I THINK it is time for a radical rethink about how to attract crowds to Canberra sporting events.

It is becoming a struggle week-in-week-out to entice people to watch live sport. The Brumbies’ bottom line depends on it and they have battled to get crowds to games over the past couple of years.

The Raiders’ first home game of the year against the Gold Coast on a Sunday night had the Raiders going into the match following a great win over Newcastle away from home. The crowd was disappointing.

Cricket Australia was happy with the attendance at the Sheffield Shield final at Manuka. Frankly, I thought it should have attracted more than the 8000 or so that turned up over the four and a half days of the final. Admission was free and it was the first time the final had been staged in Canberra.

Canberrans demonstrated during last year’s Centenary that they would turn out for major events if they were well promoted. The netball test, the Rugby League test and the Australian Ladies Golf Open are cases in point.

The Capitals deserve bigger crowds as do Canberra United, but it’s a hard slog.

Sports do all they can to be part of the community; they are in the schools, lending their assistance to charities and to all intents and purposes, they are part of life in Canberra. So why don’t we go to sporting events week-in-week-out?

One obvious factor is the emergence of pay television with every Brumbies’ and Raiders’ game televised live. The take up rate for pay television in Canberra is particularly high. Scheduling is another major issue.

I think Canberra struggles with more than one major sporting event each weekend in winter. Three weeks ago we had the Shield final, the Brumbies and the Raiders all on the same weekend. Add GWS to the equation and it is problematic as to how much people can afford.

It’s obvious the scheduling of major events in Canberra needs more work.

Why would the Brumbies play NSW on the same night as Skyfire? Why would the NRL not allow the Raiders to play a home game until the third week? They should be playing as many home games as possible before winter sets in.

There is another aspect that may add to the reduced crowd size for the Brumbies apart from the obvious, such as the game itself, which I believe has some room for improvement.

In its infancy, the Super Rugby season was short and sharp and over by the end of May. It now goes until August.

We have seen with the emergence of 20/20 cricket, the Rugby League Nines, the Rugby Sevens and so on, that people are searching for a quick fix when it comes to going to sporting events. Their kids are involved in so many sports that it is increasingly harder to get to major sports events.

Another is the cost with public service cut backs a factor and families having less to spend on entertainment.

People still tell me it is too expensive to buy food at sporting events and I can sympathise with them after my son managed to go through $30 worth of food at a Brumbies’ game recently and complained he was still hungry!

The Brumbies have tried to lift the vibe at their home games with a band and music between breaks in play. I am not sure the music while players are walking to a lineout adds much to the experience, except to ruin any chance of conversation about the game itself. But overall it does demonstrate that the Brumbies are willing to try something new.

The Raiders have enhanced their match-day experience by adding affordable ticket prices. GWS has joined in with a free bus service concept to home games, a concept that the Brumbies and the Raiders have also taken up.

More than ever, our sporting teams need your support. There isn’t as much corporate backing around, and they are doing all they can to get you to the game.

I am interested in finding out why we aren’t getting 20,000 to Canberra Stadium on a regular basis. I am happy to broadcast some of the responses in my next column.

Email gavel.tim@abc.net.au with your thoughts.

Before crowds mattered… Manuka Oval, pictured January 1, 1928. Photo from Mildenhall Collection