With the high standard of play in the A-League, why are the crowds so low?

[SR1968]

I often watch the highlights to A-League games, and I have to say, the general standard of play has been great, but why are the crowds so low?

Yes, the Euro snobs will say the A-League is poor compared to Europe and South America, but I guess you can't please everyone.

Should football revert back to winter?, but then football will have to compete directly with the more established codes of football like the AFL and NRL. So how do we get the crowds back up to levels of around 14 to 15K? (the average A-League attendance is currently around 9k).

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

Not sure what the standard of play has to do with anything? Have you seen the crowds at second divison Indonesian games?

Played on potato fields with barefoot players (ok slight exageration)....



14-15K Aleague crowds of the past are not, and will never be, football fans... its a "day out" in this country.

 

[JS96]

Depends on which club as Adelaide are generally top and the Mariners have been the past few years.

Cost of living. Commitments. Kids Sport on then a bit of down time then other family and other things. Society is spoiled for choice. German crowds are still massive but there are dents due to cost and time.

A lot of families or people already have their code or interest. I plan my weekends around Hannover games on the basis that it's minimum 2.5 hours maybe 5 if we go out post game. Any family dinner or whatever can be done another time. I've made the commitment with the season ticket so I'll go.

What bugs me is the on and offs that people have with attendance. A big attendance gets a lot of people hyped how enjoyable it was but then they won't turn up the following weeks.

I get people have a lot going on and I just don't think the game can capture enough people to make it a fortnightly pilgrimage, no matter the quality.

I think the occasional big build up is possible with the right marketing and pricing. Not the derby but trying to get 30k to Sydney FC against Adelaide.

 

[ashtongate]

Adelaide's crowds have been fantastic all season- despite having a struggling team.

As for the other cities- they should not be playing matches in huge stadiums, that makes any crowd look small.

 

[biggiemic]

Adelaide's crowds have been fantastic all season- despite having a struggling team.

As for the other cities- they should not be playing matches in huge stadiums, that makes any crowd look small.

Adelaide were top 2/3 all season until the final couple of months.

Nothing to do with stadiums imo.

10/15 years ago Victory got 50k at Etihad, Sydney 30k at SFS, Roar 30k at Suncorp etc.

The league has just become stale and was the new shiny toy at the beginning. The fans that attend today are the rusted on loyal fans.

This country has obsession with winners, regardless of what sport it is. Canterbury Bulldogs (getting 10k a few years back, Monday got 60k) and Richmond (were getting 60k a few years back, now 30k) prime examples. Maybe because there is no relegation with the teams at the bottom, people think there is no point attending. Better yet, in the AFL, the bottom teams are actually better of losing and get better draft picks.

 

[Frankly Speaking]

My view is that the wierd asymmetrical fixturing is a factor too. The way fixtures for a club are lumpted together and then spread apart is seriously unhelpful. If it was one home, one away and so on I honestly believe it would make a real difference.

And this comes back to the number one issue for the competition - the absurd code sharing arrangements that not only trash fixturing, but trash the playing surfaces too.

 

[TheSelectFew]

My view is that the wierd asymmetrical fixturing is a factor too. The way fixtures for a club are lumpted together and then spread apart is seriously unhelpful. If it was one home, one away and so on I honestly believe it would make a real difference.

And this comes back to the number one issue for the competition - the absurd code sharing arrangements that not only trash fixturing, but trash the playing surfaces too.

And if you have asymmetrical fixturing, provide reminder texts and emails about when the games are on and how to buy tickets.

 

[Muz]

19000 at the NRL match the other night at Canberra. 5 degrees as well.

 

[Kevin Keegan71]

I was a regular to Suncorp in the Broich Berisha days loved it decent night out and reasonable crowds back then but the A League in general has been stale for years now the quality of players has dropped, yes we are seeing a fair few younger players get their opportunity to shine but If Im really honest apart from a few 3 or 4 clubs at the top there is very little difference in quality of player to that of the top NPL clubs. The Roar are an absolute shambles and should have been wound up ages ago its a tragedy what has been allowed to happen over the last 10 years there. The A League offers nothing exciting anymore after 20 years still no relegation and none on the horizon the disconnect between the NPL and A League is enormous and pro-rel will never happen whilst the idiots in charge of the game dont have a vision for the future. Most clubs struggle financially and Paramount have practically killed off the viewing experience. In short I get my kicks from watching NPL games where you can get a drink, eat at reasonable prices and see some pretty good football been played. The A league needs an overhaul and big stadiums need to go first unless they can be filled for big fixtures - just my thoughts for what its worth

 

[grazorblade]

welcome to the forum and love your positivity!

