Crowd Stats

[syphon]

the new Lang Park was supposed to be the huge saviour for the broncos, bringing them back to the halicon days of when they first played at ANZ. I know the first game back got a huge crowd but after that they got lower crowds than the lions. The ground is far more convenient to get to, has a much better atmosphere, you are close to the action so it will be interesting comparing 2004 broncos crowds with the ANZ crowds.

 

[In-goal]

The next 5 years will show which way the brisbane public will go, for one surley

 

[NuffNuff]

Don't see why. RL's not under serious threat in Brisbane, but the AFL have scratched enough of a foothold to allow themselves to survive in the area. Brisbanians have shown themselves to be multilingual as far as footy codes are concerned and I don't see that changing within five years. There's plenty of support for all.

If you're waiting for one code to eliminate another you'll be waiting a lot longer than 5 years, I suspect.

 

[GBT2]

So the boom started mid 90's as i thought.

Actually, the build-up appeared to start in the later part of the 80s, probably due to the arrival of West Coast and a surge by the Sydney side.

CyberKev

But that same boom had an adverse effect on the two rival comps, the WAFL and later, the SANFL.

I wonder if many East Coasters realise how strong these competitions were prior to the national spread of the VFL and subsequent takeover by the so-called national competition.

 

[CyberKev]

So the boom started mid 90's as i thought.

Actually, the build-up appeared to start in the later part of the 80s, probably due to the arrival of West Coast and a surge by the Sydney side.

CyberKev

But that same boom had an adverse effect on the two rival comps, the WAFL and later, the SANFL.

I wonder if many East Coasters realise how strong these competitions were prior to the national spread of the VFL and subsequent takeover by the so-called national competition.

True enough, Gav,

But its not a lot different to the marked diminishing of the RL competition in Brisbane when the Broncos entered the comp. That was a very strong comp with top quality players on tap prior to then.

Any national competition will weaken these types of competitions, and the challenge of governing bodies is to ensure that such secondary leagues retain sufficient strength to serve as adequate feeder competitions. Stemming out from this, both the AFL and the NRL need to devote considerable thought and resources to maintaining the game at junior and grassroots level, as all of these things are crucial to the ongoing viability of a national competition.

This supports my argument in the relocation thread, where I write of the craziness of contemplating a second side in Brisbane when the city is not in a position to support itself with player recruitment and development.

CyberKev

 

[GBT2]

This supports my argument in the relocation thread, where I write of the craziness of contemplating a second side in Brisbane when the city is not in a position to support itself with player recruitment and development.

CyberKev

True Kev. The idea of a second Brisbane side seems crazy when you look at the second teams of Aussie Rules stronghold cities, Perth and Adelaide, and their relative struggle to gain parity with their crosstown rivals.

 

[CyberKev]

True Kev. The idea of a second Brisbane side seems crazy when you look at the second teams of Aussie Rules stronghold cities, Perth and Adelaide, and their relative struggle to gain parity with their crosstown rivals.

Port is doing quite well, although it still trails the Crows, which may have as much to do with the heavy enmity felt towards the Port Adelaide Magpies in the SANFL, as it does with the Power giving Adelaide a 6 year headstart. On the other side of the coin, the Port Adelaide Magpies reputation and following as the biggest and most successful side in the SANFL has ensured it a solid enough following to perform solidly on and off the field. The AFL couldn't hope for anything like this for any second side they choose to put into the Brisbane market.

Freo is doing okay, but it has had its problems and has not (to this point) reached the anticipated position of matching West Coast due to Freo's pride of place as the key footballing region in the state. The AFL was sure this would happen, but perhaps they underestimated the difficulty associated with mediating West Coast's prior primacy in the Perth marketplace. 7 years is a big headstart to be given, particularly when Freo (unlike Port) didn't have a firmly established identity and brand to woo fans with.

The difficulties for a second Brisbane side would be infinitely magnified at this point, and I can't see the AFL pursuing such folly in the short to medium term future.

CyberKev

 

[meltiger]

Freo is doing okay, but it has had its problems and has not (to this point) reached the anticipated position of matching West Coast due to Freo's pride of place as the key footballing region in the state. The AFL was sure this would happen, but perhaps they underestimated the difficulty associated with mediating West Coast's prior primacy in the Perth marketplace. 7 years is a big headstart to be given, particularly when Freo (unlike Port) didn't have a firmly established identity and brand to woo fans with.

The strength Freo have though Kev is in it's Junior membership numbers, this club with a bit of success on the field is going to be a monster. Just give them some time.

Although I wish they would change their bloody colors ;-)