NRL records highest crowd for a round

[Tigger]

The opening weekend of the NRL has attracted the biggest aggregate crowd ever for a round of top-flight rugby league in Australia.
A total of 185,051 fans turned out to the eight matches, eclipsing the previous record, 171,526 in round 22 of the 1995 season.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=255486


Ok it's a good thing for the NRL but having been born & bred in Victoria where the AFL crowds are pretty much like this almost every week I think it's sad. I mean, where are all the supporters in NSW & QLD??  Aren't those states the hub of NRL activity?? I need explanations for this one 

[Christabella]

Simple, AFL is a better game to watch at the ground whereas more and more people these days stay at home at watch the NRL on the tv.

[KimmorleyKiller]

What about when 100-odd-thousand turned up for the first game at telstra stadium? surely the other games would have pulled at least 85,000 between them...

[Surandy]

Ok it's a good thing for the NRL but having been born & bred in Victoria where the AFL crowds are pretty much like this almost every week I think it's sad. I mean, where are all the supporters in NSW & QLD??  Aren't those states the hub of NRL activity?? I need explanations for this one 

I don't think you can question Qld's devotion, 90,000+ of that record was from their two games.

What about when 100-odd-thousand turned up for the first game at telstra stadium? surely the other games would have pulled at least 85,000 between them...

Wasn't that game a double header?

[perthstormer]

I see your point totaly tiger look at the new force her in Perth bringing in 28000 last week and that was considered very very poor. last year they had figures in the 30's and 40's.  And thats comming froma state where Afl is it number one sport. 

[Surandy]

What about when 100-odd-thousand turned up for the first game at telstra stadium? surely the other games would have pulled at least 85,000 between them...

Wasn't that game a double header?

Just found the answer to my own question, yes it was a double header.

http://stats.rleague.com/rl/crowds/stad ... ia_vn.html

[Stormwarning[c]]

Bella is right on the TV thing, I also think we are still hurting from the War 12 years ago.

I also think we should remember that AFL is protected in a way via the media in Melbourne, yet NSW media don't care to protect anything apart from themselves.

[Buzz]

yet NSW media don't care to protect anything apart from themselves

Not sure if that's entirely accurate. Aren't they there to protect the NSWRL? The media in NSW behave similarly to the media in Victoria. Except Victorian media sees any other sport the enemy, NSW media see any non-NSW team the enemy!

As for which sport is better to watch on tv, I reckon Nein / Foxtel have shown no initiative in how to show games. What kind of amazing coverage of a game would you get if they had a camera grandstand height but on a rail along the stand - you'd be in line with the play the entire field.

AFL also has the advantage of being able to show where the play could go - NRL can't do that. I think both coverages have their + and -.

[Stormwarning[c]]

yet NSW media don't care to protect anything apart from themselves

Not sure if that's entirely accurate. Aren't they there to protect the NSWRL? The media in NSW behave similarly to the media in Victoria. Except Victorian media sees any other sport the enemy, NSW media see any non-NSW team the enemy!

properlery right, I just some League reporters are very quick to write about the problems in League than the good things they do.

As for which sport is better to watch on tv, I reckon Nein / Foxtel have shown no initiative in how to show games. What kind of amazing coverage of a game would you get if they had a camera grandstand height but on a rail along the stand - you'd be in line with the play the entire field.

They've been there done that many years ago at Telstra stadium and Aussie Stadium and if I can find the article again there was something mentioned about a safety issue to supporters sitting just above the camera and if someone was drunk and lent over or some crap.

I did like the SkyCAM a couple of years ago, just a pity about the costs, but with League, Union and A-League being with Foxsports and using the same grounds (more than most of the time) they could hopefully look at re-introducing it.

[Pal]

I know where you are coming from Tigger.  I believe it is simply due to the difference in cultures between Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.  Melbourne's culture of attending their code of football is pretty much unique across the world, the sort of crowds generated would be welcome in any sport in any city of any population. 

Sydney (no offence to individuals who are the exceptions, I'm generalising here) displays a more fickle sporting culture.  It isn't really a part of the psyche to get along to support the team anymore.  A lot of people seem to take up the 'I used to support league/such and such team, but then this happened and...' far too easily.  I think in large part this stems from clubs being reliant on pokie money and hence not having to attract members like VFL/AFL clubs had to.

Brisbane pulls good crowds, but there is only one NRL team in what was historically rugby league heartland.  Many people there (like myself) despise the Broncos.  Despite the NRL hype, support for league is nowhere near as strong across the board in Brisbane as it was when we had a strong independant competition.  While people often point to pokie-fuelled Sydney clubs to blame the erosion of the BRL, loss of support for league in Brisbane is more to do with culture as well.  Brisbane is a very 'sit on the couch' city where people generally prefer their entertainment to be delivered to their lougeroom than to get off their backside and support their team.  The BRL started dying when people stayed home and watched the NSWRL when it started to be broadcast in Brisbane.

[lotti]

Pal there's now 2 teams in the Brisbane area.

[Pal]

Gold Coast isn't really the Brisbane area though.  They have also put a lot of the traditional rugby league base off by their early attempts to assume Redcliffe's mascot.

[perthstormer]

I know exactly what its like living in a one team now team town.  The support is amazing look at the eagles
/ Force I think the force in their first 14's season had the most members