News Dogs Crowd Numbers

[Fossie 32]

Down about 10000 on average from 2009. I think Smorgo was commenting on it on SEN today but missed it

Link

 

[Igloo]

Simon Garlick recently said something on the matter. We have home games coming up against Carlton, Hawthorn, North and Sydney, which should increase the average. Included in our home games so far are Port, Brisbane, GC (Darwin) - all interstate sides, who we have had understandably low crowds. Also had WC (decent melbourne following), Geelong and Collingwood.

By the end of the year it shouldn't look as bad. It will be a bit lower still, but that's understandable due to us going down the ladder more.

 

[Dancing Dougy]

Combine terrible scheduling of games, home games against interstate teams and low ranking Melbourne teams, very few prime time slots and ordinary on field performance, it's hardly a wonder.

What do you do? Complain? If you do, the minuscule AFL "shut your trap" compensation fund disappears.

The AFL are in the business of making money, giving better scheduling to top tier teams in the short/long term, far outweighs (profit wise) any attempt to build up the profile/profit of the lower clubs.

 

[Oor Wally]

Down about 10000 on average from 2009. I think Smorgo was commenting on it on SEN today but missed it

AFL's fault, letting us lose Ward and Harbrow Promoting G.C and W.Syd over the West of Melb and our long time supporters may be losing their patience
No Grand Final- in my Teens
-in my Twenties
-in my Thirties
-in my Forties
-in my Fifties
and I doubt in my Sixties and I'm not on my pat malone and
WE WONDER WHY OUR CROWDS ARE LOW

 

[NBates]

http://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/w...article/tabid/4112/newsid/139614/default.aspx

Simon Garlick's statement on the Bulldog's website.

 

[cammo78]

There's a number of elements at play here.

We have a traditionally low support base. Add to this the bandwagon element now that we are a few years from another serious challenge, and a worsening economic climate (particularly an issue for a "working class" club) and you have the results we see at the moment.

North appear to be doing it even harder, overlooking what is a clearly inflated membership figure and looking at bums on seats.

What's the solution?

It's been going on, this cycle, for as long as I can recall - so I'm not sure there is one.

It's the nature of our support base and club, and I'm not convinced even a flag could change it.

 

[staphy]

I said before. Against Port we got a crowd of 16k with a membership base of 30k that’s around half our membership numbers that turned up, media jumps up and down.
Now let’s take Pies V Gold Coast a few weeks ago. Crowd 36K, Pies have a membership base of 70+K that’s around half their membership base that turned up.
So on statistics alone, if the media are saying it’s a poor crowd for us against Port, then surely they are saying it’s also a poor crowd for the Pies v GC.
I know these low figures don’t look great, but put into perspective it is what it is especially against interstate teams.
Even Cats v GWS 17K turned up only half their membership base, did we hear anything from the media all I hear is silence.
There are many examples of this with other teams.

 

[Libba39]

Factors at play are:

-TV Deal means every game is live somewhere. This will effect all clubs eventually.
-No Barry Hall or Aker. No matter what you think of these guys they brought attention to the club and drew in the crowds
-poor on-field performance - well duh!
-A coach who isn't a great media performer (not saying this is a bad thing by the way)
-Club Marketing. Hmmm, what do we do to entice people to the game? Wait! I've got it! If the Bulldogs kick a goal in the first 7 minutes of the second qtr all Bulldogs Caps will be half price. Who thinks up crap like that????

 

[beaser]

Bring back Teds towel that really had em lining up at the gates.

 

[Barkly St End]

I've been following this club for 40 years, so I've seen a bit, I've seen crowd numbers fluctuate with our onfield fortunes.

This is one thing I know - that drop in average attendances is huge, we can't just dismiss it, it's a real worry.

Looking through our history, any year in which we have hit a bit of a trough in attendances, it has always precipitated a new crisis.

In 1989, we hit a low of average attendances of 15,016. This was our lowest average attendance since 1968, a year in which we won the wooden spoon. We can all remember what happened at the end of the 1989 season.

Attendances immediately picked up for six seasons, peaking at 29k in 1992, and then dropped back to 20k in 1996, ushering in another mini-crisis and board re-shuffle.

Attendances jumped to 30k averages the following season, and since that time have occasionally dropped to around the 26k mark, hitting an all time high of 39k in 2009.

But having now dropped back to around the 20k mark, I can't help thinking that we are again at a crossroads

 

[j0rdy1]

I don't think it as bad as it sounds. Take away the 8,500k crowd at Darwin and it jumps up to 26k. Which is what we had last year. Factor in that we have had Port, Brisbane and to some extent West Coast. It hasn't been a great home schedule to show off home attendences.

 

[TMoney22]

Just came back from the North and Carlton game and all i could think about was how many North supporters were there. It disappoints me to think we won't get anywhere near the support they had tonight when we play Carlton next Saturday night. There was 46k and a shit load of light blue. If North were top 4 i'd expect that but they aren't. Before tonight it wast a good season for them.

