It's hard to put a finger on exactly why fans are staying home.
1. Too many night games? well the daytime games have hardly been busting the gates down
2. Too expensive. Probably, it is silly to think a casual fan will rock up on the day and fork out $45. Having said that there are plenty of cheap ticket offers on that don't seem to be making much difference to crowd sizes
3. Stadia facilities. yes and no again. Sure no one want to sit or stand in the rain and taking the kids along to a ground with poor toilets and crappy expensive food is not enticing anyone. However even we have decent facilities the crowds are hardly booming
4. Over saturation. Maybe in Sydney but doesn't explain one team cities low crowds.
5. Low memberships. Well they are increasingly well but with little knock on effect in crowds.
So what is the problem? probably no one thing but a combination of many.
I must admit the reliance on the video ref is turning me off the game. For the first time in years this weekend I didn't sit through most games, I picked 3 that I liked the look of where normally I'd veg out and watch them all. if they are losing a die hard like me then no surprise the more casual fan is turning away.
Sensible post mate.
Most posters on here are pretty much core fans. match goers, TV watchers, talk about the game in the bar, buy the newspaper for the sports sections etc etc. On here talk of attendance is preaching to the converted.
Out there in the real world a whole host of reasons and excuses are given for why crowds resolutely refuse to grow to 20,000. You list some of them.
The fact is that the non committed are deeply resistant to going. Dropping a few dollars from ticket price, improving food or facilities etc really won't budge them. Even free tickets would see an instant surge followed by drop off because the fundamental reason why people don't go is it that......they don't want to.
I think we try to keep the integrity of the sport. Play to its strengths. Focus on the fans we have and hope to attract a few thousand more. There are no magic bullets there. There will be no across the board surge. Keep the game's integrity and they will come....not in new thousands but perhaps in new hundreds and that would be a good result.
