• Welcome to the Green and Gold Rugby forums. As you can see we've upgraded the forums to new software. Your old logon details should work, just click the 'Login' button in the top right.

NRC Crowd Watch

Status
Not open for further replies.
Omar Comin'

Omar Comin'

Chilla Wilson (44)
Train Without a Station said:
Really? In what major regions? GC? Nope they got less? Maybe try Geelong?

They've spread to all the major regions. There are no large pockets of fans not catered for.

As we have said to you a million times before, you can't say A League represents all of soccer. Yes there are more soccer fans than rugby fans. I'd wager there are more Super Rugby and Wallabies fans than there are A-LEAGUE fans though.
Click to expand...

My original statement was that soccer had surpassed rugby in popularity in Australia. I simply used the A-League vs Super Rugby as evidence of this. The big events - Wallabies games in rugby, Socceroos plus European club exhibitions more or less cancel each other out. And if you include the other big criteria - participation, then it's not even close.

If you make it Wallabies + Super Rugby vs A-League on its own, and made the criteria "number of people that have some level of interest" than I would agree with you. But that's not a very useful comparison. A lot of people that will watch the Wallabies (or Socceroos for that matter) in a big match are not really genuinely interested in the sport.

The A League will have 12 teams in a couple of years. Probably a 3rd Sydney team (South) and a 2nd Brisbane team (West). Initially these teams will take some fans away from the existing teams, but long term it will create growth in the league - just as the Wanderers have. As for regions that could have a team and average around 5,000, well I would say North Queensland (the Fury averaged around 5,000 in its two seasons), Canberra, Wollongong, Geelong, Hobart and the Gold Coast with better organisation.

Rugby could maybe have a Super Rugby team do okay in Newcastle/Central Coast (I doubt in both). And maybe you could have a 2nd team in Sydney. Don't think there's anywhere else without someone pumping a lot of money into it.
 
Marcelo

Marcelo

Ken Catchpole (46)
Omar Comin' said:
If the team can't exist then it's irrelevant. The A League could have multiple theoretical new teams that would probably average around 5,000. Teams getting around that have failed in the A League in the past.

Do you honestly believe there are more rugby fans in Australia than soccer fans?
Click to expand...

I think there are more Australian rugby supporters than Australian soccer supporters. Most soccer supporters are foreign, European or Latin. That's why they have a strong presence in cities like Melbourne, but among Aussies undoubtedly rugby is more popular than soccer.
 
T

TOCC

Guest
Im sure there is an A-League forum out there for you to discuss A-League crowds, this is about the NRC crowds...
 
Omar Comin'

Omar Comin'

Chilla Wilson (44)
Sorry TOCC, you are right. Things have gone a bit too far on this tangent.

MHCS said:
I think there are more Australian rugby supporters than Australian soccer supporters. Most soccer supporters are foreign, European or Latin. That's why they have a strong presence in cities like Melbourne, but among Aussies undoubtedly rugby is more popular than soccer.
Click to expand...

Don't go down that line. Multiculturalism has certainly assisted in the growth of soccer in Australia and one thing rugby could do a lot better is embrace different communities. You don't see many people from a non anglo or polynesian background playing (or even supporting) rugby in Australia and this needs to change.
 
Marcelo

Marcelo

Ken Catchpole (46)
Omar Comin' said:
Sorry TOCC, you are right. Things have gone a bit too far on this tangent.



Don't go down that line. Multiculturalism has certainly assisted in the growth of soccer in Australia and one thing rugby could do a lot better is embrace different communities. You don't see many people from a non anglo or polynesian background playing (or even supporting) rugby in Australia and this needs to change.
Click to expand...

But that's not the fault of the ARU, it's the same argument between the AFL rules and the Union rules. AFL rules are controlled by Australia, while Union rules are controlled by the IRB, Australia has no say. Soccer fans are everywhere in the world, while rugby supporters are British, French, Polynesians and Commonwealth countries. The influence of rugby in the world is limited, that is no fault of ARU.

Among Aussies, rugby is still more popular than soccer. And Wallabies remain a more important team in world rugby than the Socceroos in world soccer.

Wallabies could win a WC again, they are the fourth best team in the world. While the Socceroos won't win a WC in the next 50 years, they are far from world powers as Brazil, Germany, Italy or Argentina.

That is the great opportunity for rugby in Australia to regain popularity. Wallabies have players to win a WC, the ARU took third place in the WC 2011, although the sport isn't in good health. If Wallabies win a WC again, which isn't impossible, the sport will emerge in Australia. While the Socceroos couldn't even move in their pool of the FIFA WC.

The last WC won by Wallabies was in 1999, 15 years ago, the Rugby World Cup has grown to unthinkable levels, it will be next year's biggest sporting event. Winning the third WC would be a gigantic boost for rugby in Australia

That's the deadly weapon that rugby has against soccer in Australia. Not impossible, Wallabies might win the WC 2015 or 2019.
 
Dumbledore

Dumbledore

Dick Tooth (41)
MHCS said:
I think there are more Australian rugby supporters than Australian soccer supporters. Most soccer supporters are foreign, European or Latin. That's why they have a strong presence in cities like Melbourne, but among Aussies undoubtedly rugby is more popular than soccer.
Click to expand...

Just out of idle curiosity, what's the difference between a foreigner, a European, a Latin American and an Aussie to you?
 
Braveheart81

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
Those Latin soccer fans.

I remember in my year 8 Latin textbook that those citizens of Pompeii couldn't get enough soccer. I think they even played soccer as the ash rained down upon them.
 
Marcelo

Marcelo

Ken Catchpole (46)
Dumbledore said:
Just out of idle curiosity, what's the difference between a foreigner, a European, a Latin American and an Aussie to you?
Click to expand...

The most popular sport among Latins living in USA is soccer, doesn't mean that soccer is more popular than american football in USA.
 
Dctarget

Dctarget

Tim Horan (67)
Yeah MHCS, I see the point you're trying to make, but they're some very insulting sweeping statements. I advise you to shut up or expand your definition of Australian to include the other 24 million people living here.
 
Marcelo

Marcelo

Ken Catchpole (46)
Dumbledore said:
Okay, just so I'm clear, non-whites aren't Aussies? Or is there a bit of wiggle room?
Click to expand...

No, u don't understand me. I say: traditional Aussies, descendants of British, prefer rugby. While new immigrants from other parts of the world, they prefer soccer. Just that, I don't want to generate controversy. ;)
 
Braveheart81

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
I suggest you look at some immigration statistics to see where most of our recent immigrants are coming from.

New Zealand is number one and the UK moves between number two and four.
 
Rugbynutter39

Rugbynutter39

Michael Lynagh (62)
Around probably 700 to 1000.....just need to market this NRC as quality product...any one there or watching on fox would have told you what a great game it was......

Nothing wrong with the product.....just need to work out how to better market it and grow audience/crowds.....

I took another mate to game last night who is NRL fan who also got converted....just imagine everyone doing this over time....bringing others to game etc.....give it time...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top