What is with the locations for domestic Rugby Championship games?

[Karl]

RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP
Australia v Argentina, Buenos Aires
Australia v South Africa, Perth
Australia v Argentina, Gold Coast
Australia v South Africa, Pretoria

BLEDISLOE CUP
Australia v New Zealand, Sydney
Australia v New Zealand, Auckland
Australia v New Zealand, Brisbane

BRITISH & IRISH LIONS
2013 British & Irish Lions

SPRING TOUR
Australia v France, Paris
Australia v England, London
Australia v Italy, Rome
Australia v Wales, Cardiff

Why are we playing international games in Perth and the Gold Coast? Do we not want decent live crowds? What price "spreading the love" to these places when you could/should be having the big games in Sydney and Brisbane?

Is Australia v Italy in Pisa? v France in Lyon? v England in Redding?

 

[tigerland12]

I think it is because there aren't many Argentines in Australia, hence th smaller Gold Coast Stadium and playing South Africa in Perth because of the Saffa ex-pats.

All for the revenue mate.

 

[GaffaCHinO]

Your kidding right? Perth will draw 40k this year to see SA and has been for years. Get off you QLD high horse remeber the wallabies are the Australian team not QLD mark2. I think it was Melb who just pulled 33k to a game wasnt it??

 

[Shiggins]

Jesus. This is shocking. As has been said. The Perth game will get a huge crowed And that's at an afl stadium. If we had a 60,000 seat rugby stadium I reckon it would go close to sell out.


Http://www.youtube.com/shiggins316

 

[Joe Mac]

Melbournian's really need to take a long hard look at themselves after the Wales game on the weekend. The turn-out was atrocious! Looked like half the stadium was empty... The same game in Perth would have been rammed.

 

[SaderCheif]

Melbournian's really need to take a long hard look at themselves after the Wales game on the weekend. The turn-out was atrocious! Looked like half the stadium was empty. The same game in Perth would have been rammed.

I agree. I was there and I was disappointed with the turn out. Might as well play at AAMI Park.

 

[FiveStarStu]

It wasn't a great crowd on Saturday - the match wasn't advertised particularly well. The ARU seem to think people will just show up.

Still a great atmosphere, though.

 

[kiap]

Melbournian's really need to take a long hard look at themselves after the Wales game on the weekend. The turn-out was atrocious! Looked like half the stadium was empty. The same game in Perth would have been rammed.

Doubt it. I support Perth getting the Saffa game because the WA supporters deserve test matches, but Subiaco would not have got more than 33,000 for a match against Wales. They didn't get that for the England match last time.

Crowds are down in the last 5 years in Perth. Hopefully they get 40k+ this year, but they only got 36k for the Saffas last time around.

12-07-2010 Attendance 32228 (Australia v England)
29-08-2009 Attendance 36148 (Australia v South Africa)
19-07-2008 Attendance 41828 (Australia v South Africa)
09-06-2007 Attendance 20108 (Australia v Fiji)

 

[doleq]

If I lived in Canberra I would be pretty pissed seeing Gold Coast awarded a Rugby Championship game. The Gold Coast has repeatedly proved itself as being unable to sustain a major team in any code over a long period of time, yet administrators have a blinkered fascination with the place. At least the pricing is reasonable, being able to get a ticket for thirty bucks. Some of the ticket prices for the internationals have been an absolute joke, as pointed out in other threads.

 

[rugbyskier]

I think it is because there aren't many Argentines in Australia, hence th smaller Gold Coast Stadium and playing South Africa in Perth because of the Saffa ex-pats.

It's good for Perth to get a big game and it's likely to be well attended but why are we giving the South Africans a 'home' game on our own soil? Then again, I suppose any Bledisloe Cup game in Australia is a semi-home game for the All Blecks.

 

[Tangawizi]

I think the Gold Coast Test will sell out pretty quickly due to people from Brisbane heading down to make a weekend of it.

Just a shame they haven't made it an afternoon match as a few Argie girls in blue & white bikinis in the stands would've been great marketing material.

 

[rugbyskier]

If I lived in Canberra I would be pretty pissed seeing Gold Coast awarded a Rugby Championship game. The Gold Coast has repeatedly proved itself as being unable to sustain a major team in any code over a long period of time, yet administrators have a blinkered fascination with the place. At least the pricing is reasonable, being able to get a ticket for thirty bucks. Some of the ticket prices for the internationals have been an absolute joke, as pointed out in other threads.

