Play Nice 2024 AFL and State League Attendance

[What else we can do]

I don’t think it’s so much about those factors as it is access.

There are countless finals prior to Friday night that in sheer demand would have got more through the gates, what they continue to improve (at a freaking slow rate) is how people access them and ensuring it is closer to capacity than it is in the past.


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Access is bloody slow I tell you that shocking system but who remember's lining up at Myer in the 90's.

 

[The_Wookie]

 

[The Tilt]

I don’t think it’s so much about those factors as it is access.

There are countless finals prior to Friday night that in sheer demand would have got more through the gates, what they continue to improve (at a freaking slow rate) is how people access them and ensuring it is closer to capacity than it is in the past.


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Maybe, but I would have thought that increased demand is the key driver of the larger crowds. There have been a number of recent finals crowds that still aren't capacity constrained but that have drawn way more than they would have a decade ago (Melb-Syd QF 2022; Geelong-Brisbane PF 2022; St Kilda-GWS EF 2023). Better access doesn't explain that.

 

[Hawkk]

The big finals crowds since 2015 could be attributed to the following:
Richmond, Collingwood and Carlton's huge following like the golden age of finals crowds of the 70's early 80's whenever there is an uptick of finals crowds these clubs always bring the most crowds. Essendon will too like the 83 GF.

Hawthorn and Bulldogs growing supporter bases eg Friday night

Other factors neutrals and online purchasing of tickets Online purchasing was non existant in the 90's.

It’s not club specific though.

Since 2015 we’ve seen the following pairings sell out the public reserve at the MCG

‘16 QF Cats v Hawks 87,533 (+13,000 on the ‘14 QF)
‘16 Hawks v Dogs 87,823 (+11,000 on the ‘08 QF)

‘17 QF Cats v Tigers 95,028 (+25,000 on the ‘95 PF at Waverley)
‘17 PF Tigers v Giants 95,258

‘18 QF Tigers v Hawks 91,446
‘18 EF Dees v Cats 91,767 (+26,000 on the ‘06 EF)
‘18 SF Hawks v Dees 90,152 (+15,000 on the ‘90 EF)
‘18 PF Tigers v Pies 94,959 (+29,000 on the ‘74 QF)

‘19 QF Cats v Pies 93,456 (-2,000 on ‘10 PF)
‘19 PF Tigers v Cats 94,423 (-600 on the ‘17 QF)

‘22 QF Cats v Pies 91,525 (-2,000 on ‘19 QF)
‘22 SF Pies v Dockers 90,612

‘23 QF Pies v Dees 92,636 (+29,000 on the ‘89 EF)
‘23 EF Blues v Swans 92,026
‘23 SF Blues v Dees 96,412 (+21,000 on the ‘00 QF)
‘23 PF Pies v Giants 97,665

‘24 EF Dogs v Hawks 97,828 (+10,000 on the ‘16 SF)

Honourable mentions

‘16 PF Cats v Swans 71,772
‘22 QF Dees v Swans 78,377
‘22 PF Cats v Lions 77,677
‘23 EF Saints v Giants 68,465

Over the last nine years the Big 4 have not played in a final that has drawn less than 90,000, whilst Hawthorn has not played in a final that has drawn less than 87,500.

These five clubs are probably a lock to sell out the MCG (or go close) to all finals.

The Cats have played in front of enormous crowds and have drawn 70,000 plus in all but one final (55,000 against the Swans in 2017), the Dees lowest is 62,000 and the Saints drew more to an EF against the Giants than they did to their last season PF against the Dogs in 2010!

You’ve only got to back to 2000/01 and see multiple finals like Blues v Lions, Blues v Crows and Hawks v North that drew low 50,000’s.

Even Blues v Dees only drew 56,000 in 1994 and Tigers v North barely cracked 60,000 in 1995.

It’s crazy that the Dogs v Hawks QF outdrew the Hawks v Cats ‘13 PF (probably the second most famous final in the AFL era) by more than 10,000 - despite the home and away games that season drawing 76,000 and 85,000.

Clearly the theatregoers have grown far more than regular home and away attendances

 

[parano1a]

Think we could have easily pulled a 60k crowd

Swans finals need to be at Accor Stadium for future years if this is the case.

 

[What else we can do]

It’s not club specific though.

