-
AFLW 2024 - Round 10 - Chat, game threads, injury lists, team lineups and more.
Biggest crowd pulling games / teams
- Thread starter Koutou43
- Start date
- Tagged users None
Shows that it takes two attractions to draw the really big crowds. Rivalries with family members, friends and acquaintances assist in generating the extra interest in these games.
Whilst I've attended every Richmond v Fremantle match in Melbourne, I don't personally know a single Fremantle supporter. Plenty of people like to attend football in a group, and casual followers are more likely to select matches that interest others. The geographical separation and lack of traditional rivalry that comes with the territory for out-of-state clubs ensures Vic v non-Vic games are largely overshadowed. It's a fact of life that e.g. Fremantle v anyone in Melbourne just doesn't do the do.
Now that's just a load of crap. It's pretty easy to prove it wrong as well - because it's not like a Vic vs Vic team gets double what it would if the Vic team was playing a side from interstate.
Richmond supporters are pretty much no more or less likely to show up when playing a side from interstate. You might get a few thousand more against a side like Carlton, but it's negligible, and certainly not in the tens of thousands. The difference is supporters of the other club. That's why you generally get 25-35k against interstate sides, and 40-50k against Victorian sides. Take away the opposition supporters and you're left with (funnily enough), 25-35k. And games against Vic sides with larger supporter bases get bigger crowds - duh - because more opposition supporters rock up.
It's not rocket science.
I'm afraid it's not a load of crap. How then do you explain the difference between a 70K crowd and a 50K crowd? The difference is floating supporters and neutrals, whose attendance is proportionate to the teams' form, history between the two clubs, and level of media promotion.
Freo and Port - the two newest clubs - are our poorest Melbourne draws. We struggled to get 20K to the MCG for Richo's 250th, FFS. That type of matchup consistently fails to capture the public's imagination.
What odds are you offering on GC being our poorest home draw for the next 10 years?
- Aug 27, 2007
- 13,501
- 11,810
- AFL Club
- Fremantle
- Other Teams
- Everton_East Freo_Atalanta_Tranmere
Meanwhile, Freo get 25k+ for Sandilands 150th
Oh and did I mention that it was an away game?
In Melbourne?
Against your mob?
can i ask where the data for the OP was sourced ?
i havent had a chance to check, but i cant believe theres no 70k+ crowds pre 1950's. the G was established in the most part, albeit old rickety stands etc. footy was the peoples game back then, attendance cost was low, and during typical dismal winters footy was the escape.
i havent had a chance to check, but i cant believe theres no 70k+ crowds pre 1950's. the G was established in the most part, albeit old rickety stands etc. footy was the peoples game back then, attendance cost was low, and during typical dismal winters footy was the escape.
- Apr 4, 2009
- 5,250
- 5,799
- AFL Club
- Collingwood
Hence why you live in a state still stuck in the 1950s
Ron's point here is the simple truth. If we take the years since all the Big 4 played more or less all their big games at the G since mid 90s we'll find that all have a preponderance of 70K plus attendances whilst top 8 and failures to reach 70K whilst bottom 8. Top 4 and bottom 4 will accentuate this. Collingwood will have a bit of a lead over the other three but they do tend to final more often than not whereas Carltona and to a greater extent richmond have underachieved onfield thus failing to get the 70K attendances.
If we look at 13 to 16 inclusive we have Carl 4, Ess and Rich 3 and Coll 2.
The first time a h&a crowd broke 70K was in 1958, for the now-traditional Queen's Birthday match between Melbourne and Collingwood (99,346). Prior to this, there were 36 such crowds in finals between 1933-57.
Remember, there was no TV and probably no radio advertising, only dry dailies like The Argus to create a buildup. The MCG was the only ground with that type of capacity, so a 70K crowd was only possible for a Melbourne home game.
A couple of sources exist for the data, although historical figures sometimes differ slightly between the two.
AFL Tables e.g. 2010
AFL website e.g. 1990
I thought Hawthorn would have pulled more crowd then Geelong or even Melbourne
Hawthorn have never had a lot of supporters. Don't be fooled by their 50,000+ membership figure. Their supporter base is not all that much different than Melbourne's or Geelong's.
Domenic Fotia
Senior List
correct weight.
Just guessing, but the closest they've been has probably been 1998, when they got 68 000 against North.
68447 v Richmond, 1974. North game is #2.
I'm completely happy with the league 'propping up' North. In the same way as I'm extremely happy Melbourne and Hawthorn didn't merge in '96. Boggles the mind how people can be so simple-minded when it comes to protecting the game's heritage...
The 'propping' is done because teams like north have fixtures which are unlikely to be profitable.
I'm sure teams would prefer a fairer fixture and less 'propping'
How much did the state govt spend on the lexus/westpac centre again ?
I'm sure teams would prefer a fairer fixture and less 'propping'
How much did the state govt spend on the lexus/westpac centre again ?
The reason that WA and SA do not have a larger stadium is that it would be not financial viable 363 days of the year (364 in a leap year).
