Accepting some home truths about A-League crowds
Columnist
By Adrian Musolino, 29 Sep 2009 Adrian Musolino is a Roar Expert
- Tagged:
- A-League, A-League crowds, Brisbane Roar, FFA, football, Suncorp Stadium, Sydney FC
Only 7,677 fans attended the Brisbane-Sydney clash at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday. The average for that fixture is almost 25,000. It’s a huge drop off, one that can be attributed to the controversy over the price of tickets, but also highlighting several important lessons about A-League crowds.
What the disappointing drop in crowd numbers highlights is the huge fluctuations that we should accept as a given with the A-League.
Obviously there are some self-inflicted reasons why the crowds are down, especially in the case of Brisbane which has damaged the reputation of the franchise.
Even if the Roar dramatically slashes ticket prices the perception is out there that the cost of attending a game is too expensive. With the lack of significant mainstream media attention such perceptions tend to stick, just as the notion of crowd violence has stuck despite so few cases in the league.
Combined with some poor scheduling, the lack of significant promotion at the start of the season and inconsistent performances from most of the teams, especially at home, these self-inflicted wounds have compounded the dip in crowds.
However, there are fundamental reasons why A-League crowds fluctuate to such an extent.
Firstly, the further intrusion into the AFL and NRL season was always going to have a negative impact on crowds, compounding the lack of media coverage the league receives.
With further expansion on the horizon there is no way to avoid this. But the FFA needs to be braver in its marketing and not rely on the expectation that crowds will return en masse when the AFL and NRL seasons are done and dusted.
Secondly, perhaps this is where football in Australia is at and the fluctuating crowds reflect the ambivalence the casual sporting fans has toward the game.
When you factor in the low opinion the ‘Euro snobs’ have of the A-League and the obvious inconsistencies in the quality of the product, then even ambivalence among football fans is to be expected.
Certainly there is still a way to go in terms of quality, as witnessed by the lacklustre triple-header of matches on Sunday.
Perhaps the novelty of the league has worn off and what remains is its core supporter base.
Thirdly and most importantly, the clubs and league itself are still in their infancy. This point tends to be overlooked yet it should be accepted as reality.
Take for example St. Kilda fans who have stuck with their club despite forty plus barren years without a premiership.
Fans have grown up with these clubs, they no nothing else aside from supporting their team through thick and then. It’s in their blood.
That sort of bond with a club is only built with decades of shared experience.
It’s that bond which results in fans rearranging their lives around the club’s fixtures no matter where they are on the ladder.
The A-League franchises, upstart creations with little to zero connection with the old NSL teams, not to mention hidden away on pay television, have been unable, in their short life spans, to build this connection with fans and that was to be expected.
That will take time, perhaps generations, to build.
It is why in the likes of Melbourne and Adelaide, where there is a stronger bond between supporters and their clubs typified by the AFL example, crowds are less susceptible to other variables.
Without this bond to teams crowds will always dramatically fluctuate depending on current form, interest, other code competition, ticket prices, scheduling etc.
There is no magic formula to drawing a big crowd to each fixture. In this sporting landscape it is a multifaceted dilemma with so many variables.
Therefore the FFA and the clubs must ensure they get the ingredients they can control right so the rest will hopefully take care of itself – perhaps longer than we all expected it to.
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Mr cheese said | September 29th 2009 @ 3:56am | Report comment
Isn’t this a sort of proof that, for all the success of the ‘Socceroos’ since 2005, the national league will never really catch on.
Look at Rugby League over here ( England ). The RFL is doing everything in its power to promote the game. The Quarter Finals of the play-offs at the weekend had attendances of 4,000 ish.
Rugby League cannot compete with football over here. Perhaps, in your country, football will never compete with Rugby League or AFL.
tifosi said | September 29th 2009 @ 5:31am | Report comment
Well the socceroos can compete but not the A-league.
There are also many fans of the sport that dont see it worth their while to watch an a-league game for whatever reason
But in qld, the ticket prices are the reason. The roar and united are selling season tixs at the same price or even dearer than the broncos or titans. Go over to the 442 forums and you will hear it.
Its crazy, im a big football fan but i would chose the Rugby league over the A-league at the same price point. Its not value for money.
I guess the real proof will be in 2 months time, we should compare the average crowds of the first two months compared to the next two months and then we will have a clearer picture
OzeToon said | September 29th 2009 @ 6:19am | Report comment
Tifosi I an with you I LOVE football but the constant ticket price increases are too much I attended a-league game one qld roar v nz knights and remember paying around $20 for that ticket – I was seriously excited about the prospect of the a-league even if the quality of the football is a little questionable. I had been a regular attendee of the roar until 2009 when to sit anywhere on the sideline Is a ridiculous $40 – as much as it pains me i’m making a stand, i will not let the club gouge me like that. Worse I have written to the club and received not even so much as a thanks for your letter. It takes time for loyal support to build why cut it off at the kneesas it grows? The orange kit will stay in the wardrobe for now.
Mr cheese said | September 29th 2009 @ 7:03am | Report comment
Tifosi,
that was my point: the ‘Socceroos’ are about to participate in the World Cup which, even anti-football must admit, is a colossus of sport.
However, I still don’t see a domestic league taking off over there. I’ve never been to Australia, but I do see you as an AFL / NRL country which will enjoy the World Cup in football and then return to egg-chasing.
For example, I watch the Rugby Union world cup and enoy it. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t dream of watching Leicester, Bath or Saracens. International Rugby Union is good for me. Then I return to football.
