For the crowd watchers amongst us, and there are many, the AFL is of particular interest attendance-wise. Four weeks into the 2010 season and crowds are up, to end of Round Four, about 1.3% on 2009, down 4.18% on 2008, and up 0.73% on 2007.
Given the best ever Home and Away seasons are 2008 (1), 2007 (2) and 2009 (3), in that order, thus far, the AFL would be pretty pleased to be travelling where it is.
However, such is the volatility of this comparison that last week, after Round Three – all three comparisons were in the red. And the week before, after Round Two, season 2010 was ahead on all counts.
So the best bet for now is to take it one week at a time.
As at footnote, the NRL five rounds in, is running down on previous years, after having a best return since 2005 last year. However, such is the nature of these early season comparisons, it would be grossly unfair to suggest this means anything.
Quite simply, in 2009, the Brisbane Broncos had played three home games in the first five rounds for 124,000 attendees. This season, they have had only two home games in first five rounds, for 81,000 attendees.
However, as the Brisbane Times reports in Broncos Lose Crowd Crown As Punters Turn Away, round six signals trouble in NRL attendance paradise.
A bottom of the table battle drawing only 25,688 fans.
I say only because only rarely will a Sydney-based crowd exceed this figure.
At any rate, the crowd watch is now on.
Matt Slade
Guest
It's funny how the people that post comments like: they don't care about crowd figures, it's over rated, they don't take this seriously, there are better things to do, crowd numbers are over analysed, are in fact NRL supporters. Funny that. Well you guys obviously care enough to post comments though.
Redb
Roar Guru
That's when you move from the average crowd to the aggregate. AFL crowd averages have been reduced in the last couple of years anyway by playing Melb team home games on the GC, Tas, Canberra and Darwin,etc.
JamesP
Roar Rookie
This site is good too: http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/attendances Would be fitting if the record is broken at the end of this season...as next season and beyond will be harder to compare with new teams, more games etc.
Redb
Roar Guru
Round 6 - crowds total: 348,454, ave per game 43,556. Ave crowds after Round 6 have broken through the 40K mark for the first time and are well up on last year. Unlikely to be maintained above 40K but a major trend reversal on last year. http://www.stats.rleague.com/afl/crowds/summary.html
Michael C
Roar Guru
zero - good question, and the main thing I've done on that level for example has been with the Socceroos internationals - - - to compare to the AFL finals series. However - - I was talking specifically about domestic club competitions. H&A only. Nothing more, nothing less.......year on year comparisons. (finals can be tricky as depending what state/venue hosts, the max crowd might be 35K, 42K, or 100K for a given match).
zero
Guest
Michael C Do you ever look at other crowds around the world when you are so triumphant about the AFL? You are like a friend of mine from Melboune who said I couldn't count the number of people going to rugby internationals world-wide because they weren't club games - and therefore it wasn't fair to compare them with AFL which doesn't have any international games. Do you know that that the Super 14 rugby game this weekend between the Capetown Stormers and the Canterbury Crusaders in Capetown is already a 50,000 seat sellout as is the game between Durban Sharks and the Blue Bulls in Pretoria. The average Super 14 crowd last year was over 30,000 which puts it just behind the AFL (and rising rapidly). Wasps and Bath played a regular Guiness Premiership game at Twickenham last week at Twickenham before 66,000 people and last week Toulon and Perpignan attracted 60,000 to their regular Top 14 season match at Marseilles. This weekend Biarritz (featuring Karmichael Hunt) are taking their European Cup Semi Final across the border into Spain to the 35,000 capacity San Sebastian Stadium to meet Munsterfrom Limerick, Ireland. The next day a capacity crowd of 38,000 will see Toulouse take on Leinster from Dublin in the other semi final. The European Cup Final will take place in the sold out 80,000 Stade de France a week before the final of the Top 14, which is also an 80,000 sell out. Before geting so bullish about AFL maybe you should reflect on the fact that rugby is the fastest growing code in the world and that the Six Nations Rugby Championship in Europe is the most popular international sporting tournament in the world (an average crowd of 70,000 people watched each of this year's 15 matches).
Michael C
Roar Guru
absolutely Redb, so far for 2010, AFL is up 5.55% on 2009 and 3.28% on 2007, however, is down -2.29% on 2008. (2008 was just astounding - given that Anzac Day weekend was still to come in Rnd 6!!! Note though that 2008 trailed away with the last 6 rnds just averaging 276K vs around 295K for each of 2007 and 2009).) The avg round attendance this year is a tad under 315,000. For same point in previous 3 years was 298K (2009), 322K (2008) and 304K (2007). Noting the last 3 years make up the 3 best ever years. 5 rounds in and the 40 AFL matches thus far have exceeded the entire A-League 135 match season plus finals, and 40 matches in the AFL have achieved what in previous 3 seasons took the NRL an additional 7-8 rounds (let's say 7, because generally there's a couple of reduced match rounds that effectively combined to cancel out a week in the first half of the year and another in the 2nd half of the year for each club). At any rate, 1.57 million for AFL after 5 rounds, in 2009 NRL took 96 matches to get to 1.58 million, in 2008 94 matches to get to 1.54 million and in 2007 98 matches to get to 1.58 million. This is NOT to denegrate the NRL or A-League at all - - as, on many global measures they have achieved very respectable results. This is just to put in perspective the AFL performance in a very competitive market place.
