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There’s a conundrum in Australian sport that needs to be explored: why the most populous city, Sydney, in the most populous state, New South Wales (NSW), consistently draws some of the worst crowds across all codes.
Consider the following:
– When looking at average attendances per professional football clubs in 2010, the highest NSW-based club was the Sydney Swans in 13th place. NSW only had three representatives in the top twenty, with the NSW Waratahs in 16th and the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs sneaking into 20th place.
– The highest regular season attendance in any code in Sydney in 2010 was the 43,585-crowd at the Sydney Swans-Collingwood ANZ Stadium clash. There were 37 regular season footy matches in Melbourne and one in Brisbane (with less than half of the population of Sydney) that pulled a bigger crowd.
– The Melbourne Storm, playing a foreign game in the AFL’s heartland, had an average crowd of 14,670 in a season in which they played for no points; disgraced by the salary cap scandal that engulfed the club. In rugby league’s heartland, the Penrith Panthers averaged 13,057.
– The NSW Waratahs, the sole representative of the rugby-mad NSW and Sydney in Super Rugby, can only attract 15,849 to a home match (versus Cheetahs). The majority of Melbourne-based AFL clubs, who share the city with multiple clubs, average more than double that mark.
– As the reigning champions and premiers, Sydney FC’s crowd average (7656) was the third lowest in the 2010/11 A-League season; beating out the now defunct North Queensland Fury and the beleaguered Gold Coast United, but beaten by much-smaller population bases in Adelaide, Newcastle, Central Coast and the rest.
There’s clearly a pattern.
And yet before you lump Sydney with the tag of worst sports fans in Australia, remember the tale of the Sydney Kings, who on their return to the NBL lead average attendance figures despite struggling at the bottom of the ladder; the success of the 2000 Olympics; the strong crowds at the V8 Supercars event on the streets of Homebush; and the growth of the Sydney Swans, from paupers to on par with the rest of the AFL.
Yes, Sydney really is a peculiar market.
And while fickle may be too derogatory a tag to describe Sydney, something’s up. So why are crowds consistently low given the population?
Sydneysiders will point to the poor public transport options to their stadia relative to the centrally located Etihad and MCG grounds in Melbourne. It’s certainly a worthy point that will be backed up by anyone who has experienced the ease of getting to and from Melbourne’s two mega AFL homes.
Certainly that’s one reason why Melbourne has raced away from Sydney in term of crowds; as a result of the AFL’s move away from the suburban grounds into its two city stadiums, while the NRL is still spread across Sydney and its western reaches. Melbourne’s setup suits its population density, Sydney’s doesn’t.
Other factors may include the fact that the AFL has a stronger membership culture than the NRL.
While Melbourne’s sporting fraternity is concentrated so heavily around the AFL, Sydney’s is spread across rugby league and union with strong football bases across western Sydney. One could argue that Melbourne’s AFL obsession has distorted the numbers and set an unrealistic expectation for all other sporting codes and cities to live up to.
Consider the fact that the Sydney Swans average around 30,000, equivalent to the smaller Victorian clubs and the Brisbane Lions, almost double that of the Sydney Roosters, for example.
Maybe it’s the AFL’s strong crowd figures distorting the landscape and casting Sydney’s crowds in a poor light.
Perhaps with a greater number of representative matches across all football codes – think rugby league State of Origin, Wallabies Tests, cricket internationals, Socceroos matches and so on – there’s less of an appetite for domestic codes in Sydney.
Maybe Sydney is just home to more basket case clubs who have only alienated supporters, dragging the average down.
Think Sydney FC, who has lacked direction and stability following their success in the inaugural A-League season, and the Sydney Kings and South Sydney Rabbitohs, great clubs in their respective codes who have faced extinction and seasons on the sidelines.
On a similar note, the Super League war, which was waged predominantly in Sydney, could have had a lasting legacy in disenfranchising the population and driving fans away from their teams and code (NRL). While the AFL grew from strength-to-strength in Melbourne and its auxiliary states (SA, WA) throughout the 1990s, the NRL’s development was stunted during that period.
Maybe the sporting culture is just different to Melbourne; less focused on the commitment of attending matches on a weekly basis. It’s certainly been interesting to see the reaction to the booing of the Waratahs following their heavy loss to the Cheetahs.
While it’s a regular occurrence in AFL matches in Melbourne, the anti-booing response suggests the sporting culture in Sydney is less ingrained. While booing your AFL club in Melbourne is acceptable because of a greater connection and relationship with that club, perhaps it just doesn’t exist in Sydney.
All of those reasons could explain why Sydney’s crowds are below expectations, but who really knows for certain. However, it’s certainly a fascinating conundrum and one worth examining, particularly when major sporting events are handed out and Sydney features so often.
Follow Adrian on twitter @AdrianMusolino