How can AFL increase game attendance?

[WWSD]

Put them on at times when people actually want to attend.

The 2.10pm starts on Saturdays and Sundays afternoon games would be nice. I hate the twilight games.

 

[boncer34]

Okay I'll bite, and?

Well Hawthorn choosing to play games in Tassie isn't something the AFL can change. They tried last time and Hawthorn are still there.

 

[ManWithNoName]

Okay I'll bite, and?

The AFL aren't the ones sending you to Tassie.

 

[Billy ray]

Tell the 80000 Collingwood members that their membership includes entry into the ground.

Dedicated area in ground for pets,so pet members can attend.

 

[Concussion]

This isn't hard to understand and alot of the things such as ticket prices, timeslots etc are only really incidental.

The biggest difference is the Collingwood supporters.

Their average home crowdsince 2010 is down by 23,000 or 240,000 people/annum and their away games are down by about 8000 per game or 90,000/annum.

That is around 330,000 difference.

 

[NZ_Tiger]

The game isn't as good as it was in 2011. The rule changes have made it a less appealing sport I think.

 

[walhawk]

This is the thread for what the AFL can do to increase attendance.

Yes, if they refused to schedule Hawthorn games in Tassie, they would get about 100K extra to those four games. How is that not about attendance?

 

[boncer34]

Yes, if they refused to schedule Hawthorn games in Tassie, they would get about 100K extra to those four games. How is that not about attendance?

They tried to refuse. They tried to push you out.

How'd it go? Seriously Hawks fans have howled down how dare the AFL let North into Tassie and trying to shove them out and now you're trying to tell me the AFL should force the Hawks out?

 

[walhawk]

AFL needs to bring entertainment to the ground. Give an experience that can only be found live at the ground and not on TV. A few ideas...

- Team organised chants and celebrations. Like if Walters gets a goal for freo, Boney M's Sunny comes on the big screen and everybody sings along. Port did this well last year with bringing the fans together. I know seeing that Port stuff made me want to have that experience with my club.

- Pre game entertainment and reserve games

- More mascots

- More competitions for kids - like win a kick with your favourite player

- Clubs bringing former players to the ground for Half time interviews.

- Music in between goals

Please no music.
Kids love the mascots, but the AFL playground @ MCG is awesome. My kids love spending pre game and half time there.

 

[walhawk]

They tried to refuse. They tried to push you out.

How'd it go? Seriously Hawks fans have howled down how dare the AFL let North into Tassie and trying to shove them out and now you're trying to tell me the AFL should force the Hawks out?

The question is what will increase attendances, not whether it is likely to happen.
Very little of what people are suggesting will ever happen.
And yes, for the good of the game, Hawthorn should be playing more @ MCG, less in Tassie.

 

[Mr_Moogle]

- Schedule games at appropriate times. Those late Sunday games are ridiculous.

- AFL needs to find a way to reduce congestion around the ball. Make the game pretty and free flowing again. They could do this by further reducing rotations, reducing players on the field, restricting the amount of players at a stoppage etc.

- Start to simplify the rules to make it easier for umpires. The over complicated rules create inconsistency in the interpretation and frustration for fans.

- Equalisation. We need changes to the free agency system. We've created a system where successful teams can raid less successful teams ad infinitum. The rich teams will stay rich while the poor teams will get poorer. I'm not suggesting scrapping free agency but we need to allow clubs more liquidity in trading players. The current system only seems to favour players when it should be a double edged sword.

- Salary cap. Abolish all extra allowances for teams in Rugby territories. Everybody should get the same deal.

 

[boncer34]

The question is what will increase attendances, not whether it is likely to happen.
Very little of what people are suggesting will ever happen.
And yes, for the good of the game, Hawthorn should be playing more @ MCG, less in Tassie.

The question is how can the AFL increase game attendance?

The answer "Play Hawthorn at the MCG" is rubbish untill Hawthorn itself gives up its love of the Tasmanian Governments money. The AFL can not bring Hawthorn back only Hawthorn can.

 

[Concussion]

The question is what will increase attendances, not whether it is likely to happen.
Very little of what people are suggesting will ever happen.
And yes, for the good of the game, Hawthorn should be playing more @ MCG, less in Tassie.

so your are saying hawks should reduce the number of games they play in Tassie now because they get better attendances at the MCG?
You have to remember that when the hawks started playing in Tas their Home ground attendances were quite poor but now they are good they should reduce the number of games they play, it reeks of greed and I am sure the Hawthorn board understand that they have a loyal following and wouldn't want to jeopardise their supporter base here by taking a short term view - they are not a Trigg led Carlton after all.

