RLWC2017 Crowd Watch

[Perth Red]

Honestly this game should have been at the likes of Penrith if it was going to be in Sydney at all. Does nothing for the game seeing such sparse crowds live on the bbc nationally!

Could they have been more ambitious and put Samoa v Tonga at Eden Park?

No it shouldn't, the western Sydney stadium will be perfect for games like this in the future.

Last RLWC in Australia there was only ten sides and every game was played along the east coast. This one we have more countries and games being played all over three countries. That in itself is a big step up for the tournament in the Southern Hemisphere

 

[Perth Red]

Very disappointed with the crowds so far.
I really did expect us to surpass the crowds of the 2013 world cup, which is clearly not going to happen.

Why did you expect that? What has the nrl done since 2013 to give you hope that the kangaroos or international RL would be more popular? The game generally is stagnating in Australia with nrl in 2017 producing the lowest crowds in years. Why did you think this apathy wouldn't role over into the RLWC?

 

[DC_fan]

Very disappointed with the crowds so far.
I really did expect us to surpass the crowds of the 2013 world cup, which is clearly not going to happen.

A bit difficult to compare crowds for tournaments played in two different regions of the world.

I believe originally people looked on the World Cup from a novelty point of view, and that drew crowds. But as soon as that novelty effect wore off, so did the crowds. Yes, when the big three play each other, and when Samoa play Tonga, games will draw crowds, though not necessarily huge crowds. League fans are smart enough to realise when they are being taken for a ride,and that is what is being done with the RLWC17. It is quite clearly obvious that the gap between the top three and the rest is as big as ever. Though the closeness in the England v Lebanon game surprised me. What is even more damaging for future world cups is the widening gap between the tier two and three nations.

If future world cups want to draw crowds, attract even more television viewers and increase interest in general then something urgently needs to be done to make tournaments more competitive. And that doesn’t mean filling other nationalities teams with Aussies.

 

[Jim from Oz]

Where the hell would they fit in another 7k in that stadium?

Exactly! Can that stadium’s capacity REALLY be 25,000?

 

[RL The greatest game]

Why did you expect that? What has the nrl done since 2013 to give you hope that the kangaroos or international RL would be more popular? The game generally is stagnating in Australia with nrl in 2017 producing the lowest crowds in years. Why did you think this apathy wouldn't role over into the RLWC?

I thought the world cup would be used as a tool by the NRL/AFL to spark interest in Rugby League again with crowds in decline, sadly i was wrong.
They are missing a great opportunity to rekindle the interest of fans who no longer follow the game to the extent they. On reflection i should have known better.

 

[Jim from Oz]

Very disappointed with the crowds so far.
I really did expect us to surpass the crowds of the 2013 world cup, which is clearly not going to happen.

Well the Weather in Sydney all day Saturday was wet and grim, so to get 10,000 for England the Lebanon was quite good, I feel

 

[East Coast Tiger]

I thought the world cup would be used as a tool by the NRL/AFL to spark interest in Rugby League again with crowds in decline, sadly i was wrong.
They are missing a great opportunity to rekindle the interest of fans who no longer follow the game to the extent they. On reflection i should have known better.

The AFL would have done a better job.

 

[RL The greatest game]

Well the Weather in Sydney all day Saturday was wet and grim, so to get 10,000 for England the Lebanon was quite good, I feel

We can't keep using the weather as an excuse for people not to turn up.
The weather is England is far worse and look at the crowds the EPL get

 

[ouryear]

Well the Weather in Sydney all day Saturday was wet and grim, so to get 10,000 for England the Lebanon was quite good, I feel

At belmore oval in lebanese heartland they would have got 20,000

 

[ouryear]

Why did you expect that? What has the nrl done since 2013 to give you hope that the kangaroos or international RL would be more popular? The game generally is stagnating in Australia with nrl in 2017 producing the lowest crowds in years. Why did you think this apathy wouldn't role over into the RLWC?

Yep, the game has become boring and sterile, 5 tackles and kick.

As well, with 3rd party agreements favouring the rorters and broncos, fans are sick and tired of the advantages those 2 clubs have.

Boring, sterile, predictable, conservative.

It is now the worst code in this great southetn land.

 

[taipan]

my theory
the nrl is played once every 9 years is it ?

this is supposed to be an event
the national side playing to a half empty stadium in the capital which is also in the heartland
suggests its not

The NRL is supposedly our best rl comp,with passionate fans and an extremely competitively even comp.Hence the membership emphasis.Certain areas within this country are rl heartlands.If we do and we do get crowds less than 10,000 ,then one can argue the game is in trouble, based on your thesis.And Canberra is just as much to blame in that regard.

The facts are there are many players within the RLWC ,that are not born and bred as other country players playing within their comps .Until such time as that position is reversed, then we will get the situation with half full stadiums.And yes your Canberra mob are a disgrace in that regard.
People can see many of these players involved, week in week out in the NRL.They can't in Britain.

You still don't get the fact and none should be surprised,rl cannot grow Internationally without funding.The selling point to Govts which put up the loot to help make a profit for RLWCs is having a competitive event and visitors.PNG and NZ has shown with their crowds there is decent interest outside this country.
The trouble is the kangaroos are lay downs to win the event, which takes away the mystery.

The Wallabies played to the Fijians in Melbourne and got a half empty stadium.They can't fill ANZ anymore for Bledisloe.Maybe familiarity breeds contempt.The Wallabies thrashed Japan ,without Folau.

Do I want packed stadiums? Of bleeding course I do.But I want a tournament to make a profit, because as the 2000 event showed with its loss, it put the game back further.

