Expansion Is league in western sydney really that strong

[Fitzcray]

There is no denying that rugby league is currently the sport of choice for the majority of people living in western Sydney but like most areas in that city they are easily susceptible to change and sporting loyalties are not as entrenched as they are in the AFL states.

Hence good marketking and development by the AFL should see this 2nd Sydney team take off in a big way. Western Sydney is full of "poor" people who can be easily swayed from what I am told and have read.

I wasn't a fan of second Sydney team to begin with, but after a conversation with a long-time "Westie" from Sydney, league is nowhere near entrenched in that part of the world as it is made out to be. Just look at the average crowds for the western sydney league teams. Parramatta made the prelim final last year and barely averaged 14,000, same with the Bulldogs. These are two perceived powerhouses of league.

Is this a fair summation of the situation in Sydney's west or am I totally off track. There must be something to this if the Swans can attract 60,000 plus crowds out west and dwarf league crowds. Imagine what a team that actually represented the west could acheive.

 

[Dogs Of War]

Have a look at the TV ratings for your answer.

 

[Rob]

Have a look at the TV ratings for your answer.

I didn't know there were Western Sydney-specific TV ratings. Certainly the Sydney TV ratings for rugby league are pretty ordinary compared to football ratings in Melbourne. Even an event like state of origin, the ratings are nowhere near as good in Sydney as they are in Brisbane, and Brisbane supports footy pretty well.

I'm not sure whether your point was to show that Sydney supports rugby league fanatically, but if it was then TV ratings certainly aren't evidence of it.

 

[Fitzcray]

Have a look at the TV ratings for your answer.

How do tv ratings explain anything about the strength of league in western sydney?

 

[diesel and dust]

How do tv ratings explain anything about the strength of league in western sydney?

It was a league troll....so take all comments with a grain of salt


Just keep enjoying the fact that they are fascinated and threatened by Aussie Rules and can't stay away from here

 

[KingsCrow]

We will convert the Brethren from up North.


Far too long have they been under the boring grip of League.

 

[Dogs Of War]

You can dismiss my comments all your want. But what have the swans tv rating in Sydney been like?

And State of Origin TV ratings crap? They were all in the top 10 rating shows for the year in NSW.

 

[Rob]

You can dismiss my comments all your want. But what have the swans tv rating in Sydney been like?

And State of Origin TV ratings crap? They were all in the top 10 rating shows for the year in NSW.

Compared to other cities support for major TV sporting events, yes.

Sydney people are not massive supporters of rugby league in the same way Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth people are of football.

 

[ringleader]

IJust keep enjoying the fact that they are fascinated and threatened by Aussie Rules

You're the one posting about Rugby League on an AFL forum.

 

[Swans_Fan_089]

I live in Western Sydney and i can tell you that soccer is almost, if not as strong here as league is here

An a-league team in west sydney would get massive support so i reckon thats why the afl is putting a team here, to counter an a-league team in the area

 

[Dogs Of War]

Compared to other cities support for major TV sporting events, yes.

Would you care to clarify that? Compared to what other sports? The TV ratings suggest the AFL would be silly to throw lots of money at West Sydney. But at the end of the day, it's the AFL's money to waste. Just hope that it doesn't come at the expense of the teams you support.

 

[diesel and dust]

Sydney people are not massive supporters of rugby league in the same way Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth people are of football.

They are.....As long as it's only in front of a TV not at a ground


In answer to the question at hand,league is far and away the dominant spoting code in sydney (no surprises there)


As for how strong it is in the west...i have no frame of reference to compare it to....



My standard answer would be to agree that the west is rugby league's heartland,but the crowds out west aren't really any better in comparison to the teams in sydney's south,east and north.... so that may be a bit of a fallacy....i'm unsure

i guess the logic comes from the fact that league is a working class sport - west is generally a working class area - ergo must be it's strongest area

 

[KingsCrow]

You can dismiss my comments all your want. But what have the swans tv rating in Sydney been like?

And State of Origin TV ratings crap? They were all in the top 10 rating shows for the year in NSW.

State of Origin will ALWAYS get huge ratings. 30 years time, I am sure it will be just as big. SOO is like the ashes. Its huge, Qld Vs NSW. Its got history and it strikes at the good old state pride heart string.

But league is in decline. With the main telecasts now confined to Fox Sports, the invasion of Soccer, Basketball and AFL into your heartland, the glory days of League are slowly coming to an end.

Gold Coast Blaze, Gold Coast Glaxay, Gold Coast Titans and the Gold Coast Sharks (Most likely) will soon all be operating in the GC region, the Titans short sucess won't last long.

Home Crowds in league are average at best, and with this increased competition I cannot think of any reason why they would rise. Seeing highlight reels of NRL being played at an empty homebush surelly must tell you this? When only weeks before that Sydney got 60,000 for an AFL game?

