Brisbane Broncos overtake the Melbourne Storm to be the most ...
The latest data from Roy Morgan shows the total NRL supporter base has grown strongly from a year ago to over 7.4 million Australians (33.1%), up 2.4% from a year ago, who now support an NRL team. Looking over a longer time-period the increase is even more impressive, up by over 2.1 million (+39.7%) compared to four years ago in 2020.
For the first time since 2020 it is the Brisbane Broncos who are now the most widely supported NRL club in 2024 with 1,302,000 supporters, a stunning increase of 152,000 (+13.2%) on a year ago. This boost for the Broncos comes after the club played off in last year’s NRL Grand Final and had their most successful home and away season for over two decades – however, the club failed to repeat their success this year.
In second place and losing top spot which the club has held for the past four years, is the Melbourne Storm with 1,118,000 supporters. The Storm have been one of the most successful NRL clubs over the last two decades and are set to play off in another NRL Grand Final this weekend against the Penrith Panthers.
Speaking of the Panthers, another successful year has seen support for three-time reigning NRL Premiers increase again, up 18,000 (+5%) to 377,000. Support for the Panthers has skyrocketed in the last few years and has more than doubled since 2020 – up by 189,000 (+100.3%).
The most widely supported Sydney-based club is again the Parramatta Eels with 500,000 supporters despite missing the finals for a second straight year and finishing well down the ladder in 15th place this year. Behind the Eels are beaten Preliminary Finalists the Sydney Roosters (474,000 supporters), the South Sydney Rabbitohs (468,000 supporters) and the St. George Illawarra Dragons (419,000 supporters).
NRL Club Supporter Ladder 2024
Source: Roy Morgan Single Source Australia, July 2022-June 2023, n=66,234 & July 2023-June 2024, n=64,708.Base: Australians 14+. *New Zealand Warriors support only includes Australian-based supporters.
Over the last few years, in which the Penrith Panthers have played in four straight NRL Grand Finals and won three straight Premierships, the Panthers have overtaken several New South Wales clubs on the supporter ladder including the Canterbury Bulldogs (357,000 supporters), Wests Tigers (348,000), Manly-Warringah Sea-Eagles (280,000) and Newcastle Knights (273,000).
Other clubs to increase their support over the last year included this year’s beaten Semi-Finalists the North Queensland Cowboys on 471,000, up 8,000 (+1.7%) from a year ago, the beaten Preliminary Finalists the Cronulla Sharks on 235,000, up 17,000 (+8%) on a year ago, the Australian-based supporters of the New Zealand Warriors on 194,000, up 30,000 (+18.3%) on a year ago and the Gold Coast Titans on 156,000, up 15,000 (+10.9%) on a year ago.
In addition to growth in support for a majority of clubs (10 out of 17 clubs increased their support) the NRL consistently rates as one of Australia’s favourite ‘TV products’. Now 7.1 million Australians (31.8%) watch the NRL on TV, up 318,000 (+4.7%) on a year ago and up over 1.3 million (+23%) on four years ago.
The most popular NRL product on TV is again the annual State of Origin series between New South Wales and Queensland with 5.9 million Australians (26.5%) watching Origin on TV, up 213,000 (+3.7%) on a year ago and up by 957,000 (+19.3%) on four years ago. Close behind in popularity is the NRL Grand Final with 5.6 million Australians (24.9%) watching the season decider on TV.
Detailed in-depth profiles of NRL Supporters, Australians who watch NRL on TV, Australians who play Rugby League and profiles of supporters of all 17 NRL clubs are available on the Roy Morgan Online Store for those keen to learn more about the sport.
These key findings are derived from detailed in-depth interview with over 60,000 Australians each year as part of the Roy Morgan Single Source survey.
Julian McCrann, Industry Communications Director, Roy Morgan, says the Brisbane Broncos have won the annual Roy Morgan NRL Club Support Ladder for the first time since 2020, but no doubt would prefer to be playing off in this weekend’s NRL Grand Final:
“The Brisbane Broncos may have missed the NRL finals and sacked their coach Kevin Walters, but the club has once again topped Roy Morgan’s annual NRL Club Support Ladder with 1,302,000 supporters – up an impressive 152,000 (+13.2%) on a year ago.
“The high level of support for the Broncos, and cross-town cross-code rivals and AFL Premiers the Brisbane Lions (1,049,000 supporters) means Brisbane is the only city in Australia with two clubs with over 1 million supporters.
“In a clear second place is the Melbourne Storm with 1,118,000 supporters – and a wider support base in Melbourne than any of the AFL clubs in the city. The Storm have topped the NRL Support Ladder for the last three years (2021-2023) – unusually, a time when the club didn’t play in a single NRL Grand Final.
“That period of relative under-achievement for the Storm, who have played in nine NRL Grand Finals in the last 18 years (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018 & 2020) is set to be rectified this weekend when the Storm take on three-time defending NRL Premiers the Penrith Panthers.
“Although the Penrith Panthers do not have a sustained long-term record of success like the Storm, the club has clearly been the competition’s best in recent seasons and will this week play in its fifth Grand Final in a row – the first club to do this since the South Sydney Rabbitohs over 50 years ago (1967-1971).
“This weekend the Panthers are chasing a fourth straight Premiership in a row and if they win they would be the first club in the NRL to do so. The last club to win four top level Premierships in a row was the St. George Dragons in 1966 – in reality an eleventh straight Flag.
“The recent success of the Panthers has given the ‘Mountain Men’ a huge boost in support in recent years with support more than doubling since 2020 and increasing by a massive 189,000 (+100.3%) to 377,000. Penrith made their first NRL Grand Final for nearly two decades in 2020 and have gone from strength-to-strength on and off the field since then.
“The most widely supported NRL club in Sydney is again the Parramatta Eels with 500,000 supporters. The club played in its first NRL Grand Final in 13 years in 2022 and despite two poor years in 2023-24 (missing finals in both years), the Eels have held top spot in Sydney for a fourth straight year (2021-2024).
“The widespread support for the western Sydney based Eels is most impressive when one considers the club has the longest Premiership drought of any current NRL team, stretching back over 40 years to their last Flag won in 1983.
“Other clubs in the NRL’s Sydney heartland to enjoy large supporter bases are the beaten Preliminary Finalists the Sydney Roosters with 474,000 supporters, an increase of 55,000 (+13.3%) on a year ago, the beaten 2021 NRL Grand Finalists South Sydney Rabbitohs with 468,000 supporters and the St. George-Illawarra Dragons with 419,000 supporters.
“The overall numbers have also increased significantly compared to a year ago with over 7.4 million Australians now supporting an NRL club, up 176,000 (+2.4%) on a year ago, and almost as many, 7.1 million, now watching the NRL on TV – up 318,000 (+4.7%) on a year ago.
“Contact Roy Morgan to learn more about what types of supporters each of the 17 NRL clubs are attracting both in the stands and on TV as well as what sets these fans apart from their peers in wider society by drawing on the qualitative and quantitative data gathered by in-depth personal interviews conducted with over 60,000 Australians each year.”
For comments or more information about Roy Morgan’s NRL Supporter profiles and other Sporting profiles data, please contact:
Roy Morgan EnquiriesOffice: +61 (3) 9224 [email protected]
