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GWS is the AFL's biggest problem - not North, GC, or Tassie
- Thread starter Walshawk
- Start date
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Where could you stage an AFL game in Sydney that could cater for a decent AFL crowd apart from the SCG
No. The Swans played at Homebush for the increased capacity. Since then Homebush fell out of favour with fans, the SCG has been increased in size, and Homebush has been dedicated to rectangular sports.
Unfortunately it's now problematical to convert to oval configuration.
There was a problem with sight-lines in oval configuration.
There is a problem at Homebush that half the crowd of a large attendance
is too far removed from the action because of the single bank design,
thus removing any reason to play at Homebush.
Agree, but it does show that the Swans average attendance at Homebush easily rivalled the SCG. Of course those matches were either finals or played against big Vic clubs.
threenewpadlocks
Brownlow Medallist
Homebush was also literally the Olympic stadium, and that carried a certain glow in the aftermath of 2000 - positive energy after the success of the Olympics, Sydney fans who wanted a reason to remind themselves of the Olympics, Melbourne fans who never got to see the stadium, etc. It's easy to forget just how big the Olympics was among sports fans and the country generally, and that had some rub-off effect.
Naturally as the stadium became older, the Olympics more distant and people had already been to the stadium frequently enough, crowds dropped off. It wasn't a replicable experience over decades or years.
When the Olympic stadium was built it was enthusiastically applauded for it's design, but when football fans used the stadium they quickly discovered the opposite.
1. The stadium had no outer skin so was a wind tunnel.
2. about half the stadium had good viewing the rest were to far away in the nose-bleeds.
3. The rectangular setup require a huge bank pushed forward instead of just a lower section pushed forward which is the more typical design.
4. The stadium has poor sight lines in oval use.
There is no Olympic hangover what-so-ever.
The Stadium received significant adverse publicity from AFLPA in a match between Sydney and Hawthorn in 2015 when Jarred Roughead came in to contact with a bolt imbedded in concrete (only exposed when ground configured for AFL matches) just over the boundary line.... They still got 37,000 to that match.....but the AFL and the Swans walked away after that.
Cubs2Lions
Norm Smith Medallist
from my ill-informed vantage point - theres evident growth in giants home crowd numbers in recent years - the growth is small but the trajectory is definitely upwards
and given the location, this slow burn strategy might prove to be the best thing for this club in the long run ..... a gradual increase in rusted on types committed to the cause rain hail or shine over casuals with a passing interest
and given the location, this slow burn strategy might prove to be the best thing for this club in the long run ..... a gradual increase in rusted on types committed to the cause rain hail or shine over casuals with a passing interest
The Giants were always considered a long term project but that didn't stop people hoping for a quick pick-up which was of course torpedoed from before the start of the first season by the AFL clubs not trading any seasoned players.
Did they get 8k to the game in the end? Friends who went said they would have been lucky to get 5k.
It’s becoming a bigger problem when they’re getting sub-A league crowds against decent opponents.
It’s becoming a bigger problem when they’re getting sub-A league crowds against decent opponents.
Yes they did - 8,013.
I go to every single game and we haven't had anywhere near close to 5k all year or last year.
It's a 22,500 seat stadium (less 1000 seats than stated). Any crowd less than 10k looks really small.
It's funny the borderline conspiracy theories people will go to minimise the stated crowd figure.
It would be an absolute media/PR disaster if they were inflating their figures and you best bet the media would be circling for that story.
I can assure you it’s not. The publicized crowd numbers for VenuesNSW stadiums are decided in a group chat. It’s a well known joke in the stadium management world for nigh on a decade now.
Engie stadium is not managed by VenuesNSW.
Not saying it is, I’m more saying how prevalent it is across nsw stadiums.
That was the largest Sydney Showground crowd against the Suns since 2017, and less than 300 shy of the largest crowd overall.
That fixture in 2022 saw half that crowd. The Giants are bouncing back post-Covid.
I still think the Suns game is an opportunity to trial smaller venues. I'd really like to see Tom Wills Oval reach 10k in its upgrade. Would be a perfect venue to play the Suns at during the Easter Show.
That fixture in 2022 saw half that crowd. The Giants are bouncing back post-Covid.
I still think the Suns game is an opportunity to trial smaller venues. I'd really like to see Tom Wills Oval reach 10k in its upgrade. Would be a perfect venue to play the Suns at during the Easter Show.
