The last comparable year for 2022 was 2019, pre-Covid days if you can recall those halcyon days. Attendance figures are up 3% for the Australasian professional competition. There are some expected results and others not so.
Expected: Brisbane would top the chart. With a second club next year in that city, I wonder what impact that will have on the Broncos? Paramatta's nice new stadium has encouraged more to venture out and had some good results in the terraces. The Penrith Panther's even better form got the folks out west getting along to cheer on the boys. North Queensland is another that seemed to benefit from on field exploits.
It was no surprise the NZ Warriors would be adversely affected, having to take most of their 'home' games on the road. Likewise, the West Tigers annus horribilis would invariably dent their numbers. The Newcastle Knight's disappointing season was reflected with fewer derrieres on seats too.
Unexpected: Canterbury's poor run didn't stop a modest increase in attendees. The same applies to the Gold Coast with a 15% increase on some less than stellar performances.
Canberra did start poorly but finished strongly to make the finals but they still recorded a 15% fall. Cronulla's similar percentage drop was a downer. Ground redevelopment meant that the gate was limited to 11,500 but for most games, they still didn't sell out. For a team that played so well, not a good return although weather may have played a part.
No comments:
Post a Comment