Pippinu said | September 29th 2009 @ 8:02am | Report comment
I think one thing we can do without is another article on A-League crowds!!
Anyway, I mentioned the churn factor on another thread (and repeat it here).
In the football industry there is a great churn factor. 10 to 15% of your membership drops off every year, without fail – it just does.
Now if you’re a club with 500,000 supporters across the land, you going to cover the numbers that drop off quite easily.
But if you’re a newish club in a newish comp – where do you go to cover that 10-15% churn factor?
Do you see what I mean? There’s no settled fan base to turn to, it’s far too early – clubs will have to exist for decades before they have the settled, broad fan base to cover off the basic 10-15% churn factor.
Also, that 10-15% churn factor exists always, regardless (you’ll note that even teams experiencing success will get that).
So when you have other factors in play, such as the economy or poor on-field performance or poor adminstration – you can effectively double that churn factor in any given year.
Let us bear in mind that a football membership is a luxury item. On top of that, as far as consumer spending goes, it’s a fairly irrational decision.
Given that, it’s very, very hard for new clubs in a new comp to get lots of people to part with their money at the same time.
What compels someone to pour their hard earned into a football club?
There’s rarely any logic to the decision – it’s about emotion, sentiment, attachment, etc.
But you won’t find masses of people feeling that way about a new club. This is why it’s very difficult and prone to many ups and downs (far more than is to be found in a settled, older competition).
The NRL is an interesting case study – traditionally it has not had big attendances – but they are probably double today than what they were 15 years ago.
One big advanatge the NRL has is masses of people who already identify themselves with a club – it’s far, far easier to get these sorts of people to a game than it is to encourage people generally to come to a game.
In the NRL case, we know there are masses of people interested, becuase it’s clearly visible form TV ratings (both FTA and Pay).
The Link said | September 29th 2009 @ 8:58am | Report comment
Pip NRL crowds are only really now returning to what they were in 1994, after which the game basically canabalised itself for a sustained period. For ave crowds in the 80′s in the NSWRL you may have more of a point
da640 said | September 29th 2009 @ 10:51am | Report comment
I disagree, i think the more discuss that is made about crowds in the a-league the better. Through more discussion new ideas are regularly brought up on the roar. I do agree that the topic “roar ticket prices” is getting slightly annoying though.
Pippinu said | September 29th 2009 @ 10:59am | Report comment
da
Don’t disagree – it’s just that over half of the artilces on the Roar in relation to the A-League have been about crowds, and it’s starting to wear a bit thin.
Link
I was sort of talking off the cuff – didn’t have any numbers in front of me – but the essential point is that regardless of where the crowds may have been in the past, there were large numbers of people who already identified with an NRL club – it’s much easier to get people like that watching your club than to go and look for new people.
The general marketing principle is that it’s far easier (and cheaper) to hold onto existing customers than to create new ones.
chook said | September 29th 2009 @ 9:00am | Report comment
Adrian,
I think that the point you made is spot on about crowd connection with the clubs
It a brand new league, new clubs, new administration. I think that the A-League need to maintain its presents in the mainstream media. TV, Radio. paper. The dumping of the NSL and the new present A- League is an excellent system, but it will also take time. Its very hard to support a team that you never know weather it will fold or not, the crowd numbers have been reasonable for most teams the non capital cities and Wellington should be looking for an average of 8,000. Capital cities should be shooting for 15000. We are well below this figure but give it time.
The optimum time is the everning games as they get the better numbers . the 7.30pm time slot average 11664 this year.
atm the current crowd av.
AU – 12532
BR – 9729
CCM 8185
GCU – 6643
MV 17575
NJ 5955
PG 7323
SFC – 13425
WP – 8507
megatron said | September 29th 2009 @ 9:10am | Report comment
Fair points. I can’t see a dramatic change now. Percpetions stick as you say.
Realfootball said | September 29th 2009 @ 9:38am | Report comment
Unfortunately GCU and the Roar have done themselves serious long term damage with their ticket prices. The people who make the decisions in any normal business would have been fired by now. They should be fired. The Roar was worse because of the fact that their prices were increases, not first time posts. To recover anything like their starting point, they would need to slash prices by at least 30-50% and back it up with an advertising campaign. Indeed, the only thing that may salvage the A League in Brisbane is a new franchise. I really believe that the situation is that serious. What a shame – in the first 2 seasons the team was not performing but still drew an average close to 15,000 – which shows how seriously the inept Roar administrations have alienated their supporter base. Hopefullly GCU and Brisbane have realised their error and are looking at lower ticket prices next season, but that will be too late. Both clubs need to act now with initiatives like 2 for 1 deals, that kind of thing. Low crowds quickly become a self fulfilling prophecy and the Roar and GCU need to get bums on seats so that there is atmosphere not just for the live fans, but for the television audience too.
Rellum said | September 29th 2009 @ 9:54am | Report comment
It might help if we stop calling people snobs if we want them to come along and watch a game.
whiskeymac said | September 29th 2009 @ 10:29am | Report comment
Adrain good points. Mr Cheese I can’t agree with the idea that the national league will “never” catch on. It has already IMO caught on but on a modest scale. which is fine so long as people dont have unrealistic expectations that a 5 year old comp will sweep all before it ina continent of 20 odd million with established teams and seasons. given time it will grow and the clubs will forge an identity past the FFA formula of family friendly sanitisation and corporatisation.
With boost of the WC and the Asain Cup and a few months without AFL,NRL competition it’s a bit early to predict the death of the HAL.