NRL twist gives losing teams huge boost

With great power comes greater responsibility. But with great territory comes even greater responsibility.

Such has become true for NRL clubs, whose popularity is now being linked to the impact of the property market.

As the top eight sides of this year’s competition look set for the finals, figures from research group Roy Morgan have revealed it’s actually a Sydney team not in the running this year that takes the cake for most widely supported in the state.

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The Parramatta Eels have the most supporters of any NRL club in Sydney. Picture: Mark Evans/Getty Images.

Housing supply and population growth in Parramatta have surged in recent years. Picture: Supplied.

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The Parramatta Eels ended their campaign last season with 500,00 fans, the most of any NSW-based team despite years of poor performances, but it’s the uptake of housing and resident growth out west that may explain why.

The Western region has transformed in recent years into a CBD of its own, with increased housing, more jobs and greater affordability than inner city regions.

It’s surged from being home to 143,143 people at the time of the 2001 census, to now over 180,00 by 2021. That’s roughly a 26 per cent increase across two decades, highlighting serious growth in the area.

A similar trend helped explain why the Brisbane Broncos where now the NRL’s most supported team: Brisbane’s population has exploded by 500,000 people in the last decade.

Demographer Simon Kuestenmacher of The Demographics Group said housing affordability was driving city residents to new areas and NRL supporter bases were swelling as a result.

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The Eels are attracting new generations of young fans because of city growth. Picture: Thomas Lisson.

This was particularly evident in Sydney, Mr Kuestenmacher said. “(Families) need a three bedroom dwelling. Where do we go? Well you can’t stay in the inner city because three bedroom dwellings don’t exist. You can’t go to the immediate neighbouring middle suburbs,” he said.

“So you need to go to wherever housing is made available, family-sized housing, largely. And that is, of course, Penrith. This is Parramatta. This is just outside that housing that is relatively affordable compared to what something would cost in the inner city. And so you move out.”

Mr Kuestenmacher said a whole millennial generation has been pushed out west, which over time could be contributing to a new wave of supporter fanbases.

While the reasons people support teams are much more complex – results and family allegiances among the most obvious – housing was a factor, Mr Kuestenmacher said.

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The Penrith Panthers have also enjoyed relatively high supporter numbers in recent years, not only due to on field success but a growing population. Picture: Tom Parrish.

The Penrith Panthers, the most successful team of the decade, have enjoyed an increase of over five per cent in fans, among the highest increases in the league at 377,000, Roy Morgan noted.

While five consecutive Grand Finals and four consecutive premierships will do wonders to any team’s successful fan base, their uptake in residents as the area population booms is no small factor.

“Parramatta and Penrith increasingly over the last couple of decades have become CBDs in their own right, so they increasingly have more local jobs available,” Mr Kuestenmacher said.

“That pushes people there. This is really where a lot of action is happening.”

The dominance of territory has most likely had its greatest effect interstate, where the Brisbane Broncos have now become the most supported team not only in Queensland but across the entire NRL, with an emphatic 1.3 million supporters.

The Broncos are the most supported club in the NRL, with over 1. 3 million fans. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images.

Brisbane’s population has grown rapidly in the last decade. Picture: NRL Images.

The Broncos’ fanbase was aided, until recently, by representing an entire city, but the city and its surrounds have also boomed.

2011 saw 2,065,996 people recorded as living in Brisbane, but by 2021 that number increased by nearly half a million, ABS data showed.

“A lot of people leave NSW and go to Queensland and obviously a lot that’s leaving Sydney to go to Brisbane, or at least Southeast Queensland. I think a big story about that is housing affordability,” property consultant Cameron Kusher revealed.

“If you’re a passionate supporter of the game, you’re still going to go and watch the game. If you move, say from Sydney to one of those markets, they may not be your favourite team, but you might adopt them as your team and start supporting them as well.”

MOST SUPPORTED CLUBS IN THE NRL

(with estimated fanbase)

1. Brisbane Broncos 1,302,000

2. Melbourne Storm 1,118,000

3. Parramatta Eels 500,000

4. Sydney Roosters 474,000

5. North Queensland Cowboys 471,000

6. South Sydney Rabbitohs 468,000

7. St George Illawarra Dragons 419,000

8. Penrith Panthers 377,000

9. Canterbury Bulldogs 357,000

10. Wests Tigers 348,000

11. Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 280,000

12. Newcastle Knights 273,000

13. Cronulla Sharks 235,000

14. Canberra Raiders 234,000

15. Brisbane Dolphins 205,000

16. New Zealand Warriors 194,000

17. Gold Coast Titans 156,000

Source: Roy Morgan

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