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

[Monoethnic Social Club]

Sorry, Mono, I beg to differ. Football has always been king, but it was a very different sporting world. I'm not sure how much you were able to absorb during your nappy changes.

Sure, I agree it was a different sporting world ... just highlighting that football had less competition from other sports than it does now

 

[LFC]

Sure, I agree it was a different sporting world ... just highlighting that football had less competition from other sports than it does now

the compettion was always there though.
Just didn't have the commercial behind like modern times and TBH the competiton is struggling to keep up with Football due its expansion from way back.
The africans growth, asian growth and now for sometime USA growth - even though the many other codes are more visible today football in King.

 

[Frankly Speaking]

Sure, I agree it was a different sporting world ... just highlighting that football had less competition from other sports than it does now

It's complicated. I'm not sure that is accurate, but short of dropping the mountain of work I should be doing right now and embarking on a full blown research project on the subject, I'm happy just borrow a quote from an old, old play and say that the past is is a foreign country - they do things differently there.

 

[Robbos]

Dont forget to keep that same sentiment when your "bitching" about the AFL....

I never bitch about AFL.
I've been travelling around AFL country in Northern Territory. AFL the game played on the grounds, people walking around in AFL gear, the pubs have AFL on in every tv on every pub, people talking about AFL in cafes and caravan parks we are staying at.
This is not the same in Sydney
Everyone plays football, the pubs, work cafes are all Rugby League or O/S football.
That is all I say about this shit game

 

[Frankly Speaking]

What I mainly feel about AFL is disappointment - that so many people in this country attach so much to a scrappy game that is as aesthetically appealing as a headless chook running around a farmyard. It's a cop out that allows people to revel in a completely bogus form of Aussie exceptionalism without having to ever put up or shut up because there is no yardstick with the rest of the world.

 

[BA81]

What I mainly feel about AFL is disappointment - that so many people in this country attach so much to a scrappy game that is as aesthetically appealing as a headless chook running around a farmyard. It's a cop out that allows people to revel in a completely bogus form of Aussie exceptionalism without having to ever put up or shut up because there is no yardstick with the rest of the world.

Yes, it’s that myopic ‘exceptionalism’ and the extent to which the VFL/AFL organisation itself(not to mention its complicit media-backing) has culturally-weaponised that over the decades that is a major turn-off to anyone in their right mind.

Further irony is that the game itself now is a VERY pale shadow of what it was 25+ years ago, yet the AFL’s lemming acolytes will have you believe that it’s never been better. These are the same sheep known for such takes as hoping the AFL never reintroduces its State Of Origin comp because “it died with Ted Whitten”, and calling the demise of 100+ year-old foundation club Fitzroy back in the ‘90s “a necessary sacrifice”

 

[Frankly Speaking]

Yes, it’s that myopic ‘exceptionalism’ and the extent to which the VFL/AFL organisation itself(not to mention its complicit media-backing) has culturally-weaponised that over the decades that is a major turn-off to anyone in their right mind.

Further irony is that the game itself now is a VERY pale shadow of what it was 25+ years ago, yet the AFL’s lemming acolytes will have you believe that it’s never been better. These are the same sheep known for such takes as hoping the AFL never reintroduces its State Of Origin comp because “it died with Ted Whitten”, and calling the demise of 100+ year-old foundation club Fitzroy back in the ‘90s “a necessary sacrifice”

One thing I will say for AFL on an admin level, is that the corporatisation of the sport has been thorough and ruthless, as has been the monetarisation of the code. It is the only part of the sport that can claim to be world class.

 

[BA81]

The unthinking, bland conformity of AFL supporters is a mirror of the featureless suburbs of Melbourne

Not every suburb of Melb is a sh1thole..

 

[WhatAmIWatching]

"Football then is not what it is now, globally"??? Um maybe NOT in Australia but globally it was arguably even bigger than it is today... No NFL, No NBA, No 40 forms of cricket..... no eurobasket .. football was KING.

Cricket is an Anglosphere sport - won't see it in East Asia, Latin America, etc. What has changed globally is the commercialisation of USA sports such as Basketball, NFL and baseball. Football remains king world wide but FIFA is doing really well at ensuring the competition thrives.
Also, the EPL is absorbing a lot of fans throughout the world so that even traditional football countries are missing out on increasing their revenues as younger fans flock to streaming of the EPL. I use to work with graduates that would watch overnight EPL matches rather than go and see a local football game. They were of Croatian heritage and did not have a Croatian club either.
Organisationally, at least in Oz, football was unable to attract local people to make the game truly professional.