Since 2015 we’ve seen the following pairings sell out the public reserve at the MCG

‘16 QF Cats v Hawks 87,533 (+13,000 on the ‘14 QF)
‘16 Hawks v Dogs 87,823 (+11,000 on the ‘08 QF)

‘17 QF Cats v Tigers 95,028 (+25,000 on the ‘95 PF at Waverley)
‘17 PF Tigers v Giants 95,258

‘18 QF Tigers v Hawks 91,446
‘18 EF Dees v Cats 91,767 (+26,000 on the ‘06 EF)
‘18 SF Hawks v Dees 90,152 (+15,000 on the ‘90 EF)
‘18 PF Tigers v Pies 94,959 (+29,000 on the ‘74 QF)

‘19 QF Cats v Pies 93,456 (-2,000 on ‘10 PF)
‘19 PF Tigers v Cats 94,423 (-600 on the ‘17 QF)

‘22 QF Cats v Pies 91,525 (-2,000 on ‘19 QF)
‘22 SF Pies v Dockers 90,612

‘23 QF Pies v Dees 92,636 (+29,000 on the ‘89 EF)
‘23 EF Blues v Swans 92,026
‘23 SF Blues v Dees 96,412 (+21,000 on the ‘00 QF)
‘23 PF Pies v Giants 97,665

‘24 EF Dogs v Hawks 97,828 (+10,000 on the ‘16 SF)

Honourable mentions

‘16 PF Cats v Swans 71,772
‘22 QF Dees v Swans 78,377
‘22 PF Cats v Lions 77,677
‘23 EF Saints v Giants 68,465

Over the last nine years the Big 4 have not played in a final that has drawn less than 90,000, whilst Hawthorn has not played in a final that has drawn less than 87,500.

These five clubs are probably a lock to sell out the MCG (or go close) to all finals.

The Cats have played in front of enormous crowds and have drawn 70,000 plus in all but one final (55,000 against the Swans in 2017), the Dees lowest is 62,000 and the Saints drew more to an EF against the Giants than they did to their last season PF against the Dogs in 2010!

You’ve only got to back to 2000/01 and see multiple finals like Blues v Lions, Blues v Crows and Hawks v North that drew low 50,000’s.

Even Blues v Dees only drew 56,000 in 1994 and Tigers v North barely cracked 60,000 in 1995.

It’s crazy that the Dogs v Hawks QF outdrew the Hawks v Cats ‘13 PF (probably the second most famous final in the AFL era) by more than 10,000 - despite the home and away games that season drawing 76,000 and 85,000.

Clearly the theatregoers have grown far more than regular home and away attendances

It's a combination of all factors but the bigger clubs consistantly bring bigger crowds in era's of large finals crowd's. You see Richmond,Collingwood, Carlton since 2013 92,000 95,000 96,000 97,000 they dwarfed the opposition even Rich against Coll and Carlton.

 

[Ticky009]

Swans finals need to be at Accor Stadium for future years if this is the case.

Yeah nah. Got a long contract with the SCG, bit like that MCG grand final one

 

[Hawkk]

It's a combination of all factors but the bigger clubs consistantly bring bigger crowds in era's of large finals crowd's. You see Richmond,Collingwood, Carlton since 2013 92,000 95,000 96,000 97,000 they dwarfed the opposition even Rich against Coll and Carlton.

Doesn’t hold weight when Essendon ‘only’ drew 78,000 against North Melbourne in 2014. That fixture would clearly draw 95,000 plus post 2016. Even Carlton v Essendon in 2010 only just passed 90,000 - and took more than 24 hours to sell out. Today that would sell out before the end of the member allocation period.

Also ‘dwarfing’ is very subjective

 

[Cmarsh]

Swans finals need to be at Accor Stadium for future years if this is the case.

Accor/Stadium Aus used to be a popular place to go but as time wore on it lost its new stadium feel and AFL match attendances declined. Problem is though the SCG can't really be developed to a large extent due to the heritage listing of the members and ladies stands.

 

[What else we can do]

Doesn’t hold weight when Essendon ‘only’ drew 78,000 against North Melbourne in 2014. That fixture would clearly draw 95,000 plus post 2016. Even Carlton v Essendon in 2010 only just passed 90,000 - and took more than 24 hours to sell out. Today that would sell out before the end of the member allocation period.

Also ‘dwarfing’ is very subjective

Post 2016 for sure Roos v Bombers, we have both used the term dwarf and I tell the Blues fans dwarfed the opposition last year like the Tiges my mob in 2013. The bigger clubs always bring that extra more in any era and your Hawks will too from now on.

 

[Rob]

Accor/Stadium Aus used to be a popular place to go but as time wore on it lost its new stadium feel and AFL match attendances declined. Problem is though the SCG can't really be developed to a large extent due to the heritage listing of the members and ladies stands.

The MCG members stand was heritage listed too.

 

[Cmarsh]

The MCG members stand was heritage listed too.

Well it seems like that didn't stop it from being knocked down from redevelopment. Not sure if there was too much objection to it though. I strongly suspect if it was suggested that the ladies and members stands be knocked down there would be more of a backlash.

 

[MattF185]

I like the currently capacity of the SCG. It’s the Gabba which needs to increase by another 7-10k.

 

[Recon_29]

Will GWS vs Lions sell out this week?

Wouldn't imagine any more than 3-4k travelling Lions fans for a semi...

 

[manicmagpie]

Port/Haw went on sale to members 40 minutes ago and I just checked now and could get straight through with seemingly plenty of tickets on offer. All members (incl AFL) able to buy 4 tickets per barcode.

