What's with the small crowds?

[Ice]

I'm not sure it's been touched upon or not but i'm also pretty confident that scheduling 7 of our first 10 games at home (and 9 of our first 13 at home overall) hasn't helped our cause either. While it wouldn't affect our core member base a great deal, it must have some affect on those other nuetral/borderline type fans who like the game but don't necessarily go every week. You can't really expect those types to back up virtually every week, not to mention families having to fork over the admission prices that often as well. Too much of a good thing and all that....

I'd bet plenty if our games were scheduled every second week or there abouts our crowd average would be higher than what it is now. I'm not saying it'd be a great deal higher but higher all the same. When you take away that anticipation of having to wait another 2 weeks to see the team play and make it virtually every week instead you take away the build up and excitement somewhat that you get when you have to wait. Of course i don't mean that's the case with the members, we'd love to see us play every game at home every week but IMO it's also been a factor, even if only a small one as to why the crowds have been a bit stagnate this year along with a few other things mentioned here.

[StormSergeant]

Was quite surprised when I heard about our fixture for this year, can't for the life of me think why the NRL would do such a thing? In terms of the Rebels, I've been to a couple of games (I don't mind watching Union, I've seen plenty of games while I was in the UK a few years back) The whole first year in the comp is massive thing! Get plenty of people coming down to watch cause its new and something different. Plus, as I've said in a previous thread on this topic, the ARU has been so patient with Union in this state, they have put so much money and resources into the game here in Melbourne. That goes a long way to promoting the game. Unfortunately, the Storm aren't afforded the same luxury! Its almost as though someone in Sydney thinks that Melbourne loves its sport and they imagine everyone will get behind it.

SS

[Go Storm]

You just made me think of something thats escaped me until now. Initially I thought the stacking of home games early in the season was a good way to get us off to a flying start to the season and instill some confidence in a young and new playing group.

How naive of me to think the NRL would do anything to help us!!! I have slapped myself!!

The reason for us having so many games early in the season is to go head to head with the Rebels for fans. The same dumbass mentality has been muted by the NRL to squander the new tv rights windfall by going head to head with the AFL in western Sydney and on the Gold Coast.

The sooner we rid ourselves of this useless bunch of buffoons running the NRL the better. Bring on the real independant commission (the one with a Melbourne-based representative)

Sorry for the hijack (-;

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[storming]

the codes need to start working in with each other imo, a couple of rounds ago the nrl scheduled storm v broncos at suncorp at the same time as lions v suns in the afl, this was dumb! yeah nrl got a few more thousand than the afl but both codes would have thousands more in the crowd if it was staggered and we could go to both games, i had a group of 8 to go to the storm games but 4 chose the afl instead, im sure there would be similar stories around the country too.

[Go Storm]

The AFL have nothing to fear. Their game appeals to the masses as it's basically a kick to kick goal-fest. And its marketing and current administration is absolutely brilliant. It is a mega money machine, and Demitriou is a great operator.
Meanwhile the NRL, led by Mr. Charisma David Gallop, seem to think they can go head to head with this machine. Fairdinkum!! It's like a rabbit going head to head with a combine harvester.
The NRL need to push themselves into the frontiers, such as Melbourne, Auckland and Perth if they're fairdinkum about being a national comp. And, infact they should recognise that NZ is not part of Australia, and has a team, and change their name to the IRL (international rugby league) and promote it as such.
The AFL spruik about being a 'truly national comp' with 5 states represented. Well the IRL could spruik about being a truly international comp by having 3 states, a Territory and 2 countries represented.
And play fair together. There's enough fans and $$ to go around in multiple codes of footy.
Double headers such as Anzac Day work well for us. A few more of these arrangements could be advantageous for both codes.
Interestingly enough it was Hawthorn FC's cheer squad who organized our banners in the early days of our club's existence. So we were friends once upon a time.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[MENACING*STORM]

Is this our first Friday night game since 2009 and our first Friday nighter at Amy Parks?
Fri, Jul 22 @ 7:35 PM - Storm v Broncos
Will be interesting to see if we get a big one to this blockbuster

[Melbourne & Bears]

The codes won't do anything to help each other out, it's silly to suggest that. The reason broncos vs storm was on that night was because the afl was and the nrl wasn't going to give the afl a "free kick" at the crowd. NRL got a significantly larger crowd with start players being out of the home teams line up.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Melbourne & Bears]

Lol at suggestions of changing the competitions name to international rugby league, there is already an international rugby league and it's the rule book for international rules. You know, Australia vs New Zealand, France, England, Fiji, Samoa, tonga, etc etc.

New Zealand have a team in the Australian national rugby league competition, just like New Zealand has a team in the Australian national basketball competition.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[tugga]

Lol at suggestions of changing the competitions name to international rugby league, there is already an international rugby league and it's the rule book for international rules. You know, Australia vs New Zealand, France, England, Fiji, Samoa, tonga, etc etc.

New Zealand have a team in the Australian national rugby league competition, just like New Zealand has a team in the Australian national basketball competition.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

And a team in the A League.

[Go Storm]

Super Rugby push the fact that they're an international comp' flat stick. The AFL push the fact that they're a National comp'.
We're also an international comp'. That is all.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[AAS]

At the end of day, we can over analyze this till the cows come home. The Salary Cap scandal has cost us big time, and will take a long time for people to come back around to the Storm. Success this year is key to helping that along. However, Storm have to rebuild from ground zero. We have 10k members, but we should be getting 18k per home game. However, with News Ltd more interested in how many people watch on fox sports, we have a conflict of interest that needs to be resolved and an administration solely focused on growing attendances, corporate support and membership.

[ Post made via iPad ]

ooooo, post made via ipad , well arent we someone

Im just glad my posts dont say Post made via E63

or Commodore 64.......

I want to say my post are made via Postmaster General Department(Pre- Aus Post)

[Go Storm]

22900 reported on Friday night. Our biggest crowd so far. And yet there was at least an extra 4000 at the Anzac Day clash with the Warriors. There was hardly a spare seat that night.
Mind you Friday night was a 95% purple crowd so that's a good effort.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[AAS]

I would not be surprised for a full house for dragons