Todd Greenberg doesn’t seem to be worried about NRL crowd figures for 2017, saying in an interview after the weekend’s finals, “Sydney average crowds have not changed for the best part of two decades – they are usually one or two per cent up or down annually, year on year.”
After doing some digging, I generally have to agree with him (at the bottom of the page is a list of the average attendances for the past decade, including all finals games, except for 2017).
But, as a game, are we happy to throw up the white flag and accept defeat in crowd figures?
Some of the most common responses to why people don’t go to games is the scheduling, costs, and excellent TV coverage. However, the scheduling and television coverage has changed a lot over the past decade, and the crowd figures have remained the same.
Which only leaves… the cost.
I will use my example of going to see my beloved Roosters play this season. The total cost for a night or day at the game for my wife and me (no kids) is roughly $120.00:
Entry – $30 (with memberships at $150.00 each for the year)
Parking – $25
Drinks – $33 (four beers and one soft drink)
Food – $32 (two hotdogs and two hot chips)
These prices are beyond crazy – particularly when added to the rising costs of everything in Sydney, from house prices, rent, petrol – and it’s a wonder how people get to the game at all.
If we want to grow crowd figures, we need a serious look into the budget.
If the NRL slashed all other prices by half and doubled attendance, not only would you get the same outcome financially, but the atmosphere would be better, encouraging even more fans to attend games.
It’s time to crunch the numbers, Greenberg. Strive to improve, not just settle.
Crowd figures 2008-17
2017 – 14,919 (not including final crowd figures)
2016 – 16,057
2015 – 16,155
2014 – 16,798
2013 – 16,643
2012 – 17,346
2011 – 17,243
2010 – 17,367
2009 – 17,098
2008 – 16,321
Leonard
Guest
'Thank you' to The Doc for giving us some OS perspective. And 'Congrats' for how he wrote the GBP > AUD currency conversions, showing more understanding in his couple of sentences of how they work than most of our profession journos can manage in their weekly acres of ink and pixel output, which is summed up in The Doc's last point: "(give or take a bit depending on conversion)". Give The Doc a job at one of those useless academic J-Schools. Maybe The rRoar could email The Doc and this reply to every newspaper outlet?
The Doc
Roar Guru
I think aussie fans have got it very good. COnstant complaints about prices etc. A little perspective would be useful. Im from melbourne but done sports in adelaide and sydney and now in London. Melbourne - centrally located so always get a train/tram ($7), a ticket to the afl eg $20 or so. Usually dont buy food to save costs and i dont drink alcohol so I guess i save there. You commute in and out fast due to excellent access. London - tickets to rugby union internationals are impossible to get for england. Epl single tickets cost £40 (~$70-80), transport is ~£5-10 (~$8-16) and a huge wait (usually at least an hour) to get the train back home. All up a stock standard EPL game (without food/drinks) is almost $100 for a single person (give or take a bit depending on conversion).
Kobi
Guest
For me i turned off the NRL when the players started to run the game.
RandyM
Guest
yeah not sure whats happening in sydney... I think Storm Final tickets are around $50 for standard seating.
matth
Guest
It's a bit of a whinge when the tickets are the same as a movie ticket. Come to Brisbane. If you get a $15 ticket you would be laughing your arse off. Tickets are from $28 up to $102 for decent seats.
Tom
Guest
If you're worried about drink prices, there is always the option of the hip flask. Buy mixer from the drinks stand, and voila - relatively affordable drinks.
The H
Guest
Greenberg more concerned about SSM than NRL! It's all political manoeuvring for him. Get rid of Greenberg and Archer and watch the game grow.
Your kidding
Guest
So, for the last couple of years finals tickets have been $15. What should a regular home and away ticket be , $5 or $10. Surely they can't charge more than a finals ticket. This is the trouble with making games too cheap. The word gets around pretty quick these days. Plus some big guns in the media were saying you'd be crazy to actually be paying for a ticket because of all the freebies being handed out. There are still big expenses, and costs to cover. Too late now. Looks like the price has been set. Tickets have to be less than $15.
chris
Guest
Why's that Will?
Your kidding
Guest
Aren't finals tickets $15? With free transport! Sounds reasonable to me.
Adam
Roar Guru
My dad tells me they use to pack out North Hobart oval for the TFl grand finals, over 20,000 people all standing. Have too many sports fans become complacent?
RandyM
Guest
South Sydney have the second highest amount of members and aren't that far behind Brisbane, yet they averaged 11k this season, go figure.
Will Sinclair
Roar Guru
Those were the good old days! I remember some great games in the 1990s finals at the SFS - games between Norths and Balmain and Manly and Canberra and Penrith. Great stuff. Just further supports my theory that the game has been on the slide since they brought in the Melbourne Storm.
Adam
Roar Guru
I know that the AFL gives a lot of tickets to kids, then the parents only have to think about their own tickets. Once you get people to the game it should be easy enough to convince them to come back. I think the secret has to lie in memberships. Whether ticketed or unticketed people will come to something that they feel a part of. The AFL has always been largely membership based and the NRL is so far behind the ball on this. I just jumped on the Melbourne Demons page and they have 30 odd membership options. Some as little as $0.63 a week. Get em signed up NRL!
Leonard
Guest
Can remember same experiences at the MCG for VFL finals in the 1960s-1980s. During the H&A season, use to enjoy stretching out on its slatted bench seating with the 'Football Record', steel cans of Fosters products and a few kretek cigarettes - seemed like footy watchers' paradise at the time. Then there were the ten or so 'traditional' VFL suburban home grounds where as one mate said "Eat plenty of dry biscuits and blotting paper before we leave" - such were the sub-primitive conditions for passing bodily fluids; passing bodily solids was a debased form of heroism! Whingeing about the vastly improved conditions in today's sports venues seems to be an extreme expression of over-entitlement (though there are valid exceptions).
mickyo
Guest
Perhaps you can explain how the thousands of free tickets flooded through Sydney last weekend strangled the crowds at the 3 Sydney finals ?.
Lee
Guest
The NRL prices are actually not expensive and are very reasonably priced. You could even describe them as cheap. The price for live sport for other codes like the AFL be in other comparable countries is far higher. The issue is the game which has become repetitive and formulaic. 5 tackles and then a kick on the last tackle every time. Too scripted, too boring.
chris
Guest
Haha - I was at that Balmain v Souths in 1989. Great atmosphere for sure. It still hurts though. Souths were ripped off! : )
Will Sinclair
Roar Guru
Greenberg is wildly incorrect. I remember attending Finals at the SFS in the late 80's and early 90's and having to stand up because there were literally no seats available in the Members. And the rest of the ground was absolutely packed to capacity. We went to see Balmain v Souths in 1989 and had to stand at the back of the Members - like hundreds of other people - because there were no seats. At Norths v Penrith in 1991 there were people sitting in the aisles. Even in 1998 (I think) at Parra v Bulldogs it was absolutely packed to the rafters. The crowds issue is absolutely MASSIVE for the NRL. To only get 16,000 people to a significant match like a semi-final is incredibly poor. There were more people at the Shute Shield Grand Final, and comparable crowds at some Shute Shield semi-finals, and that's amateur footy.
The Barry
Roar Guru
The prices are what they are. I don't think they represent bad value but what it means is that I can't go to the footy every week. Same as I can't go to the movies every week or out for dinner every week. Particularly with kids in the equation.