Two weeks ago I travelled 45 minutes from my home in the Rabbitohs’ territory of Newtown to the vacuous ANZ Stadium with 32,000 passionate fans dressed in their team colours.
The occasion was a clash between Souths and Melbourne, the only two undefeated teams in the NRL.
Despite these favourable ingredients, the atmosphere was dull in comparison to a standard Western Sydney Wanderers match.
There is an important lesson for those in charge of rugby league to learn from the phenomenal success of the A-League’s Wanderers.
Atmosphere and culture can be a disproportionate boon for a club and the competition.
The excitement around the Wanderers this year transferred into general excitement about the A-League.
NRL chief David Smith has indicated that he at least knows atmosphere and culture are important ingredients for rugby league to cultivate, but his ideas showed an alarming naivety.
There should be “rides, jumping castles, bands, video packages, great moments of the past echoing through the stadium,” he told the Sunday Telegraph.
No David. Cheap gimmicks are not what atmosphere and culture are built on. This is not the US, and league is not the NBA.
Atmosphere is built on passionate fans cheering their team in an environment where people feel close to the other supporters, close to their team and in which they can actually see the spectacle.
This in turn creates a culture of fans who want to be at matches.
Take the Wanderers, the NRL’s biggest threat in NSW, for example.
The Wanderers averaged not quite 15,000 people at each home game in their debut season, but from all reports the atmosphere was unmatched in Australian sport.
The team’s success in its first year has enlivened a culture of passionate sports fans scattered around the vast western suburbs of Sydney.
Those who travel to games, sing, shout, stomp and wave flags while draped in red and black.
Sometimes, a minority of fans have let passion spill over into aggression. Transgressions aside, these crowds have enjoyed the purpose-built size and shape of Parramatta Stadium.
In the 21,000-seat grounds, 15,000 people feel like rabid army on the sidelines.
These are the ingredients of an atmosphere that will drag more and more spectators to Wanderers’ games, buoying the team and filling the club’s coffers.
In contrast South Sydney, renowned for one of the largest supporter bases in the NRL, has averaged more than 26,000 at home games or about 11,000 more people at their games than the Wanderers achieved. But the atmosphere has mostly been incomparable.
At all homes games except the record-crowd-pulling game against the Bulldogs, when more than 51,000 people attended, the great cavernous stadium that is ANZ has sucked the life from fervent cheering and funnelled it up into the evening sky. Souths has the mighty ‘Burrow’ of fanatical supporters.
It has the instigators who start crowd chants, visible club colours in the stands and a membership of almost 25,000.
But inside the 80,000-seat ANZ Stadium, so much of that atmosphere is diminished.
Now imagine the 32,000 people who went to the Souths-Melbourne game in the SFS or, better still, filling a redeveloped 30,000-seat Redfern Oval.
The average crowd at each match would create an atmosphere that would be reason to attend in itself, win or lose.
Mr Smith can save Souths supporters the embarrassment of being hand-fed a fake atmosphere based around rock bands and jumping castles.
Let’s start talking about building a culture of playing games where Souths fans live and work, South Sydney, not Homebush.
For other clubs, I would suggest making homes games more affordable should be next on the agenda.
Steve
Guest
Well Bondy........... actually, I'm sorry, I have no idea what your sentences mean. If your point is that Soccer has more of an international presence than AFL I'm right with you, but it's pretty safe to say there's little need for people in Nicaragua to worry about either the Swans, or Sydney FC: they might have heard of the Sydney Opera house, but that's about it.
Bondy
Steve, With the Sydney football club SFC how else are they going to be recognised internationally, have you ever thought of that ?, because there's no need for somebody in Nicaragua to worry about the swans is there.
