While enjoying lunch at Top Ryde shopping centre in Sydney – in the annoying time between the ceremony and the reception at someone’s wedding – brilliant ideas regarding improving NRL game-day experience and community engagement sprung to mind.
I came up with a few pearls of wisdom. Here they are.
1. Shopping centres
With 5,000 people turning out 15 mins down the road, I was upset to see one tigers jersey the whole time. Shopping centres are hubs for the community and have huge potential to engage the undecided fans. Each of the Sydney clubs have between 10-20,000 rusted on supporters who turn out week in week out.
To get the next 10 thousand, we need to engage families and the community. Clubs should organise advertising deals with the various shopping centres to display club colours, advertise upcoming home games, sell memberships, anything.
I’d love to see Westfield Parramatta and Castle Towers draped in blue and gold, Macarthur Square in gold and black and Warringah Mall in maroon and white.
2. Jersey price and colours
Having worked in merchandise at Manly for six years I know that selling a jersey at between $150-180 is not an easy task. It gets even worse when you come to kids jerseys, which cost $130 and probably fits them for one year.
We should reprice them, making all jerseys for adults $99 and kids jerseys between $50-70. It’ll get people buying one to two jerseys every year.
For the kids, often it is the first jersey they are bought that may decide their team for life. All teams should be limited to one alternate jersey each season, including all the special rounds.
Seeing jerseys around the suburbs, shopping centres and on game day adds to the atmosphere and engages the community. This is very prominent in the US sports.
3. Discounts for wearing your jersey
This has been thrown around and is a great idea. I think discount beers and food for a person in the current season’s jersey will boost sales and encourage people to wear the home colours.
It is very noticeable in Melbourne with the AFL and Storm games that the crowd is decked out in team colours. This adds to the atmosphere the look and feel on TV, which is just a further incentive.
I have been disappointed with the lack of new ideas from the Independent Commission in these areas, especially with the amount of money received from TV.
Reforming NRL jerseys and merchandise is a good start.
Gary
Guest
I agree that by reducing the price of club jerseys will inspire more fans to wear them. I cannot in any way justify to my family in spending upwards from $119.00 ++ for my own team spirit.
george
Guest
NRL jerseys can't cost that much to make, you can get your own custom made jerseys for your football team made for less then $40 a jersey so the NRL jerseys would cost less to make as they would be made in bigger numbers, look at A-league Jerseys there $99. I can buy an NRL jersey and have it posted here from england for under $90 so we are being ripped off for sure
Alex
Guest
Bring back some tradition and stick with it. AFL jerseys are cheaper, sponsors are less visible and the designs are traditional which are much nicer than anything than the NRL has. Thank god you can get the retro jerseys from Classic. A bit of tradition goes a long way with people. It would be nice if the clubs could provide a retro option/or design without sponsors in cotton or something else to give the supporters a choice. I just bought a North Sydney jersey for me and my son simply because its the old black and red stripe, it has sponsors but the design complements them nicely and it looks great.
Brian S
Guest
Having been a Fitzroy supporter who had probably 4 or 5 jumper changes in 100yrs i'm all for a traditional jumper, i have not bought a Storm jumper for about 6yrs because i prefer the white thunderbolts in the shape of a V, i alwaysl wear my 1999 wining jumper to all finals games that i attend! Luckily Storm still sell a retro jumper which i will buy to wear to next seasons games! And on the price or jumper i have been involved with sporting teams who get there jumpers made locally of a good quality @ around $30 each, the price of NRL jumpers is a joke, the price of merchandise was the first thing that shocked me when i started to support Storm in 1998 after losing Fitzroy in 1996 I really think the NRL should realise the old line, sell it for less & you will sell more!!! i'm sure a lot of people say that the price is just too dear!! drop it buy $20-$30 & they might double there sales?
Mark Bonnichsen
Roar Rookie
I know it seems ludicrous that a sleeve costs that much, walking around melbourne on an AFL game day and everyone is kitted out and I think it has a lot to do with price
Mark Bonnichsen
Roar Rookie
totaly agree. Even when selling some of the gear it was downright horrible. Nice polos good enough to wear on the golf course and functions, streetwear you could actually wear are great ideas. I wear my seahawks NFL hoodie everywhere
Mark Bonnichsen
Roar Rookie
i was gonna raise this point in the article, the gift/fathers day/xmas idea is usually out of the question when its $160 a pop, a ton is much more palatable
Arnold Krewanty
Guest
AFL jerseys cost $110 or there about's, so does it mean each sleeve on an NRL jersey is worth an extra $30, or are fans paying extra for the additional sponsorship NRL clubs plaster all over the material? I think it is strange that clubs like Souths and St George manage to keep the same home jersey and make profits, while other clubs keep chopping and changing (see Titans & Warriors mostly) with the same justification,
Epiquin
Roar Guru
Paneer, meet turbodwed. turbodewd, meet Paneer.
Pickett
Guest
Now who's turn is it to have a rest?
Pickett
Guest
Just fold it in. Has a rugged look.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Bring back the 3/4 sleeves I say. In all seriousness I think if you can put grip dots on the players chest you could put grip dots on the 3/4 sleeve to help with ball handling.
Squidward
Roar Rookie
Some good ideas author! Nice spitballing I for one though 3/5 of the marvel jerseys were great and made a nice little collectors piece for those who want them The discount if wearing merch idea is too notch You see in the nba finals the stadiums give out tshirts of their fans colours to everyone and 100% of the crowd where them. And it looks phenomenal. The sight of blue n white lightning bolts seating arrangement in the Oklahoma thunder crowd was brilliant
Squidward
Roar Rookie
Haha. Um redneck. Easts and manly need their white jerseys as alternates in clashing situations. Next!
turbodewd
Guest
I will NEVER forget the Broncos at Manly game where Manly resembled Parra and Brisbane resembled Manly. That was the biggest joke ever. And these NRL marvel comics jerseys, eg Hulk...Captain America....high farce, sorry!
Paneer
Guest
Collars on a football jersey?! Are you serious?! We dont wear ties on our jerseys, there is no need for a silly collar! It just makes it easier for the defence to grab at. Maaate, go have a rest and think about your stance, please!
Epiquin
Roar Guru
Another thing I don't think anyone has mentioned is the quality and price of other supporter apparel. There are very few club polos, t-shirts, jackets etc that look good. I wouldn't even want to wear them to a game let alone out in public. These are the types of clothes that are mass produced in sweat shops, they look terrible, often with terrible colour schemes, yet are not cheap either. I'd love to see the NRL do a deal with a quality manufacturer to design stuff worth wearing.
Paneer
Guest
NRL jerseys suck! Each team wears 5 per year and the main jersey changes every 2 or 3 years. Its shambolic! Rugby league has zero pride it itself. And our jerseys are covered by soooo many ads, esp ones with weird colors. My Raiders have a huge red flower thing on the front. im not buying that crap! Embarassing crap!!! You suck Mr NRL jersey guy! You suck!!!
Pickett
Guest
Bring back the cotton jerseys. And bring back the collars.
Epiquin
Roar Guru
Most retailers will slash prices on jerseys after the season because they know they will be worth less when the new jersey is announced. People are only willing to pay top dollar for the "current" jersey. When the retailers slash their prices on the previous year's they almost always make negative margin, but they have to clear stock or risk paying taxes on it.