I recount this story to illuminate why so many people believe the Waratahs home ground of the Sydney Football Stadium is both a blessing and a curse.
Last Friday my barista, Baz – with whom I discuss sports, especially the round ball code about his sons’ stints with academies and clubs in the UK – pulled me aside as I picked up my insulated goblet holding the nectar of the gods.
He leans over the counter and says in his strong Mediterranean accent, “I’ve got tickets to the Waratahs tonight. Corporate. Rugby has always looked interesting. How does it work?”
I put it to him as plainly and quickly as I could.
“Tonight is a good game to watch. We’re playing the Chiefs who are great and we’ve been going alright too. Both teams like to move the ball and play up tempo. Chiefs = Barcelona and Waratahs = Swansea.”
“Is that all I need to know?”
“When everyone piles in and the ref blows the whistle but you don’t know why, just yell like your side has been aggrieved. 90% of rugby fans will be doing the same thing.”
I walked away thinking I’d given him enough of the gospel. Conversion was a mere Waratahs game away (Little did I realise my error in describing the Chiefs as Barcelona and the Waratahs at their Swansea imitators! And after the Champions League it was more Bayern Munich anyway).
On Tuesday morning, when I was picking up my Tuesday morning coffee, I excitedly asked for his opinion of the game. Having watched it myself I expected a smile and a recount of his experience.
Here is what happened.
Baz drove to the game from his in the South-West suburbs of Sydney. At 6.25pm he was in the M5 tunnel (Google tells me that’s 20 kilometres from the ground – approximately 24 minutes’ drive. Let’s say 30 to be sure.).
Traffic on a Friday evening was so poor he finally reached the car park he was supposed to use for his corporate ticket at 7.15pm. But still plenty of time left to get to the box with a drink in hand for kick-off. Only the car park for his reserved ticket was full.
Someone instructed him to go around the other side of the ground where another special car park awaited.
Such was the traffic during this time of night, also amplified by the Swans game next door; it took him until 7.45pm to get there and now was thinking about the run to his vantage point for the match.
He was greeted by another attendant informing him this car park was also full and his only option was to ‘zip’ round to the Fox Studios car park.
This was now his last chance but the ticket was free so he thought he’d be fast and still see at least 60 minutes to make to make it worthwhile.
By the time he was there it was around 8.15pm. The Waratahs had just held the Chiefs scoreless at the half time break. Baz went home. He was still in his car at half time.
I know the Swans game amplifies the issues at play here. Scheduling should have been adjusted so that double up next door didn’t happen.
That aside, this is still an example of why the Waratahs struggle to pull crowds and engage with a fan-base far from the eastern suburbs and those north of the bridge that don’t need to fight through the sprawl of the West to see their team.
On a Friday night the logistics of supporting the Waratahs at a stadium hidden away behind the CBD and at least 15 minutes’ walk from the Central Station is a nightmare.
Saturday nights often aren’t much better.
This is why so many fans are willing to put aside the atmosphere-sucking qualities of ANZ Stadium for a chance to see their side play and not endure a bum-fight for the privilege.
For those who cringe at the ANZ Stadium rounds on the schedule because it’s hard to get to: remember the flip side.
Look at how the Western Sydney Wanderers fans sprang up in such a short time. Were all of those fans oblivious to football and Sydney FC before their beloved side was born?
I think not. It’s all about connecting with the fan.
Can a single rugby team ever feel like it has its roots in the community when it is so hard to ever get a glimpse of them in the flesh?
I realise this column isn’t full of answers but the facts are the Waratahs have their work cut out for them if they have designs on reaching anyone outside their traditional base of support in this city.
Can the Waratahs effectively reach the entire city of Sydney, let alone the state of NSW, while playing most games at the SFS?
Baz has still never seen a live rugby game.
Mike
Guest
Gotcha Matt - rugby shouldn't worry about anything because its "just not that interesting"... ;) Its okay, I understand - if I was an NRL supporter I would be worried too. Super XV got higher attendance per game last season than NRL without making a serious marketing effort, and AFL is making inroads into NRL territory all the time. Anyway, chin up champ and keep the wild assertions coming - they are entertaining if nothing else!
