably do it for half the price, however thats not cheap at all with the way things are going.

 

[Apey]

I think this year has more to do with the redevelopment than anything else to be honest.
​

 

[Karmawave]

I have no doubt as well that Knights fans are simply not all that interested in turning up and watching a bunch of fringe first grade players who are solid and not spectacular.

The names Houston, Rogers, Naiqama, McManus, Taia, Wicks, Karawana, Tolar, Lulia etc , while good footballers, are hardly the type of big names that fans want to go out of their way to spend big $$ to get through the gate.

Sure fans can defend Smiths choice of players and its helping us be competitive, but sometimes that's not enough to actually get fans to the games.

We have Kurt Gidley. It is fair to say Gidley had to work incredibly hard to get where he is right now, and isn't a player with ' natural ' flair the way marquee names are from other teams.

When Johns and Buderus and Kennedy and Tahu etc went away, the Knights only replaced them with solid no name players the likes of which who would be lucky to be identified outside of this region.

We have no real footballers who demand you to go and pay money to watch them play.

I think that's a huge issue right now as well.

Of all players, Uate has the ability to garner that cult following that will bring people to games.

Right now, we are just a blue collar team for blue collar fans thats really used to supporting blue collar teams in the past who were at the same time razzle dazzled by freakish talents of Andrew Johns etc.

The Knights are turning into the Canberra Raiders.

Oh yeah, and on top of that, the atmosphere at the games is as silent as a mouse most of the time.

The acoustics can't be blamed when a Jets crowd half the size of ours makes 3 times as much noise as a Knights crowd.

 

[Baron Vo Mandor]

Excellent post Karma I for one had forgot that factor and there is little those two were worth atleast an extra 3000-4000 bums on seats each.......

We all whinge from time to time over the inflated value of marquee players however there is little doubt they are great drawcards, and sadly the Knights either aren't interested in paying top dollar or just as likely cant attract them!

 

[antonius]

I have no doubt as well that Knights fans are simply not all that interested in turning up and watching a bunch of fringe first grade players who are solid and not spectacular.

The names Houston, Rogers, Naiqama, McManus, Taia, Wicks, Karawana, Tolar, Lulia etc , while good footballers, are hardly the type of big names that fans want to go out of their way to spend big $$ to get through the gate.

Sure fans can defend Smiths choice of players and its helping us be competitive, but sometimes that's not enough to actually get fans to the games.

We have Kurt Gidley. It is fair to say Gidley had to work incredibly hard to get where he is right now, and isn't a player with ' natural ' flair the way marquee names are from other teams.

When Johns and Buderus and Kennedy and Tahu etc went away, the Knights only replaced them with solid no name players the likes of which who would be lucky to be identified outside of this region.

We have no real footballers who demand you to go and pay money to watch them play.

I think that's a huge issue right now as well.

Of all players, Uate has the ability to garner that cult following that will bring people to games.

Right now, we are just a blue collar team for blue collar fans thats really used to supporting blue collar teams in the past who were at the same time razzle dazzled by freakish talents of Andrew Johns etc.

The Knights are turning into the Canberra Raiders.

Oh yeah, and on top of that, the atmosphere at the games is as silent as a mouse most of the time.

The acoustics can't be blamed when a Jets crowd half the size of ours makes 3 times as much noise as a Knights crowd.

There is a lot in what you say there. It's not only Johns and Buderus. O'Davis, Matt Gidley, Peden, Abes, Hughes , all guys you can call your own, and all respectable footy players, all gone and replaced with guys that Novacastrians can't relate to. Say what you like that matters. While the new stand is great and all that, I was stuck in front of the worlds biggest know nothing loud mouth on Sunday, and I thought, imagine if this was my season ticket seat and the bloke behind was in his!!! I'd be back on the hill in a flash. I personally don't like sitting in the new stand.

 

[Karmawave]

Surely the Knights management and staff know that fans who have to travel a fair distance to attend Knights games, simply won't feel like going out of their way to spend a few hours and a bunch of money to watch some of the players we have now.

In the past, you can imagine why fans would go out of their way to travel to Knights from Gosford, or Sydney, or Taree etc.

We had players worth doing it for.

Now, we don't and only the die hard fans bother.

 

[reginald.p]

The drunk bogans scare me.

 

[Baron Vo Mandor]

As well opposition fans are now much more unlikely to travel it used to be a pretty good excuse to see Joey and Bedsy running around now I'd imagine they'd be much more likely to watch it on TV.

 

[Serc]

I think Keeble makes a good point - part of the reason is that we've been spoilt. I wonder why our fans turned up prior to 1994? I'm far too young to remember but I bet the stadium, the facilities, the team were nothing special compared to the golden years of the late 90's/early 00's. I also bet the stadium didn't improve much between 1988 and 1998. Please correct me if I'm wrong there, I'm not so sharp on our earlier history!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I go to watch the footy and to see a reasonably competitive team go around for 12-15 weeks a year. Was that alone the reason why people bothered to turn up prior to one A. Johns debuting in 1994?

Edit: As a way of comparison - can you imagine what Karma's rants about the 'gameday experience', the club and our players would've been like if we had this forum circa 1990?

 

[macavity]

Newcastle as a town has changed. There are a lot more douchebags around now than in the years to 1994.

 

[Karmawave]

Edit: As a way of comparison - can you imagine what Karma's rants about the 'gameday experience', the club and our players would've been like if we had this forum circa 1990?

It was better in 1990. I remember even as a youngster the atmosphere was heaps better. The entertainment was better. And there was 3 grades to watch play, the reserves and under 21's ( as it was back then ), both were up near the top of the table year in year out.

Those were the days 20,000 was already in the ground to watch reserve grade play.

 

[Baron Vo Mandor]

Back then though the team was still fairly new and no doubt it had the novelty factor still.

 

[Sacrolishes]

There is a few here that make a solid point about the lack of 'Natural talent' in the squad, which is causing fans to not turn up.
But they are seriously missing out.. I've been to both games this yr..sitting on Northen Hill and I just love watching these guys putting the arses on the line..They've belted boths teams who have come to our ground this yr (We almost screwed it last wkend (Cheers Ref).
We might not have the STARS of yester year..but we do have players who are going to go out there to belt there opponent... and set up some classy tries..two of which were scored on weekend..- The Houston try brough back some great memories..

The team is progressing..combination starting (Taia - Rodges, Sau - Aku, Doogs - Jimmy, Faas - Wicks)

Its coming Baby!! HA!