Sydney Morning Herald
October 21, 2014
The NRL ladder isn't the only table the Canberra Raiders want to scale next year, the club hopeful a change in results will lift them off the bottom of the membership ranks.
Attracting more families and those fans not "waxed on" in the city's transient population will be a major focus as the Raiders look to address dwindling home crowds.
Canberra had around 8300 members this year, the lowest in the NRL and down from 8898 the year before, after it finished second last ahead of only Cronulla.
Raiders memberships went on sale on Monday, with a major change the decision to offer packages incorporating only one or two home games for the first time.
Advertisement
In another new option, fans outside ACT will be able to purchase packages for one away game, which includes two general admission tickets.
A 'Club 1982' package has also been introduced, designed to fill the void between platinum and corporate options.
Raiders commercial manager Jason Mathie said while the options remain relatively similar to last year, some tweaks have been made to attract more casual fans, and supporters of other clubs based in Canberra.
"The players weren't happy where they finished on the table and as a club, we would like to get more members so we're not down the bottom in terms of the membership base as well," he said.
"It disappoints us we do have such a low number of people who commit to memberships. It's multiple things - it's performance and Canberra is a very transient community.
"We would have nearly the highest ratio of full season ticket holders in the game, but we've got the least number of club members.
"We don't want people just to think membership is a ticket to the game. It's a massive part of it, but also about staying involved with the club, getting inside word, getting some special benefits and access at games.
"We're offering packages for one or two games this year, the minimum we've done in the past is three matches.
"That's purely to target those less waxed-on fans based in Canberra who don't have the Raiders as their number one choice."
Memberships and ticket prices will stay virtually the same as last season, with Mathie admitting the side's poor performance made an increase unrealistic.
The club identified a high drop out of its members before last season and slashed their cheapest adult ticket price at the turnstiles by 34 per cent as crowds dropped across the NRL.
Canberra's 2014 average home crowd of 9608 was the lowest since 2001, when the Raiders averaged 9575, and only the third time it dropped below 10,000 since the move from Seiffert Oval in 1989.
"A big change this year is we used to sell family memberships as two adults and two kids, or one adult and three kids, we've made it an adult and a child because it was more advantageous from the consumer's point of view," Mathie said.
"We've got some great signings for next year with Blake Austin being the latest - we think the team will be improved on the park.
"We're a long way behind other codes in the stakes, but there's been a lot of investment in it."
http://weareraiders.com.au/memberships/
so sign up today, membership goes for a little as $30
for a one game bonanza membership
yet they only had 8300k members last year
NRL kicking but in Canberra as well
![:[]](./images/smilies/th_iwstupid.gif "With Stupid"){kind=small}
like more members & fans through the gate
