NRL fans must embrace membership culture
Roar Pro It may be the NRL off-season but it’s the perfect time to go and get a membership to support your team.
For a long time memberships seemed foreign to us league supporters, as the general opinion a while ago was sitting on the couch is enough ‘support’ for your team. But that is not the case at all.
Rather, that attitude is just laziness and as result empty seats seem to be a common occurrence of the ‘TV sport’ mindset that has plagued my fellow rugby league fans.
The only true way to support your team is through a membership, whether it’s a non-ticketed or seasoned membership. At least your showing your support that way.
When you consider the history of rugby league in Australia, in particular in Sydney, the membership numbers and attendance should be way higher.
But laziness of the league administration and the supporters contribute to the slow uptake of the development of a membership and attendance culture.
The correlation of membership and attendance shows that more members means higher attendance. The AFL over the past decades has proven that and the same should happen to the NRL.
It will never reach the level of AFL but over time it will get better and soon everyone from club to fans will benefit from it.
I’ve been a North Queensland Cowboys member for two years and soon to be three in 2013.
Being a member is where the true supporters are as they are the most committed about the great game of rugby league.
- Explore:
- NRL, NRL crowds, Rugby League
December 7th 2012 @ 7:14am
James said | December 7th 2012 @ 7:14am | Report comment
Good article.
Membership numbers have been going up for a few years now and the ARLC is aiming for large increases by 2017.
Agree we won’t get close to afl/nfl numbers, but it’s a work in progress.
–
Comment left via The Roar’s iPhone app. Download it now [http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/the-roar/id327174726?mt=8].
December 7th 2012 @ 11:06am
NF said | December 7th 2012 @ 11:06am | Report comment
A work in progress is better than nothing James like in the past where the clubs and administration just did nothing but rely on poker machines.
December 10th 2012 @ 6:30am
von neumann said | December 10th 2012 @ 6:30am | Report comment
I do not like this “will never reach the level of the afl” business you speak of.
must we talk so negatively or with an inferiority complex so much.
December 10th 2012 @ 3:56pm
NF said | December 10th 2012 @ 3:56pm | Report comment
I’m being realistic von when you consider the fact that league fans are known for there laziness & the infamous ‘tv sport’ excuse. Another example is Manly, who despite all there success the past couples of years fail to sell out Brookvale, and come finals time continually embarrass the NRL with there pathetic crowds (vs Cowboys (11,12) despite achieving premierships.
I do expect memberships/attendance of the NRL to increase over time but it won’t match the AFL at all due to it being embedded in there culture. The current ‘culture’ of NRL fans is sitting on the couch is ‘support’ for there team when it reality it contributes nothing to the team by not being at the game itself, so in the next couples of years the NRL need to get rid of the ‘tv sport’ culture and heavily promote attending a game in person not watching it on tv.
December 12th 2012 @ 1:46pm
von neumann said | December 12th 2012 @ 1:46pm | Report comment
ok then. I think the coming years will see the gap close significantly, but I never say never.
December 12th 2012 @ 2:13pm
NF said | December 12th 2012 @ 2:13pm | Report comment
Von
League fans better get out to the game and get memberships en mass over the couple of years to close the gap. We shall see I expect increases in remember year by year aleast, same with attendance as it’s correlated high membership = high attendance. League fans need to hold up there end of the bargain by showing up to games for once not just sit on the couch which is not ‘support’.
December 12th 2012 @ 4:21pm
oikee said | December 12th 2012 @ 4:21pm | Report comment
There has been huge growth in memberships. Last thing we want is them forced down people’s throat’s.
Some clubs have grown 500% over the last 5-6 years.
Our culture is still catching up to memberships. No need to push. The game and the growth along with our players now more connected to the fans is and will grow the game.
I think our memberships are very good now compared to our growd figures. ?
What i mean is our crowds can number 200 thousand and our memberships might only number 200 thousand.
So it is now up to future real growth and allow natural membership growth to happen.
Which is happening.
December 12th 2012 @ 4:34pm
NF said | December 12th 2012 @ 4:34pm | Report comment
‘Our culture is still catching up to memberships.’ oikee the fact it took til the late 2000′s for the NRL to embrace memberships from a 100+ year competition show how backwards and incompetently run rugby league has been the past couple of decades. For every other code, memberships go part and parcel with the code for decades, it only took rugby league til now to finally get the message. Talk about slow oikee those damn dinosaurs as you say.