The cost of opening a 70,000-seater for crowds consistently less than 40,000 would be exorbitant, as illustrated by some of the shonky deals traditionally claimed by Victorian clubs. Why do you think that massive footballing organisations such as Arsenal have recently built new venues (Emirates Stadium) with seating limited to 65,000, when they could realistically attract 100,000 punters to a handful of home games each year.
The added benefits for WA and SA clubs (in particular West Coast and Adelaide, who consistently attract memberships around the 50,000 mark) of having restricted seating capacity is that it also entices club subscription. After all, annual membership therefore becomes the only manner in which a supporter is guaranteed a seat at home games, as well as allowing the club to dictate the price and kind of membership deals on offer.
No, the difference is hype (eg. opening game of the year) and more opposition supporters. Richmond never draws 70k unless it's against one of the other 'big 4' Victorian clubs (and rarely does so for most of those games anyway). Games against other Victorian sides, irrespective of position on the ladder, won't get close to 70k because they don't bring enough supporters with them and Richmond can't get 50k+ off their own bat unless it's extraordinary circumstances (eg. big winning streak).
Gee, you don't reckon that's got anything to do with those clubs' respective Victorian supporter bases being so low?
It's got nothing to do with the turnout of Richmond fans at all. The usual 25-30k or so of them will show, subject to ladder position, weather, and usually games at the MCG will get an extra 5k - probably MCG members. The same number that shows up to most matches against Victorian opposition.
Boris the Contradiction
Cancelled
The Dogs at least would have if Collingwood didn't have to play away against them twice every year.
Last game at Waverley.
BallaratBulldog
Premium Platinum
Western Bulldogs - Bailey Dale Player Sponsor 2022
Western Bulldogs - Ed Richards Player Sponsor 2022
Longest SFA Game Thread Ever
West Coast Wonders - Sweet F.A.
Sweet F.A. 300+ Games Played in the SFA
Western Bulldogs - Ed Richards Player Sponsor 2018
Western Bulldogs - Bailey Dale Player Sponsor 2018
Pokemon is Life
- Aug 5, 2007
- 19,875
- 24,395
- AFL Club
- Western Bulldogs
- Other Teams
- Footscray VFL.
We have gotten a few in the 65-68k region that I know of, but no 70k+. But is it really that surprising?
Gee, you don't reckon that's got anything to do with those clubs' respective Victorian supporter bases being so low?
It's got nothing to do with the turnout of Richmond fans at all. The usual 25-30k or so of them will show, subject to ladder position, weather, and usually games at the MCG will get an extra 5k - probably MCG members. The same number that shows up to most matches against Victorian opposition.
You're calling it from a long way away; I am there and telling you that plenty of regulars are absent from games v the interstate clubs. Believe it or not, many supporters are discerning and won't go to this ground or that, or to matches against certain opponents.
We had crowds of 16, 21 & 22K against Port, prior to 38K for Cousins' last game. Healthy contribution from neutrals, but the difference was chiefly part-time Richmond supporters who, barring the occasion, would not have been sufficiently interested to attend.
Whaddya know, that fella works for me too.
lol, but I think you're missing Domenic's point... You are far more likely to pull a crowd of 70k+ in a stadium that holds 70k+ than one that doesn't, just as this table demonstrates:
| Capacity>70k Capacity<70k | Tot
--|---------------------------|---
Co| 86 0 | 86
Es| 53 0 | 53
Ca| 45 0 | 45
Ri| 33 0 | 33
Me| 16 0 | 16
Ge| 14 0 | 14
Ha| 7 0 | 7
St| 7 0 | 7
NM| 2 0 | 2
Sy| 1 0 | 1
The figures at the end of 1982 - Richmond's last GF year and acknowledged as marking the beginning of its malaise - were:
13 Collingwood
10 Melbourne
. 9 Richmond
. 7 Essendon
. 3 Carlton, Geelong
. 2 St.Kilda
. 1 Hawthorn
It's not as though Richmond had a massive jump on the other clubs by virtue of its 1965 shift.
You're calling it from a long way away; I am there and telling you that plenty of regulars are absent from games v the interstate clubs. Believe it or not, many supporters are discerning and won't go to this ground or that, or to matches against certain opponents.
We had crowds of 16, 21 & 22K against Port, prior to 38K for Cousins' last game. Healthy contribution from neutrals, but the difference was chiefly part-time Richmond supporters who, barring the occasion, would not have been sufficiently interested to attend.
Whaddya know, that fella works for me too.
Whatever you reckon - but that's not borne out in the crowd figures. Whether an opponent is Victorian or not does not appear to encourage more than a small number of extra fans of a club to attend.
BTW, your Cousins scenario proves my point - it's the hype and event that get the part timers attending. If Richmond was playing an interstate opponent in round 22 for top spot, then i'd expect a crowd of 50k (lets say 47k Richmond supporters. If it was a Victorian opponent, then i'd expect exactly the same number of Richmond fans to be there. The crowd would top 70k because of the opposition support, not because more Richmond fans would attend.
Similar threads
