The growth - not death - of Rugby in Australia

[TOCC]

Negativity bores me, anyone can look for something negative out of a situation and bleat on about it..
Am i suggesting Rugby in Australia is in perfect health? absolutely not, and far from it, but the game isn't about to trot off to the glue factory either...

Growth in Juniors:

Western Australia

RugbyWA is celebrating the registration of its 8,000th player for the 2012 season – a record for the state.​

Grassroots rugby has seen a significant rise this year, increasing by 12 per cent from the 2011 total of 7,149 players.​

Within this total, the number of players contesting Pindan Premier Grade and senior grades has risen from 2,930 (2011) to 3,399 while Bankwest Junior Rugby participation has experienced a similar increase, up from 3,723 in 2011 to 4,183.​

Women’s rugby has also witnessed a substantial increase, up 28 per cent from 147 to 204.​

​

http://www.rugbywa.com.au/NewsEvents/NewsArticles/tabid/905/ArticleID/7575/Default.aspx

Victoria

This year’s Walla Rugby Week has broken all-time registration records with numbers up more than 50% on last year’s record breaking amount across Australia, and an incredible 412% increase in Victoria.
The home state of the RaboDirect Rebels has enjoyed an enormous surge in registrations, rising from 2057 students and 11 schools in 2011, to 8,469 students and 64 schools in 2012.
Over 62,000 students from more than 370 schools across Australia have registered for the fourth annual Walla Rugby Week, which will runs from Monday to Friday this week, in the build up to the opening Test of the Castrol EDGE Rugby Championship in Sydney on Saturday 18 August.

https://sitedesq.imgstg.com/news/in...lay_main&NewsID=26416&OrgID=3850#.UEacLKmkThk

Queensland

Queensland Rugby has achieved its largest growth in recorded history with 2011 highlights showing a 33 per cent increase in participation figures year on year.​

Over 136,791 participants enjoyed Rugby in the year the St.George Queensland Reds won the Super Rugby title – significantly up from 102,673 in 2010.​

Other notable game development highlights include reaching 15,000 junior participants for the first time in history (15,726), the number of junior teams in Queensland climbing above the 1,000-mark to 1,033 and a record number of schools (458) becoming involved in Rugby activities.​

http://www.rugby.com.au/superrugby/News/Article/tabid/959/ArticleID/5087/Default.aspx

Elite Level
Super Rugby Total/Average per round
2011 Regular Season: 6'026'000/334'000
2012 Regular Season: 6'440'000/357'000
Growth of 7%

*Comparatively NRL was gloating this week about a 1.3% growth in ratings

2011 Finals: 1'053'000
2012 Finals: 519'000

Including the 500'000 people that watched the 2011 Super Rugby GF pushed the 2011 season ahead.
*assuming the website where these figures are from is accurate

Sevens Rugby
With inclusion into the 2016 Olympics, growth in 7's is reaching into areas not previously tapped...

NSW squad named for inaugural National Schoolgirls Sevens Championships

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8/16/2012
By ARU Media Unit

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The NSW Schoolgirls Rugby Sevens Squad to compete at this year’s first-ever National Schoolgirls Rugby Sevens Championships has been named.

2012 is the inaugural year for the National Schoolgirls Rugby Sevens Championships and will take place on the Gold Coast on Saturday 13 October at The Southport School.

Twenty-four girls have been selected to represent NSW. The girls will form two NSW teams to compete for the national title at the 2012 National Championships against six other teams, including QLD 1 and 2, ACT, WA, SA and NT.

 

[TOCC]

We will have to wait until later in the year to find out 2012's figure, but by all accounts the growth in juniors(6-8yrs old) in Brisbane has been quite extraordinary at some clubs

 

[Sully]

Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU! I was sick of ignoring the other stupid thread.

 

[Bruce Ross]

Elite Level
Super Rugby Total/Average per round
2011 Regular Season: 6'026'000/334'000
2012 Regular Season: 6'440'000/357'000
Growth of 7%

*Comparatively NRL was gloating this week about a 1.3% growth in ratings

I don't want to rain on your parade, TOCC, but I would guess that a contributing factor to Super Rugby's 7% growth would have been the increasing take up of pay TV and consequent increase in the potential viewer base. By contrast Rugby League being universally available on free-to-air would be unlikely to experience a similar surge in viewer numbers.

Whatever the reason a significant rise in the viewing audience is a definite positive for our code.
.

 

[Dan54]

TOCC, I can tell you club I involved with certainly had a pretty good growth in juniors this year, about 40% I think. Will be interested to see if trend holds next year.
All in all pleased to see a few in here feeling positive about our great game's future!!

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Elite Level
Super Rugby Total/Average per round
2011 Regular Season: 6'026'000/334'000
2012 Regular Season: 6'440'000/357'000
Growth of 7%

*Comparatively NRL was gloating this week about a 1.3% growth in ratings

2011 Finals: 1'053'000
2012 Finals: 519'000

Including the 500'000 people that watched the 2011 Super Rugby GF pushed the 2011 season ahead.
*assuming the website where these figures are from is accurate

Sevens Rugby
With inclusion into the 2016 Olympics, growth in 7's is reaching into areas not previously tapped.