 

[NoMates]

I think the days or big crowds is well and truly over except for Auckland. We went from 70k avg for Socceroo matches to 25k. Same with ALM people have moved on as football in this country is just a phase people go through and move on to the next thing.

 

[grazorblade]

I think the days or big crowds is well and truly over except for Auckland. We went from 70k avg for Socceroo matches to 25k. Same with ALM people have moved on as football in this country is just a phase people go through and move on to the next thing.

yeah I reckon we won't get crowds back unless we start getting star power for the roos back.

The old nsl used to not just have underage teams (u6-u17) but had often had 2 teams in the u20s plus reserve teams in state league. I doubt we hit the same standards until we do the same and I believe even our underage teams don't go a long way down (u13s in a lot of cases?)

 

[NoMates]

yeah I reckon we won't get crowds back unless we start getting star power for the roos back.

The old nsl used to not just have underage teams (u6-u17) but had often had 2 teams in the u20s plus reserve teams in state league. I doubt we hit the same standards until we do the same and I believe even our underage teams don't go a long way down (u13s in a lot of cases?)

Just look at when Cahill played for City, it didn't bring in the crowds they expected so its a strange one. But then again it worked for SFC with Del Pero (spelled that wrong i think). When the ALM get young guns lighting up the league they move on within a year so there is no star power to draw from crowd wise. Then you have clubs like Mac Bulls that had De Villa and a few other great players and they still couldn't pull over 2k/3k crowds.

 

[grazorblade]

Just look at when Cahill played for City, it didn't bring in the crowds they expected so its a strange one. But then again it worked for SFC with Del Pero (spelled that wrong i think). When the ALM get young guns lighting up the league they move on within a year so there is no star power to draw from crowd wise. Then you have clubs like Mac Bulls that had De Villa and a few other great players and they still couldn't pull over 2k/3k crowds.

yeah I think the casual gets cues from the socceroos. If they are littered with stars then the impression is that football is good. When there is very few playing in the big 5 let alone starring then the impression is that it is poor aka I think the success of the roos trickles down

before 2006 we had massive club representation but didnt make a world cup

 

[Muz]

Why would any roos come back to Australia and play in the A League? Without exception they get the shit bagged out of them. Neil, Cahill, Kewell. The list goes on.

 

[grazorblade]

Why would any roos come back to Australia and play in the A League? Without exception they get the shit bagged out of them. Neil, Cahill, Kewell. The list goes on.

pretty weird that happened. Why do you think they got bagged?

 

[Muz]

pretty weird that happened. Why do you think they got bagged?

Ask the blokes that bagged them.

Not being flippant, buggered if I know.

 

[LFC]

My early going with the kids to watch HK vs SFC.
I get rivalry but the booooing they gave Kewell was embarrassing and very sad for such a legend.
Now I get Muscat copping it for he was a grub of a player but one of our best ever ffs.
There’s something about a good portion of the new dawners that really piss’s me off.
They have an issue with GG players even reading on the forums in the past.
Whoever commentates of them gets bagged.
Sure some are not good at it but the lack of respect stinks.

 

[grazorblade]

My early going with the kids to watch HK vs SFC.
I get rivalry but the booooing they gave Kewell was embarrassing and very sad for such a legend.
Now I get Muscat copping it for he was a grub of a player but one of our best ever ffs.
There’s something about a good portion of the new dawners that really piss’s me off.
They have an issue with GG players even reading on the forums in the past.
Whoever commentates of them gets bagged.
Sure some are not good at it but the lack of respect stinks.

I guess that was such a bitter ideological war everything was seen through it

shame, in the end given how rare the gg were those that bag them missed out on the pleasure of enjoying something truly special

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

Why would any roos come back to Australia and play in the A League? Without exception they get the shit bagged out of them. Neil, Cahill, Kewell. The list goes on.

was this a thing in the Aleague? Thats pretty poor... why did they do that?

 

[Pasquali]

yeah I reckon we won't get crowds back unless we start getting star power for the roos back.

The old nsl used to not just have underage teams (u6-u17) but had often had 2 teams in the u20s plus reserve teams in state league. I doubt we hit the same standards until we do the same and I believe even our underage teams don't go a long way down (u13s in a lot of cases?)

Doesn't help that we play the most boring football on earth