And for you to suggest rl is sick internationally just because crowds in some games are played in half full stadiums,when more countries play the game than ever before,and the Pom Govt is paying $30m to stage it(2021),then all I'm stating it's not all negative as you suggest.

 

[Raiderdave]

The NRL is supposedly our best rl comp,with passionate fans and an extremely competitively even comp.Hence the membership emphasis.Certain areas within this country are rl heartlands.If we do and we do get crowds less than 10,000 ,then one can argue the game is in trouble, based on your thesis.And Canberra is just as much to blame in that regard.

The facts are there are many players within the RLWC ,that are not born and bred as other country players playing within their comps .Until such time as that position is reversed, then we will get the situation with half full stadiums.And yes your Canberra mob are a disgrace in that regard.
People can see many of these players involved, week in week out in the NRL.They can't in Britain.

You still don't get the fact and none should be surprised,rl cannot grow Internationally without funding.The selling point to Govts which put up the loot to help make a profit for RLWCs is having a competitive event and visitors.PNG and NZ has shown with their crowds there is decent interest outside this country.
The trouble is the kangaroos are lay downs to win the event, which takes away the mystery.

The Wallabies played to the Fijians in Melbourne and got a half empty stadium.They can't fill ANZ anymore for Bledisloe.Maybe familiarity breeds contempt.The Wallabies thrashed Japan ,without Folau.

Do I want packed stadiums? Of bleeding course I do.But I want a tournament to make a profit, because as the 2000 event showed with its loss, it put the game back further.

And for you to suggest rl is sick internationally just because crowds in some games are played in half full stadiums,when more countries play the game than ever before,and the Pom Govt is paying $30m to stage it(2021),then all I'm stating it's not all negative as you suggest.

Again
a ridiculous analogy , the NRL is an annual domestic comp , not a once in a 8 to 12 year event.

People in here are asking why no ones turning up in Australia
agree with it or disagree I have given my opinion for why I think its occuring mainly based on a lot of people ive talked to about the world cup & are they attending or not. Govt's would have trumped up exactly the same amount of cash without us turning this into the NRL aussies pretending to be anything but aussies world cup & pretending ... pretending countries are improving in their playing standards.

Its a horse before the cart argument I know. But anyone who thinks there isn't something wrong when the games biggest nation couldn't give an F , is kidding themselves.

 

[Clarkent]

The atmosphere in Hamilton was fantastic. The fans were there to enjoy themselves and that's just what they did. The Tongans outnumbered the Samoans about two to one IMO and really lifted their team with their enthusiasm and their support. I've only managed to get a couple of games in but I'm glad I got to see and experience two great occasions.

I was at the game in Hamilton too and it was by far the greatest atmosphere I've been in... What about you? Have you been to a game with similar emotions and atmosphere like that before?

 

[T-Boon]

The crowd had a pulse like you just don't see in Australian sports least of all rugby league games. It was like college football. It is the first crowd I have seen on TV that made me wish I was at the game.

NRL clubs should pay Islanders to attend the game and provide a pulse. Sing, dance wave flags. Teach the rest of us how to enjoy ourselves at the game.

 

[Clarkent]

The crowd had a pulse like you just don't see in Australian sports least of all rugby league games. It was like college football. It is the first crowd I have seen on TV that made me wish I was at the game.

NRL clubs should pay Islanders to attend the game and provide a pulse. Sing, dance wave flags. Teach the rest of us how to enjoy ourselves at the game.

I support Samoa but when Tonga scored that try... All the Tongans started singing and all the Samoan supporters started joining in with them it was quite surreal! Read in the media that lolohea said when he walked back to set up for the kick off after the try he heard everyone singing in Tongan he got emotional... No other league or union games will ever match that atmosphere

 

[Jim from Oz]

I support Samoa but when Tonga scored that try... All the Tongans started singing and all the Samoan supporters started joining in with them it was quite surreal! Read in the media that lolohea said when he walked back to set up for the kick off after the try he heard everyone singing in Tongan he got emotional... No other league or union games will ever match that atmosphere

Watching the whole thing on TV … I found it all absolutely fantastic … the players hugging before the game was just brilliant

Now surely SURELY NZ v Tonga next week will be a sellout ????

(And the winner of that game will get to avoid Australia in the semi-finals too!!!)

 

[Clarkent]

Watching the whole thing on TV … I found it all absolutely fantastic … the players hugging before the game was just brilliant

Now surely SURELY NZ v Tonga next week will be a sellout ????

(And the winner of that game will get to avoid Australia in the semi-finals too!!!)

I think the kiwis will have there hands full trying to stop that Tongan forward pack... But I'm giving the kiwi the edge... Only because there halves are better... Shaun Johnson will be the difference... It'll be a close game tho...

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Whatever they call it they should stop playing it in Sydney and play it in nz!

If we can ever get origin to threestand alone weekends it would be great to see a tri series one game on each island and one in nz.

That concept could actually be very lucrative for both nations. Origin rose commercially off the back of a fraction of the passion on display yesterday. It draws neutrals in.

 

[Disinterested third party]

Sydney going strong again with international crowds.

 

[Jim from Oz]

One thing that has surprised me re the crowds is what appears to be very few travelling English fans.

In 2008, there was a solid core of 10,000+ but this time around it seems it's barely a quarter of that.

Now I'm not blaming English fans here; who I blame again is the organisers for devising a schedule that, for any fans from England, following their team would mean travelling vast differences all around the country and abroad (Melb-Syd-Perth-Q/FinMelb-SemiNZ-FinalBRIS).

WHEREAS in 2008 fans didn't have to move as far.