FWIW I think the Hawks and North are doing a great job in Tassie and I hope it continues.

 

[Hawkk]

The AFL aren't the ones sending you to Tassie.

So you think that bringing the games back to Melbourne won't result in an increase in attendance?

Evidently our average Launceston attendance over the last 2 seasons is 13,500

It won't happen but if the AFL was keen to boost the attendance average it would be one of the areas that they would target (and given they tried it on in 2010 I doubt it would get up)

 

[ManWithNoName]

So you think that bringing the games back to Melbourne won't result in an increase in attendance?

Evidently our average Launceston attendance over the last 2 seasons is 13,500

It won't happen but if the AFL was keen to boost the attendance average it would be one of the areas that they would target (and given they tried it on in 2010 I doubt it would get up)

No it's "what can the AFL do?". The AFL didn't send you to Tassie. It's not up to the AFL to bring those games back to Melbourne.

 

[Bleeeeeeeeep]

how about kick minnow teams like north & western bulldogs out & stop wasting everybody's time & money. after decades of trying new things, playing games all over Australia, they still require teams like Essendon to fund them

Wasting time? tell that to Big Ears & Co.

CHEERLEADERS!!!! bring back the Swannettes, The Saints can have The Duthies, The Doggies - The B*tches, Essendon - some smacky from St kilda, Collingwood - The Tooth Fairies, Melbourne - The Absolutely Fabulous

 

[walhawk]

so your are saying hawks should reduce the number of games they play in Tassie now because they get better attendances at the MCG?
You have to remember that when the hawks started playing in Tas their Home ground attendances were quite poor but now they are good they should reduce the number of games they play, it reeks of greed and I am sure the Hawthorn board understand that they have a loyal following and wouldn't want to jeopardise their supporter base here by taking a short term view - they are not a Trigg led Carlton after all.

FWIW I think the Hawks and North are doing a great job in Tassie and I hope it continues.

Yes, that is what I am saying.
It is what the AFL wants.
The AFL usually get what they want.

 

[Andrew Mc]

Would be interesting to see the figure as a percentage of ground capacity. Would take some work, but I'm sure someone has the data.

 

[walhawk]

No it's "what can the AFL do?". The AFL didn't send you to Tassie. It's not up to the AFL to bring those games back to Melbourne.

Last time I checked the AFL prepare the fixture.
The want Hawthorn out and will reverse - incentivise us to do so.
They have reduced our MCG home games from 7 to 6, and if they tell us that next year it will be five, then four, we will get our of Tassie quick smart.
Newbold is not as strong on Tassie as Kennett was, and if we get another offer to leave (like Kennett knocked back in 2010), I hope we take it.
P.s. It must be tough being an Essendon supporter these days - you guys are a grumpy lot and seem to have replaced Cats/Tigers supporters as the new leaders of the anti-Hawthorn posters.

 

[ManWithNoName]

Last time I checked the AFL prepare the fixture.
The want Hawthorn out and will reverse - incentivise us to do so.
They have reduced our MCG home games from 7 to 6, and if they tell us that next year it will be five, then four, we will get our of Tassie quick smart.
Newbold is not as strong on Tassie as Kennett was, and if we get another offer to leave (like Kennett knocked back in 2010), I hope we take it.

Clubs make fixture requests every year. One of Hawthorn's requests is X amount of Tassie games. It's not up to the AFL to pay you more to play in certain places.

P.s. It must be tough being an Essendon supporter these days - you guys are a grumpy lot and seem to have replaced Cats/Tigers supporters as the new leaders of the anti-Hawthorn posters.

Wha?

 

[Hawkk]

Clubs make fixture requests every year. One of Hawthorn's requests is X amount of Tassie games. It's not up to the AFL to pay you more to play in certain places.


Wha?

The AFL can however manipulate the level of interest Hawthorn places with Tasmania. As it stands Hawthorn spends a significant portion of $$$ in developing its brand in Tasmania (think stadium upgrades, promotional activities, we've even got an established office in Tasmania)

As long as Hawthorn is in Tasmania the AFL's objective of getting a struggling Victorian club to establish a foothold in the market is compromised.

