2021 NON AFL Thread - finance, ratings, participation etc.

[Lip Gallagher]

Do you consider yourself a sports fan ? Do you get out often?

Yeah I get out a bit when on weekend leave for good behaviour, seen lots of AF and Soccer played, lots of Cricket, never, ever! Seen any form of rugby played, we used to play British Bulldog before school back in the day though.

 

[Lip Gallagher]

It's where the game was founded. I'm surprised you didn't know that

I know you don’t I?

 

[Kwality]

Yeah I get out a bit when on weekend leave for good behaviour, seen lots of AF and Soccer played, lots of Cricket, never, ever! Seen any form of rugby played, we used to play British Bulldog before school back in the day though.

staggering ...

 

[NoobPie]

staggering ...

That there are more Aus football teams in London than adult League teams in Melbourne?

Yeah, I guess that is pretty staggering!

 

[Lip Gallagher]

staggering ...

Are you drunk?

 

[Kwality]

Are you drunk?

I'd played most of those sports before I left school.
To have not seen them being played around you as you go about life suggests you aren't at all curious, wouldnt know a Steeden from a Sherrin or a Gilbert, a soccer ball from a basketball, a cricket bat from a hockey stick, a tennis racquet from a squash racket ... yep, I'm staggered ... surely you are kidding?

 

[Aucklander]

I'd played most of those sports before I left school.
To have not seen them being played around you as you go about life suggests you aren't at all curious, wouldnt know a Steeden from a Sherrin or a Gilbert, a soccer ball from a basketball, a cricket bat from a hockey stick, a tennis racquet from a squash racket ... yep, I'm staggered ... surely you are kidding?

You'd have to want to go to see one around here/Melbourne. There are clubs for sure and the game is obviously played, but it's continued to be played in small pockets with very little promotion.

I've only seen one game and that was a game at my son's school. I do check out some of the youtube stuff which is available, but obviously, footy has taken priority in my life.

I'm actually surprised Lip hasn't seen a game considering the amount of time he spends hanging out on Rugby league forums.

 

[Kwality]

You'd have to want to go to see one around here/Melbourne. There are clubs for sure and the game is obviously played, but it's continued to be played in small pockets with very little promotion.

I've only seen one game and that was a game at my son's school. I do check out some of the youtube stuff which is available, but obviously, footy has taken priority in my life.

I'm actually surprised Lip hasn't seen a game considering the amount of time he spends hanging out on Rugby league forums.

Lived out Eltham way for a while & you'd have to be blind to miss the different codes.
American footy, a friends boy wanted to give it a go & I tagged along, it was out Reservoir way.

 

[Gigantor]

Here's something to consider: there are more adult Aus football teams in London than there are adult rugby league teams in Melbourne

Never thought of it that way.
That's probably true, which is something.

 

[Lip Gallagher]

I'd played most of those sports before I left school.
To have not seen them being played around you as you go about life suggests you aren't at all curious, wouldnt know a Steeden from a Sherrin or a Gilbert, a soccer ball from a basketball, a cricket bat from a hockey stick, a tennis racquet from a squash racket ... yep, I'm staggered ... surely you are kidding?

I am not kidding, I grew up close to Eltham (Macleod) and never seen rugby played, I doubt I’m alone on that front, they have a rugby field in Wangaratta but again, never seen a game played there either.

 

[Lip Gallagher]

You'd have to want to go to see one around here/Melbourne. There are clubs for sure and the game is obviously played, but it's continued to be played in small pockets with very little promotion.

I've only seen one game and that was a game at my son's school. I do check out some of the youtube stuff which is available, but obviously, footy has taken priority in my life.

I'm actually surprised Lip hasn't seen a game considering the amount of time he spends hanging out on Rugby league forums.

Someone has to educate our fiends over at LU

 

[The_Wookie]

You'd have to want to go to see one around here/Melbourne. There are clubs for sure and the game is obviously played, but it's continued to be played in small pockets with very little promotion.

I've only seen one game and that was a game at my son's school. I do check out some of the youtube stuff which is available, but obviously, footy has taken priority in my life.

I'm actually surprised Lip hasn't seen a game considering the amount of time he spends hanging out on Rugby league forums.

Might be different now, but I grew up all over Melbourne - Frankston, St Albans, Footscray, Lalor - in the 80s and early 90s and it was footy everywhere. Had to look real hard for rugby fields of any kind, and I cant say i recall seeing any growing up.

Adelaide in the 90s had some very visible rugby clubs -theres a big one down in Brighton where I lived. We played rugby on a very small patch of grass we called an oval in high school in Adelaide - because when we played footy it was literally just a long kick from end to end.

