Average and median crowd figures to Round 8

[bennymacca]

So, all the people on here saying crowds are down - are they just plain incorrect?

Some others have questioned the counting of the crowds too. Are they just being disingenuous?

[woodublieve12]

So, all the people on here saying crowds are down - are they just plain incorrect?

Some others have questioned the counting of the crowds too. Are they just being disingenuous?

or people on here are to negative? If crowd figures are up, that has to be good for the league

[Booney]

So, all the people on here saying crowds are down - are they just plain incorrect?

Some others have questioned the counting of the crowds too. Are they just being disingenuous?

or people on here are to negative? If crowd figures are up, that has to be good for the league

Well if the former is true, those who question it will claim the latter.

[LPH]

Clearly, based on all these figures, there is nothing to worry about & everything is fine.
Fantastic.
Crowds are up, Revenue is Up, Commercial Media Coverage is far better, etc.
Any questions regarding Integrity or Compromise were clearly 'humbug'.
SANFL Footy (since 1991 at least) has never been healthier.
A big thank you to Trigg, Koch, Olsen & the CEOs - you tried to tell us it would be better & we didn't listen.
Well, its all good.
I'm sure the CEOs will be laughing all the way to the bank, come AGM time, patting each other on the back.

[Booney]

Clearly, based on all these figures, there is nothing to worry about & everything is fine.
Fantastic.
Crowds are up, Revenue is Up, Commercial Media Coverage is far better, etc.
Any questions regarding Integrity or Compromise were clearly 'humbug'.
SANFL Footy (since 1991 at least) has never been healthier.
A big thank you to Trigg, Koch, Olsen & the CEOs - you tried to tell us it would be better & we didn't listen.
Well, its all good.
I'm sure the CEOs will be laughing all the way to the bank, come AGM time, patting each other on the back.

Not sure anyone said that was the case. Just seems those predicting the end aren't as right ( or righteous ) as they thought they were going to be.

[areaman]

Clearly, based on all these figures, there is nothing to worry about & everything is fine.
Fantastic.
Crowds are up, Revenue is Up, Commercial Media Coverage is far better, etc.
Any questions regarding Integrity or Compromise were clearly 'humbug'.
SANFL Footy (since 1991 at least) has never been healthier.
A big thank you to Trigg, Koch, Olsen & the CEOs - you tried to tell us it would be better & we didn't listen.
Well, its all good.
I'm sure the CEOs will be laughing all the way to the bank, come AGM time, patting each other on the back.

Not sure anyone said that was the case. Just seems those predicting the end aren't as right ( or righteous ) as they thought they were going to be.

My view is these crowd numbers fall beautifully in the middle. It means both sides can use the numbers to say they were right, or as is probably closer to the truth, both sides can point to the other mob being wrong.

They aren't big enough to be able to claim that it's had a positive effect on crowds and they aren't small enough to claim it's impacted negatively on the crowds.

Basically they can be massaged to argue any number of points and leave nobody any the wiser.

[matt35]

I think what has happened, is that a number of people on here had already decided they didn't like the changes to the competition before the year even started. Now that the sky has not fallen in and the competition has not shrivelled up and died, some of these people, instead of choosing to move on, have dug in and are making arguments to back their case which just do not stack up in the face of evidence. That's why we've recently seen some resort to conspiracy theories, including deliberate inflation of crowds, and even that some on here defending the new set up are SANFL commissioners or have other vested interests in doing so.

I for one am glad we still have a healthy SANFL competition with a bright future.

@PhilH; nice work on the SANFL show on 5aa last night, and loved your comment re feeling like you should be coming home after a full round of Footy to watch Seven's Big League, I thought the exact same thing.

[PhilH]

Thanks matt35, been 2 years since I had the chance to be a guest in the fiveaa studio so was good to be back.

Biggest surprise of the night was Heath Younie admitting his 18yo kids just drafted out of TAC cup were "buggered" and "battered" for the first few months after first playing SANFL league footy and needed to be lightly worked with at training over the week whilst they recovered.

Not sure how that works as a great development strategy.



Re crowds - Fair point areaman - and it is also club by club thing.

Crowds go up & down depending on form, scheduling and promotions run.

Glenelg (yes helped by the Walker return), Sturt & Eagles will be up
Port, North & West will be down

South, Norwood & Central will be line ball. I think South & Norwood will end up with a small rise Central a fall.

[RB]

I for one am glad we still have a healthy SANFL competition with a bright future.

Some healthy competition. At any rate, wasn't the league meant to benefit from this? If crowds have stayed the same, I'm not sure I'd be jumping up and down.

The AFL presence leaves the future of the other eight clubs very cloudy IMO, especially if the reserves teams themselves aren't commanding a following, as many on here have reported.

