Crowd Stats

[In-goal]

Can some one here find the crowd stats for Melbourne based clubs in the years 1993-1994-1995. I wouldn't know the first place to look so any help is much appreciated.

 

[CyberKev]

In Goal

You should be able to track the figures you are chasing from this site.

http://stats.rleague.com/afl/crowds/summary.html

 

[In-goal]

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

 

[*Paul*]

That is my site, if you'd like some specific figures, just speak up.

 

[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.

It was surging during the earlier stages of the 90s with Adelaide arriving on the scene and West Coast enjoying its halcyon period.

The increase from 1995 would have been helped by the arrival of Fremantle and assisted by the birth of Port Power in 1997.

Without inspecting the figures more closely, however, I would argue that a major reason for the surging figures in the 90s (aside from the arrival of new teams) would be the shift of most Melbourne-based sides from restrictive smaller grounds (Moorabbin, Western Oval, Princes Park, Victoria Park, Windy Hill, Arden St) to larger stadiums that can cope with larger crowds.

With this in mind, I think the 3+ million figures being recorded in the late 70s & early 80s were all the more impressive due to the restrictions placed on attendances. In short, I don't think AFL is more popular (in crowd terms) than it was in the old VFL days, I just think that it is easier now for more people to get in (and more comfortable and convenient).

CyberKev

 

[In-goal]

i checked out the stats and the boom started by the inclusion of as you mentioned WC and Adelaide, but it was certain big games in Melbourne which bumped up the averages i.e, Coll v Carl, Ess v Coll so on so on.

Why i was checking these i looked at RL at the same period crowds were similar except for the fact they didn't have the Carlton v Collingwood type matches blowing crowds through the roof although the broncos were the No.1 side in 93 with over 45K on average.

 

[meltiger]

The increase from 1995 would have been helped by the arrival of Fremantle
CyberKev

& the remergence for the first time in nearly 15 years of the games greatest club hehe

Same as in 2001 ... The total figure always goes up when our Bandwagon jumps back on

 

[meltiger]

Where do you get your figures from?

--------------------
R22 V Melbourne

Richmond
1.2 4.3 6.9 8.9 57
Melbourne
5.5 6.10 12.14 19.19 133

M.C.G. 76387 30-Aug-1998
---------------------

I was sure they announced that one higher ... the ground was JAM PACKED that day watching Richmond choke as usual lol ... There was no way they could have got another 20,000 people in there.

Not challenging yur stats, I just think they lied on the day because theres no way it was announced as 76k lol

 

[In-goal]

don't ask me mate i just read them as they appear, though you do find that the standing room behind the seats is some times sparse.

 

[CyberKev]

Why i was checking these i looked at RL at the same period crowds were similar except for the fact they didn't have the Carlton v Collingwood type matches blowing crowds through the roof although the broncos were the No.1 side in 93 with over 45K on average.

There's no doubt that these sort of matches would have started increasing the figures...

It helps support the point I was making in my previous post also...

Right up until the start of the nineties, the game considered to be the "best" game of the round would be played at Waverley Park, which was considered a neutral venue except for a few years in the 90s when Hawthorn & St Kilda shared tennancy of the ground.

The 'best' in this instance was not referring to potential crowd pulling capability, but rather it was considered to be the form sides going around. As such, games between the bigger Melbourne clubs would still commonly be played in the restrictive confines of smaller suburban grounds.

Essendon began the momentum shift away from this when it started playing some home games at the MCG (around 1986/87 from memory) as a lead-up to playing all home games there from about 1991 onwards. Collingwood only came to the party on this score a few years back, but for much of the 1990s they also began to play all 'blockbuster' matches against the larger drawing Melbourne clubs at the MCG.

Its hard to quantify, but the increase in crowds throughout the 1990s would also have been influenced by the AFLs full-on efforts to promote the sport as a family game. The VFL bottomed out in this area with the death of a man defending his young son from brawling thugs at Princes Park in the early 80s, but there's little doubt that the game has markedly increased its pulling power with female fans and families over the past decade.

And then, as Craig states, there were the Richmond resurgances of 1995 & 2001

You talk of the Broncos and the impact that they were having on the RL landscape in the early 90s. For mine, the Broncos are the RL equivalent of the Adelaide Crows who similarly captivate the SA sporting public and have a ground with a similar capacity (it is booked out prior to the start of a season).

CyberKev

 

[meltiger]

don't ask me mate i just read them as they appear, though you do find that the standing room behind the seats is some times sparse.

Not when Richmond are playing mate, especially when we need to wn to make the finals. As I said, I'm positive they lied on the day.

