Swans in Sydney v Storm in Melbourne.

[Walshawk]

But it counts the Swabs significant Victorian membership

They still have more members in Sydney than any NRL club does. And significantly higher crowds.

 

[Tackle Bag]

No. The whole point is comparing how big the Storm are in Melbourne (11th biggest football club) compared to how big the Swans are in Sydney (arguably the biggest football club, certainly right up there).

I’d argue the Storm are bigger than North

 

[mikey127]

They still have more members in Sydney than any NRL club does. And significantly higher crowds.

I don't disagree but there are other measures. NRL is more of a TV sport and AFL is more of an attendance sport.

I also reckon you here a lot more Storm content on SEN Melbourne than Swans on SEN Sydney

 

[Bjo187]

The only thing storm have over the swans is the local media aren't continually running them into the ground and bagging the sport like the Sydney media do to the AFL and swans, it's pretty pathetic really.

 

[Walshawk]

I don't disagree but there are other measures. NRL is more of a TV sport and AFL is more of an attendance sport.

I also reckon you here a lot more Storm content on SEN Melbourne than Swans on SEN Sydney

Now that is a reflection of the difference between the media in those two cities. Still, Storm get minimal coverage as well.

 

[Angak]

Just wondering which club has the bigger impact on there city.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I feel in Sydney there are Swans fans abd then there are rugby league fans and few who strongly follow both.

In Melbourne I feel that there are a lot more people who are AFL fans but follow the Storm. When there is a double header between footy at the G and Storm at AAMI Park there are always plenty of people doing the double.

NRL fans have a inferiority complex when it comes to AFL.

AFL fans are happy to embrace the Storm. Partly because we don't see them as a threat. Whereas NRL fans see Sydney/AFL as a threat.

 

[mikey127]

NRL fans have a inferiority complex when it comes to AFL.

AFL fans are happy to embrace the Storm. Partly because we don't see them as a threat. Whereas NRL fans see Sydney/AFL as a threat.

Think that is a good point if you talk about Sydney NRL fans. Brisbane is different. Plenty that follow both Lions and Broncos

 

[mikey127]

Now that is a reflection of the difference between the media in those two cities. Still, Storm get minimal coverage as well.

Storn get a decent run in the Melbourne media

 

[Mitchell Madness]

Oh please pigs fly too…the players didn’t know…yes signing contracts over and over again they didn’t know. They were barely punished and lost hardly any players and we all know why- they needed a successful Melbourne for it to even be a chance to be successful.

Nrl clubs have their players "working" at their leagues clubs for a very healthy sum. In sure it's all legitimate and they work 150 hrs a week at 120 an hr
Storms stupidity was they forgot to funnel the money into the pokies first

As for the thread. Melbourne embraced the storm as their second team but the feeling I got from nsw until recently was the swans were for the people who didn't like rugby league. They were a hipster club for the inner east

 

[Ticky009]

Bit of a tale of 2 states. A lot in Queensland and seem to be everyone's second team.

Only a small amount in Sydney and Syorm are hated there including by the media.

Def remember those days before apps etc. Would get asked heaps of times how we went walking past the G.

I also feel from a media prospective Storm are well respected by the Melbourne media. Swnas are to a degree but some in the Sydney media see them as a threat but Sydney media are very strange.

Media coverage in Sydney is complete bollocks. Due to Murdoch & Nine not wanting to damage their NRL earning and a cost cutting measure which means they use the AFL Media in Vic to generate from if not all ALF Swans stories.

Drives me nuts.

 

[Ticky009]

Nrl clubs have their players "working" at their leagues clubs for a very healthy sum. In sure it's all legitimate and they work 150 hrs a week at 120 an hr
Storms stupidity was they forgot to funnel the money into the pokies first

As for the thread. Melbourne embraced the storm as their second team but the feeling I got from nsw until recently was the swans were for the people who didn't like rugby league. They were a hipster club for the inner east

Wrong. There's a stack of Swans supports spread out all over Sydney, and fairly large number in the Hills district which is as far from the inner east as you can get. It's why the club & the fans seriously hate that rubbish 'Battle of the Bridge' moniker Sheeds cooked up. Swans fans in particular loath it.

 

[RUNVS]

Wrong. There's a stack of Swans supports spread out all over Sydney, and fairly large number in the Hills district which is as far from the inner east as you can get. It's why the club & the fans seriously hate that rubbish 'Battle of the Bridge' moniker Sheeds cooked up. Swans fans in particular loath it.

Yep, not even entirely sure what bridge they are referring too.

 

[Ticky009]

Yep, not even entirely sure what bridge they are referring too.

