RLWC2017 Crowd Watch

[Billythekid]

I would suggest that the Kiwis vs Fiji will do extremely well to get close to 15,000 and the Tonga vs Lebanon game will do well to get to 10,000.

If they reduce the prices for the Semi Final at MT Smart, then there should be no reason why they dont get 20,000 for that game.

The organisers must be stoked with the Kiwis loss, that now guarantees them to competitive Semi Finals instead of the normal 50-60 win for the Aussie (which may still happen against the Kiwis lol)

Yeah I think a few of those crowds were optimistic but still hoping!

Darwin hosted a Parramatta game this year and got 9 to 10000 attending. Think you will the NZ games with significantly more numbers than your figures. (Weather permitting )

Well you would think the game would go close to a sellout so we'll see I guess. Even if it's 10K it's still not appropriate for a game involving Australia let alone a QF.

 

[Burns]

Bit worried about this week. Whilst all the matches will be pretty good on the field, none of them appear to be big drawers for crowds.

Darwin - sell out
Christchurch - there was a big welcome for Tonga yesterday when they got to airport, who knows? 13,000
Wellington - most concerned on, the stadium is awful for league and tickets are expensive - 12,000
Melbourne - 10,000 (how do you even sell this one?)

 

[Chip Kick]

Bit worried about this week. Whilst all the matches will be pretty good on the field, none of them appear to be big drawers for crowds.

Darwin - sell out
Christchurch - there was a big welcome for Tonga yesterday when they got to airport, who knows? 13,000
Wellington - most concerned on, the stadium is awful for league and tickets are expensive - 12,000
Melbourne - 10,000 (how do you even sell this one?)

I sure there will be a respectable size crowd in Mel, even if it's not, I'm sure it's going to be loud

 

[Stallion]

Bit worried about this week. Whilst all the matches will be pretty good on the field, none of them appear to be big drawers for crowds.

Darwin - sell out
Christchurch - there was a big welcome for Tonga yesterday when they got to airport, who knows? 13,000
Wellington - most concerned on, the stadium is awful for league and tickets are expensive - 12,000
Melbourne - 10,000 (how do you even sell this one?)

The expensive ticket prices are a real concern! It seems to be the recurring theme from these greedy organisers of this world cup. Not understanding/appreciating that international rugby league needs to give a little to get alot.

 

[PARRA_FAN]

Well they got just under 12,000 for Eels Cowboys game this year so anything above that would be good.

 

[Stallion]

Well they got just under 12,000 for Eels Cowboys game this year so anything above that would be good.

I thought I was a bit out. 12000 is better than 9 or 10000. Cheers.

 

[Emu01]

Just back from the game. Very solid crowd. I really had no idea how many would be there, anywhere between 5,000 and 20,000 I predicted lol!

Great atmosphere despite the dud games and the fans really got into it, especilly the English fans at the shed end. I was amazed by how many travelling English fans were there, couple of thousand at least id guess. They would have certainly boosted the tourism spend in Perth this week and returned some of the investment by the wa govt in bringing the games here.

Nib stadium is a great ground for rugby league and very picturesque with the sun setting behind the city skyline. We even got an electical storm to add some fireworks!

Re the pricing tbf I think they probably got it right. The ground was 75% full and I'd say most stands were around 75% suggesting that if you wanted better seats people were willing to pay but if you couldn't afford much you could still watch the game for $20. They would have made close to $1mill in tickets and merch sales for this game. Merch was being snapped up.

All in all a great night for rugby league and for the game in WA. How awsome is it to see a rugby league World Cup successfully being held in an afl city like Perth!

Well done Perth Red. Did you end up doing your pamphlet drop in Perth leading up to the double header? Cos someone did some good promotion work over there. Good crowd looked like a great atmosphere on Tv.

