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NRL membership rates increase by Anna Wallin 24 December 2013
R
ugby League fans have shown their excitement for the 2014 season by becoming NRL club members, with membership rates tracking close to 14% ahead of last year’s numbers, with the Rabbitohs storming ahead of the pack with more than 19,000 memberships signed. The Eels have seen membership sales more than double for the same period last year, with the Warriors, Sea Eagles, Sharks and Roosters also generating significant growth. “It has been a really exciting and positive time for the game with our fans committing to their membership ahead of the Christmas break,” NRL Head of Commercial, Mr Paul Kind said. “Rugby League’s number one priority is the game’s members and fans and we have been working cooperatively with our clubs to transform membership to make Rugby League members experiences more rewarding. “Early December we launched the game’s new membership tvc, along with the implementation of telemarketing and additional resources to ensure that we can deliver additional benefits for club members in 2014. “Clubs like the Eels and the Bulldogs have run with the campaign producing their own rivalry competition which has seen positive growth for both the clubs.” With more than ten days left for 2013 worth of selling left, 14
of the 16 clubs are already ahead of their January 2013 figures, with another two set to jump ahead of that limit in the next 24 hours. Joining the membership race only three weeks ago the Dragons are also seeing positive signs for 2014. “The Dragons have passed through 5,000 Red V Members which is very encouraging given we were only able to get our 2014 program into market , coinciding with the NRL Draw release, just over two weeks ago,” Dragons COO Michael McDonald said. “This puts us ahead in membership numbers relative to the same timeframe in 2013, and importantly almost fifteen percent are new members, joining the Red V program for the first time.” “We’ve provided a wide range of flexible package options for members to choose from in 2014, and the take up of all packages has been very positive.”
Greg Inglis and Nathan Merritt are popular players for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, the club who has the highest membership numbers in the NRL. Image supplied
Current NRL Club Memberships Club 1/1/13 19/12/13 Rabbitohs 18,157 19374 Broncos 11,854 13634 Knights 11,710 12592 Eels 4,886 10380 Bulldogs 8,585 10355 Storm 7,986 9121 Roosters 5,812 8584 Cowboys 8,582 7174 Sea Eagles 4,333 6590 Dragons 9,640 5002 Warriors 3,202 4979 Panthers 3,567 4837 Sharks 2,925 4337 Wests Tigers 3,718 4158 Titans 3,872 4112 Raiders 3,356 3416 TOTAL 112,185 128,645
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