Taranaki Rugby is trumpeting a 44% increase in attendances in this year’s Yarrows Taranaki Bulls Bunnings NPC competition.
Total crowd numbers across the six home games at Yarrow Stadium in 2024 totalled more than 23,000, up from 16,000 last year (excluding the 2023 semifinal and final).
The home quarterfinal against Waikato hosted almost double the crowd of the corresponding fixture against Tasman in 2023.
Taranaki Rugby Football Union (TRFU) CEO Jimmy Fastier is rapt to see success on the field translate to support off it.
“We pride ourselves in creating memorable experiences for locals young and old and having such strong support from the community feels like a vote of confidence that we’re doing that,” Fastier says.
Fastier says season memberships have swollen to more than 1,400, the biggest number in recent TRFU history.
“We’ve made a real effort to connect with the whole province, from our sold-out Firstgas Urenui Showdown in preseason to sharing the Ranfurly Shield with fans all around Taranaki.
“We’ve seen great engagement with our Matahio Family Zone offering free Yarrows cookies and ice creams and welcoming fans onto the field after games. These attendance figures are the culmination of all of those efforts, and the challenge now is to continue to grow into 2025 and beyond.”
Fastier says there’s already plenty to look forward to locally next year, including a Super Rugby pre-season game between the Chiefs and Hurricanes on February 1 and two preseason Ranfurly Shield defences against northern neighbour King Country and Meads Cup champions Thames Valley on Wednesday June 11 and Saturday July 19, respectively.
Venues and kick off times for the two preseason Ranfurly Shield matches will be confirmed in the New Year.
