The NRL will reportedly break their highest crowd attendance figures this season with rugby league fans travelling to stadiums more than ever.
According to an SMH report, the average attendance for the first 19 rounds of the season has risen by 22.3 per cent to 18,388.
Interestingly, there has been three less games up to the same point on the calendar last year but the NRL has seen a 24.9 per cent growth in crowds.
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Previously the record was held during the 2005 season, with crowd figures averaging 16,468 and NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo explained the results were “exciting”.
“The support has been overwhelming from our fans,” Abdo said.
“The competition has been very unpredictable, and we’ve seen a number of close, exciting games where the lead changes hands.
“It’s been exciting football from the perspective of tries and low margins.
“You have to acknowledge the great work of the players and clubs, that has translated to record attendances and also TV ratings.”
The clear spike comes off the back of years of Covid lockdowns, with fans eager to get back to watch their favourite teams live.
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A staggering 2.6 million people have already attended matches in 2023 and the NRL will need to average only 11,145 fans per game to smash the aggregate record of 3,161,089 set in 2022.
Abdo believes fans are now desperate to return to grounds and enjoy the NRL spectacle.
“We had that taken away from us during Covid and people are now looking forward to experiences, live events, concerts and sporting events,” Abdo said.
“On the other hand, it’s a tough economic climate at the moment, interest rates are high and consumer demand in some areas has been low.
“We don’t take for granted our fans in terms of the limited time they have, so we’re conscious of providing a good value offering.”
Meanwhile, the record-breaking crowd figures could prove crucial in the NRL’s push for the NSW Government to invest in suburban grounds.