You literally stated that VenuesNSW managed stadiums crowd figures are decided in what you refer to as a 'group chat', and how this is supposed to be 'well known'. By citing VenuesNSW venues you are implicating multiple codes in making up their crowd figures.
You seem like the type of poster who says anything they want and expect others to believe it.
Yes, I am. And a little comprehension on your part would have you realise it’s called an example.
Allegations of NRL crowd exaggeration - Sports Industry AU
In 2008, the Telegraph sent some observers down to a Rabbitohs game at ANZ Stadium to check the attendances. The Telegraphs observers came up with a figure of 7,522 – the Rabbitohs later reported the crowd at 9,827. Crowd figures were then counted by the hosting club. The Rabbitohs explained the...
www.footyindustry.com
Canberra sports crowds inflated in the past, Sports Minister Andrew Barr claims
ACT Sports Minister Andrew Barr says crowd figures to Canberra's football crowds have been inflated for the past two years, leading to lower numbers in 2014.
If you want to stick your head in the sand and believe it’s hunky dorey - more power to you.
In that case, keep up the great work with your crowds.
All those sources are pretty old, and cite problems with electronic scanners of barcodes as a major account of the discrepancy rather than active inflation.Yes, I am. And a little comprehension on your part would have you realise it’s called an example.
Allegations of NRL crowd exaggeration - Sports Industry AU
In 2008, the Telegraph sent some observers down to a Rabbitohs game at ANZ Stadium to check the attendances. The Telegraphs observers came up with a figure of 7,522 – the Rabbitohs later reported the crowd at 9,827. Crowd figures were then counted by the hosting club. The Rabbitohs explained the...
Canberra sports crowds inflated in the past, Sports Minister Andrew Barr claims
ACT Sports Minister Andrew Barr says crowd figures to Canberra's football crowds have been inflated for the past two years, leading to lower numbers in 2014.www.smh.com.au
If you want to stick your head in the sand and believe it’s hunky dorey - more power to you.
In that case, keep up the great work with your crowds.
And no mention of any ongoing and current 'group chat' amongst venue managers as you claim.
All links confirm rampant inflated crowd numbers across the board.
The group chat is the well known piece of info from people inside VenuesNSW.
You can choose to believe or ignore whatever you like.
The fact is in their 13th year, despite having a great team on field and sitting third on the ladder - GWS home crowds are embarrassing in their 13th year - particularly when you compare to other expansion clubs in their 13th season.
Despite being significantly better resourced.
No one said it was hunky dory.
Giants fans, if anyone know there's a lot of work to do.
In that case, keep up the great work with your crowds.
We attend our stadium and see the empty seats, not sure why you think Giants fans that attend our stadium and post here live in some kind of delulu. We are well aware.
First we get told we have no fans, then we get told less fans attended than stated by 3k. Not everything is a conspiracy.
We are building a fanbase that attend rain, hail or shine. Just cause the numbers aren't to your liking doesn't diminish the Giants fans that are attending each game and very slowly building.
Why you think us Giants fans wouldn't like to see a full stadium of Giants fans most games is baffling to say the least.
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Bjo187
Premiership Player
- Apr 30, 2020
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Yes, we all know the nrl inflate crowd numbers, it's obvious and they have been caught in the act numerous times in Sydney.
I think it's fair to say the stadium was 1/3 filled yesterday though, I thought it was a good turn out considering the suns would bring zero fans.
Also if you've ever been to engie, a lot of people stand up the back and watch from the concourse, that's what I did when I went there. You can practically walk around the entire stadium and stand and watch wherever you wish, even in the expensive seated areas. Those areas were packed when I went.
No its not 'across the board' at all. Your cited articles point to be isolated to a few teams, and years ago, with no evidence this is current or ongoing. Your group chat claim is not public information, if it exists at all.
Oh, and your cited articles do not cite the GWS Giants at all.
The Giants growth is not linear as a result of covid.
The strategy pre-covid of building attendance through footy participation was smashed during covid and has not recovered. You can draw a circle around the part of the country that was hit hardest by covid lockdowns that has since struggled with footy attendance as it does not have the generational footy interest (read, Western Sydney). Canberra wasn't really impacted in the same way and neither was the Gold Coast/QLD.
It has required a review of this strategy with participation still in the mix but not entirely.
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- Thread starter
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With post COVID AFL attendees up everywhere else, and NRL also well up, what in hindsight could have been so that GWS did not fall further behind? It can’t be just AFL in Western Sydney that has not thrived in the past two years due to COVID. There must be other factors?
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