December 7th 2012 @ 7:33am
Scott minto said | December 7th 2012 @ 7:33am | Report comment
But why do I have to be a member to be a true fan? I understand that memberships can provide money directly to the clubs, however what about those of us who work and have kids? It’s often very difficult for us to find the time or money after working all week, and then running round after the kids on the weekend. I still buy a jersey every few years and attend the odd game but membership just isn’t something for me
–
Comment left via The Roar’s iPhone app. Download The Roar’s iPhone App in the App Store here.
December 10th 2012 @ 10:09am
Bring Back the Bears said | December 10th 2012 @ 10:09am | Report comment
Most clubs offer 3-4 game memberships now as well as supporter memberships that are for people who can’t make games.
December 7th 2012 @ 7:35am
Terra Dactel said | December 7th 2012 @ 7:35am | Report comment
Membership has not been a foreign concept to league fans. It has merely taken a different form to that used in AFL. The model may be seen as wrong today but in the 1960s & 70s it was very popular facility & entertainment provider and thus profitable. League fans were encouraged to take out membership of their team’s leagues club which then funded the team’s football club. This benefited the fans & the team. So NRL does have a culture of membership which can be tapped into & changed to a model around football club membership.
December 7th 2012 @ 7:39am
Pot Stirrer said | December 7th 2012 @ 7:39am | Report comment
The problem as i see it is the price is to high. They should have an introductory $20 membership to get people to just sign so they can say they are members. Then if they are happy with what they feel they get then maybe they will go to the next level of membership the next time round. I live in the country and i signed up for season 2011 but didnt get a chance to go to sydney to use my tickets. Its all well and good to say the fans need to join to be real fans but the clubs need to be more proactive in building thier members. If they offer a cheap first time membership or just a claytons style for $20 then they will know who to target to get them to go to the next level of membership.
December 7th 2012 @ 9:35am
Renegade said | December 7th 2012 @ 9:35am | Report comment
Pot Stirrer,
You would probably be better off purchasing an “Internet Membership” or “Interstate/Rural Membership” than a full season pass.
I know Cronulla have something for everyone in their membership brochure.
December 7th 2012 @ 8:10am
Dane25 said | December 7th 2012 @ 8:10am | Report comment
Agreed.
If the NRL is going to rise to a height anywhere near that of the AFL, then dormant fan bases need to start coughing up.
Anyone got a fifty I can borrow?
December 7th 2012 @ 8:31am
Australian Rules said | December 7th 2012 @ 8:31am | Report comment
“The correlation of membership and attendance shows that more members means higher attendance.”
This is true. If you like watching your team, buy your membership. If you prefer the telly, don’t.
December 7th 2012 @ 9:10am
TC said | December 7th 2012 @ 9:10am | Report comment
Let me give you a fairly common story you will hear from the Southern states.
I have been a member of my AFL club since I bought my first junior membership back in 1976. That’s 36 years and counting.
Even in years when I have not lived in Melbourne, and/or have been unable to go to games because of family, or work or travel, I’ve retained my membership throughout.
There have been years when I have been lucky to make it to one game.
Over time, it becomes less about watching every game live, and more about belonging to your club, having a stake in your club and wanting to see your club prosper.
TC
December 7th 2012 @ 10:52am
kellett_1992 said | December 7th 2012 @ 10:52am | Report comment
Completely agree Tc, but at the same time the club needs to make members feel valued. I cannot speak for other clubs but Broncos and Brisbane Roar do a decent job. Whenever I bring a mate along I always think of the club first and how it helps, then the sort of atmosphere that will be generated as I know I’m not the only one bringing mates or enticing them to join as members. Developing a great membership base will also provide stability for financial issues which always creates a happy club.
December 7th 2012 @ 10:58am
Ken said | December 7th 2012 @ 10:58am | Report comment
I think you’ve highlighted it with the 36 years part. As Terra Dactel said there’s just been a different structure in place before – people were members of the Leagues clubs (which were setup to fund the teams). However the catch was that someone like me, despite being a hardcore fan from birth (when I was 4 I had a red/white bedroom with a Dragon emblem on the wall!), was never a member of the Leagues club because I lived no-where close.
In these ultra-professional times the AFL model is obviously more suitable and the NRL teams have been going that way for a while now – but as your post suggests, tradition is a powerful thing and this just hasn’t been the way things were done in the past.
December 7th 2012 @ 11:09am
NF said | December 7th 2012 @ 11:09am | Report comment
Excellent points TC about what it means to be a member. The AFL has excelled in developing it’s membership culture over the decades to the point it’s in there culture. If you’re not a member, you’re not apart of your team.
