Play Nice 2024 AFL and State League Attendance

Remove this Banner Ad

Can we put to bed that Friday night and Saturday night games are better to attend to?

Like I'm looking forward to Melbourne getting more afternoon games next year now that we're crap😂
 

Log in to remove this ad.

How is 34k a great crowd?
It isn’t a ‘great crowd’. But in the context of an on-field implosion, a common theme for 20 years, it was good.

By the way, Carlton only have one crowd larger than this against Fremantle in Melbourne - 35,441 in 2022.
 
It isn’t a ‘great crowd’. But in the context of an on-field implosion, a common theme for 20 years, it was good.

By the way, Carlton only have one crowd larger than this against Fremantle in Melbourne - 35,441 in 2022.
That’s the point. Context is everything. They’ve lost 6 of last 8 and last week was appalling. 34k+ is as much as any Vic club would likely draw under the circumstances. It was a strong roll up.
 
Very good crowd. The ground was alive in the last qtr too. Essendon are crap but their fans are quite resilient and got a reward today.
Essendon have a crazy base, which is why I really hope we can hold that round 1 fixture - more for us then for you. Essendon is the absolute sleeping giant of the comp, they really should play a lot more home games at the MCG
 
Can we put to bed that Friday night and Saturday night games are better to attend to?

Like I'm looking forward to Melbourne getting more afternoon games next year now that we're crap😂
I can relate. Adelaide were expected to be good this year, so night games galore, and only a handful of games i could realistically attend with my young kids.
Bring on the 1pm games in 2025!
 
Yep. Essendon aren't winning a bunch of games recently nor are they challenging for the flag, but at the same time, it's not as if they're scraping by at the bottom of the ladder. Finals isn't out of the question nor was the chance of winning this game remote. People are making excuses for Essendon as if they're in North, West Coast, Richmond levels of being uncompetitive. They're not. You have to be able to bring crowds when you're a slightly-worse-than middling team, because, on average, that's what your're going to be in the long run.

Personally, I think the crowd is fine but slightly under par, but at the same time, we're allowed to criticse ridiculous demands and over the top chest puffing from "big" teams when the net result is a crowd that isn't all that much bigger than the equivalent crowd when a small team plays against them.
 
Last edited:

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Yep. Essendon aren't winning a bunch of games recently nor are they challenging for the flag, but at the same time, it's not as if they're scraping by at the bottom of the ladder. Finals isn't out of the question nor was the chance of winning this game remote. People are making excuses for Essendon as if they're in North, West Coast, Richmond levels of being uncompetitive. They're not. You have to be able to bring crowds when you're a slightly-worse-than middling team, because, on average, that's what your're going to be in the long run.

Personally, I think the crowd is fine but slightly under par, but at the same time, we're allowed to criticse ridiculous demands and over the top chest puffing from "big" crowds when the net result is a crowd that isn't all that much bigger than the equivalent crowd when a small team plays against them.
Sure, they’re a chance at finals but that’s all mathematics and theory. Nobody respected them as a finals winning threat. Essendon supporters knew better and a portion of them weren’t engaged after the last two weeks with everything to play for.

Reality is they’ve been terrible for two weeks with the carrot on display, poor for much of last 8 weeks. They were a laughing stock of the league again.

I thought anything starting with a ‘3’ today would’ve been acceptable. I predicted 28-32k which is about the level a big club would draw in similar circumstances. So today was hardly ‘under par’ imo.

34,400 today is about as good as any Victorian club would draw all things considered.. On that basis, it’s a strong crowd.
 
Last edited:
After Round 21 (excluding Gather Round)

HOME CROWDS
Club (# of home games played) = Total (Average)
  • Collingwood (10) = 674,449 (67,445)
  • Carlton (9) = 512,801 (56,978)
  • Essendon (9) = 492,032 (54,670)
  • Richmond (9) = 467,473 (51,941)
  • Fremantle (9) = 419,883 (46,654)
  • West Coast (10) = 460,114 (46,011)
  • Adelaide (10) = 409,858 (40,986)
  • Geelong (10) = 394,667 (39,467)
  • Sydney (9) = 345,881 (38,431)
  • Hawthorn (9) = 326,779 (36,309)
  • Port Adelaide (10) = 354,076 (35,408)
  • Melbourne (9) = 312,391 (34,710)
  • Brisbane Lions (9) = 276,472 (30,719)
  • Western Bulldogs (9) = 271,282 (30,142)
  • St Kilda (10) = 289,886 (28,989)
  • North Melbourne (10) = 234,875 (23,488)
  • Gold Coast (10) = 158,397 (15,840)
  • GWS (10) = 124,220 (12,422)

