Crowd Watch 2014 part 3

[BlueandGold]

There were no pokies in 30s 40s 50s and afl doubled NRL crowds then too

Melbourners defines there self worth from there sports and Mainly AFL.

Sydney does not define our being from sport plain and simple.

 

[BlueandGold]

We would easily get over 16.5k if some of the big clashes coming up weren't on Thursday or Friday night. Might be able to still get there with some good promotion.

Yes 2 Live games till the end of the season woohooo. \\\\/\\\\/

 

[Timmah]

Melbourners defines there self worth from there sports and Mainly AFL.

Sydney does not define our being from sport plain and simple.

I just had a look and the averages in the 20s/30s/40s etc... was hovering around 14-15k. Including one season at just 8k.

 

[WaznTheGreat]

Warriors doing well this season with there crowds

 

[DIOGENES]

MY THEORY
by Anne Elk
1. AFL is a cult not a sport.
It is analogous to Hurling in Ireland. The Irish aren't so stupid that they like the boring crap but it is part of the nationalist tradition. They go to the games to say "we are not English". Listening to AFL supporters there is a fair amount of faux nationalism in their watching the game. This is also related to Victorians well deserved sense of inferiority
2. AFL is not class bound. League started as a workingman's sport and despite some broadening of the demographic still has some residual base. In particular middle class women tend to avoid league like the plague but will watch AFL. Changing the demographic appeal will increase crowds but will be difficult while Union catches the upwardly mobile.

 

[Desert Qlder]

So sick of reading about ozzie rules in this thread.

Mods please delete.

 

[oldmancraigy]

Apologies for this post, it contains positivity.

The history bit
From 1979-1987 league crowd averages were sub 10k. Before that, there had been the odd year above 10k average, with a 'purple patch' (1964-1971) where crowd averages were between 10,342 and 12,854).
This all dipped away, 1988 marked the 'return' of a 10k crowd average. Newcastle led the charge with 20k+ per game, the Broncos (16k) and Eels (13k) did the rest of the heavy lifting.

From 1988 to 1994, crowds increased by almost 50%. 1995 saw the inclusion of new teams, and a predictable drop in attendance (not from the new teams home games, but away attendance).

Super League was rumbling in the background, and the washup of it all was a drop back to 10,934 average in 1998.

The relevant bit NRL vs AFL 1998 --> present

From 1998, to today, the NRL has seen crowds increase 47.6%
Over the same time frame, the AFL has seen a 6.4% decrease in crowd numbers.

Anyone saying ground capacity has no relevance on crowd size is nuts, and AFL obviously play at larger capacity grounds (cricket ovals vs rectangle fields). Sure, in terms of actual numbers, the AFL is streets ahead, but one sport is growing the crowd averages, and the other sport is running on the spot.
Sure, since 2005 there has been little NRL growth, but lets give Dave Smith a few more years before giving up on him? Last year saw a drop, this year, growth. I've seen more crowd initiatives this year than last.

 

[El Diablo]

You are completely incapable of dealing with any opinion or fact that slightly challenges your own ideas, and resort to insults as a substitute for thought. The only wanker here is you.

there were no facts in his post as has been pointed out by many people

keep up

and if CT loves AFL so much then he can piss off and follow the Thwans with you

 

[Perth Red]

Melbourners defines there self worth from there sports and Mainly AFL.

Sydney does not define our being from sport plain and simple.

Too simplistic, its not Melbourne v Sydney culture it is AFL v NRL. AFL crowds in perth, Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney are all bigger than NRl crowds in corresponding cities. Ie Swans and Lions draw bigger than Storm and a future Pirates, Perth AFL clubs draw bigger than Broncos and Titans, Melbourne AFl clubs draw bigger than Sydney NRl clubs. They just have developed a culture of belonging and connection and it has driven fans attandences across their game. Smith needs to find out how they have done and just copy it! Australians love sport, love watching sport and generally love attending sport. We just need to tackle the complacency of NRL fans, and/or the lack of popularity and connection NRL clubs have with their populations.

 

[Starkers]

just re oldmancraigy's post, fwiw been looking at some stats etc.

AFL has used 17 venues this year.
NRL has used 24 venues this year.

MCG and Docklands take roughly half the games of AFL each year. Both are down a few thousand this year which has been softened by the use of Adelaide Oval.

Anyway, seems the NRL spreads itself around a fair bit more in Sydney and the country with the use of suburban grounds. Better scheduling and pricing will be needed to make a successful transition to a two stadium policy in Sydney.

Just my two bobs worth.

 

[Jason Maher]

there were no facts in his post as has been pointed out by many people

keep up

and if CT loves AFL so much then he can piss off and follow the Thwans with you

Plenty of facts in my post, which you ignored in favour of your usual empty go-to insult. You are a child.

 

[supercharger]

How many teams operate 50/50 draws? And what's the average pot?
Mayhaps having something like a 50/50 night with A bloated pot could help increase attendance
What if a team added the first $50,000 to the pot?
Would the increased ticket and concession sales offset that investment?

Then, would that exposure to the product produce new fans?

 

[Sydney Knight]

Tonight's crowd looks less shit than I expected

 

[El Diablo]

Plenty of facts in my post, which you ignored in favour of your usual empty go-to insult. You are a child.

not one

you were simply rushing to defend one of your AFL buds who had already been discredited by others

stick to hanging out in the boggers with your limp wristed friends

 

[GAZF]

Tonight's crowd looks less shit than I expected

Souths fans outnumbering us by about 2:1 in GA. Good away fan turnout.

 

[Lyoto]

9,526 @ Canberra.

 

[DIOGENES]

Round = 136,002 ave= 17,000
Ytd 2,331,492 ave = 16,190

2013 equivalent 2,277,790 ave = 15,818
2012 (record) 2,354,203 ave = 16,349

 

[DIOGENES]

An average of 17,117 required for a record.

 

[pHyR3]

An average of 17,117 required for a record.

doable.

last couple of rounds should be 19-21kish with some really important games for teams. that's where the tight competition will have a big impact on crowds.

16.5k was dave smiths target for this year, hitting it would be awesome

 

[Jason Maher]

not one

you were simply rushing to defend one of your AFL buds who had already been discredited by others

stick to hanging out in the boggers with your limp wristed friends

Same again. I suggest a bit of variation goes a long way toward preventing your act from growing stale.