NRL advises of rising crowd figures

While revealing a slight drop in television viewing figures, the NRL has advised that the crowd numbers at its 2018 season matches are on the rise.

Releasing numbers from the opening 10 rounds of the season, Rugby League Central advised of research from Futures Sport and Entertainment (FSE), presented to the NRL club chief executives conference, that showed crowds were up 5.5% compared with the same time last year.

Data from FSE, an independent research group, showed:

• NRL crowds are up 5.5% year on year, with an average crowd in 2018 of 16,620
• The cumulative attendance figure after 10 rounds was 1.26 million
• Television ratings for the year are down 0.4% in a declining television market in Australia and up 22% in New Zealand

The meeting of the chief executives also heard that club memberships are up 5.7% to nearly 310,000 so far this year.

NRL Chief Executive, Todd Greenberg said the game is in a strong position heading in the Holden State of Origin series, which is a peak period for the game, advising “our aim is to improve on those figures during the rest of the season.”

Greenberg also advised Qantas, which runs the highly successful Frequent Flyer program, was invited to present to the clubs today to give a further insight on attracting members.

Updates were also provided by working groups on Third Party Agreements and commercial opportunities. 

Image: NRL fans at Brookvale Oval.

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