Steve
Guest
I like Soccer fine, so this isn't about Soccer in itself, but I think it's pretty safe to say few outside of Aus have heard of Sydney FC, and even fewer care. I would imagine if you said 'Sydney FC' to half of Australia they'd think you were talking about the Swans. I grant you that some Poms might have heard it mentioned as the team Terry Butcher coached before he was promoted to the loftier heights of Brentford, but if Russell Crowe has ever mentioned Souths on the Letterman show, Hell, if Toadfish ever wore a Bombers shirt on 'Neighbours', that already makes those clubs more internationally famous than SFC!
Cameron
Roar Guru
Nathan, What's good in WA, primarily Perth? Not their sporting teams. They keep losing ;)
Cameron
Roar Guru
Sounds something like sport... Doesn't it Nathan? :)
Cameron
Roar Guru
Oikee, It's just the way you say it that makes everything ok! :D You're are spot on about the different aspects each sport offers in terms of atmosphere but there can be a fine balance. I wrote something down further on it.
Nathan of Perth
Roar Rookie
Excitement on pitch leads to celebrations - if nothing exciting was happening, we wouldn't be celebrating. The riots comment is unfounded and inflammatory as far as modern Australia goes.
Cameron
Roar Guru
David Gallop did more than any of you realise! A rugby League fan would realise that. It's a good thing he moved on... The game would have killed him, just as it will do to Smith!
Cameron
Roar Guru
This coming from a person who likes soccer (football) but does list it as a favourite sport. No trolling going on here, trust me! This article had Wanderers (A-league), written all over it!
Nathan of Perth
Roar Rookie
You're right, Kellet. WA, SA and Victoria aren't this country. You only need WA =D
Cameron
Roar Guru
You're wrong! The leaders and majority of Roar active supporters are far from a larger collective group of Europeans. Although quite easily noted their are those of European decent, their influence on active support cannot be single-y directed at them. The multicultural influence being had on football is, far greater than any European influence.
Cameron
Roar Guru
Just stick to what you know and before you know it what you knew will mean nothing. I'm no ethnic. And yet the numbers continue to show drastic changes. Just look at past three seasons in terms of attendance for A-league... NRL... And AFL... Then tell me it's not just a flocking but a stay!
Cameron
Roar Guru
Should have left it at + 1 cause i'm sure the other 99 wouldn't mind giving it a try or at least their say. What's another 99 anyway? Not like half the league teams have lost more than that over 100 years!
Cameron
Roar Guru
WA, SA and Victoria aren't this country. QLD and NSW are rugby league, just as most AFLers will say Storm who? ;) Nah on a more serious note... You continue being the most supported AFL league in... Just... Australia. Football is growing and you wouldn't believe where it's rated as the best football league in the world, and only in eight years!!
Cameron
Roar Guru
Haha that's why rugby league uses pyrotechnics and gets the fans to wave rags in the air..., why? I wonder...perhaps football is on to something!
Cameron
Roar Guru
Titus, Maybe it was my age affecting my judgement as to the experiences of attending Broncos football matches when I was 15 but I experienced more active support from the Broncos when I was that age compared to now. Now it's dull and boring and only when the Broncos have a sniff and it's second half is a buzz created. Atmosphere apparent but active support hindered. I put it down either to the club or Nrl. English rugby league is more active and more atmospheric and that's just listening through the TV. I think there can be a fine mix and not all league fans go just to watch. I go for that and a whole lot more!
Cameron
Roar Guru
Just watch most A-league matches :) It's a shame my beloved Broncos playing out of Suncorp seem to lack the enthusiasm to produce consistently exciting atmospheres.
Cameron
Roar Guru
Haha cause Ivan Cleary so didn't label the current crop of league players a potential basket case of diving soccer players! Don't kid yourself... Rugby league players dive all the time. It's just easier because there is more upper body contact made.
Cameron
Roar Guru
Inn terms of eight years growth... and most likely wanting to make a comparison to AFL or League...that's good. And that/those numbers will gradually increase based on current trends!
Cameron
Roar Guru
Sydney football club. They play in the Hyundai A-league. Have won a premiership and two championships and are known more world wide then most likely any AFL or NRL team, but i'm sure you already knew that. ;)