Leigh Matthews calls for only one team in SE Qld.

[M Malice]

I think the AFL have an opportunity to perhaps move one of the clubs to Tasmania. Even though the population of Tasmania is small, the enthusiasm for AFL is huge. I dont know how it would roll financially - Tasmania is often ignored as a viable position for an AFL club.

yep, why tasmania has been neglected is strange IMO. i am sure they would sell out a boutique style stadium ie. 25-30,000 seats all season and have greater membership numbers immediately than us the suns and GWS. i holidayed in tassy a few years ago and wore lions shirts and hats almost everywhere and all the locals love their aussie rules.

lack of corporate sponsorship seems to be the major reason put forward for the no license decision. i personally believe that if given a license that would be no problem.

 

[Skoob]

Are there any mythological constructs already in place where you have a Lion with divine and/or sun like rays coming from its mouth? Or maybe just add a halo or a small lines radiating from the current Lion symbol?

One advantage to the annoyingly similar colours of the GCS is that if there *was* a merge you could change it to Qld Lions, keep maroon/red, blue and gold/yellow and make the line in the song "We are the pride of Queensland's sun" (not sure we can add GCS in the we shall always fight for victory but hey) and keep part of all three clubs until the next time we merge with someone comes along!

This will look as awesome as 'paddles' on a guernsey. Can't wait.

 

[dlanod]

lack of corporate sponsorship seems to be the major reason put forward for the no license decision. i personally believe that if given a license that would be no problem.

Extra Qld and NSW teams increase broadcast rights (Tasmania already watches plenty of AFL and doesn't have a big population) and corporate dollars (Tasmania already sponsors AFL teams and doesn't have the big companies).

 

[POBT]

There's a nice article in today's paper by Hammo talking about the reasons the AFL want two teams in Qld. Qld is the fastest growing region in the country when it comes to participation and numbers of junior teams. Growth in Qld far outstrips that in Victoria. AFL research states you are 7 times more likely to attend a game if you have played it. Having a game every week in Qld and teams in the State's two biggest population centres makes a ton of sense if you take a long view.

I don't suggest though that "build it and they will come" applies. Saturating an immature market is a bad move unless you ensure the long term sustainability of your primary product which is the professional teams. The introduction of the Suns isn't about responding to market demand. The AFL want to grow a market so that, in 30 years time, it is a mainstream sport in the region. The answer isn't reducing the number of teams in Qld - it is supporting and potentially subsidising those teams through the growing pains.

 

[Crimso]

yep, why tasmania has been neglected is strange IMO. i am sure they would sell out a boutique style stadium ie. 25-30,000 seats all season and have greater membership numbers immediately than us the suns and GWS. i holidayed in tassy a few years ago and wore lions shirts and hats almost everywhere and all the locals love their aussie rules.

lack of corporate sponsorship seems to be the major reason put forward for the no license decision. i personally believe that if given a license that would be no problem.

The Tasmanian Gunns!

 

[kharis]

yep, why tasmania has been neglected is strange IMO. i am sure they would sell out a boutique style stadium ie. 25-30,000 seats all season and have greater membership numbers immediately than us the suns and GWS. i holidayed in tassy a few years ago and wore lions shirts and hats almost everywhere and all the locals love their aussie rules.

lack of corporate sponsorship seems to be the major reason put forward for the no license decision. i personally believe that if given a license that would be no problem.

From what I know the issue with Tasmania is the north and south don't get on so if you based it to the north the south wouldnt support and vice versa.

 

[AFLQLD]

From what I know the issue with Tasmania is the north and south don't get on so if you based it to the north the south wouldnt support and vice versa.

Aren't they all related anyway? Some sort of family feud?

 

[M Malice]

year, average home crowd.

2016 17569
2015 18810
2014 19743
2013 21082
2012 20343
2011 20461
2010 29933
2009 29172
2008 28127
2007 28847
2006 28629
2005 33266
2004 33619
2003 31717
2002 26894
2001 27637
2000 27406
1999 21890
1998 16674
1997 19550

is it only a coincidence that the lions average home crowd dropped by 9,500 the year the suns came into the competition? the most in any one year by a long way. if we continue in this way by the end of the year we may be averaging below the infamous 1998 year.

 

[ZoBlitz]

I think it's more related to the fact that we were a terrible football side to watch.

 

[luthor]

I think it's more related to the fact that we were a terrible football side to watch.

Partly maybe, but more?

Were we that much more terrible to watch in 2011 than 2010?

 

[ZoBlitz]

Partly maybe, but more?

Were we that much more terrible to watch in 2011 than 2010?

Well there was optimism coming into 2010 and we had some early bumper crowds when we were playing well. It was only mid way through the season that crowds realised that it was more than a slump.