On top of this Hawthorn DOES NOT have a stadium deal with the MCG. Essendon (4/7), Carlton (6/5) and Collingwood (14 games) aside no Victorian club has a stadium deal with either of the two Melbourne based stadiums

If the AFL want to flush us out of Tasmania there is a school of thought that they could compromise our position in Tasmania by scheduling more and more of our home games away from the MCG and instead play them at Ethiad. I believe this is what walhawk is alluding too...

 

[Pessimistic]

Cheaper tickets and no booking fees. It's ******* ridiculous that ticket companies can throw on a $6 fee per transaction anyway, but when you combine that with tickets each time you buy them, it's ludicrous.

Every stadium on the east coast fails to fill, yet the ticket prices always go up. If the tickets were cheaper, more people would go, more people would spend money on food and drinks, and more people would be likely to take an interest in live footy.

Even the MCG only fills up a few times a year, and even with a blockbuster like Geelong vs. Hawthorn, it fails to fill to anywhere near capacity. If kids tickets were free (or even more heavily reduced), if adult tickets were 30% cheaper, or if less popular games had a 'buy one get one free' ticket program, then we'd be seeing far more people going.

Quite honestly, the AFL is getting greedy with what they expect of fans. They complain that not enough people are going to live games, yet they schedule the games around TV audiences, not live audiences. They complain that blockbuster games aren't selling out, yet sell adult tickets at $50+. They complain that people 'just aren't going to live games anymore', and continue to hike prices for everything.

It's about time the league's bigwigs got their heads out of their arses and actually took an interest in what the fans want.

Agree totally, just simplify it as much as you can with all the stupid reserves there are at the MCG

as far as MCG games go, casual fans can choose between not so great seats for big games or watch on TV, so the live stuff mitigates the crap ticketing systems.

Its the not so big games where the problem lies, when acres of low down seats are ticketed but left empty, while casuals are herded up to the top deck

 

[Pessimistic]

The AFL can however manipulate the level of interest Hawthorn places with Tasmania. As it stands Hawthorn spends a significant portion of $$$ in developing its brand in Tasmania (think stadium upgrades, promotional activities, we've even got an established office in Tasmania)

As long as Hawthorn is in Tasmania the AFL's objective of getting a struggling Victorian club to establish a foothold in the market is compromised.

On top of this Hawthorn DOES NOT have a stadium deal with the MCG. Essendon (4/7), Carlton (6/5) and Collingwood (14 games) aside no Victorian club has a stadium deal with either of the two Melbourne based stadiums

If the AFL want to flush us out of Tasmania there is a school of thought that they could compromise our position in Tasmania by scheduling more and more of our home games away from the MCG and instead play them at Ethiad. I believe this is what walhawk is alluding too...

If Hawthorn were to leave, would it be good to ask for 11 MCG home games, and also play each non Victorian team away each year, on the proviso that we are guaranteed seats for an appropriate number of hawthorn fans ? apparently this does not occur in perth or Adelaide, and we simply don't play in queensland. of course we would play the new Tasmanian team once every year too

so:
-11 games at least at the MCG where we are able to sell reserved seating for our 13k or so silver and above members, preferably against Victorian teams can be designated home or away as long as we get the reserved seating
-nine way games to be played against each non Victorian teams, with access to a satisfactory number of seats
- two games whatever, probably in Victoria

that way it gives something to all our fans, in Victoria and around the country, where more members might sign up to offset any losses from tassie, even scope to increase

 

[melbournemartin]

Adding new teams was always going to drop the average attendance. The timeslot trials didn't help either, but oh well it's over now.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

More campaigners on the field would help.
Lake, Crowley, Buddy, Bazza, SJ etc really get the crowds in from both sides.

Yes, I couldn't tell you how many times I've cleared the weekend diary during the AFL season because Crowley is playing.

I always find it funny when commentators (who get into games for free) talk about 'you'd pay to see this player or that player.' I wouldn't pay to see any opposition player and I don't know anyone else that would either. In fact, if someone I knew said that they were going to watch Port Adelaide, Gold Coast or Fremantle at Etihad against a random Melbourne team that they don't support, specifically because Gray/Ablett/Fyfe was in town, I'd find it a bit strange, to put it mildly. People pay to see their own team play, or if they love footy, they might pay to see a quality game between two good sides. I don't think individual players come into the calculations in the slightest, when deciding whether to go or not.