Redb
Roar Guru
331,000 to Round 5 an average of 41,375. Well up on last year. Round 6? - you crowd watchers better close your eyes. :-)
ac
Guest
One thing i have noticed about TV ratings for any program is that more people watch TV in Melbourne. If its Dancing with the stars more are watching it in Melbourne. So, it seems to follow on with Footy. More watch it either on tv or at a game. I guess people in Melbourne are more passionate and decisive in what they want. I am not sure. But good on the AFL for a good product. I went to a AFL match in Sydney and i have to say the experience was great. Watching on TV not so. I had free tickets to the match and was told the AFL regularly gives out bucket loads of freebies. But thats okay - you promote yourself that way. The AFl and its attendances are the envy of the world and i believe per capita AFL rates up there very highly for a sport which gets people to attend its games. AFL will have a job with the Western Sydney franchise but they seem to be able to make things work. I am feeling a bit sorry for the NRL with its problems today with the Storm and attempt to get people to its games now in Melbourne. But, good things follow bad ussually
ItsCalledFootball
Roar Guru
Michael, you should go on the Einstein Factor show and your special topic being . . . AFL crowds since 1850.
mightycrows
Guest
michael c you failed to mention the viewing numbers for afl overseas which are booming and the envy of everry other code about 5 years a go the gf attracted over 30 million viewers and that no must be up now surley that is 20 million more than the superbowl and equal to the irb wc final i dont know what the figure for the ''rugby league world cup"" was but lets say it was about 1 million world wide and i want to ask you about the global viewing fiures for the international cup which represented well over 3 billion people and even if we only had 1% of people watching thats still 300 million
BigAl
Guest
I have been to one NRL game in melb. & I was AMAZED at the no of very small kids and babies in prams. I have never seen anything like it at a professional sports event. . . Do the NRL include them in crowd figures ?
AndyRoo
Roar Guru
The Storm had some dramas with membership due to the new stadium. They have had to hold off on packages or something. Their normally one of the best because their the only team that is based in a state where memberships are the norm.
Michael C
Roar Guru
Oikee- good timing on mentioning club memberships, I notice the AFL end of March figures are in, total club memberships busted through the 600,000 mark, sitting at 600,292. Looking back 20 years ago, only 165,938 members. Now - whilst these figures are for end of March - - - they will have grown more since, for example - the report lists the following highs and lows: CLUB RANKINGS IN MEMBERSHIP(as of the end of March) 1. Collingwood 53,135 members 2. Hawthorn 50,606 3. Adelaide 44,954 4. West Coast 43,330 5. Essendon 37,819 BOTTOM TEAMS 15. Brisbane Lions 24,070 16. North Melbourne 22, 612 However, the latest figure at North Melb is 25,534. It's nice to see the NRL getting more serious about it, what with the NRL and it's media partners having a $100,000 incentive for clubs to sign up members, and celebrations with the first Sydney clubs pushing past the 10,000 barrier. Congrats to some of the NRL clubs who are doing quite well, but, a few really and truely are being left behind, In mid March the NRL had hit 122,641, an 8% increase on the 2009 TOTAL. Now doubt it's increased since then. For the NRL clubs still languishing around the 5,000 mark, it'll start becoming the haves and have nots, as the top clubs head into the 2010's whilst the bottom clubs are sitting back in the 1980s. Curiously, Melb Storm sitting at March 9 at only 69% of their 2009 figure, i.e. 6,285 vs 9,108. Going from being 4th best overall to being 8th and being way too near that 5,000 level. I'm not sure what's happened since March 9......perhaps Storm is a slower pick up outside the NRL saturated (brain washed) Sydney market?? or perhaps the Rebels are already having an influence?? Oikee mate - have you got an update for end of March????...okay, found the March 15 figure and Storm still 8th and sitting on 6,854. Surprisingly the Broncos only 13,000 odd, as, with their crowds up there, surely you'd be wanting a membership and a reserved seat too???? Doesn't really make sense to me.
Michael C
Roar Guru
I don't know why you bother.
Baz35
Guest
There is absolutely no incentive for Etihad to inflate crowd figures given its payments to the club depends on attendance. i.e. a higher attendance means a higher payment. Same with the MCG. You lose the ability to inflate crowd figures when you are no longer managing stadiums (and more importantly, counting) 23,000 can get lost in a 55,000 seat stadium. Especially as the premium seating ($38 or $48) is on level 1 or 2 so the bulk of the crowd is pushed up the top or standing at the back.
Michael C
Roar Guru
It's not the AFL that runs the stadium. btw - the topic of discussion after that game was once again how ordinary a Nrth-Sth stadium like that is on a sunny day with the roof open. I'd not be surprised that people tended to sit out of the sun so they weren't blinded by it and could actually see the game.
Gazza
Roar Rookie
I was there, i counted 23,500, but maybe i double counted some kids.
Kurt
Roar Pro
But Oikee how were the crowds packed at those games? i thought all those Queenslanders would be heading off to the sunshine or gold coast for the weekend??????
cuzybros cuz
Roar Rookie
it dosn't matter Matt, whatever the masses are told, they will believe from the AFL