2019 TV ratings and crowd numbers
- Thread starter Strewthcobber
- Start date
Slim 293
Stirling Mortlock (74)
No excuses......... all of the Australian teams have been attracting shit crowds for the last few years.
All of the teams.
Shit.
Every week.
The Brumbies........ shit crowds.
The Rebels......... shit crowds.
The Reds......... shit crowds.
The Waratahs......... shit crowds.
Every........... week.
Shit crowds.
Rebels3
Jim Lenehan (48)
Im actually starting to think the issue is us, the fans. We need to stop kicking it while it’s down. It does absolutely nothing to improve the state of the game. Let’s get positive and do all we can to get people to games. Each and everyone of us, should be salesmen/women for the pro and amateur sides of the game. The Brumbies are killing it at the moment so let’s get behind the team. The game owes us nothing more than the ability to participate and to cheer a team on when you can’t participate, the rest is a bonus.
For years we have lamented poor performances, yet performances have improved but attendance has declined. We have complained about community engagement, yet community engagement is the best it’s been in 10-15yrs, yet attendance declines. Let’s just stop been negative about everyone and everything and support the game like we should.
I have just been out with some AFL fans watching the AFL game on tv tonight, they wouldn’t hear a bad word about their game, it’s almost sickening but its what drives the passion for the game.
Even any league game you listen to, the commentators wax lyrical about anything and everything. The genuinely believe what they are watching is the greatest thing on earth and won’t have anyone doubt it. Their fans also honesty believe they have superior athletes, better skills, tougher players etc. and can’t wait to parade it.
Everyone is a walking, talking advertisement for the game, let’s get more like this.
For years we have lamented poor performances, yet performances have improved but attendance has declined. We have complained about community engagement, yet community engagement is the best it’s been in 10-15yrs, yet attendance declines. Let’s just stop been negative about everyone and everything and support the game like we should.
I have just been out with some AFL fans watching the AFL game on tv tonight, they wouldn’t hear a bad word about their game, it’s almost sickening but its what drives the passion for the game.
Even any league game you listen to, the commentators wax lyrical about anything and everything. The genuinely believe what they are watching is the greatest thing on earth and won’t have anyone doubt it. Their fans also honesty believe they have superior athletes, better skills, tougher players etc. and can’t wait to parade it.
Everyone is a walking, talking advertisement for the game, let’s get more like this.
mst
Peter Johnson (47)
I actually wonder at times if it is somewhat about us the supporters; but those answers tend to lead to a conclusion that it is the game not enabling the supporters.
We don't talk about the game like AFL fans do. When I jumped in and Uber in Melbourne during the week my driver was a Cats fan and we ended up talking about the coaching woes at the Blues. I had an interesting discussion one of my cab drivers how Richmond supporters (as he is) differ (disappointingly according to him atm) compared to Magpie's supporters and the weird Bomber supporters. On the way back to the airport I was talking about the soccer. It's similar in Sydney except its about the NRL. Invariably, regardless of who they support their will be part of the discussion about the game; all the teams, whats happen all across the game. All of this is an extension of what's in the media.
Rugby just doesn't have that. Talking to a colleague while I was away he was aware he would miss the Brumbies game but had no idea how many game were left or when the next one as. But he is a pretty keen "casual" supporter. He know little about the Wallabies; why should he as they are not playing? With a three week gap until they are now back in Canberra the interest drifts away unless you are a diehard fan. Aside form an odd media report here or there the Brumbies go back to being anonymous in Canberra.
As you travel around it's rare you will jump into a Uber, taxi or talk to a native about the Holden Cup, VFL or NPL (soccer). Its the same with Rugby. Shute, QPR, JiD; its talked about by the diehards, not the general masses.
With so few teams, playing locally infrequently it's hard to drive a conversation with someone who is not a diehard rugby supporter. There just isn't enough "meat on the bone" to feeds people's interest. If you consider the AFL based conversations above only one of the conversations was directly about "their" team; but even that was ato compare against other. I would go as far to suggest that most of supporters don't have the comparative broad knowledge about our game as the AFL supporters and NRL supporters.
The only other potentially influential key aspect is that in recent history the best of or best is to be about to win just above 50% of your games. It's certainly not the sort of results that will spike interest in the game especially when on first glance at Super Rugby we appear to be a second tier nation compared to the Kiwi teams.
WorkingClassRugger
Michael Lynagh (62)
The crowds in particular show a general disinterest in Super Rugby even among Rugby fans. Sadly the once great competition has run its course. We need to pivot to something that works more in our interests. With TV negotiations coming up the SA media are already being their cyclical 'should we stay or should we go' crap and it's well known three of the 4 SA franchises have expressed interest in joining an expanded Pro14.
Hopefully they stop talking about it and just go. Have RA and the franchises look to mend fences with GRR and link up with that competition alongside the NZ teams and the Jaguares for a 16 team competition. Open up the eligibility rules to allow players to play in one of the two Asian based team to be eligible for Australia and NZ. Play a round and a half round robin for 22 games a season. Play it under GRR rules. Not the first sport to play a competition under one set of rules and internationals with another. Having watched most of the GRR variations they certainly haven't hurt.
Hopefully they stop talking about it and just go. Have RA and the franchises look to mend fences with GRR and link up with that competition alongside the NZ teams and the Jaguares for a 16 team competition. Open up the eligibility rules to allow players to play in one of the two Asian based team to be eligible for Australia and NZ. Play a round and a half round robin for 22 games a season. Play it under GRR rules. Not the first sport to play a competition under one set of rules and internationals with another. Having watched most of the GRR variations they certainly haven't hurt.
Joe King
Dave Cowper (27)
What if the NZ teams don't want to share their players? We are stretched trying to compete with 4 teams already.
WorkingClassRugger
Michael Lynagh (62)
Would be a reasonable opportunity to add more depth to both of our nations by targeting players in Europe and Japan. Which has always been the goal of GRR.
Joe King
Dave Cowper (27)
Do you think there would be European players at a good enough standard that could be financially attracted?
WorkingClassRugger
Michael Lynagh (62)
Aurelius
Ted Thorn (20)
Someone in RA just needs to tell the fanbase that if they don't like the game, they don't have to watch it.
That's bound to work a treat.
The reds haven’t made the playoffs for 7 years. The rebel’s haven’t ever made them(8 years). Since 2013 the brumbies have made the playoffs 5 times and reached the final one year, and easily get the worst crowds out of the australian teams despite being the most successful!!
The western force would have got more than 6,311....
Merrow
Arch Winning (36)
Perth has 6 times the population. One would hope so.
WorkingClassRugger
Michael Lynagh (62)
It's been drawing those numbers for a number of years now. They're nothing new. It's the Battle of the Beaches after all. If all the other games were drawing similar then I agree. But it's the exception to the rule. From the games I've seen on TV so far this year the average would be around 2000 per game at the ground and from what has been posted here roughly 12-15k on TV. I'm certainly enjoying the Shute Shield much more than I have Super Rugby this year but it still has a long, long way to go to.
Slim 293
Stirling Mortlock (74)
The Force crowds were similar to the Brumbies and Rebels prior to the announcement that they were facing the axe.......... the backlash created an upswing.
The Reds and Tahs are hardly pulling 10,000, and one of those teams has also made the playoffs and won the competition in recent years.
This year the Brumbies v Tahs game pulled the same crowd numbers as Reds v Tahs.
News flash: ALL OF THE AUSTRALIAN TEAMS ARE RECEIVING POOR CROWDS.
ALL OF THEM.
EQUALLY POOR.*
*respectively
Strewthcobber
Simon Poidevin (60)
Chiefs v Reds 52k
Brumbies v Bulls 45k
Might have been a poor crowd at the game, but no-one is watching on TV either.
Crowds and viewers are down on average for pretty much every form of rugby in this country, from Bledisloe to Shute Shield.
Is it Super rugby that's the issue, or are Australians just not into the sport as a whole anymore?
Brumbies v Bulls 45k
Might have been a poor crowd at the game, but no-one is watching on TV either.
Crowds and viewers are down on average for pretty much every form of rugby in this country, from Bledisloe to Shute Shield.
Is it Super rugby that's the issue, or are Australians just not into the sport as a whole anymore?
WorkingClassRugger
Michael Lynagh (62)
Decades of neglect at the grassroots levels coupled with inconsistent results at the Test level resulting in very little in terms of results beyond the odd apparition here or there.
Slim 293
Stirling Mortlock (74)
Kind of..........
The fact that the Wallabies haven’t won the Blesisloe Cup in 17 years, and the general averageness of our national and super teams haven’t helped...............
The interest in rugby as a product has plummeted in the last decade.............
To use random crowd number flabbergaster’s example above............
The Brumbies have been getting shit crowds (note: as have all the Aus teams) despite winning and making the playoffs, but during the mid to late naughties they were getting great crowds despite being a mid table average team.
The Reds had a shot at the playoffs and still couldn’t pull a crowd for their biggest rivalry.............
Rebels3
Jim Lenehan (48)
I don’t think it helps that fans shit on it 24/7. Good luck building interest if your own constituents think their sport/product is turd. This years Super Rugby comp has been great in terms of competition, yes I am not a fan of the competition format but it doesn’t detract from the matches been played.