28 546 at the G: Melb v the Hawks

[xxxWillxxx]

5. Too hungover to move from the couch.

6. Gary not playing for melbourne

 

[dymot]

And night melbourne based games are 'too hard' for cats fans ?

Yet we still get more than 11k turning up.]

 

[Bigeasy]

Yeah, it appears as though people are voting with their feet when it comes to late starts on Sunday afternoons

Does the AFL care?

They tell us they have a "crowd maximisation policy", but I think a better description would be "Bow to their Channel 7 masters" policy


Why can't they just put the fricken footy on at 2pm?

Seriously? It's a one hour difference. Trying playing most of your games at 4.40 on a Sunday!!!

Bunch of whiners. .

 

[Chewy]

Seriously? It's a one hour difference. Trying playing most of your games at 4.40 on a Sunday!!!

Bunch of whiners. .

I'm not whining. If anything, it sounds to me like you're the one who is whining. I was there and the Hawks won. It wasn't our home game, so why would I give a shit? Attendances mean jack shit to me. As far as care factor goes, it rates on a par with who's umpiring.

The crowd seemed pretty poor even allowing for the mismatch, Melbourne's poor form and the shitty weather over the previous 24 hours which may have scared a few fair-weather fans away.

I think it's obvious that people don't like these late afternoon starts. I think the different start times from week to week is another thing which detracts from the overall attendances. Footy fans are creatures of habit. Give them a 2pm or 8pm start ever weekend and they will probably roll up in greater numbers for these dud matches.

Anyway, it sounds as though you agree with me, otherwise you wouldn't have posted your complaints about North's Sunday twilight fixture.

It shits me rigid that everything is geared around the TV coverage these days. It's done at the expense of the true football fans who turn up every weekend. The AFL no longer cater for the customers who spend the most money - they cater for the non-committal slobs at home on their couches with a remote in their hands. TV dollars rule, but this is no reason for the AFL to give complete control over their fixtures to Channel 7 and Foxtel.

I won't hold my breath, but hopefully Demetriou will have a look at the way the NFL manages the start-times of their games when he goes on his annual mid-winter junket to the USA. Their 16 games are played in the same 4 time-slots every weekend. Sundays at 1pm, 4pm and 8pm and Mondays 8pm. We play our 9 games in 9 different time slots with further minor variations each week.

 

[sherb]

Get stuffed. My dog has every right to be a member...

Why is this used as a point scoring exercise by idiots all the time??

Im sick of his loyalty being questioned.

Does he watch many games?

 

[hawker11]

Seriously? It's a one hour difference. Trying playing most of your games at 4.40 on a Sunday!!!

Bunch of whiners. .

The one hour difference does matter if you have a young family that are fed and in bed between 6-7pm. It may as well be 4:40pm...

As for the low crowd yesterday, what were people really expecting?! One sided games in poor timeslots aren't going to draw crowds, and Melbourne have sunk so low that they are now outnumbered by opposition fans at their own home games. The other issue is the volume of poor timeslots allocated to certain teams. Both Melbourne and Hawthorn cop more than their fair share of crap timeslots, I think if it were a novelty to play on late Sunday afternoons more would be inclined to make the extra effort.

 

[gaelictiogar]

The issue is not the Hawks. Its the Dees. They are literally falling off a cliff onfield and in the stands. If their own fans won't come and if opposition won't bother then who will come? The QB is a blood transfusion for them but if the Pies don't bother coming we could see a wholesale collapse of the club's home match attendances. We could be looking at NRL type crowds at the MCG.

 

[Hawkk]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...oints-at-the-mcg/story-fni5f91a-1226655444108

Melbourne home game attendances for the season...

Melbourne V Port Adelaide - 22,924
Melbourne V West Coast - 18,571
Melbourne V GWS - 20,018
Melbourne V Gold Coast - 13,018
Melbourne V Hawthorn - 28,546

Admittedly the Hawthorn game was the only higher drawing game amongst the lot (the average home and away game between the clubs has drawn 42,800 over the last 10 meetings) but the Demon crowds are falling off the cliff...at this rate QB may only draw 50,000 or there abouts.

 

[Hawkk]

Take out their 3 game memberships, the dog and cat memberships (which the Hawks pioneered), their fanbase is no bigger than St Kilda.

The last 10 home and away games between Melbourne and Hawthorn...

2012 - 36,430
2011 - 49,905, 39,782
2010 - 45,615, 48,211
2009 - 39,395
2008 - 40,141, 41,341
2007 - 43,197
2006 - 42,985

Average: 42,800. So not only was yesterday's game some 14,000 or so lower than the average attendance between the two clubs but looking to the last 10 St Kilda V Melbourne matches...

