GROUP 10 president Linore Zamparini has welcomed the decision by NSW Rugby League to broadcast the competition's games live this season but doesn't want streaming to affect live crowd numbers.
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NSWRL announced on Friday that they would be streaming action from Group competitions on their Facebook page along with the Harold Matthews Cup, Andrew Johns Cup, SG Ball Cup, Tarsha Gale Cup, Laurie Daley Cup and NSW Women's Premiership.
It remains to be seen how many games will be broadcast from each competition per round but Zamparini hopes people will still be determined to catch the action live - especially after last year's Group 10 premier league season was forced to be cancelled due to COVID-19.
"This all started with the Western Rams and the President's Cup last year, which was streamed online for anyone who wanted to watch it," he said.
"We looked at it for the grand finals last year but you need to look at it both ways. You don't want to keep people away from the grounds, particularly when that's a fundraiser for the host club, but it's something that we're taking an interest in and having a good look at.
"It will just come down to whether it's around 20 to 30 minutes behind, because there's nothing better than a live game. People who really love their football will come down to watch it live anyway."
NSWRL were encouraged to expand their streaming services in 2021 after seeing strong numbers tuning in for the President's Cup.
On average the games drew 45,000 viewers.
"The NSWRL has always been committed to our fans and NSWRL TV represents an opportunity for us to showcase our competitions from Manly to Mudgee," NSWRL Chief Commercial Officer Jodie Cross said in the announcement.
"Fans will be able to tune in to the NSWRL Facebook page every weekend and catch all the skills on offer from our junior stars through to our senior players.
"This is a significant investment by the NSWRL and I'm looking forward to all the opportunities it will provide this season and the future for keeping our stakeholders connected."
One of the most popular live streams in 202 saw 85,000 viewers tune in for the Group 9 Preliminary final between the Tumut Blues and Young Cherrypickers.
CYMS will kick off its 2021 campaign on the road at King George Oval against Blayney while Hawks will travel to Lithgow to take on the Workies.
One of the biggest games of the season comes in round two when CYMS and Panthers raise the curtains for Carrington's NRL game.
The anticipated local derby is slated for the third round of the competition.
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