Ideas to improve crowd numbers

[humdogg]

On Footy Classified week 2 i think GC/BC: "allowing kick to kick after the game is the only fan-initiative that matters" or something along those lines. Good-call, throw-back call.

Although, I think sometimes you need a good game for AFL to have a good atmosphere. I love it still but check out an A-League game and there is massive atmosphere in dull games. Atmosphere wise, you can't say the same for footy.

 

[Scotland]

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.

It is for a team with 70,000 members. I would've thought for your first home game of the year that your 'we're members but we can't make it to every game' might want to get along for that. I'm sure they'll all be there this weekend, though, and Collingwood and Essendon fans will be high fiving about how wonderful they are.

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.

Victorian footy fans have an excuse for everything. You don't want early Sunday games, you don't want Sunday twilight, you don't want non-Victorian opponents, you don't want small Victorian opponents, now you don't want to play in the timeslot you've been playing in for the last 100 odd years.

What do you want exactly? 22 ANZAC Days a year? A big 4 Friday night clash a week for 22 weeks and no other games?

The reality is there isn't as much support for football in Victoria as many make out. If we played a proper H&A fixture aggregate crowds would rise but averages would drop sharply.

 

[Damon_3388]

It is for a team with 70,000 members. I would've thought for your first home game of the year that your 'we're members but we can't make it to every game' might want to get along for that.

I would have thought there'd be an understanding that not all members live in Victoria, and not all members live within reasonable travelling distance from the Melbourne CBD, and all members have their own lives that don't 150% revolve around attending games in person, Round 1 or not. I've lived in South Australia all my life, and I've never been to a football game in Victoria, but I purchase a membership to support the club.

If it was a bit more of an attractive fixture, people might be more inclined to go. That's reality with some supporters. As I said though, all things considered, I don't think it was a particularly bad crowd figure (the same two teams playing at the MCG last year drew "only" 41,486, and drew "only" 38849 at Etihad in 2011, with one side dominant and coming off a Premiership), and I don't think it really matters that much in the grand scheme of things.

I'm sure they'll all be there this weekend, though, and Collingwood and Essendon fans will be high fiving about how wonderful they are.

Gee, unusual that people would be attracted to a "big event"

Don't know why anyone would be "high fiving" though...

 

[Sydney Bloods]

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..

I'm not talking about overall member numbers i'm talking about GAME ACCESS MEMBERS.

etihad is 3K's from the MCG. its not like ANZ which is 34K's from our true home ground.
8 clubs play an interstate side every week, this excuse doesn't wash when you're drawing crowds so far below you're membership numbers, the interstate excuse is rubbish, especially when you're members are no showing up.

North for example was an ok crowd all things considered a little low as you would have thought port were a big draw. but once you take in their tassie members 22K is ok. Unlike North or the Hawks or Sydney, you don't have a large number of interstate members with game access. like it or not 55K and drawing 33K is poor. especially in the traditional late arvo slot.

local footy has always been played, the reason late arvo was a good slot is its after local footy, no kids are playing at 4PM. the work excuse is rubbish because those that usually work weekends are usually shift workers and people in retail, in which case every timeslot is an issue for them. and yes everyone has commitments and they can happen at any time 4PM on a Saturday isn't special.

I can point to the rain, the eastershow and having to travel 1.5 hours to get out ANZ against the bombers as an excuse, doesn't change the fact that 33K sydney members and drawing 22K is a poor showing.

Likewise there's no excuse for a 22K gap in access members to attendance, particularly not an undercover stadium with state of the art facility's.

 

[Damon_3388]

I'm not talking about overall member numbers i'm talking about GAME ACCESS MEMBERS.

etihad is 3K's from the MCG. its not like ANZ which is 34K's from our true home ground.
8 clubs play an interstate side every week, this excuse doesn't wash when you're drawing crowds so far below you're membership numbers, the interstate excuse is rubbish, especially when you're members are no showing up.

North for example was an ok crowd all things considered a little low as you would have thought port were a big draw. but once you take in their tassie members 22K is ok. Unlike North or the Hawks or Sydney, you don't have a large number of interstate members with game access. like it or not 55K and drawing 33K is poor. especially in the traditional late arvo slot.

local footy has always been played, the reason late arvo was a good slot is its after local footy, no kids are playing at 4PM. the work excuse is rubbish because those that usually work weekends are usually shift workers and people in retail, in which case every timeslot is an issue for them. and yes everyone has commitments and they can happen at any time 4PM on a Saturday isn't special.

I can point to the rain, the eastershow and having to travel 1.5 hours to get out ANZ against the bombers as an excuse, doesn't change the fact that 33K sydney members and drawing 22K is a poor showing.

Likewise there's no excuse for a 22K gap in access members to attendance, particularly not an undercover stadium with state of the art facility's.

I feel it's overly simplistic to expect every single game access member to attend every single game. Some game access members don't have access to every home game, and may not have wanted to use their limited access on this particular game, either.

Just because other people's footy games may be over by 4pm, doesn't mean they all want to go off straight to watch more footy, either.

As I've said, all things considered, I don't even think the crowd was particularly "bad", especially when compared to other times the two teams have played in Melbourne in recent years. It's really not an area of concern to me as a Collingwood supporter TBH.

 

[Sydney Bloods]

I feel it's overly simplistic to expect every single game access member to attend every single game. Some game access members don't have access to every home game, and may not have wanted to use their limited access on this particular game, either.

Just because other people's footy games may be over by 4pm, doesn't mean they all want to go off straight to watch more footy, either.

As I've said, all things considered, I don't even think the crowd was particularly "bad", especially when compared to other times the two teams have played in Melbourne in recent years. It's really not an area of concern to me as a Collingwood supporter TBH.

I'm not saying every access member must go to every game, but 22,000 fans with better things to do in round one is a massive gap. I'm not saying you need to be concerned the club is in no danger of not turning a profit. but no matter which way you slice it, its a poor result.

 

[Looney]

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

Who do we get the handjobs from? The guy sitting next to us? Can you imaging a packed MCG of 100k people wanking each other off in a massive chain. That would be in the Guinness book of records for the world's biggest wankfest. We can do this!

 

[BORK]

Who do we get the handjobs from? The guy sitting next to us? Can you imaging a packed MCG of 100k people wanking each other off in a massive chain. That would be in the Guinness book of records for the world's biggest wankfest. We can do this!

Q&A on the ABC break this record weekly.