NRL concerned about early low crowds

[DIEHARD]

Todd Greenberg concedes the NRL still have a lot of work to do to improve crowd numbers

NRL head of football Todd Greenberg has conceded the NRL has plenty of work to do if they are to overcome the disappointing crowds that have overshadowed the opening two matches of the season.

Greenberg went on the defence yesterday, explaining that the NRL draw was a complex beast that meant some matches were scheduled at stadiums they would prefer to play elsewhere.

Billed as a blockbuster to launch the 2014 season on Thursday night, a disappointing crowd of 27,000 turned up to ANZ Stadium to watch Sydney’s archrivals the Roosters and South Sydney.

The hopes of Bulldogs officials of drawing a crowd around 25,000 were shattered when only 18,040 attended the Dogs loss to Brisbane last Friday night.

Fan-fallout yesterday pointed to the use of the 80,000 seat ANZ Stadium and the later 8pm kick-off time as the two dominating facts as to why the two season-opening crowds fell flat.

Speaking on 2GB’s Continuous Call Team, Greenberg admitted the figures were well short of what the NRL were hoping for.

“I don’t know if no one went to the football is the right comment, I mean 27,000, sure we were hoping for a bit more than that,’’ Greenberg said.

“And when the Bulldogs play an out of town team like the Broncos, I think if you look across history 18,000 is about the right number over time.

“Would we like more? Yes we would.

“I’m not suggesting we wouldn’t like bigger numbers, absolutely we would and we’ll work really hard to make sure we improve it.

“We were never going to get 50,000 to that game last night, that was never in our projections. We would’ve liked more and we’ll work as hard as we can with members and fans.’’

Greenberg was also asked why the Bulldogs-Broncos match wasn’t played at Suncorp Stadium, where previous clashes between the two clubs have drawn an average of 30,000.

“The schedule itself and the draw is an extremely complex process and the reasons why there are certain games in Sydney and Brisbane relate to the availability of stadiums across the country,’’ Greenberg said.

“As an example, last night at Suncorp there was bookings for Super 15, there is also an A League season running, so when we put these draws together it’s a very complex process that you’ve got to balance out a range of competing interests across stadiums, the broadcasters contracts where they’ve got certain rights to certain games, you’ve also got issues with government and transport and ultimately you’ve got clubs that want to play games in certain venues.

“There’s a number of issues that go into it, its significantly complex.’’

Source: http://www.foxsports.com.au

[DIEHARD]

I think the NRL for too long has focused exclusively on MEMBERSHIPS not realising they go hand in hand.

And crowds may be even more important than membership as they feed membership.

We have an issue where memberships are going up but crowds are stagnated.

I'm sure the NRL will committ their every effort to increase crowds.

I'd say....

Promote Sydney away games. Make Sydney fans travel across town.
Give each club a supporter grant which is for flags and banners and trips and buses.
Promote interstate away trips.
Nurture interstate fan bases, such as Bulldogs and Knights fans in SEQLD etc

[DIEHARD]

The Roosters and Bulldogs game only attracted 12,854 fans even when tickets were sold for 80 cents

TWO decades back 12,854 might have been a decent crowd for a Roosters match.

They used to do cartwheels back then when family and friends turned up to watch them play.

But in 2014 they are the reigning premiers.

You’d think a crowd of 12,854 hardly justifies a success for what was supposed to be the biggest game of the NRL round.

Sonny Bill Williams’ taking on his old club the Bulldogs.

Even allowing for the rain last night, you tell me, does the NRL have a problem?

Last week the Roosters pulled under 15,000 for the grand final rematch against Manly.

The Roosters have that many official members.

And don’t forget, leading into the game last night they were selling tickets for 80 cents as part of the Heritage Round promotion.

The NRL was obviously desperate for a big turn up.

Sonny Bill Williams even did a press conference on Monday to promote the match.

Sonny Bill hates doing media.

It was the first time the superstar backrower had spoken to us all season.

And 12,854 people turned up to watch the NRL’s Friday night main event.

It was a poor crowd by any standards, regardless of the weather, and the NRL would have to be worried today.

At the start of the season NRL types tried to downplay all the negative coverage that exploded after the opening round delivered the lowest crowds in a decade.

They said at the time it was due to a complex opening round schedule, and they were confident it would improve as the season rolled on.

But heading into round five, all across the NRL, the crowds were still down 12.6 per cent on this time last year.

That is a massive drop.

After four rounds the average crowds were 16,000 for the year.

Last year they were 18,300 at this point.

That’s on average.

At the start of last year Dave Smith walked in on a billion dollar TV deal that had basically been signed off on before he even sat down in his chair.

It’s a good thing the game isn’t negotiating the TV deal today because they might struggle to pull the same coin, if the crowds and TV ratings are anything to go by.

All season there has been a little war going on behind the scenes between the clubs and the media over access to star players.

You can’t help but wonder if that has something to do with what we are seeing now, has it backfired on the game?

Or is it the costs causing reluctance from fans?

Are fans just off footy?

Because make no mistake, the contest on the field is not the problem.

Some of the games this year have been as good as we’ve ever seen.

There’s been upsets galore, the comp is the most even it has been for years.

Last night’s cliffhanger was another example of that.

It was 8-all at halftime with a try apiece _ and it stayed that way for the majority of the second half before Josh Reynolds landed the match winning field goal in the dying minutes.

It was a mighty effort from both teams in tough conditions.

Desperate, drama charged.

And a brave 9-8 victory for the Dogs.

So the players are doing their job on the field - but off the field is where the problem is.

And we can’t always be blaming it on the rain.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/

[ozynorts]

It is really hard to work out where to start. There are too many teams in Sydney that dilute the market. If you look at the other codes in this country and other games os, for the most part they have 1 team per city. The exception is the AFL in Melbourne but some of those teams have low crowds as well. The Bronco's get good crowds, only team in Brisbane, the Cowboys get good crowds if the games are played on a night that their fans can get to the game. Melbourne gets decent crowds. I can't explain Manly fans, they just refuse to travel out of Manly???? The Rooster fans have always been ordinary at getting to games.
In the NFL in America there are up to 4yr waiting lists for memberships at some clubs in stadiums that hold 70k fans.. Yes I know they have more people there but the fans love going to the games.
The on field product is, for the most part, in great shape. The marketing, pricing and pre game experience are just some of the things that are lacking. In the NFL they don't have Friday or Saturday games during the regular season. All games are on a Sunday except the Monday night game. 16 games of football on one day when there are no byes and they still pull great crowds and tv ratings. There are 5 TV networks that cover the games every weekend. Everything is integrated. The Fantasy football leagues are slowly gaining traction here, in the US they are a multi million dollar business that enhances the game experience. The commentators on the football shows regularly talk fantasy. If you have ever been to an NFL game the pre game is awesome and it has nothing to do with any thing inside the stadium. Fans get to the grounds hours before kickoff and set up bbq's and have huge parties. At Baseball games the food and drink venders walk the aisles. You don't have to leave your seat for food or drinks.
A complete rethink on the schedule and timing of games, a bigger promotion of fans and the game day experience would be a start.

[DIEHARD]

Ew 6,456 at Campbelltown.