• Podcast
  • ARL
    • Indigenous All Stars v NRL All Stars
    • Rugby League State Of Origin
  • NRL
    • The 2022 NRL Draw
    • 2021 NRL Draw
    • 2021 NRL Podcast
    • 2020 NRL Draw
    • 2015 NRL Draw
    • 2014 NRL Draw
  • ESL
    • International Origin
    • Challenge Cup
  • World
    • World Club Challenge
    • World Cup
    • Rugby League 9’s
    • NRL Auckland Nines Draw
  • Sports
    • AFL
    • Cricket
    • Rugby Union
    • Soccer
  • Guest Writers
  • League Freak
    • Web Site News
    • Sponsorship
    • Uncategorized

The Glorious League Freak – Covering Rugby League World Wide – LeagueFreak.com

  • Home
  • Podcast
  • NRL Rumours
  • RL World 9’s
  • Features
    • Player Profiles And News
  • History
    • History Books
    • The Super League War
      • The Super League War – The Clubs
      • The Super League War – The Freak
      • The Super League War – The Extras
  • Quotes
  • Look-Alikes
  • Teams
  • Rankings
  • Media
  • About
    • Bio
    • League Freaks Commentary Career
    • Contact
    • League Freak On Twitter
    • I Am Not A Journalist
    • Contribute To LeagueFreak.com
    • League Freak Mentions In The Media
    • Advertise On This Website
    • Rugby League RSS Feed
  • follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Google+
    • RSS Feed
    • Youtube

Daniel Nichols – NRL Crowds Are Down: Who/What is to Blame?

May 13, 2013 League Freak Featured Guest Writers 0


The crowd of 7, 803 at Centrebet Stadium to see the home side Penrith take on the World Champion Melbourne Storm capped off a poor weekend of crowd attendance for the NRL.

This week saw figures of:

12, 117 at The Titans vs. Dragons game

10, 453 in Canberra to see the Raiders belt Newcastle

11, 005 saw Parramatta beat The Broncos in a thriller

30, 112 in Wellington saw the Dogs run down the Warriors

9, 858 at Allianz to see the Sharks run away with it over the Tigers

15, 972 saw the table toping Bunnies beat the Cowboys

The Eagles will host the Roosters tomorrow night at Brookevale Oval in what should be a sell-out. The fact that it isn’t already is a worrying sign as the home side are flying high and the Roosters have started extremely well this season. The Roosters also boost the NRL’s number one drawcard.

Even if it is a sell-out of 23,000 (The official capacity, although I’ve been at Brookevale in a crowd of 19,000 and there was no way you could put another 4,000 in there) is achieved, this week’s NRL average attendance will be 15,000.

Considering the Bunnies were at home on a Friday Night and that the 30,000 crowd in Wellington was a one off for a rugby league starved city that average attendance is very concerning for NRL officials.

An all Sydney clash on Friday at Allianz arena attracted less than 10,000 fans. I can’t remember an AFL game in Melbourne attracting less than 10,000 fans, let alone one with two Melbourne teams facing off.

So who or what is to blame?

This week was unusual in that all but 2 home sides have been in fairly poor form (not taking into account The Eagles vs. Roosters game tonight). The Tigers were taken apart by the Dogs last week, Penrith fans probably expected to be beaten by 50, The Titans have been up and down all season, and The Eels are battling to escape the wooden spoon.

Canberra has been fairly consistent and are unbeaten at home whilst the Bunnies are flying high, and both crowds would be disappointing to their respective home sides.

South Sydney have over 25,000 registered members yet could only attract a crowd of 15,000 on a Friday night. The weather was good and the temperature hardly unbearable and the opposition was strong. The fact the Cowboys are not a local side obviously hurt the official attendance but cannot be the only reason for the low number.

The Tigers played a ‘home game’ in Allianz Stadium against the Sharks. Both fan bases had less than an hour to travel on, again, a nice night that was not overly cold. The Sharks contributed around 4,000 fans to the attendance meaning the Tigers only brought in a tad over 5,500 to a home game.

For mine, the biggest factor is the cost of attending a game. It cost $25 for a general admission ticket to Allianz Arena on Friday Night, which was a seat on the goal line. For a seat closer to half way you’re looking at $45 for an adult ticket. Hardly breaking the band but for those with a family you’re looking at $80 for a family of 4 in the standard area, $45 general admission.

Add to this the fact that a hot dog costs $5.40, hot chips $5.20 and a drink $4.00 and it suddenly adds up very quickly. If you’re looking for a beer be ready to hand over $7.00 for a mid-strength drink or $9.80 for a mid-strength spirit. (This doesn’t take into account the time and cost of travel)

My wife and son were at home on Friday Night and I didn’t have a beer so I escaped the trip for under $60. I also dropped $5 on a guide dog puppy donation and $2 on a first try scoring doubles but if I had taken the family and had a few beers there is no chance I would spend less than $100 on the night.