 

[Kwality]

I am not kidding, I grew up close to Eltham (Macleod) and never seen rugby played, I doubt I’m alone on that front, they have a rugby field in Wangaratta but again, never seen a game played there either.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com.au

 

[Lip Gallagher]

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com.au

I’m not saying the game isn’t played in Melbourne mate, just that I’ve never seen it.

 

[Gigantor]

Might be different now, but I grew up all over Melbourne - Frankston, St Albans, Footscray, Lalor - in the 80s and early 90s and it was footy everywhere. Had to look real hard for rugby fields of any kind, and I cant say i recall seeing any growing up.

Adelaide in the 90s had some very visible rugby clubs -theres a big one down in Brighton where I lived. We played rugby on a very small patch of grass we called an oval in high school in Adelaide - because when we played footy it was literally just a long kick from end to end.

Footscray is home to a very old rugby club, might even have been a founding member of the VRU, but not sure it still exists.
To clarify, I'm talking about rugby, not league.
Rugby has been played in Melbourne since the earliest days, but on the other hand, league would be a very, very recent addition.
Of course Australian Football has a very long and continuous history in Sydney, even if, for the most part, it was a small sport for much of that time.

 

[Aucklander]

Someone has to troll our fiends over at LU

Just fixed that for you. Love the new nick btw.

Might be different now, but I grew up all over Melbourne - Frankston, St Albans, Footscray, Lalor - in the 80s and early 90s and it was footy everywhere. Had to look real hard for rugby fields of any kind, and I cant say i recall seeing any growing up.

Adelaide in the 90s had some very visible rugby clubs -theres a big one down in Brighton where I lived. We played rugby on a very small patch of grass we called an oval in high school in Adelaide - because when we played footy it was literally just a long kick from end to end.

We've got one here in Craigieburn, one down by Cross Keys hotel in Essendon, Dallas has one and obviously other areas too these days, it's just the same old story, no support.

 

[Angus Young]

I have spent a lot of time working in Adelaide. I've never actually seen Rugby League played there, although I do know there is a comp. There is a big sign advertising it on Grand Junction Rd right out the front of the Greenacres AFL club...not far from Yatla. I believe the RL club is the Eagles. So Rugby League is possibly growing and gaining support in Adelaide.

 

[kaypee]

Union in Melbourne is a private school thing, particular amongst the Grammar schools. I think Scotch and Melb Grammar have some kind of annual Hogwarts grudge match. League is an islander thing, so tends to be based where those communities are ie. Dandenong/ Altona etc. Touch rugby seems to be widespread.

 

[NoobPie]

So there's a considerable geographic difference between League and Union in Victoria

League has about 12 adult clubs with the closer one to the city in Sunshine and the rest towards or on the outskirts - presumably where the islander populations live. Pretty sure most of these have come about in the last 20 years after League had pretty much petered out . Most have two teams

-5 of these are in the "premier division" with its own separate reserves comp. Of these, three are apparently clustered in the outer west.
-the other 7 play in the second division with two of them having 2 teams running around. So there are 19 men's League teams in Melbourne

Fixtures & Results | NRL Victoria

www.nrlvic.com

Like I pointed out in an earlier thread, there are less teams than there Australian football teams in London. It follows that it is no less strange that a Melbourne resident would have a similar probability to come across a game than a London resident might seeing an AF game going down.

Rugby union has the dewar shield with 8 clubs and there are three grades. Several of these clubs are old and in the inner city

Then there is the premier grade underneath that apparently has 5 teams and a reserves grade their reserves play in as well as another 7 one team clubs. So that makes 41 teams all up. Some of these are uni teams and others like Wydham and Casey are presumably similar to the start of league clubs in servicing kiwi / PI arrivals

 

[BringBackTorps]

The NRL is making significant reductions in the myriad of services & news etc. it (& the 16 NRL clubs) offers on its digital arms- there will also be c. 10 redundancies, initially. This will provide Foxtel & NINE etc. with less competition for publishing NRL news items etc.

This is a very unusual step, since most professional sports in the world are trying to expand their digital assets, & increase their patronage- &, also, most importantly, monetise these assets ie remove the middle men, other broadcasters- so the sport can maximise its own revenues & profits.

Will the NRL's decision deprive it of major revenues & profits in the future- & thus scuttle its chances of fully investing in/protecting its GR etc.; & ability to thwart the current strong progress of AF in NSW, ACT, & Qld.



sportsindustry 6.10.21
https://twitter.com/footyindustryAU

"The National Rugby League has bowed to pressure from its media partners and decided to scale down its digital content arm in a move that is expected to result in several redundancies at the organisation".

