Ideas to improve crowd numbers

[Murraj1966]

I was sitting there pre-match with my Collingwood supporting mate on Friday, and all we could hear was some average band playing terrible music, and then some irritating Fireworks that kept interrupting the conversation.

We both had the same side of the argument; start the ressies up again, and play the reserve game pre-match. A double header reserves game/full game combo would get me in the gate if I knew I could catch a bit of the clubs youth coming through. Plus it wouldn't be annoying as all hell for the Adults who don't want to see bloody fireworks.

 

[Billy ray]

drop the price of chips.
oh...

 

[Rotayjay]

Bring back Princes Park, Victoria Park, Windy Hill, Whitten Oval, Junction Oval, Arden Street and Punt Road for low-drawing interstate matches? Would cost money and not actually improve attendances, but it'd be cool

 

[Trimboli]

In a bun?

In a howitzer

 

[ApplecrossWC]

I think more prizes and competitions would be a good incentive to get the punters going to games.

For example, maybe we could have 'lucky dips' or raffles and if you have the winning ticket then you win something like a meat tray.

I haven't fully worked out the logisitcs of it but they would need a system where you could go and pick up the winning meat tray after the game. This means you wouldn't need to keep the meat tray with you while watching the game.

Once you pick it up after the game they could give you the meat tray in a big plastic bag, maybe with a bit of ice in it. This would stop the meat from spoiling on the way home.

 

[hawker11]

To think animated advertising on every fence line during play and pop music blasting through the speaker system before the bounce hasn't resulted in sell out crowds at every fixture.

Perhaps another focus group on pie prices is in order?

 

[joop]

Agree, it's just too hard to climb back up with two extra spots, as well as the draft concessions and funding to GC and GWS, especially for teams like St.Kilda and Brisbane who hit some sort of a peak just before the expansion began. I'm a member who attends not for the spectacle but to support my team, the standard of footy played by bottom sides isn't worth the price of admission for the average person.

Peaking when the concessions came out would be a far smaller obstacle than being down the bottom when they came out.

 

[Balance]

Biggest factor that kills crowds is bad scheduling (but it's a result of something else, explained below). In Spain, prices to soccer games varied throughout the years, but crowds stayed the same. About 4-5 years ago, new TV deals at the time changed everything, crowds went down. This is because those TV deals wanted to focus on getting the Asian market to watch, didn't give a flying selwood about fans. Games were scheduled to start at later times, especially the big games involving Barcelona, RM and AM. Some games finish after midnight.

For the first time, Barcelona and Real Madrid weren't filling their home stadiums, average stadium attendances for all teams, went down... a lot. No-one wants to go to late games, especially on a Sunday/Monday!

To answer the question, the biggest problem are corporates, vested business interest and Foxtel. Scheduling is just a result of that. Bad crowd figures is a worrying trend for the AFL and will hurt them much more in the future. There has been a lot of short term gain with going to Foxtel and selling their souls, now they are just starting to feel the long term implications. It hasn't started quite just yet, but AFL will be in a lot more trouble.

 

[madmug]

Biggest factor that kills crowds is bad scheduling (but it's a result of something else, explained below). In Spain, prices to soccer games varied throughout the years, but crowds stayed the same. About 4-5 years ago, new TV deals at the time changed everything, crowds went down. This is because those TV deals wanted to focus on getting the Asian market to watch, didn't give a flying selwood about fans. Games were scheduled to start at later times, especially the big games involving Barcelona, RM and AM. Some games finish after midnight.

For the first time, Barcelona and Real Madrid weren't filling their home stadiums, average stadium attendances for all teams, went down... a lot. No-one wants to go to late games, especially on a Sunday/Monday!

To answer the question, the biggest problem are corporates, vested business interest and Foxtel. Scheduling is just a result of that. Bad crowd figures is a worrying trend for the AFL and will hurt them much more in the future. There has been a lot of short term gain with going to Foxtel and selling their souls, now they are just starting to feel the long term implications. It hasn't started quite just yet, but AFL will be in a lot more trouble.

I thought late games would do well in Spain. The Spanish have siestas in the middle of the day, then stay out late to hit the Tapas bars

Anyway, when the loss of income from poor crowds exceeds the income from Corporates & TV interests, then the AFL might act.

 

[Balance]

Anyway, when the loss of income from poor crowds exceeds the income from Corporates & TV interests, then the AFL might act.

It will be too late by then. The loss of people watching games on Foxtel will follow loss of crowds. There will be less future fans in the making as well. Loss of ratings, loss of TV interests.

 

[ROYAL EAGLE]

It will be too late by then. The loss of people watching games on Foxtel will follow loss of crowds. There will be less future fans in the making as well. Loss of ratings, loss of TV interests.

