Coffs Harbour’s BCU International Stadium is promoted as being a “first class sporting facility hosting local, regional, national and international sporting events.”
The City Council website also boasts seating for 20,000 spectators as one of the stadium’s key attributes.
So you can imagine the surprise in discovering the crowd for this annual event was just 4,645.
It reads like a tennis match at the business end of the 2nd set. And was this a smaller or larger crowd than the one attending the Australian Sikh Games in 2009?
What can we learn from such a poor turnout, other than some sections of the media have only just discovered a crowd problem?
Clearly, most of the local markets had finished by 2pm, so they weren’t direct competition for the Coffs dollar, though the Annual Exhibition of Fine Woodwork didn’t finish until 4pm, so the jury might still be out.
Recent posts on improving rugby league crowd numbers, as well as where the annual City-Country fixture actually sits within the game, have proven extremely timely.
While those on the City side of the equation have been debating the validity of the concept in an unedifying and self-absorbed way for weeks, country residents had a chance to respond in numbers.
Why?
Recall the NRL allowed AFL a five year window to ingratiate themselves with the locals out of sheer indifference.
So it’s easy to understand the country’s disaffection brought about by questioning the game’s value, and which manifested in yesterday’s today’s crowd.
At its most base level, City-Country is the recognition of country rugby league as a nursery for the great players of yesteryear and today, as well as the issue of propagating the game. As an Origin trial, it is useful, but of secondary importance.
Ticket prices were another factor, and entirely inappropriate for residents of waterfront Sydney Harbour, let alone Coffs Harbour.
Paying $75 for a family general admission ticket is preposterous when the Anzac Day match at Allianz Stadium is $55. A $50 uncovered seat dubbed ‘the Eastern Stand’ is a bit rich.
Further, the promotion of the event was hijacked by negative publicity and player withdrawals. This latter point was discussed last week, but the point remains that the NRL did not do enough to counteract it.
When sightings of the two most powerful NRL/ARLC officials are on a par with those of Elvis, you know there’s a problem.
If the NRL can’t nurture its own constituency, one questions how they hope to grow the game. From the micro issues relating to the rules of the game, through best business practices and onto the macro issues of expanding the game, the NRL and ARLC are falling woefully short.
The NRL/ARLC cannot spin the ball wide without laying a solid foundation in the middle of the park. They might like to keep it simple and adhere to core principles rather than banging on about jumping castles and off-field entertainment.
Those who actually understand economics appreciate that demand leads supply, not the reverse. Likewise, the best business managers understand that they need to listen to their customers, and then respond. Providing something nobody wants gets nobody very far.
The public are sending messages to the NRL and ARLC, but they’re not listening.
It’s a shame to have to always repeat that the game succeeds despite itself, but there you go, I just did it again. The problem is that there are clearer and more present dangers for the NRL with respect to competition for the sporting dollar. They can’t mismanage this way forever.
T’is a sad day in more than one respect …
Josh
Guest
5000 people turn up in Coffs Harbour do you know what the equivalent percentage of sydneys population turning up to a game would be - around 600 thousand people. So u til we see more then 20k at regular nrl games I don't think we should be criticising country town crowds
hutch
Guest
You know they play rugby league outside of Australia right?
Andy og
Guest
I think a lot of people are missing the point here. The NRL are there to.provide for their major stakeholders,the clubs. They are not there to administer international rugby league. How is it in there best interest to make something they don't control the pinnacle of the sport. Why would they want English league to be as powerful as the NRL,they are the opposition.And why would they want to make internationals as big as origin. As Paul Keating said "In the game of life always back self interest,at least you know it's trying."
Duecer
Guest
well, the fans obviously don't agree as Origin in held in 80k stadiums and internationals in 25k ones - before Origin internationals used to sell out bigger stadiums, although it's not NRL's remit to care about the international aspect but it doesn't bode well for expansion that the biggest games of the year are between two states.
Meesta Cool
Guest
AR - Your responses to my comments were quite acceptable until you chose to attempt a little character assasination, I am neither silly nor ignorant, I came to Oz in the 70s, by the time I got a liking for Aussie Rules (No Storm in those days) the AFL State of Origin games seemed to creating very little interest amongst the AFL fans, in fact the ones that I worked with at that time were saying exactly what NRL fans are now saying about CvC. -- AFL administrators are a very astute committee of people, If they believed that they made a mistake by scrapping their SOO, then they would have quickly reinstated it!. AFL saw that the interest in the game was not there any longer, so they shelved it. For the overall good of the game.
