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Can suburban footy be saved from a slow death?

22nd August, 2016
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Is it time for the Illawarra to get some A-League action? They have a good stadium. WIN Stadium in Wollongong.
Roar Guru
22nd August, 2016
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1069 Reads

The suburban rugby league ground: a luscious green hill, cold beer from even colder tins, the ability to watch from the halfway line with a general admission ticket and of course, the ceremonial cardboard hill slide.

We all know it, we all love it, but is the suburban ground slowly dying due to the quality of games being scheduled at them? Is there a way in 2017 to inspire a resurgence of these rugby league institutions?

It’s something that needs to be seriously considered in the coming off-season. Scheduling the way the NRL has in 2016 reduces crowd numbers at suburban grounds, thus making the call for an increase in suburban games unwarranted.

The push for games to be played at bigger stadiums is not new news, but the NRL needs to listen to fans and continue to keep tradition in the game. Take a look at how 2016 was scheduled.

Exhibit A: Wests Tigers. The most renowned suburban ground of any NRL team, the Tigers play four games a year at Leichhardt Oval. There is no better stadium to watch footy, hands down. A huge hill, a crowd that stands atop of the players, close to pubs, restaurants and an atmosphere like no other.

In 2016, the Tigers chose games against Manly (renowned for having a poor travelling supporter base), Melbourne, North Queensland and Canberra at Leichhardt oval.

Exhibit B: The Dragons. The Dragons have two suburban homes, Kogarah and Wollongong, with the Dragons playing four games per year at each. Kogarah is a great facility, modern, close to a train station and only 15 minutes from the city.

Wollongong is on the beach, easily accessible, near shops, bars, restaurants and more, and is a unique experience for footy fans.

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In 2016, the Raiders, Titans, Knights and Sharks play at Kogarah, with the Panthers (1.5 hour drive away), North Queensland, Melbourne and Brisbane handed games at Wollongong. The crowd of 5,662 against Brisbane this year says it all, with fans voting with their feet.

Exhibit C – Belmore. The Bulldogs play two games in 2016 at their spiritual home. Situated in the heart of a bustling community, the ground has one of the best hills in all of sport. It’s quaint, loud and oozes rugby league.

In 2016 the Bulldogs play Canberra and North Queensland here, not a Sydney team in sight. Last year, the Sharks played at Belmore on a Sunday, with a crowd of 19,000 turning up to not only watch, but to participate.

This year, the Raiders game garnered a crowd of 13,463, on a Monday night.

So of the 14 games at these traditional rugby league hubs, 10/14 were against interstate teams, dramatically reducing the foot traffic to the games. It’s simple, less people in Sydney support interstate teams, therefore less people turn up to the footy.

The NRL doesn’t want to turn away fans that wish to attend a game, therefore moving games like the Tigers versus Bulldogs or Bulldogs versus Manly to bigger venues. I understand the sentiment but believe it is in fact killing off the suburban ground, and in the process, killing off fans of the game.

What I offer is an appeal to the schedulers. Please provide the fans with more attractive games at suburban grounds in 2017. It doesn’t have to be all 14/14 as discussed above, but perhaps instead of continually throwing interstate teams at clubs, lets reintroduce some classic Sydney based rivalries.

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I love rugby league and want the best thing for it, lets save tradition and keep suburban grounds great.

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