Agree

 

[Damon_3388]

rubbish you've 55K of game access members. your crowds are down because you're team is playing like a pack of drunk children.

Don't you have 70,000 members? I'm sure they'll all turn up on ANZAC Day...

And all of these members live in Victoria, within a reasonable travel distance (30-40km from the Melbourne CBD), and had nothing else on (their own football commitments, work, kids, family, etc.) on the day, did they (as I said, that day was the start of local and school footy for most people, too, wasn't it)? 4pm Saturday afternoon is probably the least convenient time to get to the footy these days, even before you consider that it's not the club's "true" home ground, and they were playing an interstate side (which does affect the care factor for some people).

All things considered, I didn't think 33,771 was even a particularly poor crowd figure.

Doesn't say much for the yearn for the good old days.

Except that some people should leave them in the past and move on.

There were less entertainment options back in the "Saturday afternoon footy" days, most people didn't work weekends, clubs and grounds were more "local", and crowds were a lot of the time still lower, too.

 

[BORK]

$1 from every ticket purchased goes into a kitty for a round prize. Every time someone buys a ticket to the football they know they have a chance to win 250-350k. Something could be worked out to include all season ticket holders etc in this.

The AFL could promote that you have a chance to pay off a house everytime you go to the football. This may work well particularly with lower income earners chasing the dream.

 

[HugeJohnson]

Let one player on each team have a blunt weapon to hit other players with for one quarter.

 

[PepperFace]

I have been to both the MCG and Etihad and I would far prefer Etihad. Closer to the action, nicer facilities and undercover.
I think that excuse just doesnt wash. Its not like they are been asked to travel to Ballarat for petes sake.
The AFL gives interstate clubs most of the rubbish time slots, so the Pies shouldnt complain there. How many Friday night games do they get? Carlton, Richmond and the Pies get the most. Why? None of them deserved them. Its just the AFL looking after Vic clubs.

Etihad is a shithole with no atmosphere

 

[PepperFace]

To increase crowd numbers simply get rid of bullshit like fireworks, neon lights and loud music......and simply put a reserves game on before hand. I know that causes wear and tear on the surface but stiff shit. If gilligon is really a man of the people he will cut this seppo bullshit pyrotechnics and give us more footy

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

More cowbell.

 

[FootyJunkie]

Make Saturdays the main day for football.
Only have games on Friday Night and Sundays for venue clashing Melbourne games that couldn't be played on Saturday.
With all the complaining about Friday night, just don't have them every week, turn it back into a novelty by not having a Friday night game every week.

SATURDAY 2:10PM
ESSENDON V COLLINGWOOD - MCG (7)
PORT ADELAIDE V HAWTHORN - AO (FOX FOOTY, 7mate SA)
GWS GIANTS V GOLD COAST - ST (FOX SPORTS 3, 7mate NSW/QLD)

SATURDAY 4:40PM
ST.KILDA V CARLTON - WP (7)
FREMANTLE V SYDNEY - DS (FOX FOOTY, 7mate WA/NSW)
BULLDOGS V ADELAIDE - ES (FOX SPORTS 3, 7mate SA)

SATURDAY 7:10PM
GEELONG V NTH.MELB. - SS (7)
BRISBANE V WEST COAST - G (FOX FOOTY, 7mate QLD/WA)

SUNDAY 2:10PM
RICHMOND V MELBOURNE - MCG (7)

 

[ashley12]

With the vast majority of people consuming AFL via TV, and Foxtel with their dedicated station, good luck with that...

 

[Ron The Bear]

It's become a running game above all else. Australians have never been big on track & field.

Rigor has replaced risk. Structure, discipline, work rate and percentages are king. Playing styles are more formulaic, the differences between clubs more subtle.

For supporters, the spectacle's become far less important than getting the win.

If there's a silver bullet, maybe it's to get rid of coaches (other than skills coaches).

 

[SBD Gonzalez]

Single biggest thing they could do to get me going more often is to get rid of the obnoxious FM radio megabass public announcements and dumbarse fist-pumping Nuremberg Rallies rock anthems in the breaks.

I want to talk with my mates about what we've just watched on the paddock, or even just how their week has been. I really resent not being able to have a conversation at the footy anymore, and it is what keeps me at home watching it on the telly (where I can at least control the volume knob.)

 

[Billy ray]

Far too much USA. USA. USA. USA.

 

[seysearles]

Free entry for last half hour of play.

Or free handjobs at all the intervals. I have been pushing for this for as long as I can remember.

 

[WagonBang]

Far too much USA. USA. USA. USA.

One of my pet hates with the sport is this. It's becoming to American and keeps trying to be American.

 

[Billy ray]

Or free handjobs at all the intervals. I have been pushing for this for as long as I can remember.

there is your problem - you should have been pulling for this, not pushing...