The Penrith Panthers have become the first NRL club to pass their 2013 membership numbers with NRL clubs continuing to track 9% ahead of membership figures from this time last year.
The Rabbitohs continue to lead the charge in the 2014 membership drive with 23,533 members, while the Sea Eagles, Eels and 2013 Telstra premiership winners the Roosters continue their impressive forms tracking more than 30% ahead of their January 2013 membership numbers.
The biggest movers over the past month have been the Dragons who now sit third in the total number of overall Memberships after a late start due to the late finalisation of their home venues for 2014.
“With more than a month to go before the 2014 Telstra Premiership season kick-off on Thursday, 6 March, our club membership numbers are showing good signs of growth, which is a real positive for the upcoming season,” NRL head of Commercial Paul Kind said.
“Regardless of where many of the clubs actually finished on the 2013 premiership season ladder, the passion the fans and members have for their teams has been outstanding.”
In the coming weeks, the NRL will continue to work closely with all clubs to ensure that fans are aware of the importance and benefits of becoming a club member.
Benefits include discounts and merchandise, exclusive news, subscriptions, select seats and more choice and flexibility than ever before in relation to membership packages, with information available at nrl.com/membership.
Panthers General Manager, Rugby League, Mr Phil Moss says membership has been the primary focus for the club over the last couple of months.
“Our membership team and everyone here at Panthers have been working extremely hard to build our member family,” Moss said.
“We know how important members are to any club and we have some very loyal fans out there, and we want as many of them as possible to get behind the team this year and help build Panthers into the number one sporting franchise.
“We have had some big player signings in the off-season which would suggest 2014 is going to be a very exciting year for the Panthers, and for Rugby League as a whole. The NRL is doing a great job in getting people back to the game, and I am looking forward to watching our fan base grow even more.”