Crowd Tonight

[DSM5]

I was expecting more, especially Goon fans, but BK and Peter C said it all. I drive from Newtown picking up mates from the CBD, and it's pretty bad getting through the city and across the bridge during peak.

 

[Darren]

Where's the local North shore crew? 11k total is pretty shocking for premiers. It was a popular Sydney team as opposition as well. Another big dollar loss I'd say for Penn.
Shame for Perry, he is bringing in the big dollar sponsors but he can't bring in people to watch this team. I keep hearing locals won't travel but they don't seem to be travelling to Brookie! Why? Maybe all the fans have moved out and the Kirsch clan is everywhere lol

 

[Phantar]

What North shore (sic) crew? It's the Northern Beaches.

 

[Cameron]

Where's the local North shore crew? 11k total is pretty shocking for premiers. It was a popular Sydney team as opposition as well. Another big dollar loss I'd say for Penn.
Shame for Perry, he is bringing in the big dollar sponsors but he can't bring in people to watch this team. I keep hearing locals won't travel but they don't seem to be travelling to Brookie! Why? Maybe all the fans have moved out and the Kirsch clan is everywhere lol

Ok Darren I'll bite two questions
1) do you even know what the breakeven is at brookvale in terms of crowd numbers?
2) Scott penn isn't the only owner so why do you persist in saying losses for him?

We have all heard of sleepless in Seattle well you are this forums version of clueless in Wollongong

 

[Darren]

I did read 16k to break even and yes, Penn, Quantum and the cash cow Leagues club are the owners. It just seems like Penn. Cam, we have to stop making excuses for these pathetic gates for the best team in the NRL.

This is the Steelers all over again, 11,12 k crowds and funnily they all whinge down here after they went. I saw it and it ripped the heart out of our area. Alot of people down here still hate the Dragons. Why do you think there is a push to play more games at Kogarah?

I do agree that staying at Brookie is our best bet but these low crowds would be making it hard for the owners to see it as long term. I don't blame the owners taking guaranteed gates. At 11k, it's not like lots of people are going anyway.

 

[Technical Coach]

I recall reading during the bad years of the late 90's early 2000 that approx 50% of the fan base at home games came from outside the local area.(that is a high number)

I never attend Friday night games too much of a rush after work and a long travel time---if we are playing the Storm i will make the effort as i admire Bellamy's coaching. It's beautiful to watch the chess match being played out when we play the Storm---both teams knows each other inside out and have both improved their playing structures as a result of this.

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I did read 16k to break even and yes, Penn, Quantum and the cash cow Leagues club are the owners. It just seems like Penn. Cam, we have to stop making excuses for these pathetic gates for the best team in the NRL.

This is the Steelers all over again, 11,12 k crowds and funnily they all whinge down here after they went. I saw it and it ripped the heart out of our area. Alot of people down here still hate the Dragons. Why do you think there is a push to play more games at Kogarah?

I do agree that staying at Brookie is our best bet but these low crowds would be making it hard for the owners to see it as long term. I don't blame the owners taking guaranteed gates. At 11k, it's not like lots of people are going anyway.

You will get a bigger reduction in the crowd numers if the facilities are not up to par during cold nights and rain add to that the Origin period it was a no brainer the crowd would be poor.

It was always going to be a struggle to get 15,000 during this period of the season even on a dry night especially in Manly for Friday Night Football due to the travel times.

This was not a blockbuster as both teams are not really performing are mid table and many players out---an extra 2000 would have turned out if it was dry not much more.

Wish the Monday night game against the Storm was on the long weekend.

 

[Shoe1]

I was there with 3 mates. On day games we each bring our wives and 3 kids. So our crew were missing 16 people due to the game being at night. This will likely change once the families get older.