The problem for Canberra is that the big test matches in winter are usually scheduled for a 7:30pm kick-off which consequently discourages attendance at the ground because it's too bloody cold to sit out in the open air for two hours. For this reason the Brumbies have requested that the home games in the latter part of the season are scheduled in the afternoon rather than the evening.

 

[kronic]

A) Money is the reason why SE Queensland have 3 tests. However, where would you put the Argies game? Canberra? Too cold during winter. It alternates between Perth & Gold Coast also.

B) While the crowd on Saturday night was poor, Stu makes a good point. We've actually managed to get good crowds over the years, 51k against the ABs in 2010. 44k in 2008 vs Ireland, 79k in 2007 vs ABs! If you look at crowds across every city though, compared to previous years, they are all down.

As much as it pains me to say this, we are the 3rd/4th code in this country.

 

[Athilnaur]

Was announced at the game as 34,888 at Etihad, so around 65%.

More than enough that when Harris got his kick straight there was a mighty roar. Courteous crowd too, no booing and decent support for Wales. Loved it myself.

Ath.

 

[RedsHappy]

A) Money is the reason why SE Queensland have 3 tests. However, where would you put the Argies game? Canberra? Too cold during winter. It alternates between Perth & Gold Coast also.

B) While the crowd on Saturday night was poor, Stu makes a good point. We've actually managed to get good crowds over the years, 51k against the ABs in 2010. 44k in 2008 vs Ireland, 79k in 2007 vs ABs! If you look at crowds across every city though, compared to previous years, they are all down.

As much as it pains me to say this, we are the 3rd/4th code in this country.

TOCC or Kiap are usually the men with the excellent historical Wallaby attendance stats etc, but 35k for Wales 2 and 43k for Wales 1, both well under sell outs and so about 39k average so far, has an ominous downtrend note to it. IIRC the average Wallaby Test crowd for the period 2004-08 was around 50k (and I think there was a slight downtrend within that period). Ireland 44k in Melbourne 2008 would broadly compare with Wales 2 this year, as types of local contests, wouldn't they? Big negative numbers gap there.

I think too that Australia's population growth has been over 1% pa, and that has to be factored in when assessing the relative performance of Test crowd numbers (i.e., static or declining actual numbers per year are in fact somewhat worse than they look if they don't broadly track population growth in Aus capital cities).

The telling crowds variable to come will be the 2 AB Tests in Sydney and Brisbane this year, and the SA Test in Perth. I recall it was a 2009 AB Test that last got to c.80+k at ANZ. Let's hope we see that level again this August, and Suncorp a sell out as it was for the AB match last year.

I continue to believe that average Wallaby Test crowd improvements will only come when (a) the Tahs win an S15 (or two ;-) ) to seriously revive NSW rugby interest and (b) we get back to beating the ABs regularly at home, and soon win a BC (or two ;-) ). If Aus S15 Finals wins go back to being very rare and we continue with high l-w %s v the ABs, I believe Wallaby Test crowds will gradually decline further, especially when population growth adjusted. The ARU and the State RUs must take radical action to consider how to more imaginatively market and promote the game, and to ensure the principal Aus state and national teams win more of the trophies that matter to 'average sports fans'.

 

[RedsHappy]

(2012) SPRING TOUR
Australia v France, Paris
Australia v England, London
Australia v Italy, Rome
Australia v Wales, Cardiff

Are we absolutely obsessed with playing Wales???

 

[Athilnaur]

Larger Irish aligning community in Melbourne, so not really surprising the numbers were lower.

No doubt the Lions game will sell out.

Ath.

 

[jermano]

33K is not bad in Melbourne. Italy a couple of years ago was approx. 20k. the problem for Melbourne is Etihad is a terrible rugby stadium. Personally i am hoping for Lions VS Rebels next year at AAMI Park as that will be worth attending. Etihad is not worth going to for a rugby match, blockbuster or not!!

 

[Bardon]

Are we absolutely obsessed with playing Wales???

I think Wales are obsessed with playing you guys.

 

[Jiggles]

Your kidding right? Perth will draw 40k this year to see SA and has been for years. Get off you QLD high horse remeber the wallabies are the Australian team not QLD mark2. I think it was Melb who just pulled 33k to a game wasnt it??

I think the selection of the Wallabies show that the team is actually NSW mark2...