Will the Raiders move from Canberra ??

[Edwahu]

Wan't it "In addition to" PL? PL isn't an age restricted comp. I think it would replace Flegg.

Yeah, probably was. Im probably thinking of Gus's idea.

 

[Boing Boing]

Yeah, makes a bit more sense.

 

[Jeffles]

This alarmed me as well. Thought I would give me two cents worth. These are the views of a Sydneysider so feel free to blast them if I am off the mark.

There are several things going against the Raiders IMO.

1) Lack of FTA TV coverage. Although this may change next year with the extra game. I'm sick of seeing Parra play!!!!

2) Canberra Stadium - great facility if you were in southern California. The ground is very exposed and it is detrimental to match day attendances/revenue. This is exacerbated by all these night winter games.

The ACT Govt screwed up royal on this ground so things may not happen for a long time. I am surprised there is not more shelter or even a "glassed in" tier of seating like at Flemington Racecourse.

3) Brumbies + Superleague - a great combination that hit the Raiders hard as far as corporate support and attendances go. Canberra is a small city with a smaller private sector. The pie isn't so big and it has to be cut in two.

4) Lack of engagement with country NSW - the Cowboys are renowned for their ability to recruit fans from surrounding towns. We never hear this re: Canberra yet the populations spread is similar, possibly more favourable in southern NSW. Canberra can become a teams for SE NSW. Wagga Wagga is 240km away. That's closer than Cairns to Townsville. You've also got Goulburn, Yass, Cootamundra, Cooma, etc etc. Smaller towns but they all add up. Engaging with Coutnry NSW could get Canberra good connections with big businesses that operate in the bush (e.g. Elders). Brumbies Rugby now operates in Southern NSW making the Brumbies the rep team for a region that goes beyond the ACT. The Raiders need to think more outside the Territory.

I don't think player recruitment is as important as people make out. Canberra haven't been to flash but they have been competitive. Maybe there was a drop off because fans became used to success but I doubt that is keeping them away. Good marketing can get people back.

So let's see. 1) and 4) are changeable. 2) and 3) are history going against you. Canberra is far from dead IMO. They need a good off field leadership to take them to the future.

All the best Canberra Raiders!

 

[dubby]

That was a very wise response Jeffles, thanks for your opinion.

I agree that SL and the Brumbies were a double whammy to the club, i still believe SL tainted the image of the Raiders maybe more than any other club because until then we were never seen as a greedy club unlike say Brisbane. The ACT people loved the Raiders as they were seen as one of the public, normal guys who happened to play RL and give Canberra a successful sporting team for the first time ever. Much has changed since then, and we have never had that level of support since. Did you know that in 1982 average crowds at Seiffert were 11k? The highest outside Parra, Manly and Canterbury?

And i agree that the Raiders have been a bit slow in going to the bush. Being a Riverina boy, we rarely saw a Raiders group come out, but there was never any shortage of AFL lads coming out to spread the word. More HAS to be done to promote the game and the Raiders club in those areas, or the game will fall behind RU and AFL.

I cannot see the Raiders going to Gosford; the Northen Eagles fiasco should prove that the CC want their own team, not a relocated one. ANd there is no other market in Aust. that could sustain an NRL team, Adelaide already has 2 huge AFL clubs, a successful soccer team, and Perth has 2 AFL clubs, soccer and a Super 14 franchise.

Maybe we could become the Ayers ROck Raiders?

 

[Jeffles]

I think the CC could support a team. The Northern Eagles were factional and that worked against them. But it is premature to talk about the Raiders moving to the CC.

In one sense it is pleasing to see your experiences as a Riverina boy supporting my hypothesis re: support in SE NSW. In another sense it is disappointing. There is an untapped resource. Wagga Wagga and Albury are probably as far as you can get regular supporters from. Organising a subsidised coach service that gets people a ticket and a ride to the game could work.

Consider the population of the following towns.

Goulburn - 25,000
Cootamundra - 6000
Yass - 4000
Cooma - 8000
Wagga Wagga - 60,000
Albury - 50,000
Junee - 6000
Gundagai - 8500
Batemans Bay - 16000
Merimbula - 6000
Tumut - 6000
Tumbarumba - 4000


Etc, etc. There's about 200,000 people there in addition to Canberra/Queanbeyan. There's a lot of potential there.

 

[dubby]

I think the CC could support a team. The Northern Eagles were factional and that worked against them. But it is premature to talk about the Raiders moving to the CC.

In one sense it is pleasing to see your experiences as a Riverina boy supporting my hypothesis re: support in SE NSW. In another sense it is disappointing. There is an untapped resource. Wagga Wagga and Albury are probably as far as you can get regular supporters from. Organising a subsidised coach service that gets people a ticket and a ride to the game could work.

Consider the population of the following towns.

Goulburn - 25,000
Cootamundra - 6000
Yass - 4000
Cooma - 8000
Wagga Wagga - 60,000
Albury - 50,000
Junee - 6000
Gundagai - 8500
Batemans Bay - 16000
Merimbula - 6000
Tumut - 6000
Tumbarumba - 4000


Etc, etc. There's about 200,000 people there in addition to Canberra/Queanbeyan. There's a lot of potential there.

Damn straight, and its falling to AFL at the moment. Wagga is inundated by AFL development as is Albury.

Names like Sterling, Mortimer, Daley, Barnhill, Reardon, Barrett, Maybon( )
are all Riverina players. That area is VITAL to RL.

 

[Bay56]

Having been to a number of south NSW towns on business I can tell you that the TV antennae all point towards VIC ... come prime time news and it's all AFL and not much else ... did not notice that in Wagga but I suspect they are being brain washed as well.

I'm not sure what the Raiders do in terms of promoting us in those regions but i suspect a free bus trip now and again to selected towns, as someone here suggested, couldnt be that bad an idea to spread the word ... I think that the NRL should assist in such a venture considering the geographical disadvantage we have when compared with the big smoke and the promotion of the game at large.

 

[Jeffles]

The TV antennae are a good point. It's not uncommon for young schoolkids in Wagga and Albury to think that the Premier of Vic is Mr Bracks and not Mr Iemma. This is why a lack of NSWRL Premier League coverage on ABC and a poor showing by Ch 9 in Victoria are important issues for Rugby League.

There are other media. The Radiers should work with local TV news (which would not come from Victoria) as well as radio and newspapers (which are likely to be more locally based).

The Cowboys are definitely the model. They were crap for years yet their games were the hot ticket in town with people travelling for hours to get there. Sure they had no RU to compete with but both Townsville and Cairns have NBL teams that lure more people than the Cannons have (did) from 1997 onwards.

 

[jed]

It's not uncommon for young schoolkids in Wagga and Albury to think that the Premier of Vic is Mr Bracks and not Mr Iemma.

I've lived in Sydney for 8 years, and I still believe that it's Mr Bracks.

 

[Jeffles]

Oops - I should have said "think thast their Premier is Mr Bracks and not Iemma"