Mike
Guest
Good point. We can learn much from AFL, especially re marketing and club culture
Bakkies
Guest
Further to add the standard is shocking too. Last time in Australia I had to switch over to the NPC played in front of empty stadiums. From the Irish club games I have seen they play with better structure and look well drilled compared to some one of the Sydney teams. Commentators don't whinge when they are resorting to using the pack and not playing touch footy. The kicking in general (off the tee and in play) in the Shute Shield is Junior League standard over here.
Bakkies
Guest
I have been saying that for a while about the ABC's coverage in general. It's very cheap and outdated. Rugby also pays for it to be covered. Schoolboys Rugby should be covered to whether it's on Foxtel or the ABC. Other countries do it. Why not Australia?
Matt_S
Guest
Union has been on FTA TV and it was roundly taken off due to lack of interest. Even internationals involving the Wallabies has plummeted, and in the case of the Southern States relegated to digital channels or delayed due to poor ratings. The game just is not htat interesting for the average punter. So your argument is flawed.
Matt_S
Guest
I wouldn't say 18,000 is terrible considering we have teams in Penrith & Cronulla. But you discount FTA TV. Imagine the number of Super Rugby teams doubling or tripling in Australia and the game on prime FTA TV and lets see competing forces detract from people attending live in Sydney.
Matt_S
Guest
Rooster got 40,000 on the weekend and average 25,000 so far. Bulldogs and Souths are averaging over 20,000. Once Tigers get back to winning that will be another club over 20,000 average. Not bad sfor Sydney considering the transport issues as outlined and higher than the Waratahs average. Heck if the Roosters keep going and make games against the Titans & Penrith more attractive for supporters to attend (ticket/family deals) they'll average higher than the Swans this year.
hog
Guest
That was Sober reading Sharon. I totally agree and feel the same way.
Allan
Guest
You're right, the Waratahs and rugby in general has always looked down on Western Sydney - I once supported the Waratahs but after many years of realising they simply don't care about Sydney west of Strathfield I gave up on being insulted. Then the Wanderers came along and they really do feel like my team, and the other codes are now kicking themselves at what they missed. A second team would be a waste, it won't wake a sleeping giant like the Wanderers did.
Bakkies
Guest
Melbourne also has a membership culture to go with attending events. The AFL club memberships for all Vic clubs are higher then the average crowds for Super Rugby teams bar the Reds. The tickets are cheap and supporting a club is ingrained in to people from when they are able to talk. Kids are put on to the MCC members waiting list when they are born as well. As mentioned the grounds are accessible and there is a travelling by public transport to matches culture. Melbourne's public transport is excellent by Australian standards but compared to the standard you get overseas it's very poor.
Bakkies
Guest
''Johnno I can’t find exact numbers but the Tahs seem to be averaging about 15k. For the NRL I found a site saying they are at 18k average per match.'' Inflated by the Knits and the Queensland teams?
Bakkies
Guest
Were the Tahs having these issues when they were getting 25 to 30,000 to each game when McKenzie was running the show?
Bakkies
Guest
He is talking about his kids. Don't know if they were alive back then or old enough to remember the Rubble Reds.
Bakkies
Guest
People from the west can jump in their car with their kids and drive down to Canberra. Park the car in the stadium grounds and drive home afterwards in little traffic. Heck Rugby people in Melbourne used to drive up to Canberra (and that is a boring 8 hour drive) to watch the Brumbies.
Johnno
Guest
Mike good summary. Either way, rugby union is behind the 8-ball. And has to develop a package that will be attractive to Free to air. What that is I don't know. Expansion is 1 idea. A west sydney team too, could be good market penetration and develop a good inter-city rivalry with the tahs. And just money invested for quality commentary. I watched the ABC tv coverage of easts VS Sydney uni last week at Woollahra oval. I can tell you what this was 1980's, standard coverage , it was like being in a time warp , it was hopeless. Lack of tv cameras, modern day analysis, etc it's style was 1980's. So no money there from ABC. SBS and ten, and foxtel it's up to them, to invest the money.
