Quote: Horatio Yed "If they could find the funds, the interest and the players and ground, a South Island could stoke up more interest in NZ.'"
New Zealandhttp://apps.nowwhere.com.au/StatsNZ/Maps/default.aspxrl
Statistically, Maori/Pacifica represents 43% of the region to the direct south of Mount Smart Stadium, Manukau City.
In the smaller areas immediately surrounding the stadium itself, this drops to about 40%.
The reason the Warriors are situated where they are, is to put it bluntly, because that's where their social and racial demographic are based...
Around Eden Park....this M/P percentage drops to 14%.....
Wellington RL has 8 Premier sides....7 of which come from The Hutt Valley or Porirua....30% M/P Population......
I can't prove it, but in my opinion, some of the stats above are why Owen Glenn was quoted as saying he wanted a second Auckland NRL side which he would fund to "set up"..... there are about 150,000 M/P in Manakau, another 90,000 in Auckland...with another 60,000 to the East within 20 kms.....and another 20,000 less than 10kms north...about 330,000 within a 20km radius each way...
In the Entire Wellington Region there are only 95,000....in Canterbury less than 60,000..... there's over double that within a 20 minute drive of Mount Smart.
I would have 2nd NRL team based in Wellington, playing 6 there and 6 in Chrischurch...neither region or city has the M/P population to attract 15k+ to 12 games, but a 1/2 season ticket costing $120 would see both grounds/centres shift 10,000 ticketed memberships each easily......20,000 members straight up.....get a winning team in there and I reckon they'd be up to 30,000 within 5 years.
When the Kiwis play, TV figures go between 250k-300k....when the Warriors play, it's 100k to 150k......there is an audience on the Box for non - Auckland RL......
Go the SOUTHERN ORCAS!
