Eels set membership record as Ryles' style excites fans

The Eels are preparing to play in front of one of their biggest home crowds of the season against Newcastle on Sunday as fans embrace the entertaining playing style under Jason Ryles

Despite missing the finals for a third consecutive season, Parramatta has attracted a record 37,000 members in 2025 as supporters have gotten behind the changes implemented by Ryles in his first season at the club's helm.

After losing their first four matches by big margins, the young Eels have triumphed in four of their last six games against the Broncos, Roosters, Cowboys and Warriors, while suffering narrow losses to the Storm and Rabbitohs.

“I think everyone can see that we are playing much better footy in the second half of the year compared to the first half of the year and everyone can see the trajectory that we are on,” Parramatta CEO Jim Sarantinos said.

“We want our fans and members coming to watch our team win every week, particularly at home, and we haven’t been able to deliver on that this season but I think there is a lot of optimism in the fan base and I think they are going to turn up in big numbers next season knowing that we have got a lot to look forward to.”

Ryles made some big calls after taking on the job, moving on a host of senior players headed by captain Clint Gutherson and former Kangaroos prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard.

He has also had to deal with the loss of Kiwis playmaker Dylan Brown to Newcastle next season but Ryles stuck firm with his vision for the Eels and that is now starting to pay off as youngsters Isaiah Iongi and Joash Papalii have emerged as future stars.

“I think everyone, both within the club and the members and fans, has appreciated Jason’s honesty and his transparency,” Sarantinos said.

“He made it pretty clear at the start of the year that we were going to go through a fair bit of change.

“He has been committed to his plan and there has needed to be a few difficult decisions to execute it,  but he has done it without really looking over his shoulder and he has a clear vision for what our club is going to look like when we reach our potential on the field.

“I think that everyone recognises that Jason has come in with a style of footy that is built around speed and agility, and it is just good footy to watch.

“He has given a lot of young players an opportunity this year and they have grabbed it with both hands and I think that fans love to see that. The support and the desire to see this team succeed is really strong.”

While the Eels are sitting six points outside the top eight in 13th place and the Knights are fighting avoid the wooden spoon, a crowd of up to 25,000 is expected for Sunday’s NRL and NRLW double-header at CommBank Stadium.

Parramatta’s biggest home crowd of the season so far was 24,059 in Round 3 against the Bulldogs, while their only other home attendance at CommBank Stadium over 20,000 was 22,792 against the Panthers in Round 19.

With free entry for children accompanied by a ticketed adult, the Eels are hoping for more a turnout of more than 20,000 for their Fathers Day clash with the Knights.

“We are up to almost 37,000 members this year, which is fantastic, and I am hoping that we are going to get a big turnout against the Knights on Sunday,” Sarantinos said.

“On paper there is really not a lot for either side to play for but I am expecting that we are going to get somewhere between 20k and 25k on Sunday, which is a great show of support from our members and fans for a team that is sitting outside the eight.

“Normally when you are at this stage of the season and you are sitting where we are you kind of come to terms that the season is going to come to an end but I don’t think anyone wants that to be the case for us, because they want to see this team continue to develop.

“That gives us a great opportunity to go into 2026 in a really positive way and I think everyone is looking forward to what we are going to do next season.”