Dr NRL
Roar Rookie
Crowds should grow as population grows in general, and even though average AFL crowds fell a few '000 last year, they're way up this year. So the fact that NRL crowds are 5% higher this year on a Rd 6 vs Rd 6 basis is not all that surprising. Still, grounds are not close to selling out, and the NRL average is less than half that for AFL. There are differences in terms of which is a better live vs TV event, but the fact remains that crowd sizes are not delivering the kind of revenue clubs require to remain viable, and lead them to rely on gambling income. No, RL is not dead. Far from it, thank goodness. But it must do better if it wants to escape the gravitational pull of being 'regional'. It could be so much better, and that's the point to be made.
hutch
Guest
Origin may be the best standard of rugby league and most intense, but it is definately not the pinnacle of the entire sport. The sport is bigger than two Aussie states, the ultimate for rugby league is representing your country.
hutch
Guest
Have you lost the plot? Crowds have never been bigger in rugby league in Australia, ever. There are more people attending rugby league and watching it on tv, playing the sport in australia and abroad than at any time in the sports history, fact. Doesn't sound dead to me.
Football_illiterate
Guest
exactly. the only league game i didnt watch on the weekend was the DELAYED city country. esp when it started at teh same time as the LIVE a league final..
Australian Rules
Guest
Meesta, "City v Country is not a ‘TRUE’ rep game" - that's why I wrote it as "rep" game. "says to me that it is merely a exhibition match to satisfy Ch9" - well no, City-v-Country dates back to 1911 so it's a lot more than just a TV Product. Whether that remains the case is the point of the debate. "The atmosphere was non existant " - that's because only 4.5k were there, not because of the idea itself. Although, most people at the Aus-v-NZ Test have also said there was zero atmosphere in Canberra. "AFL Recognised that their SoS was a total flop and wiped it off the face of the Earth" - that's a little dramatic - as well as silly & ignorant. First, the AFL invented the whole concept of Origin...the NRL copied and ran with it. Second, games in the late 80s and early 90s had crowds of 80k+, so I wouldn't call that a "flop". Third, the demise of AFL SOO coincided with the rise of the expanding national footprint of the competition. In other words, national clubs became the focus instead of states. You think the AFL looks back and regrets that decision?
Dr NRL
Guest
Shanghai too 'metro' ... Outer Mongolia
Meesta Cool
Guest
Donations to get Turbo certified should be sent direct to my bank account!..
Meesta Cool
Guest
Think our game need a Surgeon mate, not a Dr.
Meesta Cool
Guest
AR, City v Country is not a 'TRUE' rep game, the fact that performances in this game bear no impact on the NSW selection says to me that it is merely a exhibition match to satisfy Ch9. The atmosphere was non existant and most of the players seemed to be 'going through the motions'. even the commentators showed no enthusiasm. AFL Recognised that their SoS was a total flop and wiped it off the face of the Earth.. we should follow their example with this game.
turbodewd
Guest
I reckon we need to make the City v Country game a best-of-5 series. Now that would be an absolute fan-magnet and cracker. Hold one in: Shanghai Coffs Harbour Canberra Goulburn Perth Now dont tell me that wouldnt be a boon to the CRL. I would invite the current and past 2 Popes to open the game (yes, Im aware one of them is dead, we can exhume is Holiness). I would offer 1million baht or rupees to the winner (take your pick). I would also ask the Paul Vautin present the victorious captain with a pearl necklace.
Dr NRL
Roar Rookie
Enjoying the twist on names. Marvellous stuff,as Richie would say. The home game idea (each team committing to a home game in the country) seems to offer an opportunity to do an 'E-squared' on the country spectators. Playing 15 games (Warriors excluded) out of town to support the game would be genuinely inclusive and generate enormous goodwill. The problem is that the crowds will be too small on average, and money talks. Step into the breach NRL ... So maybe 15 (deinitely) isn't the number, but engagement is about regularity and consistency, not a 'one-nighter.'.
Pot Stirrer
Guest
Turbostool, I think they all said its meaningless and if it wasnt for the players saying they wanted to represent city or country the attendance would have been worse if Possible. As for the CRL they are basically a branch of the NWSRL. I dont getcranky at the Media im not gullible enough to think whatever they say on matters like this is anything other than opinion to try and sell papers.
Alex weekes
Guest
City country game is a game i could enjoy watching if it wasn't delayed, i watched the game till half time looked at the scores on The Roar and found out country won so i turned the channel to 7mate where there was a LIVE game of AFL and then it became interesting but the costs of tickets could've been lowered
turbodewd
Guest
Pot Smoker, which journalist said it was meaningless. I think its a waste of time too, get cranky at me instead. I think the CRL is a waste of time...isnt the NSWRL meant to cover RL in NSW?
oikee
Guest
Look, it is only obvious that this code, this game cant see the forrest, too many trees are in the way. Some time ago imentioned, not sure if a few others mentioned, but i made mentione of bringing in a Island Origin team, a NZ origin team. You could aos build a exile team if you liked. The simople point i am trying to make is supply and demand. While this game keeps going backwards, other codes are thriving at our expense. Our crowds are dead, close to dead. We let the media write as they please, we price people out of the games. This code has done everything wrong, done every thing backward. instead of growth at a time where we should have been growing, every code has expanded, we have decreased. Nobody understands the power of island footy, nobody understands that having a great product that is at combustion levels. (origin) we have not gone for more growth, we are trying to kill the game by non inclusion. I have never witnessed a more inhouse self obsessed code in my life. If it dies, it really deserves to die. every code is thriving, our code is near dead.