League unfashionable in Sydney?

[Misty Bee]

The 10% drop was more to do with Melbourne and Brisbane winning, and Parra and Wests struggling, and Saints not pushing for the MP like 1995.

 

[Brutus]

On the back of a drop of 10% in attendances amongst Sydney teams in 2006 and what can only be described as very mediocre attendances during the final series, Sydney has once again confirmed it's growing apathy towards rugby league.

But the NRL likes to tell us that everything is at best ever levels when they try to justify crap deals like the recent radio ones. They have a chance to get their game out to as many people as possible, but choose to take the money and stick with mindless crap that appeals to dead beats. Obviously the money helps fill News LTD coffers as the company attempts to recoup lost Superleague revenue.

How can rugby league ever be trendy with a program like the Footy Show and of cource that embarrassing exclusive commercial radio broadcaster.

 

[Brutus]

It's unfashionable because it's seen as a boofhead sport. The NRL isn't doing anything to help change the image.

The current Tri-Nations final promo on Channel 9 makes the players look like wild animals, further enforcing the violent boofhead image.

 

[innsaneink]

The current Tri-Nations final promo on Channel 9 makes the players look like wild animals, further enforcing the violent boofhead image.

Its great.

What do you want... go back to that old Manly fart with 'blow that whislte ref, blow boy, blow?

 

[ali]

But the NRL likes to tell us that everything is at best ever levels when they try to justify crap deals like the recent radio ones. They have a chance to get their game out to as many people as possible, but choose to take the money and stick with mindless crap that appeals to dead beats. Obviously the money helps fill News LTD coffers as the company attempts to recoup lost Superleague revenue.

How can rugby league ever be trendy with a program like the Footy Show and of cource that embarrassing exclusive commercial radio broadcaster.

I completely agree. The exclusive radio rights deal sums up everything that is going wrong at the moment.

Also, on the crowd front. I think the interest rate rises may have had a small negative effect on crowds. Remember the rates have been risen mainly to keep a check on WA and QLD growth. Sydney with no mining boom has paid a slight price for the mining boom. A lot of our fans would have mortgages. Remember Union crowds were also down this winter, though I think they have bigger problems than us.

The bandwagon jumpers looking for a night out may be less likely to have mortgages. Though I am only speculating.

 

[imasharkie]

Sydney has once again confirmed it's growing apathy towards rugby league.

On the other hand Brissy has outmatched you guys in all aspects of crowd size.
The final should have been played at Suncorp to another sellout crowd. The NRL should open their eyes and look at the massive support from up here. Sydney doesn't deserve this event.

 

[ali]

Your media "coincidently" also treated the match a sh*tload better than anything I've seen from the Sydney media this tournament. Some of the best news ltd RL articles of current are coming out of Steve Rickets and the courier mail. There was 4 or 5 pages of RL on game day up there, including a great Mike Coleman double page spread on past Aus vs GB clashes in Brissie. I also got hold of the Gold Coast Bulletin whilst up there, and the coverage in there was also good. The print in the sports section was actually far smaller than the Tele, and they got a sh*tload of info in there. Looked a very RL friendly paper from what I could tell.

So basically in my opinion the crowds in Brissie vs Sydney, can be put down to a few things.

- the more positive attitude of the QLD media
- An excellent central stadium with decent public transport
- Slightly better economic conditions
- More big name QLDers in the team

However these are not excuses for Sydney. Our population is far bigger and we still think we are the home of Rugby League. But the Brisbane model should be used to pinpoint what is going wrong down here.

 

[imasharkie]

That's right Ali. The Brisbane Courier Mail gives heaps of attention to a sporting event in this city.

Take for instance todays paper has 10 pages of Ashes cricket info and only 2 pages of league.
Where is the cricket this weekend?
Brisbane of course.
But it's not only the paper promoting it.
Television is giving the game almost half of theeir nightly format to it and there was also a local radio station broadcasting live from within the Gabba from 5am this morning.
Brissy has massive advertising signs up everywhere for the event and even the Lord Mayor has been on all formats of the media pleading with the citizens to keep the city tidy so as we give a good picture to the tourists.

 

[c_eagle]

On the other hand Brissy has outmatched you guys in all aspects of crowd size.
The final should have been played at Suncorp to another sellout crowd. The NRL should open their eyes and look at the massive support from up here. Sydney doesn't deserve this event.

Brisbane is hardly much better but that's for another thread.

 

[OVP]

I'll give you the answer right now, free of charge. we have two problems in our game right now... they are Rupert Murdoch and News Ltd. There you go. Eradicate these two vermin, and we are back to where we belong. Simple.

