The NRL grand final will take place on Sunday at ANZ Stadium in Sydney but the more prominent match in the media this week has been the AFL’s big dance.
Crowds at NRL games have been stagnant for many years now with poor crowds at the majority of finals in Sydney.
Maybe it is time for the NRL to rotate the grand final. With teams being based in four areas (Queensland, Canberra/New South Wales, Victoria and New Zealand) maybe a rotation system is needed.
Crowds in Queensland and Victoria have been very strong and stable for the NRL over the past few years.
New stadiums are currently being built in Townsville, Parramatta, as well as a complete rebuild of the Sydney Football Stadium. It is possible these new stadiums would be able to bring back strong crowds for the sport in Australia.
Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has previously been stated as saying he would love the NRL grand final to be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He said he would not doubt the match filling the stadium.
There would of cause be logistical issues resulting given that the AFL’s showpiece would take place the day before at the same venue, however Melbourne does love sport and would find a way.
Queensland have been dominating State of Origin for the past decade and their fans always attend NRL games. The Broncos are by far the highest-drawing NRL club, with the Cowboys and Titans not far behind.
Either the new Townsville stadium or Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane would produce big crowds and great grand finals.
When ANZ Stadium does get redeveloped in the next decade, the NRL would need to find a new home for the game while the stadium is being constructed. However it has been proposed that the NRL wants the game to stay in Sydney and the Sydney Cricket Ground is the likely venue.
The NRL needs to think of a plan to bring crowds back to the game and one could be to rotate the grand final.
Anonymous
Guest
But though, Melbourne is home of the AFL/VFL and us Victorians are extremely passionate about the sport. If anyone makes one little ask for the grand final of the No. 1 code here in Victoria to be shifted aside for the grand final of another code whose majority of supporters are from New South Wales and Queensland, they are asking for trouble.
UKRL
Roar Rookie
Melbourne is an all code city too just like Sydney. So your not really claiming anything intelligent as usual. Soccer Melbourne Victory Melbourne City Rugby Codes Melbourne Storm Melbourne Rebels
Paul
Roar Guru
So a future grand final involving Manly and the Gold Coast being played at the MCG is going to fill the place. I really don't think so.
woodart
Guest
and that fact alone makes it a joke competition to most outside nsw. for league to grow as a sport, it MUST look outwards, and get over its sydney club comp hangover. it is not a national rugby league, it is a sydney rugby league with outsiders reluctantly let in. these days, with tv coverage, it should be able to do the decent thing, and let top qualifiers host top games, no matter where they call home. to expect victorians to flock to origin games between nsw and queensland, but then deny those same victorians the chance to see their own team host the big game of the year is an insult.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Haha...!
Mister Football
Roar Guru
That seems a reasonable approach. The situation in the AFL is that about 40% (give or take) of the tickets are bought by MCC and AFL members (when certain Vic clubs make the grand final, most of these will be supporters of the two clubs). To a certain extent, for grand finals, the NRL is a little bit disadvantaged at not having a similar arrangement in place with an existing stadium (or maybe it had, I don't know). The re-configuring of the Olympic stadium might present the NRL with such an opportunity, and it might become a a stadium which attracts these sorts of memberships so that in their case too, some 40% of the tickets are already accounted for even before the start of any season. All of a sudden, only 60% of the tickets are available for the two existing clubs, and in some seasons, these will be at a premium and will get swallowed up quickly. Before you know it, they become the hottest ticket in town.
Bernie Vinson
Roar Rookie
Still tickets available for NRL GF. Is it right NRL members of any club get first crack after Storm/Roosters members?
Justin Kearney
Roar Rookie
Clipper back to have his pathetic digs at the good old game of rugby league? Being driven by spite is unhealthy clip.
clipper
Roar Rookie
Not at all, that's what you would expect when league is the no. 1 sport in an all code city. Have the tickets sold out yet?
RandyM
Guest
far more people in sydney still care about the NRL GF this weekend than the AFL one, which just kills you inside i imagine.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
1. If the NSW Govt continues to pay for the final to be played in Sydney, well, it's money for jam. 2. In these sorts of discussions (and the exact same thing happens in AFL), people underestimate how valuable it has been for the NRL to have grown out of the existing NSWRL. People have this idea that you can just start a new comp and place a new team in every city and off you go, but that can never, ever replicate having an organic start and a long history in the biggest city in Australia. The game's tradition is that the big dance is held in Sydney, end of.
clipper
Roar Rookie
The NRL GF and AFL GF should always be at their spiritual home. Move it to the MCG and you'd have even less interest than Sydney - a SoO every few years may be OK, but you couldn't have it the same week as the AFL GF, so Perth is out too. The Roosters are in the GF, but there is far, far more flyers and info on the street for the Wentworth by election than there is for the NRL GF in the eastern suburbs - how would you compete with the AFL GF. Victorian crowds have been good as the Storm have been the most successful Australian team over the last few decades - they've never been tested with a losing streak.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
I only read the headline and if its all about rotating Manly back into the Grand Final where they belong then I'm all for it.
Adam Bagnall
Roar Guru
I can see the merit in moving the GF to the MCG and exposing fans to new teams apart from the Storm and getting 90k in, and even to Optus Stadium in Perth, particularly if we are looking at putting a new team there. However those are the only other stadiums it could go to, sorry Broncos fans but Suncorp doesn't cut it with 30,000 less fans than ANZ
peeeko
Roar Guru
North Queensland came 8th in crowds and GC came 12th. everyone assumes that that sydney has the worst crowds
peeeko
Roar Guru
oh dear. the nsw government has paid a massive deal to keep the GF why would they ever have a GF in Townsville? their is 1 team there that has played in only 2 GFs in 25 years and the new stadium fits 25,000
Sportstragic
Roar Rookie
Thanks for the article but it doesn’t make much sense to me. You want to move the NRL grand final from Sydney where there is always a crowd of 80 000 plus to a smaller venue with a crowd 40 000 people less? I feel sorry for the people who can’t get a ticket in a 40 000 seat stadium. So that’s 40 000 people less in crowd numbers... You might have to look at different ways to increase crowds. The NRL can never compete with AFL on crowds as AFL is played on a round and bigger field and is much better to watch live at the ground. The NRL is an excellent game to watch in the comfort of your own home.
Mark
Guest
Are you aware that the NRL has a deal with the NSW government that the NRL must be held in NSW for the next 20+ years? So they can’t take it interstate, even when they redevelop ANZ Stadium.
Bunney
Roar Rookie
Sorry Lynton, but this article doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Low crowds = move the grand final. But the grand final (along with SOO) is the only game GUARANTEED to get a massive crowd in Sydney. Crowds are an issue, in Sydney particularly they're an issue, but moving the grand final to a smaller venue won't cure that ill.
Justin Kearney
Roar Rookie
Another crowd thread? You beauty!