It was tHe ANZAC bridge. He'd had have better luck using the Red Rooster divide, could have grabbed a new sponsor

 

[mikey127]

Media coverage in Sydney is complete bollocks. Due to Murdoch & Nine not wanting to damage their NRL earning and a cost cutting measure which means they use the AFL Media in Vic to generate from if not all ALF Swans stories.

Drives me nuts.

SEN Sydney is not Murdoch or 9 owned and gives the Swans far less then SEN Melbourne give Storm

 

[Ticky009]

SEN Sydney is not Murdoch or 9 owned and gives the Swans far less then SEN Melbourne give Storm

Which really fracking annoying. I'd 100% tune into it more if actually covered NSW AFL in depth with the respect it deserves.

 

[Bjo187]

Which really fracking annoying. I'd 100% tune into it more if actually covered NSW AFL in depth with the respect it deserves.

Email hutchie or message him on questions to the sounding board facebook page. The bloke is meant to be a footy person and intentionally keeps any AFL content off the Sydney airwaves. I emailed him once about it, but the more the merrier.

 

[master bate]

Nrl clubs have their players "working" at their leagues clubs for a very healthy sum. In sure it's all legitimate and they work 150 hrs a week at 120 an hr
Storms stupidity was they forgot to funnel the money into the pokies first

As for the thread. Melbourne embraced the storm as their second team but the feeling I got from nsw until recently was the swans were for the people who didn't like rugby league. They were a hipster club for the inner east

The Storm have a fairly strong Pacific Islander following who wouldn't know what a Sherrin was if it landed on them. Similarly they have a significant portion of fans who grew up with footy but love to tell you how soft it is these days and how the game has gone to rubbish (despite the NRL attempting the same measures to promote scoring and minimise head injuries as footy).

And there's no doubt the AFL try to market footy in Sydney as family friendly and the classier option. They want the corporates and they want the soccer mums.

But you can't generalise fans too much.

I'm not surprised with how successful they are that the Swans have managed to capture some interest in Sydney. But I am surprised by how strong their crowds have been given the general difficulties with drawing crowds to sporting events in Sydney.

 

[TheEscapeClub]

Does anyone know what sort of financial assistance the NRL provide to the Storm? The VFL / AFL have significantly propped the Swans up since their move north.


I like the Storm and follow them but I have never been to one of their games live, maybe I might go to one this year now that I live closer to Melbourne and public transport. I don't think it would take too many poor seasons for their support to drop right off and for them to be in trouble. How much is their existence worth to the NRL is what matters in the end.

I remember the bad days of the early 90s for the Swans, they were truly one of the most putrid teams from a performance point of view since I've been following the game, I lump them in with the very worst in that time, Melbourne in the late 70s and early 80s and a couple of different periods of St Kilda and of course Fitzroy just before their demise.

 

[mikey127]

Does anyone know what sort of financial assistance the NRL provide to the Storm? The VFL / AFL have significantly propped the Swans up since their move north.


I like the Storm and follow them but I have never been to one of their games live, maybe I might go to one this year now that I live closer to Melbourne and public transport. I don't think it would take too many poor seasons for their support to drop right off and for them to be in trouble. How much is their existence worth to the NRL is what matters in the end.

I remember the bad days of the early 90s for the Swans, they were truly one of the most putrid teams from a performance point of view since I've been following the game, I lump them in with the very worst in that time, Melbourne in the late 70s and early 80s and a couple of different periods of St Kilda and of course Fitzroy just before their demise.

Pretty much zero

 

[Bjo187]

It's a lot cheaper to run an NRL club than an AFL one. From a revenue perspective, the bottom few AFL clubs would be as big as the top few NRL clubs I believe (excluding Broncos).

I saw the other day, the gold coast suns made nearly as much revenue from membership and gate takings as the sth Sydney rabbitohs in 2022, who are the biggest nrl club in nsw and made a prelim final.

In other words the swans are likely the biggest sporting club in Sydney, the storm are likely about 8th or 9th in Victoria. That's my understanding anyway, I might be slightly off.

 

[Professor Knowall]

Pretty much zero

Sure - If one ignores the well documented many millions the NRL paid to News Ltd which then funnelled it on to the Storm.

“… The Storm are reported to lose $6 million per year, $3.5 million after tax right offs. (Brad Walter reported in the SMH last week that it is being investigated that Waldron and co deliberately inflated the amount the Storm were losing to receive more money from News Ltd). However, in the NRL agreement, News Ltd receives $9 million every year from the NRL. They use this money to pay any losses the Storm incur and then keep the change. News Ltd keeps the Storm afloat using money received from the NRL…”

News Ltd will ensure that the Storm are safe

[caption id="attachment_30418" width="300" caption="John Hartigan, chairman and chief executive of News Limited (left) with Chief Executive Officer of the National Rugby League David Gallop…

www.theroar.com.au

“… the Storm had been losing 6 million a year, with News covering the losses. In 2012, the Australian Rugby League Commission guaranteed $26.5 million over the next six years to Melbourne Storm with the express aim to being “to keep the game thriving in Victoria”.

