Off field it has not been a good year for AFL. They have made a mess of Lions and Suns. GWS has gone backwards. But the Swans are killing it with their crowds (Sorry to correct you but they had more members and crowds than Storm in year 20). It will be interesting to see how Storm’s crowds go once Slater and Smith are gone. Great crowd tonight given ordinary weather. Hopefully they schedule next weeks’s final at a time that doesn’t clash with Vic clubs AFL finals and they’ should get another big crowd. Saturday or a Sunday arvo is the go.
Sorry to be pedantic.The difference in year 20 was minimal, in fact a year or two later did not the Storm have more.,yes I know for only a year or so.You cannot ignore the fact the Sth Melbourne members (remembering this is the phoenix of that club)gave the Swans ,a decent membership boost.
Of course they are killing it with crowds.Schedules that suit them to a T in the overwhelming majority of cases.How many at 6pm Friday.No wonder they don't play at that time.
An all seater up to the minute stadium,with facilities that make the SFS look like an outback pub.A media that gives them favourable coverage, whereas in the case of the NRL negativity is the byword.Close to many of their supporter base.
You'd be aware of the coverage the Storm gets in Melbourne,opr should I say lack of it,the Swans is the complete opposite, and has been since they arrived in Sydney with Barry Round & CO.
Interesting the Swan's fans hated going to ANZ stadium, yet that is more suited to them than rugby league.And people wonder why rl fans hate the current configuration.
And their biggest leg up a SL war and then a G/F in the 90s.
But their local TV ratings except for final series have remained static.Yes you can praise them for crowds,but they have everything laid at their feet by the AFL/media/SL/marketing spends/and far better facilities than any Sydney NR: club.
And further the Swans have had year after year of either being in the top 8 or close enough to it.Get down to the A*se end of the comp ,and the latte section of their fans will drop off in bucket loads.
The real test for any comparison is having a new SFS/a reconfigured ANZ and Parramatta stadium.
You forget AFL who have been here since 1982 have two new up to date stadiums as of now,teh rectangular codes certainly do not.
BTW I'm more than embarrassed with some of the NRL crowds in Sydney ,but if you have ordinary facilities,lousy scheduling much of the time and well supported teams like Parramatta and the Dogs down the end of the table,it sure don't help building crowds.
And yes I would like to have the crowds, income of the AFL and guess what, the facilities, they have extracted from Governments over decades.