Though I hope the Sanfl has a healthy future, the question which vexes me is who is going to go to Sanfl games in the year 2020, 2030, 2040 etc.?

Not Adelaide supporters, especially if only a couple of hundred are going this year. Nor many Port supporters - crowds at Alberton have been shocking given that they're top - fifteen years ago it would have been unimaginable that 2,500 would rock up when Port are top.

The key point for me with both Crows and Power/Magpies crowds is that nobody goes to reserves games. No-one has ever been greatly interested in reserves footy and why would they be?

As for the other eight, as those die out who were around before the AFL era, who will replace them? The AFL saturation is such that before they go to their first Sanfl game, if they ever do, children will already know who to support, and it won't be a sovereign Sanfl team.

In short, Sanfl = ****.

[spell_check]

I don't think anyone should just look at if the crowds were up on last year alone, because last year was the most weather affected minor round I can recall from 1991...maybe only 2001 or 2005 could get near it. That's why I also put up the previous seasons.

[RB]

In short, Sanfl = ****.

Lol what, I didn't even write it properly, has the censor been upgraded? And why are four asterisks used to replace a six-letter word?

[RustyCage]

In short, Sanfl = ****.

Lol what, I didn't even write it properly, has the censor been upgraded? And why are four asterisks used to replace a six-letter word?

Any variation of that word is censored

[PhilH]

The SANFL has short term, medium term and long term challenges to address.

The relevance of the SANFL & the 8 clubs to their current /future supporter bases within their communities with the introduction of AFL reserves side is an important matter that needs to be addressed now rather than 5 years later.

[Aerie]

One crowd raising thing they didn't do this year is some SANFL games at Adelaide Oval, besides ANZAC Day. Surely 3 or 4 games would have been worth trialling on a Friday night?

[UK Fan]

Will be interesting to see the crowd figures at years end. We have 7 weeks left of winter.July/August aren't traditionally the big crowd pullers and cold weather has really only started in last 3-4 weekends.

Casing point

average crowd round 8 3200
Average crowds now 2800
Give it another 6 weeks ......

Other point is Adelaide c$&:s/port reserves (I assume port) get in for free. So the supporters produce no revenue for clubs with entrance so as stated at the start of the season crowds would need to increase by approx 20% just to produce the same gate takings as last year.

With membership cheaper and down at most clubs(west only club that has increased on latest figures happy to be corrected by those with up to date figures) sponsorship down and more importantly club patronage down. Could be some interesting financial statements from clubs this year.

[PhilH]

Agreed the cold weather is having an effect, it always does.

Initially I didn't like having almost back to back split rounds as it really slows up the season.

And all because of the Foxtel Cup which needs a lot of work to be a decent competition.

But it does mean that clubs only play 3 SANFL league games over 5 of the coldest weekends of the year (late June to end of July).

re gate takings, ticketed crows members get in for free, not the case for Port

Eagles had a huge gate (for us anyway) when 4,300 turned up for Easter Monday match.

[spell_check]

Agreed the cold weather is having an effect, it always does.

Initially I didn't like having almost back to back split rounds as it really slows up the season.

And all because of the Foxtel Cup which needs a lot of work to be a decent competition.

But it does mean that clubs only play 3 SANFL league games over 5 of the coldest weekends of the year (late June to end of July).

re gate takings, ticketed crows members get in for free, not the case for Port

Eagles had a huge gate (for us anyway) when 4,300 turned up for Easter Monday match.

I know this aint going to happen, but I don't see why next year it can go back to 20 matches; assuming the AFL sides are there:

The AFL sides play each other 4 times, the 8 SANFL clubs twice
The SANFL sides play six other clubs twice and two clubs three times, with those clubs decided on end of season rankings for this year. Each club plays one of the top 4 SANFL clubs and one of the lowest 4 that third time. 18 seems too short to me, and I would have thought the AFL clubs would like to see their excess players get game time instead of twiddling their thumbs.

[Dutchy]

What the figures don't show is the lack of passion on the terraces.

While it has been wet midweek this winter the weekends have not been too bad, so there has been every chance to be good attendances this YTD

[matt35]

@spell_check

Your point re weather impacting crowds last year is valid, although we may well be heading the same way this year. Honestly we seem to be on a seven day cycle of rubbish weather on the weekends at the moment! In particular has certainly impacted on some Friday nights; Glenelg v Norwood, Norwood v Centrals and West v Adelaide are three that come to mind that were played on absolutely shocking Friday nights.

@Aerie; your point re Adelaide oval, I could not agree more. Should have been at least a couple of big Friday night games played there, particularly in the earlier part of the season before the weather really turns.

[bennymacca]

i reckon they would get 5k for a friday night game at adelaide oval on a balmy night.