 

[Jim from Oz]

Darwin hosted a Parramatta game this year and got 9 to 10000 attending. Think you will the NZ games with significantly more numbers than your figures. (Weather permitting )

Darwin capacity is 12,500

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marrara_Oval

 

[Perth Red]

Well done Perth Red. Did you end up doing your pamphlet drop in Perth leading up to the double header? Cos someone did some good promotion work over there. Good crowd looked like a great atmosphere on Tv.

No, I offered but got no reply. Marketing was hit and miss, obviously seven had some good ads running which was the main source of promotion. Plenty on social media as well but after that not much. It's a shame more Australian and kiwi RL fans didn't go as they are the ones who fill nib for nrl games, especially kiwis, and there were very few I saw last night. I think a better turn out of neutrals would have seen it sold out, thankfully the English fans came to the party. I was surprised how many Irish and French and a smattering of welsh also went.

 

[Panther_Daz]

Are there many Fijians on the North Island that will help with the Wellington crowd?

 

[Jim from Oz]

Wellington - most concerned on, the stadium is awful for league and tickets are expensive - 12,000

what sort of prices are they charging???

 

[Burns]

what sort of prices are they charging???

Wellington for an adult is $70 in CAT A, $35 CAT B and $20 for CAT C.

Only about half the stadium on sale at this stage with pretty minimal moment.

Christchurch looking very sparse at this stage as well. Obviously with Finals people wait to see who is actually playing before purchasing tickets, but we are really going to be relying on strong sales from now to Thursday to get into those mid-10,000.

 

[Jim from Oz]

Wellington for an adult is $70 in CAT A, $35 CAT B and $20 for CAT C.

Only about half the stadium on sale at this stage with pretty minimal moment.

Christchurch looking very sparse at this stage as well. Obviously with Finals people wait to see who is actually playing before purchasing tickets, but we are really going to be relying on strong sales from now to Thursday to get into those mid-10,000.

Well, maybe the dynamic RLWC 2017 marketing team will kick into gear and work their magic???

And maybe I'll go to Jupiter at the same time !!!

 

[Springs09]

Comparing the pool stage crowds to 2013:

2017:

20-30,000

New Zealand v Tonga, Hamilton - 24,041
Australia v England, Melbourne - 22,724
Australia v Lebanon, SFS - 21,127

10-20,000

Samoa v Tonga, Hamilton -18,156
New Zealand v Samoa, Auckland - 17,857
Papua New Guinea v Wales, Port Moresby - 14,800
Papua New Guinea v Ireland, Port Moresby - 14,800
Papua New Guinea v USA, Port Moresby - 14,800
Ireland v Wales/England v France, Perth - 14,744
Australia v France, Canberra - 12,293
New Zealand v Scotland, Christchurch - 12,130
England v Lebanon, SFS - 10,237

Under 10,000

Ireland v Italy/Scotland v Tonga, Cairns 9,216
Italy v USA/Fiji v Wales, Townsville 7,732
Fiji v Italy, Canberra 6,733
France v Lebanon, Canberra 5,492
Fiji v USA, Townsville 5,103
Samoa v Scotland, Cairns 4,309

Total - 236,294

2013:

40,000+
England v Australia/Wales v Italy, Cardiff – 45,052

20-30,000

England v Fiji, Hull – 25,114
England v Ireland, Huddersfield – 24,375

10-20,000

New Zealand v Papua New Guinea – 18,180
New Zealand v France, Avignon – 17,518
New Zealand v Samoa, Warrington – 14,965
Australia v Fiji, St Helens – 14,137
France v Samoa, Perpignan – 11,576
Tonga v Cook Islands, Leigh – 10,554
Tonga v Italy, Halifax – 10,266

0-10,000

Fiji v Ireland, Rochdale – 8,872
Wales v USA, Wrexham – 8,019
Tonga v Scotland, Workington – 7,630
Papua New Guinea v France, Hull – 7,481
Scotland v Italy, Workington – 7,280
USA v Cook Islands, Bristol – 7,247
Papua New Guinea v Samoa, Hull – 6,871
Scotland v USA, Salford – 6,041
Australia v Ireland, Limerick – 5,021
Wales v Cook Islands, Neath – 3,270

Total - 259,469

Weekly Average

Week 1
2017 – 10,742
2013 – 13,035

Week 2
2017 – 10,764
2013 – 12,679

Week 3
2017 – 12,251
2013 – 11,353

Even with all the poor crowds so far the difference is openers. All our sub-10k crowds came from the decision to host 3 games each in Cairns, Townsville and Canberra, which was criticised by just about everyone.

