So many people want to go to NRL games...but....

[The AXXXMAN]

Rundown sh*thole it may be, but there is no lack of excitement / atmosphere / sense of occasion at a Brookvale oval game.

I think it is more a reflection of ANZ stadium. I feel sorry for you supporters who have to endure that vast soulless and empty bowl on a regular basis. Move the Dogs back to Belmore and the Rabbits back to Redfern and games will become far more enjoyable.

South Sydney last played a premiership match at Redfern in 1987. The SFS is the ideal existing venue for the Rabbitohs from a geographic POV, but their deal was inferior to the one the Roosters were on. Olympic Stadium mgmt actually pay them to play at Olympic Park. No brainer when it comes to the financials...............that shit that actually allows them to exist.

The NRL may have helped & negotiated to develop the Showgrounds stadium to a decent venue if they wanted to utilise the transport infrastructure that allows most of the Sydney metro area to access the precinct. Oh wait, the AFL did that. I guess that ship has sailed.

 

[bobmar28]

I wouldn't like to see both teams run on together. It's a home game ffs. The build up and the team coming out of the tunnel through the cheerleaders and fireworks onto the field is what makes it exciting.
Bigger crowds are needed to make it more of a spectacle on TV.

 

[BunniesMan]

Naked cheerleaders.

 

[Pierced Soul]

I go to the footy to watch the footy.

The only time a rugby league game lacks atmosphere is when all the pre-game bullshit is going on. Boring as batshit MCs, mediocre entertainment. I'm not there for bells and whistles, I just wanna watch footy.

+1000000000

pre game/halftime entertainment isnt what sways me to go to the footy. i hate seeing this crap every year around gf time about what band each code managed to get to play at the GF. who the f**k cares? if you're only interested in going to a game cos of the halftime entertainment you're not a f**king fan

even the guy with the t shirt cannon is awesome.. so they cost nothing... /QUOTE]

see i think people would enjoy stuff liek this. agaian it's not going to be the main attraction but it draws in the attention of the crowd who are allw atching to see if someone cops a shirt in head

Naked cheerleaders.

but you'd only like the male ones

 

[TheDalek079]

Naked cheerleaders.

or naked drummers

 

[firechild]

1. Any kick that goes over the dead ball line unassisted should be immediately returned to the kicker's position by the opposition for a tap and go. This punishes thoughtless last option kicks and sloppy kicks just to get out of defensive pressure.

2. If a defensive player charges down a kick with anything other than a open hand then it's not a knock on as there is no intent to catch and control, the intent is purely to diffuse to kick. The charge down should be a real defensive pressure option. Defusing the kicker by body contact is allowable as long as the kicker isn't brought down into a dangerous position and it's within 2-3 seconds of the kick itself. If a kicker is getting hit, let's face it, his team deserves it... stop wrapping them up in cotton wool.

3. Tackling a defensive player mid air if they have the ball is allowable as long as the player isn't brought down in a dangerous position. Stealing the ball mid air is allowable in a similar fashion. The high kick receive needs to be a proper contest.

4. Any kick from inside a team's own half that travels over 5 of the 10 metre lines (i.e. 40-50 metres), bounces in the opposition's half and then out - awards the attacking team posession at that line of the field (closest would be the opposition's 10 metre line). Because of this two defensive players are required to drop back when an attacking team is in their own half. This creates a 13 to 11 advantage to the attacking team in their own half and encourages attacking teams to throw the ball around more in their own half to exploit the advantage. Once the team crosses the 50, the distance between the defensive line and the covering defensive players is reduced and it becomes effectively 13 on 13 again.

5. 3 man tackles should not be dominant tackles. A 1 on 1 tackle should be a dominant tackle and give the defensive the longest to reset. Plus a 1 on 1 tackle should allow both a 1 on 1 strip and a 1 on 1 rake to be permissable to defence.

6. Use the new set of 6 penalty infringement rules similar to All Stars instead of kick for distance to encourage immediate play

7. Do something about the scrums. My suggestion is for the ball to already be on the ground with the referree between the two packs (forwards ONLY!), the referee withdraws, packs combine and it's proper contest. However this should only be used for cases where there is no clear cut penalty - for example a double knock on or a 40 metre kick advantage. In these case the scrum becomes a contest again. For other cases where a particular team deserves posession, just give them a turnover.

