Toast The Big 4 all getting over a million people through the gate in season 2024

[Taper]

Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon and Richmond.
All have managed to get over a million people through the gate in season 2024.

No other club has ever managed to get a million people or more through the gate in a home and away season.
It's why these clubs are the big 4.

 

[BallaratBulldog]

Cool.

 

[Taper]

The number of times each club has drawn a million or more people through the gate:

• Collingwood: 25 times
• Essendon: 18 times
• Richmond: 8 times
• Carlton: 7 times

 

[PhatBoy]

The number of times each club has drawn a million or more people through the gate:

• Collingwood: 25 times
• Essendon: 18 times
• Richmond: 8 times
• Carlton: 7 times

Hawthorn - 7 times

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon and Richmond.
All have managed to get over a million people through the gate in season 2024.
View attachment 2097464
No other club has ever managed to get a million people or more through the gate in a home and away season.
It's why these clubs are the big 4.

Is it?

Does the fixture make them the Big 4?

Would there be a different Big 4 if other clubs were given the same handouts?

 

[windyhill]

Essendon fans are clearly a glutton for punishment . I myself have missed four since 1973, take out lockdowns. Clearly no more loyal or deluded fan base than us.

 

[windyhill]

Is it?

Does the fixture make them the Big 4?

Would there be a different Big 4 if other clubs were given the same handouts?

No.

 

[tommyk72]

Surely we should be counting finals in the list. Ability to win games, make finals, and drive crowds counts.

Cats and Hawks will go far in front of "the big 4".

 

[The Feeder Club]

Big 4 lol

 

[GuyIncognito]

As the population of Victoria and Australia increases…

 

[DopeMaster]

Is it?

Does the fixture make them the Big 4?

Would there be a different Big 4 if other clubs were given the same handouts?

Gold Coast isn’t in the big 4.

 

[South of the Yarra]

Surely we should be counting finals in the list. Ability to win games, make finals, and drive crowds counts.

Cats and Hawks will go far in front of "the big 4".

The Hawks could draw 100.000 for 4 finals in a row and they still won't catch Collingwood's Home and away tally.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

Unbelievable? I reckon next year the AFL should give them a leg up and give them all the best timeslots again.
Maybe it might happen again??
Or could the clubs that get shafted take the mantle?
I wonder what the outcome will be?

 

[theiaofseed]

The Hawks could draw 100.000 for 4 finals in a row and they still won't catch Collingwood's Home and away tally.

See what Collingwqood draw with Sunday time slots

 

[doppleganger]

See what Collingwqood draw with Sunday time slots

Pies drew following crowds recently

88k v Carlton on Sunday with a 3:20 start
71k v Sydney on Sunday with a 3:20 start
66k v Adelaide on Sunday with a 1:10 start

Why do people pretend Sunday arvo is a bad time to draw a crowd?

 

[Meteoric Rise]

Has a wooden spooner ever drawn 1 mill through the gate before?

Think they need to make it a platinum spoon this year.

 

[eastfreo75]

Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon and Richmond.
All have managed to get over a million people through the gate in season 2024.
View attachment 2097464
No other club has ever managed to get a million people or more through the gate in a home and away season.
It's why these clubs are the big 4.

2024 AFL Crowds and Match Attendances

2024 AFL match attendances. Includes current and historical data and statistics by team.

www.footywire.com

 

[greatwhiteshark]

It’s almost like they were fixtured to do so!

 

[theiaofseed]

Pies drew following crowds recently

88k v Carlton on Sunday with a 3:20 start
71k v Sydney on Sunday with a 3:20 start
66k v Adelaide on Sunday with a 1:10 start

Why do people pretend Sunday arvo is a bad time to draw a crowd?

Collingwood played 4 Sunday games this year and above weren't any of them.

Hawthorn 43k, West Coast 37k, North Melbourne 38k, Richmond 58k

Grand average of 44k, 15k less than your yearly average. Clearly it does affect Crowds.

 

[JayJ20]

See what Collingwqood draw with Sunday time slots

Collingwood played 4 Sunday games this year and above weren't any of them.

Hawthorn 43k, West Coast 37k, North Melbourne 38k, Richmond 58k

Grand average of 44k, 15k less than your yearly average. Clearly it does affect Crowds.

Richmond drew over a million with no Friday night games, 10 Sunday games and also winning the spoon by winning 2 games for the year. Collingwood are the biggest club in the league so it won't have that much impact.

 

[theiaofseed]

Richmond drew over a million with no Friday night games, 10 Sunday games and also winning the spoon by winning 2 games for the year. Collingwood are the biggest club in the league so it won't have that much impact.

And they were down 7k from last year, and 14k from their premiership years. First year outside of the top 3 in a decade. Another posters proves Sunday time slots kills your numbers.

 

[JayJ20]

And they were down 7k from last year, and 14k from their premiership years. First year outside of the top 3 in a decade. Another posters proves Sunday time slots kills your numbers.

Depends on what Sunday game you're talking about. Sunday twilight does kill numbers, but most of them are now QLD or WA games nowadays.

Sunday 1:10pm is one of the best timeslots for numbers. Up there with Saturday afternoon, Saturday twilight and Friday night.
Sunday 3:20 is similar to Saturday night. Both aren't great timeslots for numbers, but not terrible either with the right match up.

 

[doppleganger]

Collingwood played 4 Sunday games this year and above weren't any of them.

Hawthorn 43k, West Coast 37k, North Melbourne 38k, Richmond 58k

Grand average of 44k, 15k less than your yearly average. Clearly it does affect Crowds.

The stadium is pretty important

Hawthorn was in Adelaide.

WC and North were Marvel, Pies dont get crowds at Marvel. In 2023 Pies played Brisbane at Marvel on a Friday night and the crowd was 38k...the same as WC on Sunday.

 

[Quinz]

We were about 14k away in 2019, with a game at Traeger Park. Have that at the MCG and we get there. With an extra game these days I think we could see it happen if we're up in contention.

Pretty likely for us to average 50k+ at home and an away derby for 600k. Doesn't matter who we're playing. Leaves about 36k average needed for away games, maybe down to 32k if the home average is a bit higher.

Doable in the right circumstances. Would require not being sent to Tassie, Canberra, NT etc. and a couple of other MCG games with contenders.

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

No.

It's certainly an interesting discussion though.

The AFL have publicly stated that they 'need Essendon to be successful' for example.

So even after the biggest Own Goal in the sport's history, the AFL ensured through fixturing, tweaking of rules and fudging of outcomes that Essendon remained successful off-field.

Would Essendon have even survived without those handouts, let alone be thriving off-field?


The point is, the AFL's entire business model is based on trickle down economics.

Trickle down economics doesn't work if the top end of town doesn't get handouts and doesn't thrive.

So there's no doubt that the AFL choreograph the big clubs capitalising on their large and, let's be honest, loser fanbases.

It's kind of funny really, that the term 'big club' is associated with power and prestige - but it's literally based on the fact that people with nothing else much of interest in their lives have nothing better to do than go to the footy every week.

"If I can be a massive loser and base my life around the footy and have it as my entire social scene - my club will be big and I can walk around with my chest puffed out and live vicariously through its success"

It's ironic as if they didn't spend so much time and effort focussing on the footy, they could lead fulfilling and rewarding lives in their own right and walk around with their chests puffed out being proud and content with their own achievements.


Anyway, fact is, the AFL could not exist in its current model without 'big clubs' being as big as possible. So those that complain about it needs to be realistic.