 

[Walshawk]

What do

Will GWS vs Lions sell out this week?

Wouldn't imagine any more than 3-4k travelling Lions fans for a semi...

The got 15k v WC in 2017. If there has been any growth then surely it must go close. 18k I reckon.

Not sure Port v Hawks will sell out either. Week 2 is always a problems as the hosting clubs have just come off a loss. Crowds would be much better if the winning EF teams were hosting in Week 2.

 

[Bjo187]

Well it seems like that didn't stop it from being knocked down from redevelopment. Not sure if there was too much objection to it though. I strongly suspect if it was suggested that the ladies and members stands be knocked down there would be more of a backlash.

I can see the headline now in the Sydney media 'AFL request knocking down of scg members and ladies stands'. It would be a great little stadium if it went all the way around though. Typically with rebuilding these old stands, people are outraged, till they get in the new stand and are blown away by the upgrades. You could get it up to 60k if you got rid of those 2 old stands I think.

 

[manicmagpie]

The lowest attended Semi Final weekends in history:



There's a decent chance this year could be the lowest since WWII.

 

[TheGoldPersons]

Anything below 18k for Lions and Giants should be seen as a failure imo

 

[Hawkk]

The lowest attended Semi Final weekends in history:

View attachment 2105663

There's a decent chance this year could be the lowest since WWII.

Pass / fail marks?

18,000 for Giants v Lions, 50,000 for Power v Hawks.

I still can't see how the Power SF wont eventually sell out. Its a SF after all and the Hawks have a very large SA member base if the Power numbers are softer and they need to paper over cracks.

 

[manicmagpie]

Pass / fail marks?

18,000 for Giants v Lions, 50,000 for Power v Hawks.

I still can't see how the Power SF wont sell out. Its a SF after all and the Hawks have a very large SA member base if the Power numbers are softer and they need to paper over cracks.

When I look with a Hawthorn AFL Membership number it lets me choose either Port or Hawthorn seating - Port areas look like they are down to single seats and there's only part of a bay or so in the Hawthorn areas. It goes on sale to the public at 3:30pm and it may well be sold out by then, so 50k is a decent chance.

For GWS, they've only gone past 12k at the Showgrounds against Sydney and Collingwood since Round 1 2019.

Their 3 finals at the venue:

• 21,790 v WB in 2016 (PF)
• 19,218 v WB in 2019 (EF)
• 14,865 v WC in 2017 (SF)

 

[Sammoll]

When I look with a Hawthorn AFL Membership number it lets me choose either Port or Hawthorn seating - Port areas look like they are down to single seats and there's only part of a bay or so in the Hawthorn areas. It goes on sale to the public at 3:30pm and it may well be sold out by then, so 50k is a decent chance.

For GWS, they've only gone past 12k at the Showgrounds against Sydney and Collingwood since Round 1 2019.

Their 3 finals at the venue:

• 21,790 v WB in 2016 (PF)
• 19,218 v WB in 2019 (EF)
• 14,865 v WC in 2017 (SF)

50k for Friday’s game would be a terrific result following Port’s performance last week and the anti-Ken sentiment among their fans. The Hawks bandwagon being in full swing certainly helps a lot, although the number of fans that can travel across would be limited on a weeknight compared to on Saturday.

It would be such a good sign for the game if GWS can get 20k+ and pack out Engie on Saturday. Hopefully the AFL can market it heavily this week, even towards Swans fans who might want to catch the game as a neutral with the week off for their side. Will be interesting to see how it’s looking after general public tickets are released. Ultimately, I don’t think the Lions have much support in Sydney so i’m expecting the crowd to fall short of a sellout and land at 17-18k. Would love to be wrong though.

 

[The_Wookie]

50k for Friday’s game would be a terrific result following Port’s performance last week and the anti-Ken sentiment among their fans. The Hawks bandwagon being in full swing certainly helps a lot, although the number of fans that can travel across would be limited on a weeknight compared to on Saturday.

It would be such a good sign for the game if GWS can get 20k+ and pack out Engie on Saturday. Hopefully the AFL can market it heavily this week, even towards Swans fans who might want to catch the game as a neutral with the week off for their side. Will be interesting to see how it’s looking after general public tickets are released. Ultimately, I don’t think the Lions have much support in Sydney so i’m expecting the crowd to fall short of a sellout and land at 17-18k. Would love to be wrong though.

Gonna be a big crowd i think. Hotel filled up real quick out of nowhere

 

[Walshawk]

Worried about the Giants crowd. Only 1400 in the queue at 10am, and 16 at 3.06pm just after tickets were open to the public!

 

[Hawkk]

Worried about the Giants crowd. Only 1400 in the queue at 10am, and 16 at 3.06pm just after tickets were open to the public!

About 3,000 are in the queue for the other Semi (so you would imagine that would swallow the remaining tickets).

So maybe 15,000 to 18,000 for the GWS v Lions?

(You would imagine the Lions would have slightly more NSW fans than the Eagles)