8. Go and follow a different sport. You're clearly not happy with the rules nor the teams involved so I would suggest the NRL is not for you.

 

[Timmah]

As far as fan involvement goes, the Bulldogs did a great job yesterday IMO.

 

[ByRd]

Agree with you there Timmah, Rob Shehadie has done a great job in filling in the space before kick off and at half time. The crowd is involved and most people are having a laugh.

 

[docbrown]

8. Go and follow a different sport. You're clearly not happy with the rules nor the teams involved so I would suggest the NRL is not for you.

:lol:

Smack yourself in the head.

 

[russ13]

Richard Hinds's SMH article from last Saturday:

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...em-and-the-fans-will-come-20120324-1vr3o.html

The NRL needs new stadiums – build them and the fans will come

 

[Cheesie-the-Pirate]

Richard Hinds's SMH article from last Saturday:

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...em-and-the-fans-will-come-20120324-1vr3o.html


[/B]

A fairly facetious and ill-reasoned article.

View obscured by bobbing heads on the terraces - where? The only NRL stadium that I can think of where there is an obviously inadequate incline in the first few rows of the SFS after the latest upgrade.

Blurred by distance - where? Again, the only ground with a serious issue with regards to distance from the playing field is SFS and ANZ due to the fields designed to accomodate other codes (union ingoals at SFS, AFL/cricket oval at ANZ). Jubilee Oval is an oval, but a tiny one.

And, standing on a sodden piece of turf while some nut job waves a flag in your face - the old hill debate. The critics have to at least accept that unless every seat is sold out (which admittidly is increasingly an issue for Saints for example) the presence of a hill isn't the key factor restricting sales.

sitting on numb butt cheeks in a dilapidated windblown wooden grandstand - one tiny grandstand at Leichhardt (3 games a year) does not a convincing argument make.

buckled into your plastic seat within the fading confines of the now badly outdated Sydney Football Stadium - fading seats are beyond irrelevant. Why buckled in? Have there been some earthquakes that I missed? Not sure how badly outdated it is - similar age to the GSS of the MCG for example. Towards the end of its original useful life, but that ignores numerous planned and completed upgrades.

 

[clarency]

The attendence culture just isn't there. A few posts back people were talking up the atmosphere at a baseball game. It's baseball. Since when is baseball exciting???

I was at the parra game last friday, and it actually started well. Everyone enjoyed the fireworks and the fireshooty thingemajig at the start and it seemed very well done. As soon as the game actually started I found myself sitting in dead silence untill everyone starting booing. That's pretty much the only noise people made all game.

Contrast this with an A league match I went to a few weeks ago at the SFS. I could hear the loud chanting from outside the grounds. I legit thought the place was sold out. Once I got in there I released it wasn't (stupid me), but there was a couple of thousand Sydney fans packed behinds the goals singing in unison throughout the whole game. THAT is atmosphere. Soccer is boring as sh*t but I would go to an EPL game any day of the week.

 

[firechild]

The attendence culture just isn't there. A few posts back people were talking up the atmosphere at a baseball game. It's baseball. Since when is baseball exciting???

I was at the parra game last friday, and it actually started well. Everyone enjoyed the fireworks and the fireshooty thingemajig at the start and it seemed very well done. As soon as the game actually started I found myself sitting in dead silence untill everyone starting booing. That's pretty much the only noise people made all game.

Contrast this with an A league match I went to a few weeks ago at the SFS. I could hear the loud chanting from outside the grounds. I legit thought the place was sold out. Once I got in there I released it wasn't (stupid me), but there was a couple of thousand Sydney fans packed behinds the goals singing in unison throughout the whole game. THAT is atmosphere. Soccer is boring as sh*t but I would go to an EPL game any day of the week.

Watching the Manly v Dragons match on Saturday night was the first time I've ever noticed incessant booing through a match. Unlike the Eels game it wasn't booing at how rubbish the players were but a constant noise in an attempt to influance the refs. I'd never heard anything like it.

