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The debate about whether or not to move regular season NRL games from suburban grounds to the ‘big two’ has come to a head once again.
Souths CEO Shane Richardson called for all Sydney clubs to abandon the parks and head to Homebush and Moore Park permanently.
There are several arguments for and against and everybody seems to have an opinion, but the answer is not so clear-cut. Lets look at the situation.
Why do it? The reasons for moving games to ANZ stadium and Allianz Stadium (Formerly the Sydney Football Stadium) are fairly obvious: much bigger capacity, better facilities, more shelter for wet weather and all the comforts of modern, world class stadiums.
All these reasons, however, lead to what is ultimately the bigger picture: higher match attendances.
The argument against the move is an entirely different one. These are based on tradition and atmosphere, which, though seemingly old-fashioned and perhaps naive, remain valid.
Everyone has a fond memory of watching their team from their traditional ground, kids kicking a footy around on the hill, so close to the action you could smell the players’ Dencorub. Atmosphere and tradition are important to footy fans.
One of the major arguments to support moving games to the can be found south of the border, where the AFL plays all its Melbourne games at either the MCG or Etihad Stadium.
By all accounts, this initiative has been a major success for the AFL, with punters eventually getting used to the abandonment of traditional grounds, and the continued growth of attendances. It is argued that copying this initiative in the NRL will have the same affect.
Unfortunately, the issue more complex than this would suggest. Comparing Sydney and Melbourne is comparing apples and oranges. On the surface it seems like a great idea, moving all games to the big stadium in the East and the one in the West. That way no-one misses out on seeing a game live, right?
In Melbourne perhaps, but Sydney is a whole different beast. Moving about Melbourne is a walk in the park compared to Sydney’s rats’ nest of roads and public transport.
A quick glance at Google Maps or the Cityrail website will show you just how arduous it can be travelling from places like Cambelltown, Penrith or Wollongong to ANZ Stadium (I’m not even going to go into folks from Cambelltown trying to get to a Tigers ‘home’ game at Allianz Stadium) and they don’t even account for traffic.
There’s also the evidence we already have. Bulldogs and Souths have been using ANZ stadium as a home ground for a number of years now. Based on crowd figures from these games so far, very few if any have exceeded the 25,000 you’d expect to find at a capacity crowd for a suburban ground.
Besides, we shouldn’t forget that a ‘healthy’ 25,000 crowd for an ANZ stadium game still means that the ground is roughly only a quarter full. This feels horrible for the people in attendance and looks even worse when watched on TV.
Besides, is it logical to assume that fans will battle it out on trains and in traffic for an hour or more to sit in an empty stadium to see their team play?
Sure the facilities are great, but is that really what draws people to a game? Grounds like ANZ can still offer great atmosphere, anyone who has been to an Origin game will attest to that, but the 60,000+ crowds required to feed this atmosphere are a long way from the average crowd of Sydney NRL teams.
Don’t get me wrong; staying at suburban grounds is not quite the answer either. Imagine a cold, wet Friday night and you’re considering heading down to Brookvale, Leichardt or Campbelltown (to name a few) Ovals to catch a game.
You’ve got the kids to worry about and the missus is not exactly the outdoors type. Oh, and everyone will want to be fed. Have you got the money to cover admission, food, and maybe a cheeky beer for yourself… and let’s not forget the parking?
An uncomfortable night sitting in the rain can be very expensive, especially since you could’ve just watched the game on TV at home and ordered a pizza.
The fact is that the NRL does have problems with attendances. This is not a reflection of the game’s popularity but it should not be ignored that healthy crowds reflect a healthy game.
However, the idea that moving all games to major stadiums is going to drive up crowd numbers is a little naïve. If this were the case then we’d see huge crowds at Bulldogs, Souths and perhaps even Roosters games.
That’s not to say that it won’t happen. In all likelihood it’s the inevitable result of the game’s evolution that one day all games will be played from two major stadiums. But before this occurs, two criteria must be met.
One, crowds should consistently exceed the maximum capacity at each and every suburban ground. Two, Sydney’s transport network should allow for fans to move easily around the city.
The main focus for the NRL should be improving the quality of certain suburban grounds, establishing a convenient mix of modern facilities with traditional atmosphere. For instance, most if not all grounds could hold 20,000 to 30,000 undercover seats and still allow for a hill at one end.
Redevelopment could include the well-loved aspects of a ground such as traditional architecture. It does not mean that a full modernisation has to occur. It may also be advantageous for the NRL to schedule more games at family-friendly times.
The most important thing is to find out why people avoid live matches, then eliminate as many of those reasons as possible.
While there are those who champion the idea of moving games and those who oppose it, the simple answer is that they are both right.
Crowds do want comfortable facilities when going to the footy, but they also want the atmosphere that TV and the big two stadiums (for now at least) can’t offer.
Once both these factors are working together I have no doubt that crowd numbers will improve. It is then and only then that we should consider moving games to higher capacity stadiums.
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