 

[Kevin Keegan71]

welcome to the forum and love your positivity!

thanks

 

[Sutherlandbear]

Adelaide's crowds have been fantastic all season- despite having a struggling team.

As for the other cities- they should not be playing matches in huge stadiums, that makes any crowd look small.

Maybe so, but there is no suitable alternatives, especially in Sydney.

 

[ashtongate]

Adelaide were top 2/3 all season until the final couple of months.

Nothing to do with stadiums imo.

10/15 years ago Victory got 50k at Etihad, Sydney 30k at SFS, Roar 30k at Suncorp etc.

The league has just become stale and was the new shiny toy at the beginning. The fans that attend today are the rusted on loyal fans.

This country has obsession with winners, regardless of what sport it is. Canterbury Bulldogs (getting 10k a few years back, Monday got 60k) and Richmond (were getting 60k a few years back, now 30k) prime examples. Maybe because there is no relegation with the teams at the bottom, people think there is no point attending. Better yet, in the AFL, the bottom teams are actually better of losing and get better draft picks.

Adelaide were struggling, the top two thirds was a bizarre fluke.

 

[Barca4life]

It's not about what happens on the pitch, it's mostly what happens off it.

The league during that time had the emotional connection with the fans but that has clearly waned off.

 

[Hellenic_blue&white]

'Emotional connection' to shiny franchise league? Was never possible!

"Comet supporters" is most accurate, that have gone back to not caring (for so many reasons) especially when the free tickets dried up or moved on to other shinny new things ..........

With the key focus put on the exclusion of traditional supporters as means to an ends which however led to a sub par experience based on the notion that the mainstream masses yearned for a replica to the nrl or afl experience minus the effniks (nrl clubs have since embraced the effniks to try survive yet we still view it as a shortcoming).

Thats the reality of it!

Only one way to rectify it now and we all keep saying it, ........ but no one listens, cares or the lights are just out!

 

[LFC]

Maybe so, but there is no suitable alternatives, especially in Sydney.

You know I’ve said before your getting precious in your old age and you’ve got too cosy in the shared big eastern burbs ground that only gets solid crowds at derbies more than any other game the next exceptions the event finals.

 

[Sutherlandbear]

You know I’ve said before your getting precious in your old age and you’ve got too cosy in the shared big eastern burbs ground that only gets solid crowds at derbies more than any other game the next exceptions the event finals.

As i have said before, i done 4 years at Leichhardt and Kogarah, and it was horrendous in the end up, shown by the dwindling crowds.

You need to move with times old man. Suburban grounds are fine for the women, not the men, and it looks shite on the telly.

The football world has in the main been, All seater for more than thirty years. The amount you pay these days, you don't want shitey grass banks and Portaloo's.

 

[Sutherlandbear]

'Emotional connection' to shiny franchise league? Was never possible!

"Comet supporters" is most accurate, that have gone back to not caring (for so many reasons) especially when the free tickets dried up or moved on to other shinny new things ..........

With the key focus put on the exclusion of traditional supporters as means to an ends which however led to a sub par experience based on the notion that the mainstream masses yearned for a replica to the nrl or afl experience minus the effniks (nrl clubs have since embraced the effniks to try survive yet we still view it as a shortcoming).

Thats the reality of it!

Only one way to rectify it now and we all keep saying it, ........ but no one listens, cares or the lights are just out!

Plenty of wogs go to SFC and WSWFC games. Must be a Melbourne thing.

 

[LFC]

As i have said before, i done 4 years at Leichhardt and Kogarah, and it was horrendous in the end up, shown by the dwindling crowds.

You need to move with times old man. Suburban grounds are fine for the women, not the men, and it looks shite on the telly.

The football world has in the main been, All seater for more than thirty years. The amount you pay these days, you don't want shitey grass banks and Portaloo's.

You didn’t like that forced change of venue took you away from your close to travel large stad - I recall and went to a couple at both alternatives.
Not every single one of your supporters would give a toss as long as the game is on all that matters.
Kogarah sucks for there is no atmosphere never liked the ground.
Your dislike of Leichhardt is your pov whereas countless people like and been renovated will be brilliant and good size.
Many of the local NPL grounds tick the box’s - there is seating for the lazy ones and there is standing and not portaloos.
Your tick costs would be fine and the for the club to drop those huge 1/3 filled oversized stads running costs would save a lot.
Times need to change your league needs to get back where football really stands and grow from there with the rest and majority of the game.

 

[Sharkman84]

Plenty of wogs go to SFC and WSWFC games. Must be a Melbourne thing.

It definitely is just a Melbourne thing.

Plenty go to both SFC & WSW in Sydney and having moved to SA a decade ago and having married the daughter of post war migrants who is a mad AUFC fan, I see plenty there too.