No room at the stadiums: clubs struggle to seat opposing vie

[Gary_Bakerloo]

No room at the stadiums: clubs struggle to seat opposing views
Michael Chammas
February 22, 2012

THE Wests Tigers will open Leichhardt Oval to Cronulla fans in round one, but the NRL won't force clubs to allocate opposition seating if their membership numbers exceed stadium capacity in future.

Tigers officials agreed yesterday to give both Cronulla and Tigers members first crack at buying the remaining 9000 tickets for the round one Sunday afternoon showdown at Leichhardt Oval.

The Tigers contacted Cronulla yesterday and agreed to put the remaining tickets on sale from 9am tomorrow in a three-hour window.

"But where the Dragons and Tigers differ from most clubs is their multi-venue packages, with separate Kogarah-Wollongong and Leichhardt-Campbelltown memberships offered to the respective fans."

While membership figures aren't high enough to limit an NRL game to home-member-only affairs just yet, it is a prospect facing the Tigers, Dragons, Eels, **Sea Eagles**, Panthers and **Sharks**, as their numbers continue growing towards the capacity of their suburban grounds.

The NRL is tipped to surpass 200,000 club members before the start of the season, but the rapid growth in numbers, already up 10 per cent on last year, is casting a dark cloud over the long-term future of the competition's boutique suburban grounds.

The Tigers' Leichhardt Oval and St George Illawarra's WIN Jubilee Oval are the two grounds most likely to become the first membership-exclusive in the NRL if their memberships continue to increase at the rate they have been.

Cronulla's chairman, Damian Irvine, said it was important opposition members aren't ignored in the future.

''I don't think there should ever be a situation where only the members of home fans get in - absolutely not,'' Irvine said.

''There's not a sport in the world that does that and even Old Trafford, where tickets are sold out months in advance on some occasions, there is still always an allocation for opposition members.

''I'm all for members having first crack, whether that be for finals or a high demand game. But you can't treat members with disdain for a big blockbuster match then expect them to come and support you when it's a quiet, wet night in Penrith or Campbelltown.''

Most clubs in the NRL are up on the number of members registered at the corresponding time last year.

But where the Dragons and Tigers differ from most clubs is their multi-venue packages, with separate Kogarah-Wollongong and Leichhardt-Campbelltown memberships offered to the respective fans.

While Irvine is expecting Sharks fans to purchase a large portion of the members-only tickets available tomorrow morning, he said it would benefit rugby league in future if all clubs designated a section of the ground for supporters of opposition clubs.

''I'm a big advocate for having an away-supporters allocation and area,'' he said.

''I think there is plenty of pluses of having those at all grounds, certainly from an operational point of view it's great for security but more so for atmosphere as well.

''It's certainly something that European football does very well. If you've got a percentage of away supporters, and let's use Leichhardt as an example, it's great to have the Sharks fans all together wherever possible.

''The atmosphere for that is fantastic and makes for good theatre, too.''

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/no-room-at-the-stadiums-clubs-struggle-to-seat-opposing-views-20120221-1tluh.html#ixzz1n3b3yjFF

Manly and Sharks…....please, let's not get carried away here.....

 

[Frazer4Wests]

I disagree with Mr Damian Irvine (Cronulla's chairman).

If a Club is sucessful enough to sell out their suburban grounds to their Members only, then bad luck to all other Non Members.

In My Opinion this situations creates a want for Ticketed Memberships,a "must have attitude" towards ticketed Memberships so to speak,IMO this is a great situation for any Club be it Wests Tigers,St George Illawarra OR EVEN CRONULLA.

In the coming years people may thinK twice about the true value of a ticketed Membership.

Who would want to be left outside a packED Liechhardt on a sunday afternoon?
NOT ME!

 

[pacey]

I disagree with Mr Damian Irvine (Cronulla's chairman).

If a Club is sucessful enough to sell out their suburban grounds to their Members only, then bad luck to all other Non Members.

In My Opinion this situations creates a want for Ticketed Memberships,a "must have attitude" towards ticketed Memberships so to speak,IMO this is a great situation for any Club be it Wests Tigers,St George Illawarra OR EVEN CRONULLA.