December 7th 2012 @ 7:17pm
Andy said | December 7th 2012 @ 7:17pm | Report comment
Spot on TC.Ive been a member apart from a couple of years since I was 9.Ive been to 4 games in 2 years.It is not about value for money it is about taking care of something you love. If you need value for money think of it this way.How many hours of enjoyment do those brave young men give you.When you consider how much time they actually fill(TV,newspaper,internet forums family days etc.etc.)a membership is an absolute bargain.Costs you 25 dollars for an hour and a half in the cinema these days surely for all the joy they bring they are worth a couple of hundred.Imagine the hole they will leave if they are gone.The thought of that makes me hit my pocket every year.
December 7th 2012 @ 8:56pm
Renegade said | December 7th 2012 @ 8:56pm | Report comment
Andy,
That just got me pumped for the 2013 season and it’s still 3 months away…..good stuff!
December 7th 2012 @ 9:22am
Mals said | December 7th 2012 @ 9:22am | Report comment
Good on you NF.
2013 will be my 4th season as a MW Sea Eagles member. Got my kids, my brother & my Dad also on board now so I’m doing my bit for my club. I agree that non-ticketed memberships should be cheaper.
One thing with this fixed schedule coming in, it has actually put off some friends of mine getting memberships because of their respective team’s lack of Saturday & Sunday home games. Friday & Monday night games can be very hard to get to when you don’t live or work close to your club’s stadium.
December 7th 2012 @ 11:12am
NF said | December 7th 2012 @ 11:12am | Report comment
I understand some teams got done over by fixed scheduling, hopefully in later years it becomes more equal to everyone & as fan friendly as possible. 7 Monday night games for Manly is a crowd killer.
December 7th 2012 @ 9:30am
Mals said | December 7th 2012 @ 9:30am | Report comment
I think match day tickets should be discounted for members of opposing clubs. I think some clubs like the Bulldogs already do this on an ad hoc basis but this should be an ARLC initiative to get more fans to games.
December 7th 2012 @ 9:38am
Renegade said | December 7th 2012 @ 9:38am | Report comment
+1 Mals
That’s a great initiative and i’m sure it was done in the past where members would get entry into away games at reduced prices.
This would easily increase memberships for fans that do not live in close proximity to their respective clubs home ground.
December 7th 2012 @ 10:07am
planko said | December 7th 2012 @ 10:07am | Report comment
Great Idea…. Mals I also think are creatures of habit I still reckon if you give regularity for a teams home games people will move their lives a little but if one week you are playing friday night, the next week monday then Sat night… Mals remember the days everyone was doing the same things 3pm on a Sunday !
December 7th 2012 @ 11:47am
Mals said | December 7th 2012 @ 11:47am | Report comment
Agreed, I still live for those days Planko…. Sunday arvo as a kid down at Brookie or up at NSO when Manly were playing the Bears, fantastic!
December 7th 2012 @ 11:59am
planko said | December 7th 2012 @ 11:59am | Report comment
Mals my dad still say’s to me when he does not rate a player …. “That guy should be playing at 1.30pm he is no 3pm player”…..
December 7th 2012 @ 4:02pm
Mals said | December 7th 2012 @ 4:02pm | Report comment
Great saying, will have to remember that one!
December 7th 2012 @ 10:36am
Haradasun said | December 7th 2012 @ 10:36am | Report comment
I have been a member last 2 years at MWSE. However this year the league has scheduled 7 Monday night games for my team and only 2 Sunday afternoon games. Whilst I love supporting my team, I only ever watch games live on a Sunday afternoon I have no chance of making Friday or Monday games and the league has made it clear that it prefers TV participation rather than scheduling games at times when supporters want to attend. It is basically chasing the media $$ at the expense of crowd numbers. So it makes no financial sense to me. Happy to just watch on TV as the league wants and just attend the odd game.
The NRL can’t have its cake and eat it too. Schedule more Sunday games and memberships with grow, no doubt.
December 7th 2012 @ 10:47am
peeeko said | December 7th 2012 @ 10:47am | Report comment
7 Monday night games? That’s pretty poor programming by the NRal, I would be ropable if I was a manly fan
December 7th 2012 @ 11:03am
Haradasun said | December 7th 2012 @ 11:03am | Report comment
Manly is continually getting screwed by the NRL. It’s remarkable that we are even competitive at all let alone premiers 2 years in the last 5! or 3 out of 6 if you discount Melbourne’s cheating in 2007.