SURELY something has to be done about the price of going to the football, or crowds are going to continue to fall to embarrassing levels. Considering it costs nothing to turn on the television and watch the game on Channel 9, surely $25 for a general admin ticket is far too high.

For the $60 or so dollars I spend on a ticket, dinner, a lemonade and tickets in the doubles I could have stayed home, ordered a pizza, got a six pack and still had a $20 left over. Now I absolutely love the atmosphere and the game itself so I don’t mind dropping $60 on a Friday Night game of footy, especially when hitting the pub can cost easily double, but not everyone is as willing.

For the NRL to encourage fans to leave their living room and head to the game prices MUST come down. This goes for both tickets and food and drink. I realise the club has to make money off ticket sales, as does the venue on the price of food. Personally I’d rather see 20,000 fans in at $10 a ticket then 10,000 at $20 a ticket.

The atmosphere is better; the product looks better on television and the venue will sell far more in terms of food and drink, not to mention potential merchandise sales due to the increase in crowd numbers.

Of course the price of tickets and food is not the only factor, as just next door the Swans attracted a sold out crowd against the Geelong Cats ($30 a ticket, similar prices for food and drink) but I believe it is the main factor in people deciding not to head to the game.

The NRL has the product, the stadiums and the interest (TV numbers are huge) but they have not got the pricing right. Drop the price, offer 2 for 1s, make family tickets much cheaper, include travel in the price of tickets, do SOMETHING.

  • Tweet
  • Share 0
  • Reddit
  • Pocket
  • LinkedIn 0
  • Email

Related


  • AFL, Channel 9, Crowds, Daniel Nichols, Guest Writer, Marketing
Kevin Sheedy's Ignorant Comments Show The AFL Has No Idea About Western Sydney How League Freak Would Restructure Rugby League In Great Britain

League Freak

A well known Rugby League writer, League Freak has established a reputation among supporters of the game for his fearless commentary and unmatched insight. With a reach that spans both sides of the globe, League Freak has produced an independent network that allows him to distribute content to his many thousands of followers. He is the owner and main author of LeagueFreak.com

Related articles
  • Wigan Have A New Club Logo And It Looks Like Crap!
    Wigan Have A New Club Logo And It Looks...

    Nov 02, 2020 0

  • Emma Hedges – Why Racists Don’t Deserve To Watch The Great Game Of Rugby League
    Emma Hedges – Why Racists...

    Aug 01, 2020 0

  • NRL Crowds Allowed Back From July 1st – Limit Of 10,000 Per Match
    NRL Crowds Allowed Back From July 1st...

    Jun 14, 2020 0


You must log in to post a comment.

Become a Patron!

Ziad Warwar
Nadine
Coojee
Adam
Andy
jamescunni
Lisa
Rugby League Project
Samuel
Sandy
Katey
Oblivion NPC
Jack
Terry
Gibbo

RSS Fergo and The Freak Podcast

  • Make Or Break Season Ahead For These NRL Players
  • We've Been Training The House Down!
  • The 12 Days Of Rugby League Christmas
  • Pat Walsh - The Natural
  • Rugby League Kicks A Two Point Field Goal By Promoting Leigh Into Super League
  • The York City Knights Super League Bid With Gavin Wilson
  • NRL Having Talks To Buy 51% Of Super League For $134 Million
  • Josh Reynolds To Hull FC, BS St Helens Stats, Brandon Smith's Future And Andrew Goes Viral!
  • Brent Nadens Positive Drugs Test Plus Ask Potato - #AskTheBoss
  • The 2020 King Of Rugby League Awards
  • Reaction To The 2021 NRL Draw - With Statistics!
  • No Golden Boot, The Rugby League Gods, And The Best Coffee On The Gold Coast!
  • Queensland Wins The 2020 State Of Asterisk Series!!!
  • Book Launch: The Katelyn Diaries By Jayme Smith
  • The NRL Purchasing Super League: How It Might Work

Polls

What Should Cameron Smith Do In 2021?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive

League Freaks Social Network

Follow League Freak on:

Latest Rugby League Articles

  • Could This Be The End Of The Traditional Scrum?
    Could This Be The End Of The Traditional Scrum?

    Jan 12, 2021 0

  • Get Your NEW NRL Podcast For The 2021 NRL Season!!!
    Get Your NEW NRL Podcast For The 2021 NRL Season!!!

    Jan 06, 2021 0

  • Nigel Owens’ Reveals Three Ways For Referees To Make Rugby More Exciting
    Nigel Owens’ Reveals Three Ways For Referees To Make...

    Dec 22, 2020 0

  • 2021 NRL Draw – All Games, All Times, All Venues, All Action, All Controversy!
    2021 NRL Draw – All Games, All Times, All Venues, All...