Mike
Guest
Johnno, I agree with your points above re TV rights, but I am not sure that even removing NRL and AFL from the anti-siphoning list would make any difference now to the overall earnings - the amounts which these codes receive from combined Pay TV and FTA TV are so huge that Foxtel just does not have the resources to go it alone and cut out FTA. The AFL deal with Seven and Fox Sports in 2011 was a smart one. FTA and Pay TV interests started spending less time fighting each other and more on maximising their mutual interests. Result was four games live per week on FTA and about five more live per week on Foxtel, which is awesome for growing the code. And of course as the Code grows, everyone benefits, including FTA and Foxtel. Foxtel then followed the same template with NRL and Nine to come up with a deal that offers a bit for all of them, and helps to grow the code by showing lots of live games to as many people as possible. Again, as the code grows, all the stakeholders prosper. Note that these deals cover IPTV as it gets an increased presence in Australia. The idea is that whether consumers do their TV viewing on FTA TV, or Pay TV or IPTV, they will have several live games of AFL/NRL available per week. And then we get poor old rugby. It gets left behind. Despite what many may assume, I don't think that Foxtel will necessarily be averse to doing a similar deal with SANZAR and an FTA network as it has done with the AFL and NRL. The same would apply to the ARU if it sets up a new third-tier comp or ARC. There are two networks (Ten and SBS) who would potentially be interested, especially if it gives them a way to compete with AFL on Seven and NRL on Nine.
Mike
Guest
MH, its a complex issue, but suffice to say that there are many reasons why the PayTV market is different in Australia compared to other countries. For example, this is a slide presentation by CEO Foxtel to the ACCC in 2002 which gives an idea of the structural ways in which the markets in US and Australia differ: http://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/Mr%20Kim%20Williams%20(slides)%20-%20Subscription%20Television%20in%20Australia.pdf I look at it from a pragmatic point of view: whatever legitimate grievances Pay TV may have about over-regulation, anti-siphoning etc, the harsh reality is that these things are unlikely to change. Whilst Pay TV gave SANZAR a powerful boost during its formative years, Rugby can't afford to be sentimental - it has to cut the TV deals that best suit its own development. Obviously a deal with free-to-air like the Saturday afternoon broadcasts of Sydney Club rugby on ABC is useless. Both the TV network and the Club comp invest very little in those broadcasts, and it is truly a case of you get what you pay for. Some hard negotiating will be called for, to reach an arrangement where an FTA network is prepared to provide a reasonable return together with provision for renegotiating at reasonable intervals, guaranteed time slots and an infrastructure to support it (including commentary shows, advertising etc). But there are three commercial stations plus SBS = four networks to negotiate with. There are two separate vectors for this to occur: one is when Super 15 rights come up for re-negotiation. The other is if the ARU follows through with the idea they have floated of establishing a third tier national comp in Australia.
Atawhai Drive
Guest
It's no wonder Foxtel subs stubbornly refuse to rise above 30 per cent. The reason is not that Aussies are tightwads. Quite the opposite. We're discriminating. Foxtel is rubbish and Australian consumers know it. I pay $90 a month, but for that I really only watch five channels. Why anyone who is not a sport fan would subscribe to Foxtel is incomprehensible.
MH
Guest
i know from experience the cost of sky package is not too disimilar to foxtel. yes cost of living is slightly higher in aus but aussies have 20% higher wages on average. what gives? why only 30% have foxtel??? are we aussies tight a**** or something. i can't live without foxtel
Johnno
Guest
Mike these stats are impressive you have shown. It's clear foxtel has not yet reached it's target's, why I don't know for sure. Maybe costs compared to say in UK, the skysport package is cheaper who knows. or just much tougher anti-siphoning laws in OZ for club sport compared to Uk. In the UK if you want the EPL, you have to pay for it on pay-tv, or not watch it simple as that. A-league was not on anti-siphoning list and still is not I don't think. But if the AFL and NRL were taken off the anti-siphoning list, they would get an even bigger tv-deal, and pay-tv would then be cheaper per subscription, to entice people. Need to change the anti-siphoning rules, it will then be cheaper to get. But under the current rules when the new-tv deal starts in 2016, FTA must be a priority 1 match per round, should be the minimum target preferably 2.