Your redoubtable blogger got hammered by readers of my The World Game column in the first round of the season for saying A-League crowds were “going south”.
It wasn’t just a hunch.
The attendance figure for the Sydney-Melbourne blockbuster at the Sydney Football Stadium was under half of what it should have been.
Normally you would posit that 35,000 people at the very least would turn up for the derby between Australia’s two biggest clubs (there was a time when such a clash was getting over 50,000; albeit at a bigger stadium). Instead, just 16,000 rocked up and that figure was reckoned to be highly generous.
Anecdotally, what I’ve been hearing for a while now is that Sydney crowd figures are being routinely inflated; and not just Sydney. It’s happening across the league. Reminds me of the bad old Super League–Australian Rugby League stoush when the two warring camps were vying for supremacy and inflating their crowd figures to get one up on each other.
Now the FFA, surprisingly, has admitted there is a problem.
Over the past weekend the Sydney–Adelaide and Queensland–Newcastle matches only drew 12,000 punters through the turnstiles, with less than 10,000 stumping up to Bluetongue Stadium to see Central Coast face off with a rampant Melbourne Victory. Perth drew a pitiful 4000 for the game against Wellington in the west, but this was Perth, after all.
Obviously the numbers are affected by the fact rugby league is deep into the business end of the season, but that is a red herring. So is the global financial squeeze and the summer versus winter argument.
Also dismiss the notion that simply lifting advertising spend is going to arrest the slide.
People aren’t that stupid.
The problem as I see it is that there simply aren’t enough incentives for people to actually make the effort to go to the games when they are freely available, live, on pay television. The dollars it costs for a family and bunch of mates to sit in front of the box with a spread of food and sufficient liquid refreshment is still considerably lower than the damage it would have just to buy entry tickets.
It’s cheaper, more comfortable and far less hassle just to stay at home.
Now if someone truly special, like a Juninho, for instance, was turning out for Sydney FC, I would be tempted to make the effort to go to the Sydney Football Stadium. I would want to see his skills up close and in the flesh.
But Sydney doesn’t have Juninho anymore. There’s no razzle dazzle; nothing to elevate the team beyond the good and capable unit they are.
People are drawn to spectacle, and Sydney doesn’t offer it.
When Tony Lockett played for the Sydney Swans, for example, the club had to beat fans away with a stick. They couldn’t get enough of going to the Sydney Cricket Ground to see this magnetic, brutal, flawed but extraordinarily talented sportsman who was then at his peak.
After Lockett retired, the Swans struggled to regain the level of support they had enjoyed during the Lockett era. His “replacement”, Barry Hall, never quite cut it.
As for Sydney FC, I said back in March at the time of John Aloisi’s signing that he wouldn’t pull the crowds and was ridiculously overpriced and I feel I have been more than vindicated. He’s just coming back from injury, yes, but a good test for a player’s pull is how many people are talking about him on the street.
No one is talking about Aloisi. He’s a top bloke but yesterday’s news.
Sydney people are fickle and demand to see the best talent available; it’s a fact of life.
If the A-League wants to restore some robustness to crowd figures across the competition it could do a lot worse than put the feelers out for some ex-European or J-League players currently out of contract or on their way up and bring them in en masse for “Version 5.0”.
And not plodders. Real entertainers. Dare I say it, Nicky Carle.
Look at the impact young Jin-Hyung Song, a mesmerizing talent, has had at the Jets. Costa Rican Carlos Hernandez is also showing some silky touches for Victory.
It’ll cost a packet, but it’s a better investment for the future than over-the-top and flashy advertising.
dasilva
Roar Guru
before anyone flame me - I don't believe that AFL and RL have no depth. I'm just playing along with Glen. However my point still remains about how it's stupid to bang on about goal being scored. AFL and RL has its own strength but for people to tell football fans that the game is crap as it has less goals shows a lack of understanding of the game and people can easily say the same in reverse saying there is too many goals/tries etc which leads to lack of tension and excitement. My perspective as a football fan has been basically a minority and really meeting zero people who would talk about it so me being a football fan is pretty much me being different from everyone else. In that way I respect the fact that Australia like a sport that no one else in the world likes because I enjoy a sport that no one else in Australia likes (not true but sometimes it feels like it).
dasilva
Roar Guru
Funny Glen When I was back in school virtually every one was an AFL fan. It was by far the most popular sport in SA. I was the only football fan in the class and knew no one else who were football fans outside my family. But I took comfort knowing that AFL was popular but so was Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Macarena, Big Brother, Rove, crappy hollywood movies. After all lots of devotees does not change the nature of nor the attractiveness of any entertainment. Watching AFL was like watching an action movie. Sure it has action and explosion but it has no plot, no subtext and no depth. People celebrated the amount of goals scored or the amount of tries scored are like people who claim a movie is better as there is more explosion or more people getting shot at - it's like that satire of rambo where there was a kill score as the bodies just pile up. Like anyone is suppose to be impress with that.
