Most honest quote I've read

[The Who]

Souffs' Chief Executive Shane Richardson is quoted in today's Australian Newspaper as saying: "I don't care about the crowd numbers. I care about the yield...."

So there we have confirmation, we fans who pay money to attend matches are not important; it's all about squeezing a dollar from the stadium owners.

Thanks Fat Shane. We now know how little you care about the heart and soul of the sport. As long as your club has the money to keep you in meat pies then you are happy.

 

[HappilyManly]

Manly is singing the same tune

Just got a confirmation email from Manly that - during Members Round, a home game against a Top 4 Contender does not warrant a Supporters Bus.
The request was seen as 'diluting the product that no one asked for - the night ferry' - we should all be paying $145 for a booze cruise :huh:

The amazing thing is that this attitude by the Administrators of the Clubs/NRL is actually directly correlated to attendances/Membership Numbers. But Sponsors only do so to get we, the Members, to lean towards their product as Consumers.

I said before that I see the NRL Games becoming Sheffield Shield like.
With more and more close ups of the Players to detract from the empty seats

Progress it ain't - time to retire for me too, after 2014

Let the Suited Ones have their product!

 

[ManlyArmy]

The request was seen as 'diluting the product that no one asked for - the night ferry' - we should all be paying $145 for a booze cruise :huh:

Not everyone hates the ferry option. Already nearly 100 people booked on it. Usually we barely get 20 for the bus.

 

[HappilyManly]

I never said that anyone hates it, I am saying that the cost is 500% mark up from a Bus, is a ridiculous option :dodgy:

BTW most people who used to use the Bus have given up asking for it, hence the low numbers. No advertising of it have now achieved Manly's objective

 

[The Who]

I sincerely hope the Manly club puts fans as a priority. I think it does, and I will continue to support it by taking out a yearly membership and sitting on the Hill - even during a rain squall. Of course I understand the imperative to make the club profitable. But there is a balance. Currently taking a couple games from Brookie to a 'foreign' venue is as far as I'd like to see this balance tipped.
Let's not turn watching Manly into a TV experience only.

 

[mickqld]

It's becoming more and more frustrating watching NRL on TV because you see every poor ref decision. At least watching at the ground you miss a few of the rediculous decisions and it isn't anywhere near as frustrating.

 

[ALinda]

Manly is singing the same tune

Just got a confirmation email from Manly that - during Members Round, a home game against a Top 4 Contender does not warrant a Supporters Bus.
The request was seen as 'diluting the product that no one asked for - the night ferry' - we should all be paying $145 for a booze cruise :huh:

Let the Suited Ones have their product!

I'm with you HM. So those of us who can't afford $145 can go to hell and never mind that we might want to actually be there to support our beloved team.

As a female, there is no way I'm going on public transport on my own and security is a major reason I like to use the supporters bus.

This is an outrage and smacks of (for want of a better word) eliticism

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

It's becoming more and more frustrating watching NRL on TV because you see every poor ref decision. At least watching at the ground you miss a few of the rediculous decisions and it isn't anywhere near as frustrating.

You are right there, you do miss a bit at the games (no replays and no commentators in your ears...unless you have sports ears or a radio).

As I wrote on another thread I am getting more disillusioned about the game in general, I think there's an "agenda" to even games up, and don't the NRL just love the come from behind victories (ring any bells with you???)

My wife reckons I am such a pain in the bum to watch a Manly TV game that she goes upstairs to watch elsewhere, now that's showing you how frustrated I get!!

---

Manly is singing the same tune

I think you find they all are HM, its now all about dollars, yield, revenue...and to be fair it is a privately owned company now so I suppose that's understandable.

Its why I imagine Penn wants to go to the SFS, more corporate boxes, better corporate entertainment facilities and clearly more money......the $17 you pay per game on a members ticket is nada compared to the corporate getting entertained and having Beaver talk for $330.

Don't blame Dave Perry, he's been given a job to do "turn this into a profit"

 

[Killer03]

We need to applause the honesty of Richardson there, if not the sentiment. Sadly this is how Rugby League is going, however I find this view very short sighted. TV viewing is significantly enhanced by watching games that have large vocal crowds, and what about the players? If they start playing to empty stadiums that reduces the atmosphere for them which I believe will have a negative impact on the intensity.

I think this is why SOO comes across so well. Full crowds...passionate....players fired up.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Ever watched a Cricket game or AFL game at the Gabba???

They have all those coloured seats and its hard to tell (on TV) if they are full of people or not.....very smart system.

Off topic (sort of) when I was working my business partner did the Horse Racing Tour side of the business, if any of you follow the Gee Gees you have bound to have heard an advertisement , well we are having lunch one day with a Sky Racing senior official who said for them the ultimate is,

One single racecourse, with a straight run (easier to set up for viewing), in fact two or three of these to allow for the track being chopped up.

Races going every 5 minutes, starting about 10.00am and running every day, all day to dark.

NO fans, no facilities for people, just use a virtual crowd and virtual crowd noise.

No staff, OH & S issues, no licensing issues, nothing....staff would be limited to production staff and the small number of officials need to run the races.

No having to set up and pull down and move to another course the production facilities, they become a permanent feature.

He said the money they would make out of that would be massive.

Now clearly that's never happened, and possibly never will BUT don't be at all surprised if at some stage in the future the game goes this way, ALL for TV viewing and pay TV

 

[mickqld]

My wife hides the kids & the cat when I'm watching a Manly game. I tried to vow not to yell & swear at games this year and it was going well up to halftime. Then the pink clowns blew that theory in the 2nd half.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Jeez if I had a cat the bastard would be dead by now, smashed against the TV

 

[The Who]

My wife attended the grand final with me and my son and will now never go to another match. Strange, I though all our comments were valid. It's a humbling experience when your team loses after you've given it to the opposition fans all around you and have to push past them on the way out.

 

[COMMANDER]

Try $250 for a nosebleed seat at Origin 1 or 3 @ Suncorp this year.

That smacks of arrogance.

 

[simon64]

Anyone who was at the Liverpool game at the MCG will have a fairly good appreciation of the importance of atmosphere.

Say what you will about soccer. But 100,000 singing "You'll never walk alone"......unforgettable.

It's what makes Brookie the best ground in the NRL.