In March 2012, Roy Masters remarked that the Storm were losing 8 million a year.

In August 2013, Fairfax reported that the Storm had been overspending to the tune of between $2 million and $5 million for 15 years. This shortfall had been financed by News Ltd …”

Melbourne Storm Financials - Sports Industry AU

Periodically certain AFL leaning folks bring up the Melbourne Storms funds and debt profile over the years. In 2010, Crikey

www.footyindustry.com

Of course, these days the privately owned franchise is being kept alive by funding from the gambling industry, aincluding Crown Casino as its major sponsor, and a “legal” dodge of the salary cap, as previously posted -

However, what makes the Storm (with it’s chief sooner still Crown Casino) really dodgy is its majority owner, Matt Tripp. I’m surprised this situation is allowed, and hasn’t been given more publicity, though with Fairfax now being owned by NRL rights holder ch9 and News Ltd being …. News Ltd, with a vested interested here, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. -

Storm players to invest in online bookmaker owned by chairman

The NRL is set to allow a controversial proposal allowing Storm players to invest in an online betting agency owned by their chairman Matt Tripp and News Corp.

www.smh.com.au

This scam (that the NRL under V’Landy - who is neck deep and beyond in the sports betting industry - has allowed) is also a great way around the salary cap restrictions.

 

[RUNVS]

This scam (that the NRL under V’Landy - who is neck deep and beyond in the sports betting industry - has allowed) is also a great way around the salary cap restrictions.

Plenty of Victorian clubs do the same thing. I suspect there is a lot going on and not just the obvious things like Judd somehow being a Visy ambassador or Cloke somehow getting paid to be on The Footy Show.

Really would not surprise me if a significant portion of some clubs are paying their players under the table in one form or another.

 

[mikey127]

Sure - If one ignores the well documented many millions the NRL paid to News Ltd which then funnelled it on to the Storm.

“… The Storm are reported to lose $6 million per year, $3.5 million after tax right offs. (Brad Walter reported in the SMH last week that it is being investigated that Waldron and co deliberately inflated the amount the Storm were losing to receive more money from News Ltd). However, in the NRL agreement, News Ltd receives $9 million every year from the NRL. They use this money to pay any losses the Storm incur and then keep the change. News Ltd keeps the Storm afloat using money received from the NRL…”

News Ltd will ensure that the Storm are safe

[caption id="attachment_30418" width="300" caption="John Hartigan, chairman and chief executive of News Limited (left) with Chief Executive Officer of the National Rugby League David Gallop…

www.theroar.com.au

“… the Storm had been losing 6 million a year, with News covering the losses. In 2012, the Australian Rugby League Commission guaranteed $26.5 million over the next six years to Melbourne Storm with the express aim to being “to keep the game thriving in Victoria”.

In March 2012, Roy Masters remarked that the Storm were losing 8 million a year.

In August 2013, Fairfax reported that the Storm had been overspending to the tune of between $2 million and $5 million for 15 years. This shortfall had been financed by News Ltd …”

Melbourne Storm Financials - Sports Industry AU

Periodically certain AFL leaning folks bring up the Melbourne Storms funds and debt profile over the years. In 2010, Crikey

www.footyindustry.com

Of course, these days the privately owned franchise is being kept alive by funding from the gambling industry, aincluding Crown Casino as its major sponsor, and a “legal” dodge of the salary cap, as previously posted -

However, what makes the Storm (with it’s chief sooner still Crown Casino) really dodgy is its majority owner, Matt Tripp. I’m surprised this situation is allowed, and hasn’t been given more publicity, though with Fairfax now being owned by NRL rights holder ch9 and News Ltd being …. News Ltd, with a vested interested here, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. -

Storm players to invest in online bookmaker owned by chairman

The NRL is set to allow a controversial proposal allowing Storm players to invest in an online betting agency owned by their chairman Matt Tripp and News Corp.

www.smh.com.au

This scam (that the NRL under V’Landy - who is neck deep and beyond in the sports betting industry - has allowed) is also a great way around the salary cap restrictions.

Storm are standing on their own two feet now I think you'll find

 

[The_Wookie]

Storm are standing on their own two feet now I think you'll find

Kinda hard to tell with most of their revenue sourced through Valimanda

 

[nahnah]

I have never heard anyone at work comment on storm games, even if they make grand finals no one asks did you watch the nrl grand final

No idea what it’s like in Sydney for the swans but the places I have worked no one talks about the storm