Has time run out for suburban stadiums?

Think you may have been reading a lot of propaganda about rl from the southern press.And stating you don't have any hard evidence ,just by seeing decent numbers of PI players in the NRL. The code had Fijians playing for St George in the 60s. There are more PI players involved in the game agreed.but the numbers playing the game overall from juniors up is at the highest level ever Australiawide.More females are playing rugby league than ever before .I don't know where you get the idea it does not bode well for a future strong grass roots base. You ignore the fact many NRL players who cannot get a shot in the NRL are playing in England and France.You ignore the fact that PI and indigenous populations have the far higher birthrate than the Anglos. If i were you I would be more concerned about soccer,the type of player in soccer is more the type of build of an AFL player,not bulky or muscly. Your code is limited whereas soccer as shown by the 99,000 attending the MCG is huge internationally,and it is the lack of Internationalism that will gnaw away at your code. At the same time the percentage of NRL players and yes that includes PI players attending university ,TAFE courses is also at record levels.It's all on the NRL website.And it is by far a big majority. When rugby league was around in the 70s and 80s the majority of players were labourers,wharfies etc,very few with a tertiary education.You make assumptions that players of an indigenous background are not attending uni or take course ,that is not the case.AS a case in point,Inglis will be attending uni shortly I hear. I have stated further down I have been following rugby league for 40 years and come from a soccer/union school background.I have seen it first hand the influx of uni/tafe studying and graduating players in all clubs of late,the number of professional firms involved in sponsoring NRL clubs at various levels,and the obvious better educated fans involved in the game.My involvement with Cronulla for decades provides me with hard evidence as to the fan,sponsor and player demographic and professional attributes.+ The number of people watching the SOO and grand finals from all states is proof that demographics is wide as to people with interest also. The people involved on NRL boards,the people wanting to be CEO off the Tigers. Games in the past were run by former footballers,that is not the case now. You further ignore the fact that the game when it expands ,will require players from all backgrounds.You further ignore the fact the code is reducing the number of interchange players,meaning smaller players will get far better opportunities in the game in the future.The no of Interchanges will further reduce to 6 down teh line. The beauty of rugby league is it can draw playing talent from England,France,New Zealand ,PNG and the Pacific Islands simply because the code has a strong presence there. Additionally in the junior Harold Mathews and SG Ball there are plenty of excellent Anglo players.Anycase that borders on racism they are all Aussie or proud players from the PI. The problem occurs when players do their HSC and concentrate on that and uni ,and in the bush lack of job opportunities is a problem. Whilst all is not rosy,the code is far better place financially than it ever has been for development of juniors and expansion.And it is growing in the Southern states.

I dont have any hard evidence, but from what i see and read the demographic spread is actually shrinking rather than spreading, go back 20/30 years the absolute bulk of RL footballers were all of anglos saxon/Irish ( Australian ) descent, fast forward and around 50% of the NRL and no doubt even bigger % at lower levels are PI descent, the traditional anglo saxon base whilst maybe still supporting the code are not playing it in anywhere the same numbers. RL's traditional base for whatever reasons are either playing something else or not playing anything at all, that does not bode well for a future strong grass roots base. PI's make up less than 1% of the Australian population, as well as that FWIU the indigenous % or numbers in the NRL have dropped as well.

Have to disagree ,the ten year old stats only adds to my point. .A tad more reliable than the assumptions ,by the gents you supported. And that is a view gained by watching the code in the last forty years,and spending my early days involved in both soccer at primary school and union at private high school. The population is far better educated than it was even during the 80s ,and the people involved at various admin levels within the game are more likely to be professionally educated ,than not.I see it first hand at the Sharks. The players are far better educated or in the process thereof (check NRL website)and no doubt the younger fans ditto. The number of professional firms now sponsoring NRL clubs and having corporate boxes has grown also dramatically. The number of people who attend and view on TV the SOO series at record levels is indicative of a growing demograhic. And agreeing with AFL types conch and clipper(who is agenda driven on rl threads to stir either re crowds or demographics),is hardly conducive to suppoprtive facts when it comes to rugby league.

Have to agree with conchie and chipper, there was a larger spread years ago regardless what a ten year old stat says

The survey was one conducted by Torque which was published in 2004.