Glen
Guest
Ok.. let the fireworks begin... The reason the A-League is doing poorly is because football is boring!!! Now, bear in mind I'm talking about Australian football in isolation here, not the "world game". I'm sure many football fans are now starting to type furiously accusing me of being spawn of the devil with the usual vitriol reserved for peadophiles and nazi sympathisers. Ok, the game is very popular worldwide, watched and adored by millions upon millions, but so is reality tv. Idol, in it's various national forms attracts more viewers world-wide than any single sport. Go figure! My point is, lots of devotees does not not change the nature of nor the attractiveness of any entertainment. Football games where the mean average score across the board is 1 - nil after 90 minutes of "action" just don't cut it when compared to say, rugby league. (btw, I'm not a huge league fan) I took 20 regular NRL games at complete random from last season and came up with the following stats. On average there are 7.3 tries per game On average a try is scored every 10.9 minutes Compare that with 1 goal (on average) every 90 minutes and you may see a picture start to develop. Australian crowds want results ie: scores. I won't even touch AFL which is I think is probably more akin to basketball but I'm sure Rugby results will bear out my case. The only way to fix the game and entice new fans is to make the game more result oriented. Widen the goals (it is 2008), relax the archaic off-side rule... and most important of all... BAN the sheila divers and their bullshit feigned injuries. It is THE greatest blight on the game and most Aussies just won't cop it. Leave that to the Italians... they love it! Do something new and Aussie. The rest of the world may follow.... who knows. OK, bring on the vitriol!
Michael C
Guest
Just thought I'd keep this thread 'up to date'.......... http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24568706-5003460,00.html .....with the article from the Australian.
Dave
Guest
Pipinnu Maybe a letter to FFA/MV/QR re disappointment with tribunals failure to act and stamp out, no pun intended, violence on the field. Could have imagined the rucus if KM had pole axed Minnicon as he ran through to score.
Dave
Guest
Redb Been doing some renovations around the house so not up to speed with the situation...but if Tiatto has been cleared then that is a joke as he should have received a suspension of some weeks for his brutality. As you well know the tribunals/reviewers in which ever code make some baffling decisions...this will just add to the long list. Will be interested to see if MV have a view on it...my gut feel is nothing will happen in part because Tiatto and KM seen good buddies even after DT hacked KM there was no retaliation from KM. Mutual admiration/fear of each other who knows?? Normally KM would have someone around the throat...
Pippinu
Roar Guru
MC there is rigged - and then there is Rigged with a capital R. Serie A circa 2006 was Rigged, and I am now quite fearful that the A-League is also Rigged. Redb one thing about the Tiatto decision, and Dave might be able to back me up here - is that we have heard bugger all aobut it! Fox mentioned briefly in the FC show, but apart from that, there has been a deafening silence. Why would that be??
Pippinu
Roar Guru
Dave that's the point - the red for Beauchamp was rescinded (as any of the three for MV could have been) - but Tiatto has "no case to answer" - that's a baffling decision to say the least. The only violent act of the last three weeks, and yet he is exonerated, and MV have their three consecutive red cards. Stinks to high heaven; FFA has no credibility; the A-League is severely compromised.
Redb
Guest
Dave, Your more sensible than others on the Roar, Pippinu is genuinely pissed at the FFA/A League as a Melb Victory fan. I actually spoke to him this morning and his anger is real. How will other MV fans feel about this Tiatto decision? Redb
Dave
Guest
MC Well said Pippinu I dont share your view on the claim of HAL being rigged. As in any sporting comp there are baffling decisions...however if we were in Germany now that could be different ;) You would have to provide some pretty decent evidence to show how it was rigged...more so than just MVs 3 red cards. BTW Did you see ECL last week when Beachamps was sent off by the ref and he wasnt ebven near the play?? UEFA have since recinded the card but he was still sent off...unfortunately sh** happens.
Redb
Guest
MC, I wish you didnt bring up Dunkley in '96, I'm still pissed off he got away with burying Hird's head into the mud of the SCG which effectively got him off the ground in a game we were well in front. :-( Redb
Michael C
Guest
Ah Pippinu, we know the AFL rigged it to make Grant and McKernan ineligible for the brownlow, we know the AFL rigged it to allow Dunkley to play in the '96 GF, heck, I know the AFL rigged it in '93 to allow Hawthorn (7th) to play a 'home' final at WAverley during the day against North Melb (2nd) - - after their president complained that playing North on a Friday night was effectively a North home game and too great an advantage............ Sport IS rigged.
Pippinu
Roar Guru
Now that the A-League has been exposed as a rigged competition - I wonder if that will affect numbers?
