If you’ve been following Ladies who League over the last few days, you’ll have noticed we’ve been talking about NRL crowd numbers. We’re not the only ones talking about either – a whole series of articles have appeared in mainstream media asking the same question: why aren’t NRL fans walking through the door?
Here at Ladies Who League we are here to tackle the big issues – crowd attendance is a big one at the moment. However, while it is really easy to identify a problem, it is much harder to identify a solution. So today we’re thinking about what the NRL can do to get more people through the door.
First of all – I feel the the references to the crowds of other sports need to stop. It needs to be recognised that NRL is its own sport and very different to the A-League and the AFL. The comparisons between the AFL and the NRL aren’t useful. As a described in my blog yesterday, Melbourne is a city which lives and breathes AFL while Sydney will never be a city which lives and breathes NRL. The NRL will always be competing with the rugby union, the AFL and the A-league (for part of the season at least).
There have also been a series of comments about the crowds which attend the Western Sydney Wanderers game. For those who have been reading the blog over the last few months, you’ll know that I don’t think these comparisons are fair either. You’ll see what I mean when you read this article:
