Monday Buzz: Take NRL to bush to remove ugly backdrop of empty seats
MONDAY BUZZ: There is nothing worse than watching a rugby league game with 75,000 empty seats and zero atmosphere. PHIL ROTHFIELD has the answer.
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THERE is nothing worse in rugby league than watching a footy game with 75,000 empty seats as a television backdrop and zero atmosphere.
On Thursday night, only 8000 fans turned up at ANZ Stadium for the Bulldogs-Cowboys match.
It was embarrassing to the code, especially when we can switch channels and regularly see 80,000-plus crowds packed into the MCG for an AFL game.
It is bad for the NRL’s brand and a turn-off for sponsors and corporates.
Yet there is an easy way to fix it.
A plan that can revive bush football and save the NRL at the same time from hosting games that have about as much atmosphere as a chess competition.
Imagine playing that same Bulldogs-Cowboys game in Wagga, Tamworth, Coffs Harbour or Orange. Maybe Bathurst, Albury, Dubbo, Mudgee, Mackay or Rockhampton.
I guarantee all of the above towns and their footy venues would sell out.
So instead of Fox Sports bringing 75,000 empty blue seats into our loungerooms, the background would be a wonderful celebration of fans getting a rare glimpse of their footy heroes.
My idea is to take eight games featuring all 16 clubs every year to regional towns.
To hand-pick games in the schedule that we know won’t be well attended at Sydney venues.
Like the Bulldogs-Cowboys game. Or like Canterbury against Brisbane, which got only 7000 in round five at ANZ Stadium, albeit in bad weather.
Any game on the calendar that might struggle to get more than 10,000 fans should go bush.
Make most of them the poorly attended 6pm games on Friday nights.
It would be the best promotion for country rugby league in the history of the game.
One match every three or four weeks when both teams spend a few days in the town beforehand for coaching clinics, school visits and charity fundraisers.
NRL CEO Todd Greenberg has vowed to spend $100 million a year on grassroots development.
Some of that money should go towards the TV production costs of staging these matches in the bush.
At long last the NRL regains full control of its own schedule next year. TV executives will no longer be able to choose the Broncos every Friday night to suit their prime-time Queensland television ratings.
It opens the door for Greenberg and his management team to determine their own draw in which filling venues is as important as television ratings.
We need more special events like the Suncorp Stadium double-header.
Like the Anzac Day blockbusters at Allianz Stadium and in Melbourne.
Plus, a game should be scheduled on the eve of every public holiday like the Thursday before Easter.
Importantly, though, it’s an opportunity to revive the game in the bush and stop clubs from dying.
And that’s a win-win situation for every stakeholder in the game.
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