 

[Darren]

Technical Coach, I still believe a high level of fans are not from the area. The people I talk to are from Western suburbs, Penrith, South west, Coast and Gong. Maybe it's the rah rah set that is entrenched in the beaches. If you take out 5k of fans travelling (us and Saints) it leaves probably 6-7k local. That's horrendous and indicates the local community ain't supporting their local team.
Why?? I wish I lived 5 mins from the ground. I have done 4-5 hour round trips since 14 (28 years of it) Look at our roster, Brett, Jamie, Matai, Wolfie, Foran, DCE, T-Rex, Glenn, Choc, Rose etc all stars and great guys to watch every week. The year we go bad is going to be a shocker.

 

[Duff]

If you take the locals out of it, all you have is the travellers.

If we don't play at brookie, all you will get is the die hards.

Darren, maybe you talk to thousands of people who come from outside of the beaches to support manly but those 3000 aren't a crowd. The other 8000 there in that substandard crowd were locals.
If you think we can pull a crowd away from brookie, you're deluded.

 

[Jono]

Technical Coach, I still believe a high level of fans are not from the area. The people I talk to are from Western suburbs, Penrith, South west, Coast and Gong. Maybe it's the rah rah set that is entrenched in the beaches. If you take out 5k of fans travelling (us and Saints) it leaves probably 6-7k local. That's horrendous and indicates the local community ain't supporting their local team.
Why?? I wish I lived 5 mins from the ground. I have done 4-5 hour round trips since 14 (28 years of it) Look at our roster, Brett, Jamie, Matai, Wolfie, Foran, DCE, T-Rex, Glenn, Choc, Rose etc all stars and great guys to watch every week. The year we go bad is going to be a shocker.

Darren, don't forget that most people that live on the Northern Beaches also work OUTSIDE the Northern Beaches on a Friday. Add to that the weather. It didn't help. We would have had even less if it was today due to the rain.

We play a game at SFS on a Friday night and we get the same crowd because the ones that work on the Northern Beaches can't get to the game. That's just the way it is on Friday nights. We just have to live with that. Mondays are worse because you have 45 less minutes to get to the ground.

I work on the Northern Beaches and had a shift until 6pm last night. I didn't even get my usual pre-game drink at the Leagues by the time I got there. I had to go straight to the ground. Imagine what would happen to me on a Monday? I get there literally as the game starts. People that travel from the City go through much worse.

My last point is this: Manly's support isn't just on the Northern Beaches. We have a HUGE supporter base in Brisbane, in New Zealand, as well as out West and in the country. Not all of these people can get to the game either. In addition, no one from the North Shore likes us, and not everyone on the Northern Beaches is a Rugby League fan. Add all of this, plus the weather, plus the transport/peak hour traffic, plus the numbers that only go to 3 games a week because they can't afford 12 games, plus the family members that can't go on a Friday night (as mentioned before by someone), plus the people that have prior arrangements and aren't as hardcore as others, we were lucky to get that crowd number.

If it was a clear day then clear going into the night I probably would have been disappointed. However, considering the circumstances, I am not in this case.

 

[Darren]

Some great discussion and points guys! Another question is: If we can't get fans to Brookie on a Friday night because of work/traffic etc and vice versa at SFS wouldn't it be a smarter move to play somewhere where you get a guaranteed grant on that night if most people are watching it on tv?
Losing money week after week and not doing anything seems silly. It's abit like your bank charging you 10 bucks each week for your account while you know another account has no fees and you leaving your money in the expensive account?

You can see why the owners look to move more games though. We all want Brookie games but can't get many to go.

 

[The Who]

Some great discussion and points guys! Another question is: If we can't get fans to Brookie on a Friday night because of work/traffic etc and vice versa at SFS wouldn't it be a smarter move to play somewhere where you get a guaranteed grant on that night if most people are watching it on tv?
Losing money week after week and not doing anything seems silly. It's abit like your bank charging you 10 bucks each week for your account while you know another account has no fees and you leaving your money in the expensive account?

You can see why the owners look to move more games though. We all want Brookie games but can't get many to go.

Aren'y you aware of our record at Brookie? It is an intimidating venue to play, unlike the large stadiums. Empty seats don't barrack!
Without our home record we wouldn't have made the semis nearly as regularly. Having a winning team is worth much more money to the club than a nomad club with no spiritual home.