If nothing else they’ve done well to create a scarcity in tickets.Obviously we don't have access to the information necessary to answer the question, but we've also got enough experience to know that bigger crowds doesn't necessarily equal bigger profits, and that there're lots of dirty ways that clubs boost and fudge numbers like that.
Now I'm not accusing the Warriors of doing anything out of the ordinary to boost their numbers, as I honestly wouldn't have a clue in their case, but at the same time it wouldn't surprise me if they were, there are many clubs in all sports that do, and we should be careful not to encourage that behaviour because it has serious negative long term effects.
We also don't really know what's going on in NZ in general.
Is this Warriors craze just a fad that'll dissipate once they have couple bad seasons?
Are RU's current issues making things look better than they are on the ground, and how long will that last for?
Are their other factors or unforeseen consequences impacting interest in RL over there?
Basically some of us need to claim down and wait to see how things play out in Auckland before we start popping the champagne, because none of us have a clue what's actually going on over there just yet.
BTW; there are some pretty simple ways the NRL could drastically improve game day experience without the need for significant investment in facilities. Simply getting the clubs to take gameday entertainment seriously and invest some actual money into production costs would make a world of difference for most of them.
Mt Smart isn’t the most desirable or easiest location to get to so what they’ve essentially done is made the potential fluctuation in walk up crowd commit early.
I’m sure the club has done the sums and it’s working for them, not sure what factor the vendors or merchandise sales have but I can only assume it’s more lucrative for them with larger crowds. What they are also doing is creating habitual attendees, if fortunes change or prices need to increase at least some of those will stick around and be an addition.
As for other tactics to boost numbers? I have a couple of questions, you often see large patches of empty blue seats in the crowds- it’s not like Go Media has a concourse excuse like Allianz/Commbank. It implied the rest of the home games are sold out but it’s easy enough to get tickets for the games outside of the storm/Broncos. But I bet it’s prompting people on the fence to commit early.
As I’ve said earlier the Warriors are doing a fantastic job of fan engagement at the moment