Scotty Donaldson looks at why people do and don't show up to watch Super Rugby 2011 matches.
The dwindling crowd numbers at some Super Rugby
venues is disturbing and it is difficult to know how to remedy the situation.
There are plenty of factors that determine crowd size across 15 Super Rugby
unions which range from Twickenham to Timaru this season. South Africa gets the
biggest crowds with up to around 50,000 for local derbies at Loftus, while
48,000 watched the Reds vs Crusaders. Some teams in New Zealand especially the
Highlanders and Hurricanes are getting crowds of 5,000 people for some games.
But why are people not attending rugby any more in some areas?
1) Successful teams - People will show up if their
team is playing well and winning. Nobody wants to pay money to watch their team
lose. The better teams draw large crowds where-ever they play, with teams like
the Crusaders drawing crowds at home, away and neutral games this season.
2) There are too many matches - There are 18
rounds of games in the Super Rugby 2011 competition, this creates not only
player fatigue where teams can't play well throughout the entire competition,
but also fan fatigue as fans get sick of a tired product eventually. Teams have
about eight home games. Matches are no longer as memorable because everyone
knows that there will be another match the following week and teams in the same
conference play each other twice anyway.
3) Limited finances - Fans only have a certain
amount of money to spend on attending matches and there is so much competition
in the entertainment industry these days. The economic recession hasn't helped
and neither has Rugby World Cup 2011 which means that rugby fans have had to
spend large amounts of money to buy rugby tickets this season. This affects New
Zealanders the most.
4) Pay television sponsorship/ bad conditions -
because pay television like SKY Television pays for the competition, it is
hardly surprising that crowds are poor in some places. Thanks to SKY Television
heavily promoting their Super Rugby coverage, it makes it too easy for people to
stay at home and watch it. It is too easy to get live coverage without the
hassle of paying for tickets and heading to the game. This definitely affects
teams from the colder climates like the Hurricanes and the Highlanders. Because
SKY television pays the players and teams, they also want to play games when it
is going to get a good television audience. In New Zealand the teams hardly ever
play day games, yet that is when conditions are most conducive to attractive
running rugby which New Zealand usually plays so well. The night time games turn
into boring mistake riddled snoozefests because of dew and wet conditions. Why
doesn't another company pay for Super Rugby, making television coverage only
live in the place where the game is played, if the match is sold out? They do
that in Australia with the cricket.
5) Lack of belonging to Super Rugby teams - The
professionalism of Super Rugby and the lack of loyalties as players move between
teams for the money, means that there is a lack of belonging for players and
fans. The regionalisation of teams in some countries mean that there can also be
a divide between the main franchise partner and the others. That is why the
Highlanders took a match to the Hurricanes area and got major support. Most fans
I know prefer the ITM Cup national provincial championship and the All Blacks,
over Super Rugby.
6) Local derbies - There is nothing like a local
derby to get interest, although playing them twice a season takes it out of
players because they are usually more physical. I wonder if the novelty of play
each other so often will also wear out after a while? Anyway, so far they have
really boosted interest and got people along to watch. Unfortunately, the lower
placed teams from overseas don't draw crowds. In New Zealand, teams like the
Force and Lions struggle to pull the punters.
7) Population - there are less people in New
Zealand. The Highlanders franchise has around 200,000 people, while other
franchises like in South Africa have millions. It is a strain on Dunedin
population 120,000 to get more than 10 percent of the population regularly.
There are also parts of Australia like Canberra, Perth and Melbourne where rugby
isn't really followed much or played. Sometimes going to smaller places that
don't usually get games can be good for a one off match, but when that is your
main ground, then it is no wonder that some teams struggle.
8) The Christchurch earthquake - The devastating
earthquake means that the Crusaders play their home games in small cities with
limited capacity. It is crazy this weekend seeing the Crusaders host the Blues
in Timaru, population around 25,000. It is a massive match and would probably
draw a crowd bigger than Timaru city if it was hosted somewhere larger.
9) The teams aren't full strength - the mounting
injury toll of playing in such a long competition, not only means that there are
injuries, but also players must get rested so they can play in the Rugby World
Cup. It seems stupid to extend the competition in Rugby World Cup year. Teams
can't be in top form every week for the entire competition either. This is in
conjunction with the top point.
10) People just aren't into rugby - people work on
weekends these days and just aren't into rugby as much. With so many other
options for lifestyle choices and activities it is difficult getting people
along to the game. I used to attend about half the home games, but I only attend
about one or two Super Rugby matches per season now. The next generation of die
hard rugby fanatics aren't around. They are going to concerts, cafes and night
clubs among other things. The funny thing is that people in the small centres
are into the traditional rugby culture, yet most matches are played in the
larger centres where there are more other things to do.
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