Rugby League fans have shown their excitement for the 2014 season by becoming NRL club members, with membership rates tracking close to 14 per cent ahead of last year's numbers, with the Rabbitohs storming ahead of the pack with more than 19,000 memberships signed.
The Eels have seen membership sales more than double for the same period last year, with the Warriors, Sea Eagles, Sharks and Roosters also generating significant growth.
"It has been a really exciting and positive time for the game with our fans committing to their membership ahead of the Christmas break," NRL Head of Commercial Paul Kind said.
"Rugby League's number one priority is the game's members and fans and we have been working cooperatively with our clubs to transform membership to make Rugby League members' experiences more rewarding.
"Early December we launched the game's new membership tvc, along with the implementation of telemarketing and additional resources to ensure that we can deliver additional benefits for club members in 2014.
"Clubs like the Eels and the Bulldogs have run with the campaign producing their own rivalry competition which has seen positive growth for both the clubs."
With more than 10 days left in 2013, 14 of the 16 clubs are already ahead of their January 2013 figures, with two others set to jump ahead of that limit in the next 24 hours.
Joining the membership race only three weeks ago the Dragons are also seeing positive signs for 2014.
"The Dragons have passed through 5,000 Red V Members which is very encouraging given we were only able to get our 2014 program into market , coinciding with the NRL Draw release, just over two weeks ago," Dragons COO Michael McDonald said.
"This puts us ahead in membership numbers relative to the same timeframe in 2013, and importantly almost 15 per cent are new members, joining the Red V program for the first time."
"We've provided a wide range of flexible package options for members to choose from in 2014, and the take-up of all packages has been very positive."
The full NRL Membership 'Ladder' looks this way:
1. Rabbitohs 19,374 (up from 18,157)
2. Broncos 13,634 (up from 11,854)
3. Knights 12,592 (up from 11,710)
4. Eels 10,380 (up from 4886)
5. Bulldogs 10,355 (up from 8585)
6. Storm 9121 (up from 7986)
7. Roosters 8584 (up from 5812)
8. Cowboys 7174 (was 8582)
9. Sea Eagles 6590 (up from 4333)
10. Dragons 5002 (was 9640)
11. Warriors 4979 (up from 3202)
12. Panthers 4837 (up from 3567)
13. Sharks 4337 (up from 2925)
14. Wests Tigers 4158 (up from 3718)
15. Titans 4112 (up from 3872)
16. Raiders 3416 (up from 3356)