 

[____]

My theory is that there was a big drop in 2009 because of the paddlepop and Fev saga, but because we were expected to be really good in 2010 a lot of bandwagoners jumped on, but then jumped off in the 2010-11 off-season when it was quite evident that we'd be shit in 2011.

The paddlepop theory and form also would explain the membership rise between 2014 and 2015. We did get over 31k against the scum last year in Round 1 when it was expected we'd be pushing for finals... then the crowds dropped significantly when it was obvious we'd be shit again in 2015.

Our shit crowds has more to do with the fact we're a terrible side to watch... anyone who lives in Brisbane would know it's a bandwagon town, look at Qld Reds and Brisbane Roar crowds over the past few years as proof of that... once we eventually start winning again the 'Gabba won't be big enough and it wouldn't matter if the AFL put another ten teams in South-East Queensland.

Our shit crowds have very little to do with the Suns being in the comp, if it did we wouldn't have got over 31k against the scum last year

 

[lionbear]

is it only a coincidence that the lions average home crowd dropped by 9,500 the year the suns came into the competition? the most in any one year by a long way. if we continue in this way by the end of the year we may be averaging below the infamous 1998 year.

It was a contributing factor, but certainly not the only one, I would also add the timing of games, in the mid 00's the Lions had 8 or 9 of there 11 games on a Saturday night, now there is more than the Lions fair share of Twilight games, that coupled with the performance in general would be why there has been such a drop.

 

[M Malice]

It was a contributing factor, but certainly not the only one, I would also add the timing of games, in the mid 00's the Lions had 8 or 9 of there 11 games on a Saturday night, now there is more than the Lions fair share of Twilight games, that coupled with the performance in general would be why there has been such a drop.

good point, didn't think of that. we take 3 young kids to the games ages 5-10 and first thing we did at the start of the year was look at the start times and whether it was worth getting the 3 of them season passes which we did. if half the games or more would have been night games we wouldn't have. the 5 year old had to leave early on saturday night i don't know if it was because it was so late or she was disgusted with the performance.

the twilight and afternoon games are the family friendly time slots for sure. only 1 more night game at the gabba this season v port in round 19.

 

[Dylan12]

Its not often you can question Leigh Matthews, but having recorded and watched 7's AFL Gameday last night, I was pretty disappointed with Leigh Matthews lack of honest appraisal of where the club is currently at or what can or is being done to turn this diabolical club around.

Matthews, Brown and Lynch are hardly ambassadors for our club given the media platform they're afforded when compared to the likes of McGuire, Koch, Brayshaw, Darcy, Lloyd etc., etc. and for mine, are only interested in developing their personal careers without simultaneously putting our club on the agenda as their counterparts successfully and regularly do.

 

[Slax]

I don't necessarily agree... Queensland footy is not a mess because there's 2 clubs there. The lions are a mess because they have been allowed to flounder for so long, and even now they're still unable to sign off on new facilities. A lot of Brisbane's problems are self inflicted over the years, but the argument is that the AFL were asleep at the wheel in allowing it to continue for so long. They started to job of getting things right in getting Swann in, kicking out the old board etc... they could finish the job by assisting us financially to get AFL level facilities in a location that is considered Brisbane. If we at least take away one reason young players have for wanting to leave, on field success will bring supporters back. Sure, the supporters that come back are fair weather supporters... but that's the reality of the market. Sydney supporters are renowned fair weather supporters too... but Sydney have beaten that by remaining competitive over a long long period.

The suns are only 5 years old. To expect them to be pulling 30,000 people to matches is ridiculous. They need time to build a strong base, and if they can get some success over the next few years it will happen. It's a long project... but for the Suns to be strong, Brisbane probably also need to be strong. Provide a quality football that people talk about, that drives interest for fringe supporters.

This is a major problem. The AFL has been able to do deals to get state/federal funding for AFL clubs elsewhere in the country but has had no ability to do so in Queensland. They are hesitant even now to open the wallet and help get a deal over the line at Brisbane Airport and without the AFL chipping in a sizeable portion that won't happen either. They seem to think that the way they operate in the AFL heartland states will work in Qld, well it doesn't, never has never will, yet 30 years in the state and the AFL still hasn't woken up to that problem.

The hierarchy of sporting teams in Queensland with political clout works as this, until the AFL accept this and realise that they will have to stump up 50% of the funding and the rest is split between club, state & federal funding there is no way known that any infrastructure will be built. The AFL also needs to remember that the Commonwealth Games are on the Gold Coast in 2018 so the state government won't help out, because simply there are no votes in it.

Political clout in Queensland
Broncos
Cowboys
Queensland Reds
Cricket (BBL/Shield)


Lions/Titans/Suns

 

[James North]

Roar ahead too...