    Nov 26, 2020 0

  • New Streaming Service For Rugby Games In Australia
    New Streaming Service For Rugby Games In Australia

    Nov 16, 2020 0

Follow League Freak on Twitter

My Tweets

Tags

Andrew Ferguson (258) ARL (61) Australia (155) Benji Marshall (86) Billy Slater (76) Broadcasting Deal (65) Cameron Smith (59) Channel 9 (71) Daniel Nichols (122) Disgrace (73) Eligibility Rules (64) England (141) Expansion (76) Fergo And The Freak (279) Greg Inglis (99) Guest Writer (332) Israel Folau (67) Jarryd Hayne (78) Johnathan Thurston (81) League Freak (358) Leeds Rhinos (57) Marketing (65) Matthew Elliott (70) Mitchell Pearce (62) New South Wales (93) New Zealand (137) NRL Finals (59) NRL Salary Cap (95) Paul Gallen (64) Player Movement (112) Podcast (302) Queensland (69) Referees (78) RFL (144) Robbie Farah (57) Rugby League History (66) Rugby Union (190) Sam Burgess (62) Sonny Bill Williams (91) State Of Origin (153) St Helens (63) Todd Carney (62) Wayne Bennett (81) Wigan (58) World Cup (166)
As featured on NewsNow: NRL newsNRL News 24/7

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Blogroll

  • The Glorious League Freak.
  • League Freak on Twitter
  • League Freak on Facebook
  • Rugby League Podcasting Network
  • NRL Breaking News
  • NRL Rumours
  • RLWorld9s.com

Facebook Pages

  • NRL Gossip
  • NRL Infinite

Features

  • King Of Rugby League
  • Rugby League Look-Alikes
  • Biggest Winning Margins In Rugby League History
  • Biggest Crowds In Rugby League History
  • Rugby League Quotes
  • Rugby League Dictionary
  • The Super League War
  • The New Zealand Haka
  • Funny Rugby League Teams
  • Rugby League Rankins Lists
  • NRL Rumours
  • IHateRugbyUnion.com
  • NRL History
  • NRL History Books
  • Record Books
  • Player Profiles

Other Links

  • Submit Your Australian Blog
  • Best Junk Hauling Virginia
  • Gutter Cleaning Service Virginia
  • Best Lawn Mowing Service Virginia
  • 2020 NRL Draw

Other Sports

  • Clutch Fans
  • Sportette

Players

  • Cameron Smith
  • Kayln Ponga
  • Sonny Bill Williams
  • Jarryd Hayne
  • Andrew Johns
  • Semi Radradra
  • Sam Burgess
  • Benji Marshall
  • James Tedesco
  • Cooper Cronk
  • Johnathan Thurston
  • Anthony Mundine
  • Sam Tomkins
  • Greg Inglis
  • Jamie Peacock

Rugby League

  • Rugby League Project
  • Era Of The Biff
  • Darryl's Rugby League
  • Jamie Lyon Web
  • Rugby League Review
  • Rugby League Ratings
  • NRL CEO Fantasy League
  • QLD Panthers
  • Andrew Ferguson's Website!
  • Black Swans RLFC
  • InternationalRL
  • 2021 Rugby League World Cup
  • Rugby League Mums
  • Player Profiles

Rugby League Podcast

  • Best Rugby League Podcast
  • Best NRL Podcast
  • Best Super League Podcast
  • Best Australian Podcast
  • Best Sports Podcast
  • Funniest Podcast
  • Best Comedy Podcast
  • NRL Radio
  • 2021 NRL Podcast
Google+
  • National Rugby League
  • Rugby League State Of Origin
  • Brisbane Broncos
  • Canberra Raiders
  • Canterbury Bulldogs
  • Cronulla Sharks
  • Gold Coast Titans
  • Manly Sea Eagles
  • Melbourne Storm
  • New Zealand Warriors
  • Newcastle Knights
  • North Queensland Cowboys
  • Parramatta Eels
  • Penrith Panthers
  • South Sydney Rabbitohs
  • St George/Illawarra Dragons
  • Sydney Roosters
  • Wests Tigers
  • The King Of Rugby League Awards
  • Rugby League Player Profiles And News
  • Fantasy Rugby League Teams
  • Rugby League World Rankings
  • Rugby League Look-Alikes
  • International Rugby League News
  • National Rugby League
  • European Super League News
  • Featured Guest Writers
  • Other Sports
  • The 2021 NRL Draw
  • The 2022 NRL Draw – Every NRL Game Listed For You!!!
  • Advertise On LeagueFreak.com
  • About LeagueFreak.com
  • Contact Us
  • RSS Feed
  • NothingButLeague.com
  • Rugby League Podcasting Network
  • NRL Breaking News
  • NRL Rumours – Latest NRL Rumours
  • NRL Podcast
  • Super League Podcast
  • Rugby League Podcast
  • Here Is The Cure For COVID 19
Copyright LeagueFreak.com 2020 / All rights reserved
  • Advertise On LeagueFreak.com
  • About LeagueFreak.com
  • Contact Us
  • RSS Feed
  • NothingButLeague.com
  • Rugby League Podcasting Network
  • NRL Breaking News
  • NRL Rumours – Latest NRL Rumours
  • NRL Podcast
  • Super League Podcast
  • Rugby League Podcast
  • Here Is The Cure For COVID 19