Michael C
Guest
Dave - I should point out - - NRL prelim final weekend was the worst attended yet for a final 8 structure for the NRL....the first sub 60K result. So far, their finals agg this year is 206.7K, the worst with a final 8 was 2001 with 269K, so they should surpass that!!!, the next worst was 287.5K in 2000 - - - that might be a very closely run thing.....81,392 last year, that again and they'd get past it. But 5 of the past 6 seasons the NRL managed 300K + aggregates for the finals. The AFL is interesting - this year and last, over 570K for the finals, similar to 1998 and 2000. In between there have been all these interstate hosted finals and MCG under reconstruction etc - - so in 2002 for example, Brisbane got to the GF, vs Collingwood - pretty good for tv ratings - - but, only 450K finals crowd. 120,000 extra tickets equates to a fair bit more revenue.
Michael C
Guest
Redb - nice article - - it's one of those things - - to play, the game provides so much more freedom of movement, freedom of 'expression' on the paddock - so to speak. That's the finding in North America for example as well, that once blokes are drawn down to training and playing, that they more often than not stick with it. BUt - - the lesson from Sydney circa 1890-1908 was that being the more open game and seemingly being more spectator friendly and more enjoyed by the players wasn't enough..............back then it was access to enclosed grounds and then the bonus of the All Golds tour and financial reward - - - these days, there's other factors. But, word of mouth from such people help to consolidate gains made, and auskick and it's good reputation is still a critical plank. (this is my segway) Interested to hear that 1/4 of auskick participants in Tassie are now Hawthorn supporters - - - generationally, Tassie may actually regard itself as 'having a team' within the next 10 odd years should the present arrangement continue. (or, enough of such a connection that it might actually render impossible the full stand alone side).
Michael C
Guest
i still see many potential similarities with 2nd Melb basketball team as the likely future, however, it remains to be seen if Roar and SFC are long term more stable than the Bullets and the Kings.
Redb
Guest
re northern markets for AFL, you have break down the prejudices. Sometimes it takes a son to play AFL. This from the Australian today. "Renouf opens minds to whole new world" THE AFL could do worse than use the father of Hawthorn youngster Brent Renouf in a marketing campaign in the northern states. With the AFL set to further its expansion into the rugby union and rugby league heartland on the Gold Coast and in western Sydney, Chris Renouf provides an example that a once closed mind can be opened. Chris Renouf and his wife, Vicky, who are from New Zealand and now live on the Gold Coast, were as recently as four years ago passionate rugby fans, the type that dismissed the indigenous code as "aerial ping-pong". Yet nothing could be further from the truth now. "It was aerial ping-pong to us. A few years ago, that is all it was," Chris Renouf said. "But we don't even watch rugby now. It is just so boring and slow, so much pausing, there is so much nonsense, where as this sport is extraordinary." That Renouf had just sat at the MCG with more than 100,000 fans as his son claimed the premiership in only his eighth game with Hawthorn is perhaps reason to explain the exuberance. Yet Renouf said the opportunity presented to his son, when a mate invited him down for a couple of matches at under-16 level, was all he needed to fall in love with AFL. "Brent went and played with the Surfers Paradise under-16s, and when he came home he said, 'Dad, I love this game'," Chris said. "He was a big boy, but he loved that freedom of being able to get out on the paddock and run and run. I said, 'go and play', so he went there the next year and played for the Surfers Paradise under-16s and won a premiership." http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24415966-5012432,00.html Getting people to the game is the AFL's best trump card, not watching on TV, thus a longer road. Redb
Dave
Guest
Redb Those football supporters who for what ever reason dont like MV or EM or the colors or that they are too British eg Scottish coach, style of play etc etc. It will interesting to see 1. How many there are and 2. if they will be willing to watch/follow a new team. The only point of reference (new market and 2nd team introduced) l can think of is in the MLS and LA (admittedly much larger population) - Galaxy were first but didnt connect with the large Latino pop so MLS introduced 2nd team specifically aimed at the latinos and called them Chivas USA ??? Not saying that would be appropriate here but there does need to be clear differences btw MV and the new team to give a choice, not just colors.
Redb
Guest
btw...my Mother In law was a Hearts supporter (Midlothian). "Hearts, hearts, glorious hearts, down in Tynecastle way...." Redb
Redb
Guest
Dave, It seems the new Olympic Park is right sized for the majority of A League games going forward. MV have been ave 22-26K, that fits pretty well with the 31K capacity. Any big games can still be moved to the TD which lies dormant for most of the spring/summer. I guess that goes for the Melb Vict v Melb Heart games as well. I'm yet to be convinced 2nd franchise teams work in formerly one team one city markets. I've long had serious doubts about the 2nd AFL team in Sydney (the timing is too early), likewise it's strange a send Brisbane NRL team has not got up in a big market for the NRL. They only way it has worked is Fremantle (WAFL) and Port Adelaide (SANFL), both existing teams in other comps that have been permanently promoted to the elite AFL comp. Thus Melb Heart as opposed tio Southern Melbourne err...Cross Fc have been dropped. What is Melb Heart's point of difference? Success may poach Victory supporters I suppose, but its all a bit doubtful especially in this economic climate. The Carlton FC and Collingwood FC were ahead of their time, would have perhaps been a better option methinks? I guess we'll find out. Redb