I would expect us to have more supporters, i bloody hope so if we expect to remain long term. will be interesting next week

 

[Chicago1]

You do have to remember that I haven't been able to be at any matches this year, so that accounts for one less bum-in-seat(maybe two, since I've gained weight since last year.). And there should be more hot chips available at every Bulldogs match. That's a good thing, right?

 

[Morta23]

Been really dissapointing crowd numbers all season. Obviously a poor season has played a major factor but it is still very worrying.

The two that stick out to me most are our 2 friday night games. The one against Geelong drew sub 30,000 and the one against Collingwood drew 37,000 - 38,000 (majority collingwood supporters.) I also think with our poor form as of late our upcoming matches against Hawthorn, Carlton etc will be no better.

 

[VogonProsthetnic]

How about the scheduling we get from the AFL?

We need less Sunday late time slots. Who wants to get home at 8pm on a Sunday night at the start of a school nad work week?

We should ask for more early afternoon start times.

 

[Morta23]

Lucky to be 25K there today...

 

[acker]

The TV ratings on our games have been down a fair bit as well

Not only are we getting flogged we don't have a star player like many other sides

 

[Bulldog1954]

Lucky to be 25K there today...

It was just under, a lot of hawks fans only go to the G and many if ours dropped off weeks ago. My reserve seats at the footscray end are becoming more sparsely populated by the week

 

[Morta23]

It was just under, a lot of hawks fans only go to the G and many if ours dropped off weeks ago. My reserve seats at the footscray end are becoming more sparsely populated by the week

Really dissapointing but when the team struggles to score half a century each week, its to be expected I guess.

Home game against Carlton next week, but with the way they played Friday, wouldnt expect to break the 30K barrier.

 

[cleveland]

Really dissapointing but when the team struggles to score half a century each week, its to be expected I guess.

Home game against Carlton next week, but with the way they played Friday, wouldnt expect to break the 30K barrier.

Start of the season my bay on level 2 was chock a block but its getting to the stage now i could sit where i want lol

 

[UnCani]

why would anyone pay to watch a team that cant kick a goal in a half of footy? Cant even bring myself to watch more than 15 minutes on telly. There is nothing worth watching. why don't our forwards lead? Look like you give a shyte!

 

[BWFC]

Had a son this week. Will not be buying him a membership. Will not be pushing the dogs on to him. He can decide to barrack for whoever he wants. If you told me that fifteen years a go I wouldn't be a member, never attend games and couldn't even care if my first born son barracked for the doggies I would have said you were crazy.

But seriously why would I want to go and watch this team? They're not competitive. They can't even kick a soccer score.

Plus you add the fact that in the last 15 to 20 years, they've changed our name, and got rid of our home ground. Replaced standing with seating.Made sure there's nearly no atmosphere at games. Replaced Beer with the worlds most expensive flat light beer in plastic cups.

And worst taken our best young players to start new teams in places where no one even cares abut the sport.

And you wonder why I don't care anymore? This club is dying. You can only flog a dead horse for so long.

 

[d0gs]

Congrats on the son BWFC.

Said to my dad today at the game to look at the comparison of where the Hawthorn members were and the Bulldogs members on the first level. Hawthorns part was completely packed and ours was just patches, it is a real shame and really makes me sad.

Really don't want to see the club die, but the writing is well and truly on the wall and it not good at all.

 

[SonOfScray]

Had a son this week. Will not be buying him a membership. Will not be pushing the dogs on to him. He can decide to barrack for whoever he wants. If you told me that fifteen years a go I wouldn't be a member, never attend games and couldn't even care if my first born son barracked for the doggies I would have said you were crazy.

But seriously why would I want to go and watch this team? They're not competitive. They can't even kick a soccer score.

Plus you add the fact that in the last 15 to 20 years, they've changed our name, and got rid of our home ground. Replaced standing with seating.Made sure there's nearly no atmosphere at games. Replaced Beer with the worlds most expensive flat light beer in plastic cups.

And worst taken our best young players to start new teams in places where no one even cares abut the sport.

And you wonder why I don't care anymore? This club is dying. You can only flog a dead horse for so long.

Yep. They've taken so much. The way our Club is behaving and performing unfortunately is really breaking down some of the passion. I noticed they are selling popcorn at the games now. Sort of says it all really.

As a Footscray man, I feel completely powerless at the moment. Modern footy has really put some clear divisions between myself and the game, including my club. It is a totally homogenous experience, footy, the colours change but mostly the experience is the same. A handful of big clubs run the show, the rest just play the role of the 'Washington Generals.'

Why have fans handed over their power? Why do they engage in the game as fans less and less. It is the one thing we can control.

 

[Fossie 32]

yes congrats BWFC and welcome to BWFC jnr.