NRL 2023 Health Check figures: Ratings, attendance, social media figures reveal most popular clubs

An analysis of membership, TV ratings, crowd figures and social media numbers show there are enormous challenges for the nine Sydney based clubs - with three exceptions.

Canterbury is the sleeping giant of the competition.

Their NRL rivals hope that Canterbury let sleeping dogs lie, for fear of awakening a giant.

And here are the stats to justify their concerns.

The Bulldogs have been a rabble for the better part of a decade.

No finals appearances since 2017, in a period where they collected a wooden spoon, haven’t finished better than 11th place, have won just 37 of their 132 games and averaged just six wins per season.

As coach Cameron Ciraldo attempts to rebuild the club, they are also in the midst of one of the top three worst seasons defensively in the their proud history, dating back to 1935.

Off the field has been a similar story.

Six coaches in seven years, broken pathways, questionable recruitment and retention, board infighting and needing massive leagues club grants to bail them out of trouble.

However, the Bulldogs remain hugely popular with a strong supporter base behind them.

Despite languishing in 15th place with just seven wins this season, Canterbury are second in Sydney for average home crowds (18,824) and fourth for memberships (21,571).

Playing the majority of their home games out of the 80,000-seat Accor Stadium provides the Bulldogs with commercial opportunities that clubs who play out of smaller suburban grounds.

BIG DOGS BACKYARD

Canterbury’s social media reach is huge.

Across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter, they are the fifth-most popular club in the NRL with 853,394 followers, second in Sydney only to South Sydney (1,210,658).

That gives them a greater following than western Sydney powerhouses Parramatta (817,939) and Penrith (784,821).

Due to their struggles for success, they’ve featured in just five free-to-air games this season, which has ranked 14th in TV viewership.

If Ciraldo and Bulldogs general manager of football Phil Gould can turn around their on-field performances, they could become an absolute powerhouse of the competition.

CROWDED HOUSE

The Sydney Roosters, despite their on-field struggles this season, are reaping the benefits of the new $828 million, 45,500-seat Allianz Stadium.

Trent Robinson’s men can lay claim to Sydney’s highest crowds with an average home attendance of 22,657, helped by blockbuster Round 3 match against South Sydney (36,639) and the traditional Anzac Day fixture against St George Illawarra (40,191). Often mocked for supposedly not having fans, their 2023 numbers are second only to Brisbane (33,322) and more than city rivals Canterbury (18,824), Penrith (18,153), Parramatta (17,767) and South Sydney (16,261).

THE PREMIERS

Penrith are an intriguing case that points to a loyal, albeit not massive, supporter base. They sit atop of merchandise sales following three straight grand finals and back-to-back premierships. They are also third in TV viewership.

However, their premiership success hasn’t led to an avalanche of support.

The Panthers have 22,000 members, which is only 2000 more than they had in the 2019 season.

In comparison, the team they beat in last year’s grand final, Parramatta, have boosted their membership by almost 10,000 from the pre-Covid season in 2019 (25,258 to 34,848), an increase of 27 per cent.

Penrith are ninth for attendance with an average crowd of 18,153 filling their 22,500-capacity BlueBet Stadium for home games. That is expected to rise substantially in 2026 when their new 30,000-seat stadium is completed.

2023 NRL membership figures.

THE NEGATIVE

The problem for the NRL is that there is such a divide between the top and the bottom clubs.

Cronulla have the lowest average crowds (10,950) because Shark Park can hold only 12,000 fans.

The outdated facilities affect ticket sales, membership numbers and corporate support.

The Gold Coast Titans are also struggling in key areas. They are 11th for social media followers, 16th in TV ratings and membership, and last in merchandise sales.

The analysis also reflects badly on St George Illawarra, who have the least members of all Sydney clubs (19,655) and the second-lowest average crowds (12,394) of all 17 clubs.

Once a giant of the game, the Dragons are now 12th placed for TV viewership.The study also shows Manly has work to do in fan engagement, with only 502,000 followers across all platforms - the lowest of the established clubs and only ahead of newcomers the Dolphins (349,943).

The Sea Eagles are 13th in memberships (16,332) and 14th in home crowds, with an average attendance of 13,214 at their 18,000-person capacity Brookvale Oval.

The Roosters have the highest home crowd average of any Sydney club up until round 22. NRL Imagery

THE VERDICT

The analysis shows it is such an uneven playing field.

There are enormous challenges for the nine Sydney based clubs, although western Sydney powerhouses Penrith and Parramatta are in great shape.

It helps that Penrith in 2026 will play out of a new stadium, the Eels have CommBank and the Roosters are locked in at Allianz Stadium.

You wonder about the long-term viability of the smaller clubs playing out of suburban grounds – and the fight to survive and compete with the likes of the Broncos.

Not next year or the year after – but 20 years down the track.

Originally published as NRL 2023 Health Check figures: Ratings, attendance, social media figures reveal most popular clubs