In the coming years people may thinK twice about the true value of a ticketed Membership.

Who would want to be left outside a packED Liechhardt on a sunday afternoon?
NOT ME!

Exactly.

 

[Gary_Bakerloo]

I disagree with Mr Damian Irvine (Cronulla's chairman).

Who would want to be left outside a packED Liechhardt on a sunday afternoon?
NOT ME!

Yours truly. I only attend Leichhardt for evening matches.

Facilities at the ground are a disgrace and cannot handle the big crowds on Sunday afternoons.

 

[Gothetigers]

Is it not the job of our clubs board to sell as many tickets to our home games to ensure the financial prosperity our team?
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_Posted using RoarFEED 2012_

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

As a Balmain boy, I love Leichhardt Oval, but our club has a responsibility to be financially viable before entertaining the idea of nostalgia for supporter bases of two clubs that no longer exist.

If it ever gets to the point that LO regularly sells out and hundreds are left without tickets, it's time that we start transferring those games to the SFS.

 

[Jazza]

As a Balmain boy, I love Leichhardt Oval, but our club has a responsibility to be financially viable before entertaining the idea of nostalgia for supporter bases of two clubs that no longer exist.

If it ever gets to the point that LO regularly sells out and hundreds are left without tickets, it's time that we start transferring those games to the SFS.

Thats exactly how I feel CB, although an even better scenario would be upgrade the ground and increase capacity :wink:.

We can't turn supporters away even if they are away fans. No business in the world could do that.

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

As a Balmain boy, I love Leichhardt Oval, but our club has a responsibility to be financially viable before entertaining the idea of nostalgia for supporter bases of two clubs that no longer exist.

If it ever gets to the point that LO regularly sells out and hundreds are left without tickets, it's time that we start transferring those games to the SFS.

Thats exactly how I feel CB, although an even better scenario would be upgrade the ground and increase capacity :wink:.

We can't turn supporters away even if they are away fans. No business in the world could do that.

Exactly Jazza. I want everyone's dollars filling our coffers. Members, casual Tigers fans and away fans… Any money is good to me. The crux of my point is that Wests and Balmain had to merge for the simple reason that neither were viable enough to stay alive in the top league. Sure I like to pay homage to where we came from and LO and CSS accommodates this, but our immediate survival always takes precedence over the past and nostalgia. In the interim I'd always prefer we take financial security over the collective emotions of the old guard.

 

[Jazza]

As a Balmain boy, I love Leichhardt Oval, but our club has a responsibility to be financially viable before entertaining the idea of nostalgia for supporter bases of two clubs that no longer exist.

If it ever gets to the point that LO regularly sells out and hundreds are left without tickets, it's time that we start transferring those games to the SFS.

Thats exactly how I feel CB, although an even better scenario would be upgrade the ground and increase capacity :wink:.

We can't turn supporters away even if they are away fans. No business in the world could do that.

Exactly Jazza. I want everyone's dollars filling our coffers. Members, casual Tigers fans and away fans… Any money is good to me. The crux of my point is that Wests and Balmain had to merge for the simple reason that neither were viable enough to stay alive in the top league. Sure I like to pay homage to where we came from and LO and CSS accommodates this, but our immediate survival always takes precedence over the past and nostalgia. In the interim I'd always prefer we take financial security over the collective emotions of the old guard.

It'd be like Coke not selling their product to people who like Pepsi more.

Clubs struggle to survive even in this day and age, I want what's best for the sport and club that I'm passionate about and of course more money will help ease the tight financial strain that sports organisations face.

If we continue to improve our memberships, more people are going to be at SFS matches and so the atmosphere will be good there anyway.

I know some people hate viewing the club and sport as a business but it really is a business. It's a competitive environment and if competitors such as the AFL continue to grow like they are, the more our sport and our club need to grow as well. Otherwise, and it may take a long time, the AFL will be like Bunnings and we will be like a small independent hardware down he road struggling to survive.

 

[Peaches]

What an awesome problem that would to be. The true home grounds being sold out and filled every week. Hopefully that isn't too far away.