December 7th 2012 @ 11:56am
planko said | December 7th 2012 @ 11:56am | Report comment
LOL nice work chucking in 2007 ….. Particular Mexicans that harp on about Comp’s they should get back how about people start talking about the true victims of Melbourne trust me it ain’t Melbourne….
December 7th 2012 @ 11:28am
Renegade said | December 7th 2012 @ 11:28am | Report comment
Haradasun,
Manly are playing 7 monday night games but only 2 of them are home games……you still have another 10 non-monday games that you can attend as a member.
This isn’t aimed at you but more so at manly fans in general- why do Manly fans always find an excuse…..you guys didn’t have a massive amount of monday night games this year however the lack of attendance was blamed on travel time and poor transportation – now it’s scheduling. What’s next??
December 7th 2012 @ 3:09pm
Haradasun said | December 7th 2012 @ 3:09pm | Report comment
haha All the other clubs get government funding to upgrade their grandstands yet brooky is still stuck in the medieval ages. If we could actually get a capactity over 20,000 we might actually start increasing membership!
I am also ready to start blaming injuries if one of our halves goes down, the referees, linesmen, phil gould or the ridiculous number of eels players we have signed if things go poorly 2013.
December 7th 2012 @ 11:49am
Mals said | December 7th 2012 @ 11:49am | Report comment
Haradasun, look at the 3 game Manly membership at Brookie, it’s still decent value. Manly do have 7 Monday night games for 2013 but fortunately only 2 of these are home games.
December 7th 2012 @ 2:55pm
Haradasun said | December 7th 2012 @ 2:55pm | Report comment
Yeah I actually bought that this year and dare say I will again for 2013. I just wanted to make the point that the NRL continually kow tows to media and sporting agencies with little regard for the spectator. Sean Penn actually submitted Sunday afternoons for Manly’s preferences for the draw, yet these were largely ignored. All spectators want Sunday afternoon footy, esp Gould, but this isn’t in the interests of fox sports. I can understand fox sport’s position to maximise their programming, but the NRL should have more backbone in the matter, especially if they want to increase memberships to supplement the game’s income.
The reality is that no one wants Monday night footy. It plays havok with my fantasy NRL competition having to wait until Tuesday for results, it impacts player welfare on a short back up, it’s hard for a spectator to get to the ground and it skews the integrity of the draw and yet it stays put because of the high turnover of sports betting on Monday night. That’s just plain wrong in my view.
December 7th 2012 @ 3:13pm
Will Sinclair said | December 7th 2012 @ 3:13pm | Report comment
Fomr what I hear, you’re rubbish at Fantasy League anyway.
December 7th 2012 @ 12:41pm
Curious said | December 7th 2012 @ 12:41pm | Report comment
Haradasun – How do you watch games LIVE on a Sunday afternoon. Don’t you realize your Sunday is delayed not LIVE and lasts, Ads and all for 2 yours whereas the actual game being shown is well and truly finished by 4-40pm when commenced @ .3pm. If you have Fox then the game you are watching is LIVE, not so with Ch9′s feeble portrayal.
December 7th 2012 @ 2:40pm
Haradasun said | December 7th 2012 @ 2:40pm | Report comment
By Live I mean at the ground sorry..
December 7th 2012 @ 3:53pm
Will Sinclair said | December 7th 2012 @ 3:53pm | Report comment
Answer me this, Haradasun.
Why couldn’t you run straight?
I mean, you had Desert War on toast in the Queen Elizabeth that year, and then you took off for the outside rail. What was that all about?
December 7th 2012 @ 9:25pm
Boris the Mudcrab said | December 7th 2012 @ 9:25pm | Report comment
Rabbitohs have no local home games on Sunday in the first 20 weeks either……….I have again renewed my membership but I would consider downgrading to a non ticketed membership if they dont schedule Sunday games next year
December 11th 2012 @ 9:10am
Eagle Rock said | December 11th 2012 @ 9:10am | Report comment
No team can have more than 2 home Monday Night games.
As it stands, Manly have 1 Thursday night, 2 Friday night, 1 Saturday night, 3 Sunday and 2 Monday night home games scheduled. Once the remaining 3 home game time slots are released it will probably be a better draw for us than the last few years.
10 game kids memberships only cost $30 each, and there is always the option of buying a non-ticketed membership to keep up your club support even if you cant make it out to all the games.