 

[ali]

I'll give you the answer right now, free of charge. we have two problems in our game right now... they are Rupert Murdoch and News Ltd. There you go. Eradicate these two vermin, and we are back to where we belong. Simple.

As a former died in the wool super league supporter I'm beginning to agree with this. With a media partner half owning the NRL, how can the coverage be so pathetic. they are giving us very little news ltd.

 

[Wests is Best]

I think the league need to get things together at a grassroots level. I am now in my 30's and my involvement in junior league has been minimal for well over 10 years now. However I find that most of the junior leagues have now amalgamated. Whenever I pick up a local newspaper I see that teams from the Balmain junior league are playing teams from Manly. Whats the go here? To me it looks like junior numbers are dwindling.
The key to Rugby Leagues success is to have a thriving junior league. When I was a kid on Sydney's North, we had a junior league covering from Berowra and Galston all the way down to Willoughby and McMahons Point. We never had amalgamated comps with Balmain or Manly. We used to get visits at school from time to time from a couple of Bears players. Do other clubs still do this? It doesn't happen on the North Shore anymore for obvious reasons. These days the north would more likely get visits from Paul Roos and a couple of his players! LeagueXIII is correct about the massive black hole left by the axeing of the bears.

The NRL need to take a leaf out of McDonalds book. Target the kids, and the whole family will follow!

 

[Brutus]

Its great.

What do you want... go back to that old Manly fart with 'blow that whislte ref, blow boy, blow?

no.

 

[Brutus]

As a former died in the wool super league supporter I'm beginning to agree with this. With a media partner half owning the NRL, how can the coverage be so pathetic. they are giving us very little news ltd.

Over the last 18 or so months my thoughts have also changed on this. I used to go by the belief that News LTD having such a huge stake in our game was a positive, but not anymore.

There have been some inexplicable decisions made in that time and I've seen coverge of the game drop markedly in News LTD press (not courier mail) both in quality and volume.

 

[ShineDog]

NRL are doing a fantastic job.
Please stop rubbishing all Bulldogs fans....remember you are talking about a minority.

 

[bartman]

I don't think the NRL give a rats really their agenda is about selling pay TV and that's all they care about. The media could easily attack private schools but choose not to, makes you question what RL has really done to people for it to be treated the way it has.

I think there's a definite push towards the ratings and the money from broadcasting being what the league is most after. We see it in th eexclsuive radio deals, we see it in the scheduling of matches for TV benefit. Crowds are their lowest priority, no longer the biggest money spinner, and fans of the game that attend are being taken for granted. It's a bad habit for the game to have gotten into.

It has to get the balance right between being fan freindly and broadcast friendly. And I think there are elements in the (previously supportive) media which have an axe to grind against league, and this may be a personality clash, in group/out group thing? With exclusive rights and spoils falling to 2GB and the Footy Show crew (and of course Foxtel), anyone outside of these cliques (Rothwell, Wilson) will be ropable and want their share of power. They get it by dishing the dirt on league, even though they are paid by the company that owns half of the code... crazy stuff.

 

[ShadesOfTheSun]

NRL are doing a fantastic job.
Please stop rubbishing all Bulldogs fans....remember you are talking about a minority.

The problem being that it's a minority that attracts attention, and deters people from attending Bulldogs matches. I have four colleagues who have banned their children from attending Bulldogs matches because of the perceived danger, and at a birthday dinner attended mainly by senior citizens, a prize of a Bulldogs bag was left unclaimed even though its donater walked around all night asking people if they wanted it, because the 100 or so guests - many of whom were league followers - were united in their apprehension that this was a team followed by hooligans and thugs.

The fact of the matter is that the bad behaviour of those few fans, and the press they have received, have created an extremely negative image of the Bulldogs club.

 

[Sea_Eagles_Rock]

Brisbane is hardly much better but that's for another thread.

I think it's very relevant. If Sydney was to start losing these events to Brisbane then I bet crowds would pick up. I think it's a taking things for granted sort of thing. Take a look at the cricket for the last 2 days!

 

[ali]

Over the last 18 or so months my thoughts have also changed on this. I used to go by the belief that News LTD having such a huge stake in our game was a positive, but not anymore.

There have been some inexplicable decisions made in that time and I've seen coverge of the game drop markedly in News LTD press (not courier mail) both in quality and volume.

Does the partnership ever end? What's the story? Assuming they are recovering their losses from the war, when do they stop taking money from the game? Though I do realise some of this is going back into the clubs they own.

 

[legend]

Considering the amount of money they spent during the SL war and the amount of money the game currently generates, it will be a very long time before we see News Ltd divest themselves of Rugby League.

I do think Brisbane should now be the home of the Kangaroos as Sydney sucks arse big time when it comes to following international footy.

FFS, Melbourne got a larger crowd than us!