HOME AND AWAY CROWDS
Club (# of games played) = Total (Average)
  • Collingwood (19) = 1,170,775 (61,620)
  • Carlton (19) = 1,056,891 (55,626)
  • Essendon (19) = 1,005,735 (52,933)
  • Richmond (19) = 881,298 (46,384)
  • Geelong (19) = 804,193 (42,326)
  • Melbourne (19) = 798,679 (42,036)
  • West Coast (19) = 754,648 (39,718)
  • Sydney (19) = 744,081 (39,162)
  • Hawthorn (19) = 740,921 (38,996)
  • Adelaide (19) = 719,162 (37,851)
  • Fremantle (19) = 688,029 (36,212)
  • Port Adelaide (19) = 618,909 (32,574)
  • Western Bulldogs (19) = 599,674 (31,562)
  • Brisbane Lions (19) = 592,923 (31,206)
  • St Kilda (19) = 588,439 (30,970)
  • North Melbourne (19) = 498,000 (26,211)
  • Gold Coast (19) = 396,774 (20,883)
  • GWS (19) = 392,204 (20,642)
 
Sure, they’re a chance at finals but that’s all mathematics and theory. Nobody respected them as a finals winning threat. Essendon supporters knew better and a portion of them weren’t engaged after the last two weeks with everything to play for.

Reality is they’ve been terrible for two weeks with the carrot on display, poor for much of last 8 weeks. They were a laughing stock of the league again.

I thought anything starting with a ‘3’ today would’ve been acceptable. I predicted 28-32k which is about the level a big club would draw in similar circumstances. So today was hardly ‘under par’ imo.

34,400 today is about as good as any Victorian club would draw all things considered.. On that basis, it’s a strong crowd.
34,000 for any Victorian club that isn't a realistic shot at a flag is excellent. Given the size of Essendon’s MCC membership it really doesn't make sense that they only play 4 home games a year at the ground.

Despite being top 4 a few weeks ago, Essendon were never as hyped up as the Blues or Dogs have been this season - hence the flag betting
 
How is their season done when they are half a game out of the 8? 34k on an absolutely perfect winters day is 'ok' nothing more.
There is a huge difference between being in and around the eight (and losing 6 out of 8) and being a team that is charging to September or the reigning premier

Essendon has bugger all expectation and I would imagine after 20 years of not winning a final it would be a pretty demoralising experience being a fan.
 
There is a huge difference between being in and around the eight (and losing 6 out of 8) and being a team that is charging to September or the reigning premier

Essendon has bugger all expectation and I would imagine after 20 years of not winning a final it would be a pretty demoralising experience being a fan.
Well said mate! For 20 years we have still been good with our crowds and memberships. You cannot fault us bomber fans as we still turn up and are bloody resilient! Once we win that first final and get the monkey off our backs, you watch, we could be anything. We will get a 100,000 members too.
 
I can relate. Adelaide were expected to be good this year, so night games galore, and only a handful of games i could realistically attend with my young kids.
Bring on the 1pm games in 2025!
And then on the other side, I'm a bloke in my mid 20s, Friday night and Saturday nights is when I have other events on.

Either way for us, afternoon games are generally better to attend to
 
Need some confirmation from your good selves dave10, razz, astute, hawk, ep etc.. Is general admin exhausted for Sunday? Some of my guys from work want to go.

It says allocation exhausted but surely it isn't. Unless it is a fully ticketed game which I highly doubt it would be.
Ticketek just doing Ticketek stuff, wanting people to reserve a seat.
Id wait until Thursday/Friday mate to see if GA gets released. Guessing they would be able to buy a GA tkt at the gate.
 
It says allocation exhausted but surely it isn't. Unless it is a fully ticketed game which I highly doubt it would be.
Ticketek just doing Ticketek stuff, wanting people to reserve a seat.
Id wait until Thursday/Friday mate to see if GA gets released. Guessing they would be able to buy a GA tkt at the gate.
Thanks Astute I'll keep an eye out during the week.
 
Need some confirmation from your good selves dave10, razz, astute, hawk, ep etc.. Is general admin exhusted for Sunday? Some of my guys from work want to go.
Not as yet, but I suspect it will. It’s selling very well.

This has an eerily similar feeling about it as the 2009 late season Hawks / Bombers game that had a finals spot on the line too. I was there and remember it well. Crowd was 77,278.

A few things in this week’s fixture that support a significantly larger crowd than that game. Firstly., it’s Carlton’s home game (2009 was Hawks homer). Second, I’m assuming it’s a Hawks home replacement game? It’s in a good timeslot with a good forecast weather too. The big one though, MCC restricted / provisional members can access the reserve and as a result I’d expect the MCC reserve to be full. In 2009 the MCC reserve was half empty on level 4, the public sections were full and the AFL members catered for the overflow as the top of the AFL was opened up. That MCC change is helping crowds at blockbuster games in recent times.

Against it are frustrated Blues fans who could stay away. I think given the stakes this is a minimal impact.

My guess is this game could draw around 85,000. It will get huge publicity through the week and the AFL / MCC reserves will be full and a healthy neutral following as we see during the finals series. This crowd could be anything imo.
 
It says allocation exhausted but surely it isn't. Unless it is a fully ticketed game which I highly doubt it would be.
Ticketek just doing Ticketek stuff, wanting people to reserve a seat.
Id wait until Thursday/Friday mate to see if GA gets released. Guessing they would be able to buy a GA tkt at the gate.
Still selling seats on level 4 in Warne and Ponsford Stands.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Play Nice 2024 AFL and State League Attendance

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top