 

[Pacman82]

The AFL had the (almost)perfect wife in Brisbane, decided to hook up with the trollop down on the coast, now the wife's a basket case and the mistress has VD!!

 

[____]

Roar ahead too...

Funny thing you say that, I was sitting with the Den people at the scum game (this was the free ticket game for the Roar members) and one guy commented "How can they be that shit and still get a better crowd than us"

 

[luthor]

The AFL had the (almost)perfect wife in Brisbane, decided to hook up with the trollop down on the coast, now the wife's a basket case and the mistress has VD!!

Brilliant analogy

 

[Pacman82]

Since the introduction of GWS, memberships in NSW have gone from Sydney's 27,000 in 2011, to a whopping combined 62,000 and growing!
+ Attendances have closed to doubled in the state. Credit to the league for that.

Since the introduction of the GC, memberships in QLD have gone from Brisbane's 29,000 in 2010, to a mere combined 35,000, with an increase of combined attendances to basically zip (1200), and dwindling. The comp now plays twice as many games up there but pulls half the crowd each time. To call it a failed experiment is understating it, it's more like a disaster of epic proportions!!

 

[SizeMatters]

Its not often you can question Leigh Matthews, but having recorded and watched 7's AFL Gameday last night, I was pretty disappointed with Leigh Matthews lack of honest appraisal of where the club is currently at or what can or is being done to turn this diabolical club around.

Matthews, Brown and Lynch are hardly ambassadors for our club given the media platform they're afforded when compared to the likes of McGuire, Koch, Brayshaw, Darcy, Lloyd etc., etc. and for mine, are only interested in developing their personal careers without simultaneously putting our club on the agenda as their counterparts successfully and regularly do.

Never been an advocate for Leigh being back at the club in his position while he is juggling his media career. It would be alright if he actually talked about the Lions but instead he just pleases the masses in Victoria. I think there is plenty of room for 2 QLD teams and Leigh overstepped the mark with his comments and probably pushed the AFL HQ further away by saying they screwed up by creating the GCS etc etc. I wonder what impacts this could have further down the track for us? It's like when you publicly bag out your boss for diversifying the business which will stretch the resources upfront for a long term gain, and then straight after ask for a bonus or pay rise.

 

[James North]

Funny thing you say that, I was sitting with the Den people at the scum game (this was the free ticket game for the Roar members) and one guy commented "How can they be that shit and still get a better crowd than us"

Because 10,000 Collingwood supporters went too ... Any other night it'd be 12-15k

 

[Last of the Roys]

year, average home crowd.

2016 17569
2015 18810
2014 19743
2013 21082
2012 20343
2011 20461
2010 29933
2009 29172
2008 28127
2007 28847
2006 28629
2005 33266
2004 33619
2003 31717
2002 26894
2001 27637
2000 27406
1999 21890
1998 16674
1997 19550

is it only a coincidence that the lions average home crowd dropped by 9,500 the year the suns came into the competition? the most in any one year by a long way. if we continue in this way by the end of the year we may be averaging below the infamous 1998 year.

Really good point. There is no way the sudden seismic shift in the numbers from 2010 to 2011 was all due to poor performance on field. We weren't great on field between 2005-2008 without a huge drop off.

My best guess is that 60% of the drop off since 2010 is due to atrocious form on-field, whereas 40% is directly due to the Suns coming into the competition. That would represent around 5k reduction in our average crowd directly due to the Suns. While the number of members we lost to the Suns may be much less, I think there is little doubt that there were plenty of non-aligned footy followers (ex-Victorians) who would go to Lions matches regardless. Without doubt that has dropped off since the Suns have come in. So there impact on us has actually been much more significant that we as a Club have been previously willing to admit and much more like what I had feared before they came in.

By the way, if anyone can post this as a graph I think it would show it even more starkly.

 

[notliondown]

Never been an advocate for Leigh being back at the club in his position while he is juggling his media career. It would be alright if he actually talked about the Lions but instead he just pleases the masses in Victoria. I think there is plenty of room for 2 QLD teams and Leigh overstepped the mark with his comments and probably pushed the AFL HQ further away by saying they screwed up by creating the GCS etc etc. I wonder what impacts this could have further down the track for us? It's like when you publicly bag out your boss for diversifying the business which will stretch the resources upfront for a long term gain, and then straight after ask for a bonus or pay rise.

Mate, if Eddie can shoot his mouth off every week with some new and random shizen as president and media personality, then I'm more than happy for someone with the credibility of Mathews to do the same - and more so draw attention to the fact that 2 Qld teams are or will be withering on the vine without support.

If fact I'd go as far as to say he doesn't do it enough.