 

[Timmah]

Try going to a Souths game then :lol:

In all seriousness the only 3 supporter groups who ever really make a huge noise at Dragons, Bulldogs and Raiders Armys.

 

[CC_Roosters]

Blasted the broncos atmosphere in an earlier post, but just remembered how bad it was at a brisbane lions game i went to. It was terrible, so so sterile and quiet the whole game.

Part of the problem is few clubs have built up a tradition of atmosphere from day dot. So barely any pre-match traditions, club specific terrace songs. This sort of thing takes a generation to build up and it doesn't look to be in the australian psyche from, what i have seen.

Rangers pre-match
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWEFizCsv60

scousers pre-match
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SArLJdrVF_4&feature=related

 

[eozsmiles]

So many people want to go to NRL games....but after they have thought about it they change their mind. Why would they when you get a better view at home, can sit with the people you want to, and don't have to worry about weather or traffic. The only drunks are going to be invited by you, food is cheaper and hot and better, and if you have kids you can put the kids to bed as soon as the whistle blows.

They'd have to be some pretty damn good fireworks and cheerleaders to get me there more than a couple of times a year. So much of the "atmosphere" is clearly designed to attract and entertain kids. Most people that aren't kids find it annoying. Then they have to deal with all the other crap.

 

[CC_Roosters]

So many people want to go to NRL games....but after they have thought about it they change their mind. Why would they when you get a better view at home, can sit with the people you want to, and don't have to worry about weather or traffic. The only drunks are going to be invited by you, food is cheaper and hot and better, and if you have kids you can put the kids to bed as soon as the whistle blows.

They'd have to be some pretty damn good fireworks and cheerleaders to get me there more than a couple of times a year. So much of the "atmosphere" is clearly designed to attract and entertain kids. Most people that aren't kids find it annoying. Then they have to deal with all the other crap.

Seems to be the common theme in this thread. How do we make it more attractive for 18-30's to attend regularly (probably the ones watchin in pubs). I'm in that age bracket so what would interest me for a few ideas are- local bands pre match and half time, maybe the odd band of note at marquee matches (when budgets expand), kick at the posts for prizes, themed days (think bulldogs star wars day lol), piss off the mid strength grog.

Do many pubs do courto buses to sydney games? If the clubs can encourage this doing some promo deals along the way it could encourage a few along.

Last year coke zero and the knights did a kick for cash for local clubs at home games, but this was using actual players from the Newcastle RL clubs. Put random fans in, some prizes solid start.

half time karaoke for laughs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2r5H5QlKlo

yes i have no life mid week

 

[Wests is Best]

I think the sponsorship of grounds is hinderance when it comes so some people going to the game.
eg Telstra stadium, aussie stadium, Stadium Australia, ANZ stadium, Homebush. Only the die hards would be able to tell you which ground each one was at some time in the past few years.

For most people it is like trying to identify which country Super 15 Rugby teams come from. Just too hard. and in the end people just stay home.

 

[Perth Red]

For such passionate fans and generally loud people I find Australians at RL games suddenly become the quitest most reserved people! Apart from the odd shout or bit of good humour banter thrown around there is little atmosphere created generally. Growing up watching games in Hull I have to say I find it very weird to be sat in a crowd of 15k+ and being able to hear the ref calling out!

Maybe the English are just so reserved normally that they let it all out at sports events?

I do think pre and post game could be better and would like to seep layers going to the stand fences and signing autographs, getting photos etc with the kids. Big raps to Sam Thaiday on Friday night for running the entire length of all the stands high fiving the kids and getting pics with the Perth fans.

 

[proto]

So many people want to go to NRL games....but after they have thought about it they change their mind. Why would they when you get a better view at home, can sit with the people you want to, and don't have to worry about weather or traffic. The only drunks are going to be invited by you, food is cheaper and hot and better, and if you have kids you can put the kids to bed as soon as the whistle blows.

They'd have to be some pretty damn good fireworks and cheerleaders to get me there more than a couple of times a year. So much of the "atmosphere" is clearly designed to attract and entertain kids. Most people that aren't kids find it annoying. Then they have to deal with all the other crap.