So that I can gloat to my league loving mates, and despite Bruce's no doubt legitimate observation, can you confirm that these are Oz figures only?

 

[TOCC]

I don't want to rain on your parade, TOCC, but I would guess that a contributing factor to Super Rugby's 7% growth would have been the increasing take up of pay TV and consequent increase in the potential viewer base. By contrast Rugby League being universally available on free-to-air would be unlikely to experience a similar surge in viewer numbers.

Whatever the reason a significant rise in the viewing audience is a definite positive for our code.
.

Yes market penetration of Foxtel would help, however this growth has slowed in recent years for Foxtel and wouldn't have been much more then 1.5% for 2011-2012.. The alleged ratings for Super Rugby far exceeded this

 

[kronic]

I don't have any figures, however the general consensus down here is that the game is growing.

A couple of examples:
- Establishment of a premier 4 division
-- A requirement for premier teams next season
-- Unfortunately those unable to field 4 sides, will be relegated to Division 2
- My former club, Eltham (outer suburban club), went from barely fielding a XV in Div 2A in 2011 to fielding 2 teams in Div2A/B in 2012

 

[TOCC]

So that I can gloat to my league loving mates, and despite Bruce's no doubt legitimate observation, can you confirm that these are Oz figures only?

The figures are from the website www.talkingfooty.com and are for Australia only

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Future Growth will be lead by Rugby 7's.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

The figures are from the website www.talkingfooty.com and are for Australia only

Pity they've got Lote as the union headline act!

 

[Inside Shoulder]

The figures are from the website www.talkingfooty.com and are for Australia only

I couldn't find the link to the stats....can you help?

 

[TOCC]

At the top you can select which year you want, i think the ratings for super rugby only go back to 2010
http://www.talkingfooty.com/tv_ratings_2012.php

 

[Jets]

While I agree that junior rugby has grown in terms of playing numbers I would be more interested in club/school participation numbers, that play in regular competitions, rather that the participation numbers that they currently deliver.

The spectator numbers are great to. If the Tah's can appoint a good coach for next year I think these will rise again. I am hopeful that all of the Aust franchises will improve their performance next year and this will be for the betterment of the game too.

From a Brisbane point of view the competitiveness of the Premier comp has been good for the game this year. I think all of the teams have made steps towards improvement and a healthy competition is always more enjoyable to watch than a lopsided one.

Good tread TOCC.

 

[TOCC]

QRU expecting 20% growth in participation figures in 2012

The overall result for the ongoing success of our game, of course comes down to participation.​

While we’re just about to flip our calendars over to September, we are on track to reach upwards of 165,000 participants in 2012 – which is around a 20% increase on last year’s figures.​

http://www.redsrugby.com.au/Reds/EwenBlog.aspx

​

 

[Linebacker_41]

I would be surprised if the number only stayed at 20% for 2012 growth in QRU.

Brothers Juniors have been playing home games at fields other than Crosby park cause there are too many juniors (not that there can ever be too many juniors). GPS have almost capped out on their playing numbers as to with Easts.

From friends in different junior clubs nearly all of them have bigger playing sizes than last year.

Then you count the number of state schools playing in the sampling competitions and Q7s then the number really starts to get impressive.

Finally the QRU have only just started in getting more high school girls playing the 7s game. With a focus on the Olympics these participation numbers could drive dramatic improvement in numbers playing our game.

The future for us in Queensland is how are we going to fit all the men AND women (snr and jnr) playing our game on the limited field space available.

What a great problem to have!!!!

 

[Hugh Jarse]

That is great news about player numbers from north of the border.

I hope that the same can be reported from down this way, but much of the attention has been on how poorly the Tahs have been, and the Boardroom nonsense.

These negative stories seem to have trumped any positive stories and good work done by the lads in community development, as the organisation seems to have pulled up the metaphorical drawbridge, flooded the moat and gone into siege mode.

It seems Rugby is doing well in nearly all areas except in miseryguts Sydney.

Wonder how much impact the perception/reality of Tah chaos has impacted on numbers playing.

 

[TOCC]

Linebacker, I have heard similar stories out at Easts rugby where my nephews just started playing.. Junior numbers at some clubs has just exploded

 

[Linebacker_41]

Future Growth will be lead by Rugby 7's.

The scary thing is that if we dont step it up in Rugby 7s then we are going to get left behind. I have had quite a few friends talk with me about opportunities arising out of the USA college system.

USA is definitely targetting medals at Rio for both men and women.

I know some of the clubs up here are running summer comps (as a fitness program) during the week similar to touch. I also know that the ARU have some good programs coming through in this space too. Chris Lane (Ntl Women's 7s coach) is pretty excited about some of these developments and what it will mean to the growth and quality of the 7s game.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Like it or lump it we have been hit by the Olympic steamroller that is Rugby 7's.

The choice is ours to be either be part of the road stuck in the past or part of the steamroller trundling into the future.

This is our "The Winner is Syderney" moment, and we all need to jump on the Going for Gold in Gold in Rio band wagon.

International recognition of Heavensgame in its many and diverse forms is a major point of difference and advantage that we have over the lesser codes.