Poor crowds in finals continue

The AFL’s poor finals attendances continued tonight when the MCG experienced its lowest crowd for a final in almost a decade.

The 42,731 fans who watched the Western Bulldogs beat Sydney in fine conditions was the lowest attendance at the MCG for a final since 1999, a series notorious for low attendances.

Tonight’s crowd was the lowest at the home of football in a post-season game since only 31,476 fans watched the Kangaroos beat Port Adelaide in a qualifying final at the MCG in the first weekend of the 1999 series.

Three of the five finals played this season have attracted small crowds.

A measly 19,127 watched the Swans beat North Melbourne in last weekend’s elimination final at ANZ Stadium and 37,685 watched Collingwood beat Adelaide at AAMI Stadium, which is usually full for Crows games.

In the two qualifying finals last weekend, 76,703 fans watched Hawthorn beat the Bulldogs, while 71,653 watched Geelong beat St Kilda.

The balance should at least be squared tomorrow night, as a big crowd is expected to attend the other semi-final between Collingwood and St KIlda.

The two preliminary finals next weekend - guaranteed to both features two Victoria-based sides - should also be well-attended, along with the grand final the following week.

Tonight’s below-par attendance raised the possibility that the AFL finals lost ground to soccer, as the Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United were contesting an A-League match across town, at Telstra Dome, at the same time.

However, that match was also marred by a low crowd, as only 24,812 fans turned up for the two in-form teams.

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