Trader wrote:SANFL is to AFL as College Football is to NFL.
College Football has a record attendance in excess of 115,000.
True, but I think this is more to do with the geography of the U.S, where they have very large towns/cities that are not quite big enough to have a proper NFL team, but still get exposure to interstate rivalries through the college that represents their town. The fact that everything is much closer over there makes it possible, and everyone from that town or region would follow that one team. (Correct me if I am wrong with that assumption.)
Contrast that with the SANFL where we have a city of 120,000 divided 10 ways in a second tier competition drawing 40,000 to a game.
I should probably get some figures and actual facts to back up what I am saying, but either way, the support for College football is phenomenal, the SANFL is also clearly punching above its weight.
It is no wonder that such a competition should breed something in its supporters that causes them to defend its integrity against all odds, as well as draw them out in their tens of thousands on its biggest day.