NRL scales back digital arm following broadcaster pressure
The National Rugby League’s online website NRL.com will move way from publishing breaking news.
smh.com.au



J. Grant, former ARLC Chairman, said in 2020 that the NRL digital assets had a potential, eyewatering valuation of c. $2b in the future; & has spent c. $150m on its digital assets up to 2020.

It has been reported in recent days in the Daily Telegraph that Foxtel will pay the NRL "up to $100m extra", over 5 years, for the 12 extra games pa Brisbane 2 will provide from 2023; the SMH says it is $ $15m extra pa, for 5 years

Will the NRL eventually regret the downsizing of NRL.com, & club digital assets etc?. The NRL is not prevented from streaming its own games exclusively from 2028.



EDIT:
Four months ago, even the struggling A League decided to spend $30m to expand its digital profile/connect directly with fans.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/bu...s/news-story/a59fbfb09817ee3fd1cf180b3d475563

"The A-League will make a $30m bet on a bold digital strategy designed to win the hearts and minds of soccer fans, as part of what looms as the most crucial off-season in the game’s recent history once Sunday’s grand final is played.

Soccer’s huge spend will form the foundation of what the A-League — now under the club’s Australian Professional Leagues control after decoupling from governing body Football Australia — hopes will arrest a decline in crowd and broadcast numbers amid falling interest in the code in recent years".

 

[Kwality]

The NRL is making significant reductions in the myriad of services & news etc. it (& the 16 NRL clubs) offers on its digital arms- there will also be c. 10 redundancies, initially. This will provide Foxtel & NINE etc. with less competition for NRL news items etc.

This is an unusual step, since most professional sports in the world are trying to expand their digital assets, & increase their patronage- &, also, most importantly, monetise these assets ie remove the middle men, other broadcasters- so the sport can maximise its own revenues & profits.

sportsindustry 6.10
https://twitter.com/footyindustryAU

"The National Rugby League has bowed to pressure from its media partners and decided to scale down its digital content arm in a move that is expected to result in several redundancies at the organisation".

NRL scales back digital arm following broadcaster pressure
The National Rugby League’s online website NRL.com will move way from publishing breaking news.
smh.com.au



J. Grant, former ARLC Chairman, IIRC said c. 4 years ago that the NRL digital assets had a potential valuation of c.$1b in the future.

Will the NRL eventually regret the downsizing of NRL.com, & club digital assets etc.

If the NRL model is as poor as the AFLs, its a poor product.

 

[NoobPie]

The NRL is making significant reductions in the myriad of services & news etc. it (& the 16 NRL clubs) offers on its digital arms- there will also be c. 10 redundancies, initially. This will provide Foxtel & NINE etc. with less competition for NRL news items etc.

This is an unusual step, since most professional sports in the world are trying to expand their digital assets, & increase their patronage- &, also, most importantly, monetise these assets ie remove the middle men, other broadcasters- so the sport can maximise its own revenues & profits.


sportsindustry 6.10
https://twitter.com/footyindustryAU

"The National Rugby League has bowed to pressure from its media partners and decided to scale down its digital content arm in a move that is expected to result in several redundancies at the organisation".

NRL scales back digital arm following broadcaster pressure
The National Rugby League’s online website NRL.com will move way from publishing breaking news.
smh.com.au



J. Grant, former ARLC Chairman, IIRC said c. 4 years ago that the NRL digital assets had a potential, eyewatering valuation of "c.$1b in the future".
It has been reported in the Daily Telegraph that Foxtel will pay the NRL up to $100m extra, over 5 years, for the 12 extra games Brisbane 2 will provide from 2023; the SMH says it is $ $15m extra pa

Will the NRL eventually regret the downsizing of NRL.com, & club digital assets etc?.

Bent over a barrel. I wonder how much the extra foxtel money ties in to this....or whether it relates to negotiations with channel 9? There is also speculation that News ltd were keen on Redcliffe because they were seen as the low risk to the Broncos

Also, presumably to get the clubs across the line you'd think any surplus cash would be going to the them.

Between the pincer of its media masters and clubs, the NRL has not capacity to do long term strategy in the games interests

 

[Cmarsh]

I'm a little surprised the imminent announcement of the 17th NRL club isnt being discussed more in this thread.

 

[NoobPie]

I'm a little surprised the imminent announcement of the 17th NRL club isnt being discussed more in this thread.

There's been a bit

It seems the mail is that Redcliffe will get the gig and that could well be News Limited's preference as it is more niche than the other two in southern and western corridors.

 

[Cmarsh]

There's been a bit

It seems the mail is that Redcliffe will get the gig and that could well be News Limited's preference as it is more niche than the other two in southern and western corridors.

I see in some circles they are being thought of as a Sunshine coast team but geographically Redclffe seems to be closer to Brisbane's Northern suburbs.