heres a pom perspective.i do often see huge attendances for afl.WHY?WHY THE @UCK does inferior product get em in?is it marketing?is it mass auto suggestion?im baffled.over here we havd to suffer soccer even the most dull 0-0draw doesnt detract from the massif crowds .incedently the most boring arrogant git of an ozzie i ever met in uk ....was a braindead union bum .

AFL is ingrained in the public much more than RL. There has been a long history of club membership (season tickets) and entire families sign up to be members. Also RL is mostly in a city where they don't have a great tradition of going to live sports games. Some comes down to marketing, some comes down to stadiums, some of it just comes down to Sydneysiders blase attitude to following their team. In non heartland areas RL has a very low profile and so attracts ltd fanbase at the moment. This is mainly due to no FTA coverage and poor marketing/management/media for the sport.

IMO the main reasons why the AFL has bigger crowds are:
1. Good, cheap public transport.
2. Big modern, central stadiums shared by many teams. (Melbourne has 9? AFL teams and onyl two stadiums)
3. They've been pushing memberships for a couple of decades.

The NRL in Sydney is only starting to push memberships and encourage teams to move into central stadiums. Hopefully it starts to pay off sooner rather than later.

Just for an example, I'll compare Brisbane to Sydney. Brisbane has large crowds, it also has a large, modern, central stadium, public transport to the stadium is great and the cost of the bus/train is included in the ticket price. Meanwhile in Sydney most teams play out of small stadiums, getting to the stadiums is an issue and most stadiums are not near PT.

When i went to Cronulla it was no dramas hopping on a train and a free bus to the ground. ANZ is easy to get to as well. SFS isn't too hard. Not been to Brooky, Parra or Penrith so can't comment.

If you've ever tried to get from Dandenong to the MCG you might not think PT in Melbourne is so great! PT to Subi in Perth is great with a train station right next door and trains running from virtually everywhere. Never been to Adelaide so can't comment.

kogarah. wonglonggong 10 mins walk from stations

not now . its a building site

thanks for the answers!interesting it does begger the question why the hell have the powers that be in rl not come up with an idea like 'membership'?i mean its not cutting edge marketing.also to cocede hegemony to afl,certainly in terms of game stewardship.our sport is blighted with d..kheads at the top its almost customary to self implode at the top .this is very similar to uk run by half wits post war who let a magnificent sport fall from grace.tell me someting positive !!is there a visionary in power yet?finally this greatest game deserves.finally who has been your worst and greatest rl ambassadors?(im thinkin more bosses and rl chief's,).tell me theres a deliverer in the making?

Not to mention the small fact that it has existed in the Southern States without any serious competition for over a century. It's the only game in town.

Unlike Rugby league which has had to deal with being one of four football codes in NSW and Qld for it's entire existence, Aussie Rules has had Vic, SA and WA all to itself since it invented the game.

As a spin-off, the media is very much more complimentary to the game than the media is to RL in Sydney or Brisbane.



While I agree that far-flung suburban ovals are an issue - it all comes down to a simple fact: Brisbane has one team. Sydney has 8.5.

No, it's finished - even has grass on the pitch.

FFS fredie... I would have thought that you could spell the names of the areas your team plays in. Especially as you come from the Gong don't you?