2012 - 24,877, 23,464
2011 - 28,863
2010 - 31,993
2009 - 36,478, 9112* (not included in statistics)
2008 - 27,874
2007 - 49,490
2006 - 41,665
2005 - 39,584

Average: 33,809 (35,971 at MCG). Crap poster, making crap up.

Melbourne's attendances are in free fall due in no small part to their insipid performance on the field. Its not only impacting on their crowds but the portion of opposition fans willing to part with their money to watch a match that is a forgone conclusion before it even starts.

 

[MinerBoy]

Why do members of other clubs care about attendances of matches they aren't involved in?

I just want my team to win.

 

[MinerBoy]

5. Too hungover to move from the couch.

6. Wanted to get a small crowd so we could get this awesome thread.

 

[Papa G]

Any Hawthorn supporter that says they don't need Tasmania is delusional.

 

[MinerBoy]

Any Hawthorn supporter that says they don't need Tasmania is delusional.

All clubs need a major sponsor. Well done. Insightful.

 

[Groupie_]

We got 33k when we played Melbourne in the same time slot.

We got 45k to the Crows a week earlier.

Melbourne just turn people off going to the football.

We got 39 after they lost to GC also in the same time slot.

 

[Giants FC]

It was a Melbourne home game. The Demons are struggling, the result was a foregone conclusion. It had been raining earlier in the day.

28,546 is a good crowd in those circumstances.

 

[Tassieboy]

Essendon got 51k against Melbourne. Admittedly it was R.2 and a Saturday night but still a good crowd under the circumstances.

The major difference is Hawthorn is far more successful than Essendon or Richmond of late and a win against Melbourne is just not exciting.

 

[La Vache]

I am a Hawthorn member who lives 8km away and I didn't go because I wanted to hang out with my almost two year old instead of watching us go through the motions and flog one of the worst sides in living memory.

Not only that but I didn't even watch the first quarter AND I missed the last 15 minutes!

 

[Groupie_]

Essendon got 51k against Melbourne. Admittedly it was R.2 and a Saturday night but still a good crowd under the circumstances.

The major difference is Hawthorn is far more successful than Essendon or Richmond of late and a win against Melbourne is just not exciting.

So Essendon and Richmond can expect sub 30k crowds vs Melbourne when we become as successful as Hawthorn?

 

[RedLegs#5]

So this is main board material now? Well f*ck me sideways.

 

[Rusty Brookes]

I am a Hawthorn member who lives 8km away and I didn't go because I wanted to hang out with my almost two year old instead of watching us go through the motions and flog one of the worst sides in living memory.

Not only that but I didn't even watch the first quarter AND I missed the last 15 minutes!

We had a 5 year old's birthday party. At one stage we did think of going for the second half and then realised why bother making the effort to see what boiled down to a glorified training run. A lot of us have priorities in addition to football and often have to rationalise which games to attend - let me put in this way. I was glad I went last week and got to see Gary Ablett run around in a decent contest.

 

[MinerBoy]

 

[Easy Slips Catch]

Poor old crowd at a poor old game - bringing the game into disrepute?...

People are voting with their feet. An noncompetitive match playing at an unattractive time slot.

The three TV execs who own our game are doing the struggling teams no favours. I cannot see how punishing poor teams by giving them crap time slots will help them become competitive.

 

[Hawkk]

Any Hawthorn supporter that says they don't need Tasmania is delusional.

Anyone who thinks Port can survive without ongoing handouts (in the millions) is delusional...

That said, anyone who thinks Port has 40,000 supporters let alone members is far, far more delusional

 

[Hawkk]

So Essendon and Richmond can expect sub 30k crowds vs Melbourne when we become as successful as Hawthorn?

When Essendon and Richmond become far more successful they can expect to draw 50,000+ crowds against the likes of the Swans and Eagles (known contenders) Ditto 75,000+ against Geelong.

Attendance is very much a subject of the circumstances and position of the two clubs in question as it is about the individual drawing power of the club itself.

If you were a member of a leading contender and had a tenancy to attend 4-5 games a season are you more inclined to select a match against the premier (Sydney), the best club of the last 10 years (Geelong), the biggest club in the country (Collingwood) or a match against probably the worst side since Fitzroy (Melbourne).

 

[Tassieboy]

So Essendon and Richmond can expect sub 30k crowds vs Melbourne when we become as successful as Hawthorn?

I seriously doubt that. But that's Essendon and Richmond. Hawthorn are a different kettle of fish.