With some better scheduling decisions there and Australians actually getting out to support their national team in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney the way English fans supported England in 2013 and we would have beat it easily.

The quarters in 2013 drew 57k and the semi double-header 67k. Those targets are achievable but with the quarter venues unlikely. Hopefully Brisbane can pack out the semi and with the Tongan fans in Auckland we can beat Wembley.

 

[Jim from Oz]

Comparing the pool stage crowds to 2013:

2017:

20-30,000

New Zealand v Tonga, Hamilton - 24,041
Australia v England, Melbourne - 22,724
Australia v Lebanon, SFS - 21,127

10-20,000

Samoa v Tonga, Hamilton -18,156
New Zealand v Samoa, Auckland - 17,857
Papua New Guinea v Wales, Port Moresby - 14,800
Papua New Guinea v Ireland, Port Moresby - 14,800
Papua New Guinea v USA, Port Moresby - 14,800
Ireland v Wales/England v France, Perth - 14,744
Australia v France, Canberra - 12,293
New Zealand v Scotland, Christchurch - 12,130
England v Lebanon, SFS - 10,237

Under 10,000

Ireland v Italy/Scotland v Tonga, Cairns 9,216
Italy v USA/Fiji v Wales, Townsville 7,732
Fiji v Italy, Canberra 6,733
France v Lebanon, Canberra 5,492
Fiji v USA, Townsville 5,103
Samoa v Scotland, Cairns 4,309

Total - 236,294

2013:

40,000+
England v Australia/Wales v Italy, Cardiff – 45,052

20-30,000

England v Fiji, Hull – 25,114
England v Ireland, Huddersfield – 24,375

10-20,000

New Zealand v Papua New Guinea – 18,180
New Zealand v France, Avignon – 17,518
New Zealand v Samoa, Warrington – 14,965
Australia v Fiji, St Helens – 14,137
France v Samoa, Perpignan – 11,576
Tonga v Cook Islands, Leigh – 10,554
Tonga v Italy, Halifax – 10,266

0-10,000

Fiji v Ireland, Rochdale – 8,872
Wales v USA, Wrexham – 8,019
Tonga v Scotland, Workington – 7,630
Papua New Guinea v France, Hull – 7,481
Scotland v Italy, Workington – 7,280
USA v Cook Islands, Bristol – 7,247
Papua New Guinea v Samoa, Hull – 6,871
Scotland v USA, Salford – 6,041
Australia v Ireland, Limerick – 5,021
Wales v Cook Islands, Neath – 3,270

Total - 259,469

Weekly Average

Week 1
2017 – 10,742
2013 – 13,035

Week 2
2017 – 10,764
2013 – 12,679

Week 3
2017 – 12,251
2013 – 11,353

Even with all the poor crowds so far the difference is openers. All our sub-10k crowds came from the decision to host 3 games each in Cairns, Townsville and Canberra, which was criticised by just about everyone.

With some better scheduling decisions there and Australians actually getting out to support their national team in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney the way English fans supported England in 2013 and we would have beat it easily.

The quarters in 2013 drew 57k and the semi double-header 67k. Those targets are achievable but with the quarter venues unlikely. Hopefully Brisbane can pack out the semi and with the Tongan fans in Auckland we can beat Wembley.

Excellent work there !!!

 

[yakstorm]

Melbourne had around 8K pre-sold for their Quarter Final before the tournament kick off... whilst I don't imagine there have been many sales since then, 10K+ for this final is definitely realistic.