That comment is pure rubbish clipper .Rugby league used to be the game of the wharfies and labourers,and few professional types were really interested in the code. It was more a working class game in the 60s and 70s,you need to do some research. I have followed the code far longer than you no doubt,and have seen dramatiic changes in the last 40 years. Thanks to the SOO series,sponsorship by many small and large business both for the code and clubs in general,the diversity of fans comes from a far wider demographic background ,and the educational side of the players involved is far far better.One only has to do a little research on the NRL site,to ascertain the numbers of players studying for higher education or trades. One only has to look at the people involved on NRL club boards and indeed the ARLC.to see the changes .Hell even the Storm have high end people on their board. Boards run totally by former footballers are a rarity. Plus a survey conducted early 2000s showed the average incomes of rl fans were higher than AFL,and not far away from ru,at the higher end. Its already happeningI(the demographic spread) conchie and clipper ,and when Perth and Brisbane 2 enter ,it will become more apparent.Keep up the bubble delusion.

Hit the nail on the head conchie - league used to be wider demographically, but the gap has widened with AFL and Soccer taking quite a few white collar fans. But agree with Crosscoder, you can never say never, even though it looks very unlikely now.

No, I don't count the crowd Mals but my brother works in the football department and while he also doesn't count the crowd, he does see the real figures that come through the gates and the ones that get announced as the "official" crowd.

They never had to contend with a Super league war ,which drained the coffers,disaffected fans,destroyed the traditions of a few clubs giving other codes a leg up. Game in the smaller states more woven,to be correct.Certainly not in the nOrth with 55% of the population. Never ever make the statement "than ever will be" conchie.Prediciting the future is fraught with danger. For a start ever since I have been following the code four decades,the demographics is wider now ,than it ever has been.Better educated youth over the decades ,and better educated players . When the NRL finally has the gonads to expand to Perth and other areas,this will give rugby league further impetus.Added to a growing International game.

I would disagree that they had a 50 year start - when the split occurred, a lot of the Rugby fans would have just gone over to RL, really it was a continuation, although the point about demographics rings true. I also think RL may have been bigger all round until the last couple of decades when AFL and more so Soccer have made inroads, especially in NSW.

Roosters Bulldogs Broncos I don't know why these clubs have so much influencE. Can someone please explain? ???

ANZ stadium is a terrible place towatch rugby league ir anything really

I agree! !

Yes yes yes. And the club doesn't market games because they are guaranteed the money even if only 500 turn up

well said! No atmosphere at the central stadiums. Also with the push for Thursday night games, suburban grounds will create the atmosphere needed. Games should also be taken to the Bush and other non nrl capital cities. Central stadiums, night footy to suit tv, structured attack, the interchange rule, no reserve grade, the length of time for video refs to make a decision, suspect 3rd party agreements, whinging media, and the wrestle are Killing rugby league slowly. what are they doing with the extra money anyway? And What's the point of having more money now and then slowly watch the game die. The suits at nrl central need to know that they do not own the game. They are simply caretakers. They need to do what is best for rugby league in Australia and New Zealand And not tv, or the corporates or certain clubs or themselves.

Gallop and his team didn't have the foresight to have a Govt lobby group ,to push Govts for better infrastructure.As well as a poor player insurance scheme under their watch. At least the NRL now has such a lobby team ,working and liasing with various levels of Govt. It was sheer tunnel vision operating for many years,and the fans and players were the unfortunate victims.

Shark Park regularly. ANZ/Kogarah/SFS/Win/CBus Gold Coast irregularly. In fact watching a SOO at the SFS when it was held there,paid for premium seating and got drenched. Experienced the largest stadiums,observed regularly per TV the others (suburbans)on a regular basis.It'.s not hard to form an opinion as to the quality of infrastructure ,meaning lack of seating,cover and having exposed food and drink stalls. If you see fans shivering in the cold on TV exposed to the elements ,you can also form an opinion as to the worthiness of better cover or indeed a roof. And I can also suggest based on prior experience crowds/families attend games in time friendly ,weather friendly time slots.So cover or lack thereof and lack of seating plays its part.

I don't think Aussie Rules wants ANZ Stadium! The Swans can't wait for their contractual obligation to end.

I'm OK with tax funding for grounds used and/or shared by people for recreational use. Watching elite athletes compete in the flesh motivates most youngsters to get off the couch and play a sport. It should be viewed partly as a health issue with major funding at the Federal level for a country whose obesity rates are currently spiraling out of control.

At the end of the day. If Rugby League is going to be run as a business, with operating profits in the tens of millions of dollars. I don't want my tax money going to fund it any more than I want my tax dollars funding a new Mcdonalds. They should be paying for it themselves.