 

[Dogs Of War]

TV

Channel 9

* Rugby League had three of the top 10 programs nationally in 2007 with the Grand Final taking out second position.
* Rugby League had the top five most watched programs and seven of the top 10 in Sydney (Grand Final was number 1).
* The Grand Final was the 9th most watched program in Melbourne in 2007.
* Rugby League matches and programs accounted for the top 10 most watched programs in Brisbane.
* The Grand Final was the number one rating program in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.
* The match attracted a peak national audience of 2.890 million and averaged 2.389 million across the five capital cities.
* Friday night has become Rugby League night on free to air television. The live match consistently won its timeslot in Sydney and Brisbane with a 32.6% share in both markets, attracting an average audience of 396,000 in Sydney and 254,000 in Brisbane.
* The delayed Friday night match also dominated its timeslot, giving Channel 9 a 34.7% market share in Sydney and 28.8% in Brisbane.
* Sunday football has again proven popular, winning its timeslot in Sydney with a massive 46.7% share and Brisbane with 39.7%.


State of Origin

* Rugby League’s popularity in Melbourne continues to grow with ratings for live Origin I coverage up 59% on last year (2007: 366,000; 2006: 230,000) and ratings for Origin II delayed coverage up more than 100% on last year (2007: 257,000, 2006: 100,000).
* In Brisbane, Origin I ratings were up 19% (2007: 734,000; 2006: 616,000) making it the biggest evening audience share recorded by any Brisbane station for any program in 2007 to that point. Origin II captured 69.3 per cent of the market.
* Sydney also recorded the highest evening share of any station this year with an average audience of 855,000 for Origin I. The Origin III match telecast won the night in Sydney with a 42.4% share.

Thats the stats for a sport in decline. I will get you the TV figures for the Swans in Sydney.

 

[diesel and dust]

You're the one posting about Rugby League on an AFL forum.

Exactly...because league is a great sport....



And i'll keep doing it because i love annoying you idiots who think it's the ONLY sport....


i like poking you zealot trolls with a stick

 

[diesel and dust]

Thats the stats for a sport in decline.

Where is the stat for number of league fans on AFL boards?? lol

 

[Fitzcray]

I live in Western Sydney and i can tell you that soccer is almost, if not as strong here as league is here

An a-league team in west sydney would get massive support so i reckon thats why the afl is putting a team here, to counter an a-league team in the area

There will be a western sydney A league team for sure with such a strong support for soccer in that region.

It seems to me that western sydney is there for the taking for whoever wants it the most.

 

[Valleys FC 4Ever]

* Rugby League matches and programs accounted for the top 10 most watched programs in Brisbane.

 

[Dogs Of War]

Where is the stat for number of league fans on AFL boards?? lol

What I find more amusing is that the combines IQ for the league fans on this board = the combined IQ of the AFL fans on this board.

 

[Rob]

Would you care to clarify that?

I would have thought I was pretty clear. I'll repeat it.

Sydney people are not massive supporters of rugby league in the same way Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth people are of football.

This is borne out in every stat available. Crowds, TV ratings, playing numbers.

Friday night football for instance - rates well in Melbourne, doesn't rate as well in Sydney.

Compared to what other sports? The TV ratings suggest the AFL would be silly to throw lots of money at West Sydney. But at the end of the day, it's the AFL's money to waste. Just hope that it doesn't come at the expense of the teams you support.

Why is that? You think the AFL should be throwing money in areas where the game is ultra strong?
Not much point throwing much money around in Perth, for instance, as both AFL teams have waiting lists for tickets.

 

[diesel and dust]

What I find more amusing is that the combines IQ for the league fans on this board = the combined IQ of the AFL fans on this board.

"The combines IQ" is that an oxymoron??

 

[Dogs Of War]

Sydney people are not massive supporters of rugby league in the same way Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth people are of football.

So will that make them support AFL then? By your reasoning thats a big NO.

Why is that? You think the AFL should be throwing money in areas where the game is ultra strong?
Not much point throwing much money around in Perth, for instance, as both AFL teams have waiting lists for tickets.

Well I would think the AFL would want to introduce a new team in those areas to captalise on the support if a waiting list is there. That suggests you have the market penetration to sustain a new team. But as I said before, it's the AFL throwing the games money away in the belief that everybody will want to jump on the bandwagon. But how long before the wheels fall off. Sydney was never an overnight success, so how long does the AFL prop them up?

As for the AFL figures for swans matches, from what I can see they average around 120K (as a high estimate), which is pretty poor in a city of 5mil. But obviously the AFL see that as meaning that can halve the TV viewing figure and get 60K of them to attend the game instead

 

[Dogs Of War]

"The combines IQ" is that an oxymoron??

S is next to D on the keyboard mate. Manly suck by the way.

 

[ringleader]

It's always amazed me how people from Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne seem to know so much about what's going on in Rugby League in Sydney.

Amazing first because they never watch a Rugby League game.

Amazing second that they can tell you AFL is going gangbusters in Western Sydney yet they've never even been there.

The truth is that nobody in Western Sydney cares for AFL. You're living in a fantasy world if you believe otherwise.

 

[diesel and dust]

S is next to D on the keyboard mate. Manly suck by the way.

I've been told that for years mate...tell me something i don't know


And obviously Eddie Ward agreed with ya in the '95 grand final