Looking at what is on-sale, considering they aren't selling any Cat A's in the lower bowl implies that there is at least a reasonable number of pre-sales.

As for Christchurch, the TV arc side is definitely selling at least... and if these photos are anything to go by, the small, but vocal Tongan community down there will be out in force.


For Darwin, Grandstand is pretty much gone, which accounts for approximately 5,000 of the 14,000 capacity (according to the NT Gov site: https://nt.gov.au/leisure/sport/find-a-sports-facility/tio-stadium-marrara)

Wellington I'm most concerned about... It's a ground that can look empty even when it has a decent crowd in it (yellow seats don't help). Unsurprisingly, the Cat C's for this game are the one area which are selling well... just need to hope the organisers quickly open up more of them.

 

[Jim from Oz]

Melbourne had around 8K pre-sold for their Quarter Final before the tournament kick off... whilst I don't imagine there have been many sales since then, 10K+ for this final is definitely realistic.

Looking at what is on-sale, considering they aren't selling any Cat A's in the lower bowl implies that there is at least a reasonable number of pre-sales.

As for Christchurch, the TV arc side is definitely selling at least... and if these photos are anything to go by, the small, but vocal Tongan community down there will be out in force.


For Darwin, Grandstand is pretty much gone, which accounts for approximately 5,000 of the 14,000 capacity (according to the NT Gov site: https://nt.gov.au/leisure/sport/find-a-sports-facility/tio-stadium-marrara)

Wellington I'm most concerned about... It's a ground that can look empty even when it has a decent crowd in it (yellow seats don't help). Unsurprisingly, the Cat C's for this game are the one area which are selling well... just need to hope the organisers quickly open up more of them.

And yet the Wellington games looks to be the most attractive !

 

[Billythekid]

Wellington for an adult is $70 in CAT A, $35 CAT B and $20 for CAT C.

Only about half the stadium on sale at this stage with pretty minimal moment.

Christchurch looking very sparse at this stage as well. Obviously with Finals people wait to see who is actually playing before purchasing tickets, but we are really going to be relying on strong sales from now to Thursday to get into those mid-10,000.

Geez that's steep.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Bit worried about this week. Whilst all the matches will be pretty good on the field, none of them appear to be big drawers for crowds.

Darwin - sell out
Christchurch - there was a big welcome for Tonga yesterday when they got to airport, who knows? 13,000
Wellington - most concerned on, the stadium is awful for league and tickets are expensive - 12,000
Melbourne - 10,000 (how do you even sell this one?)

I know Darwin put up $1 million for the Australian quarter final but 10k is way to low for a quarter that they are involved in on home soil. I think the target for the Australian quarter should have been around 15k and planned the venue around that. Add to it that Samoa playing against them and somewhere like Penrith may have pushed 20k (however, I understand the flaw in trying to predict results and picking stadia accordingly (Wales quarter final 2013))

Tonga carry a lot of momentum in NZ at the moment and I daresay are capturing the imagination of the non-RL fan too. I don't think we could have dreamed that they could have pulled off 13 - 15k in Christchurch when not playing the Kiwis but here we are and it is realistic.

Wellington didn't fill up for the four nations final in 2014 when agruably the greatest Kiwi line-up of all time where favourites to beat Australia and went on to belt them so yes, this one is a concern. I guess it depends on how much of the public faith is left in the Kiwi national team after a poor couple of years vs Australia & England, then the Scotland debacle, then the Tonga loss. I would think you are spot on with around 12k unfortunately.

100% agree with your post on the Melbourne game - this could get embarrassing. Realistically Australia should be playing the Melbourne quarter (and would probably pull between 12 and 15k and send England to Darwin where the novelty of the world cup and the general lack of top level RL there would probably still sell the game out.

 

[Sydney Knight]

I looked into going to the Darwin game early this year and there was hardly any accommodation available even then. Decided to do the Melbourne game instead.