Ignore me lol, I just found the real figure interesting from what I remember the announcement being.

 

[In-goal]

righto.

The Female audience is the hardest one to capture, yet the most important.

 

[Mark Rudd]

"For mine, the Broncos are the RL equivalent of the Adelaide Crows who similarly captivate the SA sporting public and have a ground with a similar capacity (it is booked out prior to the start of a season). "






Actually, this is way off the mark. The Broncos have never had a big supporter base in Brisbane. QLD for sure. But not Brisbane. Those big crowds at ANZ were inflated by thousands of free tickets.


Brisbane people love RL. Just not the Broncos. Strange but true.

 

[PB]

Why i was checking these i looked at RL at the same period crowds were similar except for the fact they didn't have the Carlton v Collingwood type matches blowing crowds through the roof although the broncos were the No.1 side in 93 with over 45K on average.

My havent time changed for the Broncos.

Is there much of a corralation between the introduction of the Brisbane Bears (or when the bears became the Lions) with the drop off in Broncos crowds, or does the drop off not happen till the Lions started winning premierships?

 

[iggy plop]

"For mine, the Broncos are the RL equivalent of the Adelaide Crows who similarly captivate the SA sporting public and have a ground with a similar capacity (it is booked out prior to the start of a season). "






Actually, this is way off the mark. The Broncos have never had a big supporter base in Brisbane. QLD for sure. But not Brisbane. Those big crowds at ANZ were inflated by thousands of free tickets.


Brisbane people love RL. Just not the Broncos. Strange but true.

I'd have to agree there. Super League didn't help proceedings in that regard either.

 

[NuffNuff]

My havent time changed for the Broncos.

Is there much of a corralation between the introduction of the Brisbane Bears (or when the bears became the Lions) with the drop off in Broncos crowds, or does the drop off not happen till the Lions started winning premierships?

Well, the Bears actually predate the Broncos by a year, but if you take it from when they began to compete directly with each other...

... it's still difficult to say. 1993 was the first season the Bears played entirely in Brisbane; it was also the Broncos' first season at QEII. So it's probably not unfair to say that there was some novelty value in both sides at the time, with the Bears still struggling to throw off the losers tag.

You can see a marked decline in Broncos attendances and a similar increase in Bears attendances in 1996. This corresponds with the beginning of the Super League wars and the Bears' first (and only) winning season, so it's hard to point the finger at any one reason. More than likely it's a combination of those factors and others.

It's also interesting to note that due to redevelopment at the Gabba, capacity there was restricted to 12,500 in 1995, around 18,000 a couple of years later and 22,000-odd around 1998, resulting in numerous sold-out matches and artificially limiting the average attendances there.

It will be interesting to see whether the Lang Park attendances next year restore the Broncos to the top or whether they'll get the same sort of half to two-thirds-capacity crowds they got once the novelty of the new stadium wore off.

 

[In-goal]

It's certainly will be an interesting time in Brisbane for both clubs especialy on the weekends that they go head to head.

here is another variable

say on one weekend friday night the Broncos play Newcastle obviously a strong drawing club, but on the sunday the lions play the Bulldogs i wonder what affect this would have.

Or collingwood and souths for instance.

 

[NuffNuff]

It's certainly will be an interesting time in Brisbane for both clubs especialy on the weekends that they go head to head.

It's already happened at least a couple of times in 2003; from memory the Lions drew a higher crowd both times (I could be wrong).

here is another variable

say on one weekend friday night the Broncos play Newcastle obviously a strong drawing club, but on the sunday the lions play the Bulldogs i wonder what affect this would have.

Or collingwood and souths for instance.

I'm sure the Broncos would draw a higher crowd. I don't see what this would prove other than that Brisbane sports fans enjoy a classic contest. It would be more interesting to see how a weekend like Broncos/Knights and Lions/Magpies would go.

 

[In-goal]

I'm sure the Broncos would draw a higher crowd. I don't see what this would prove other than that Brisbane sports fans enjoy a classic contest. It would be more interesting to see how a weekend like Broncos/Knights and Lions/Magpies would go.

yes that is fair, surley both clubs could gain further coverage from Brisbanes big Football weekend.

 

[Thomas]

There really isn't a battle of the codes in Brisbane, they all get along, sometimes even helping each other out with coaching. Last year there was a weekend of football with the Broncos playing on Friday night, the Reds playing on Saturday night and the Lions playing on Sunday afternoon. All 3 games got great crowds and many people, including myself went to all 3 games. In saying that, it would be hard to choose what game to go to if they were all on the same night.

Its going to be very interesting to see how the Broncos pull the crowds in the new stadium, because nearly every Lions game has about 30,000 at it.