ANZ = Hole

[Old Royboy]

If our government in NSW doesn't fix the public transport system it's not going to get better for any code with petrol prices going up and all those traffic congestions.

It took half a year to get to Homebush from the outer west using public transport because Cityrail ripped up the railway west of Blacktown and put buses on.

[hammo]

Richard Colless in his lunchtime speech on Sunday said that they were greatly concerned that crowds and memberships were down (but he was bang on and said that they would be lucky to get 40,000 there on Sunday). So this was an opportunity to mention that perhaps putting a second team here in Sydney isnt the right time yet. He also said that the Rugby league was suffering as well - when you consider that there were only 6000 at the same ground the night before to watch St George play the Melbourne Storm - no code is having it easy in Sydney at the moment as far as crowds are concerned.

I wonder if that's why the Swans were entertaining Mike Sheahan and Robert Walls on Sunday? Seems like a strategically smart move.

As for the Dragons' crowd - appalling. But if that's the way the club wants to treat their supporters by playing "home" games on the other side of Sydney then they deserve every poor crowd they get.

[reigning premier]

As for the Dragons' crowd - appalling. But if that's the way the club wants to treat their supporters by playing "home" games on the other side of Sydney then they deserve every poor crowd they get.

Yeah. Morons. Imagine playing your home games on the other side of town. What sort of club would do that???

[mcs]

Im a dragons fan as well and love the trip to Kogarah for the footy but there is no way I would go to the dump that is anz stadium for a league match. AFL is bareable there but league is shocking to watch there. And there are an awful lot of Dragons fans disillusioned by the move- its all about the money, which in the nrl is in short supply.

[cruiser]

no code is having it easy in Sydney at the moment as far as crowds are concerned.

See today's paper regarding this weeks State of Origin. They are predicting a crowd of only 60-70,000 and NSW is being threatened with losing a game if crowds dont improve.

[Wardy]

I wonder if that's why the Swans were entertaining Mike Sheahan and Robert Walls on Sunday? Seems like a strategically smart move.

As for the Dragons' crowd - appalling. But if that's the way the club wants to treat their supporters by playing "home" games on the other side of Sydney then they deserve every poor crowd they get.

Indeed Sheahan was at the head table next too us with the strength - the schmoozing going on there was breathtaking! So he was fed and watered well - dont know if it will make that much difference though.

[garethb83]

See today's paper regarding this weeks State of Origin. They are predicting a crowd of only 60-70,000 and NSW is being threatened with losing a game if crowds dont improve.

Thats amusing considering that Suncorp only holds 50 odd thousand... and the other game when played in Vic is at the Dome, which holds about the same.

If they got 65,000, it would beat the attendance for anywhere else, so go figure.

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

I usually have no issues with traffic with Night games at Frigid Stadium. However yesterday it took me twice as long to get home and from memory it was the same with the Brions game in 05.

I ended up missing the flight Qantas rebooked me on because it took so long to get from Homebush through the traffic.

And going to the game MSA_Benny had to drop me & the Undertaker off with the flags & stuff so we'd get in before the start of the game. The carparks were a NIGHTMARE. P5 is frigging in the next suburb I swear (and paying money for a bus from one carpark to the other is extortion, I reckon)

Would it be right to say that people seem to be more organised & have more time to come to night games in their leisure than on a Sunday game out there?

JF

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Richard Colless in his lunchtime speech on Sunday said that they were greatly concerned that crowds and memberships were down (but he was bang on and said that they would be lucky to get 40,000 there on Sunday). So this was an opportunity to mention that perhaps putting a second team here in Sydney isnt the right time yet. He also said that the Rugby league was suffering as well - when you consider that there were only 6000 at the same ground the night before to watch St George play the Melbourne Storm - no code is having it easy in Sydney at the moment as far as crowds are concerned.

There was a really interesting article in the Sun Herald about how ANZ Stadium will be putting AFL first because of its crowd-pulling capacity. But then it went on to say that Sydney events are often the worst supported in the country, using I think car racing at Eastern Creek as proof of their point.

When your biggest drawing NRL club (Wests Tigers) only draws 16000, you seriously have to worry about the reason why Sydneysiders (except for us ) don't go to live sport regularly.

JF

[Cheer Squad]

There was a really interesting article in the Sun Herald about how ANZ Stadium will be putting AFL first because of its crowd-pulling capacity. But then it went on to say that Sydney events are often the worst supported in the country, using I think car racing at Eastern Creek as proof of their point.

When your biggest drawing NRL club (Wests Tigers) only draws 16000, you seriously have to worry about the reason why Sydneysiders (except for us ) don't go to live sport regularly.

JF

It's an interesting question, isn't it? I think it can be partially explained by the fact that there is no single unifying sporting code in Sydney and never has been. Rugby league has always had a loyal but limited following, mainly restricted to blue collar, working class men and their sons. That never made for big crowds and is a declining demographic. On the other hand, rugby union is very much a private school game and naturally exclusive, so the average person does not feel welcome, hence club rugby has virtually neglible support compared to league. Soccer in Sydney has been dominated for ages by specific ethnic groups, which puts off everyone else. And the AFL (whether it realises this or not) has basically been targeting people who feel they don't fit in with any of the above - "middle Australia"

Throw in mortgage stress, the cost of petrol and the cost of living in general, and that might help explain why Sydney doesn't have the sporting crowd culture seen in the AFL states.

[goswannie14]

It's an interesting question, isn't it? I think it can be partially explained by the fact that there is no single unifying sporting code in Sydney and never has been. Rugby league has always had a loyal but limited following, mainly restricted to blue collar, working class men and their sons. That never made for big crowds and is a declining demographic. On the other hand, rugby union is very much a private school game and naturally exclusive, so the average person does not feel welcome, hence club rugby has virtually neglible support compared to league. Soccer in Sydney has been dominated for ages by specific ethnic groups, which puts off everyone else. And the AFL (whether it realises this or not) has basically been targeting people who feel they don't fit in with any of the above - "middle Australia"

Throw in mortgage stress, the cost of petrol and the cost of living in general, and that might help explain why Sydney doesn't have the sporting crowd culture seen in the AFL states.

I was with you until the last paragraph. That is the same for everyone at the moment. But IIRC AFL crowds, in general, are up on last year.

[Cheer Squad]

I was with you until the last paragraph. That is the same for everyone at the moment. But IIRC AFL crowds, in general, are up on last year.

Here's an interesting article on the struggle rugby league clubs are facing at the moment.

Sydney rugby league clubs facing swift extinction | The Australian

[Cheer Squad]

I was with you until the last paragraph. That is the same for everyone at the moment. But IIRC AFL crowds, in general, are up on last year.

No one does mortgage stress like Sydney

[goswannie14]

Here's an interesting article on the struggle rugby league clubs are facing at the moment.

Sydney rugby league clubs facing swift extinction | The Australian

That coiuld very easily be a story about some Melbourne based AFL clubs.

[Zlatorog]

People, let's be hones. There are too many NRL clubs in Sydney and ditto too many AFL clubs in Melbourne. Many clubs artificially survives on funding from the TV rights that NRL and AFL are getting, but might change in the future as well. Both codes will have to start "even" their competitions in order to atract other parts of the country, which means not only there will be more games played outside both biggest cities, but also a relocation of a few clubs.