People from the heartlands of the two rugby codes in New South Wales and Queensland wouldn’t necessarily be aware of this, but Melbourne isn’t Australian football’s only heartland.
The land of the Croweater is, indeed, a football powerhouse, although one would forgive the people from the north-eastern states for thinking otherwise, due to the dismal form the two South Australian-based AFL clubs are showing at present.
The general public from other states would also be forgiven if they thought that football in South Australia was at one of its all-time lows, but don’t be so sure.
Yes, the Power are sitting at one win and six losses while the Crows aren’t doing much better, suffering a 96-point thrashing at the hands of Melbourne on Sunday afternoon.
Attendances are also a serious talking point, with the aging AAMI Stadium steering many fans away.
Since 2005, attendances have dropped from 42,341 to 36,601 for Crows games and 32,911 to 24,866 for Port Adelaide matches.
While Adelaide supporters are mostly content with the venue, Port Adelaide fans believe the stadium is too “Crow-centric”, as the Crows’ headquarters, training base, social venue and merchandise store are all situated at West Lakes and they cite this as their reason for aversion from Football Park.
The good news, however, is that on May 2, South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) members almost unanimously voted in favour of a 55,000-seat redevelopment of the Adelaide Oval, which will bring AFL football into the city for the first time and re-unite football and cricket in South Australia for the first time in over forty years.
The new Adelaide Oval deal will inject an estimated $3.5 million extra into each club and will eradicate the current AAMI Stadium deal which sees the Crows and Power sit 16th and 17th respectively in the percentage of match-day revenue.
Another good point is the quality of the SANFL competition.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the South Australian National Football League was near to, or at par with, the level of quality showed by the Victorian Football League.
Today, the competition is rated by many, as the second-best Australian football competition after the AFL and I must concur with those people.
Several weeks ago, I was walking along the beautiful Norwood Parade and as I walked past the Coopers Stadium, I couldn’t believe the amount of people outside the ground waiting to get in.
For the record, it was the round three match between Norwood and Glenelg.
The match attendance was 8011.
It shows the SANFL’s popularity within Adelaide, as average attendances sit at just under 5,700 per match.
I’m the first to admit that the current situation of South Australian football, is in no way a financially safe organisation as both AFL clubs struggle on field, and Port Adelaide’s financial situation is at a critical point.
But hopefully by 2014, we’ll be staring at a beautiful ground for all South Australians, with the mighty Piping Shrike sitting atop a flag-pole on the members stand, overlooking the St Peters Cathedral, with a Farmers Union Iced Coffee in one hand and a subtle nod of approval to a fellow Croweater as if to say, “We did a very good job.”
Nutter
Guest
For the record, this season has just had the highest SANFL attendance figures in the 2000's. Approx. 290,000 people have attended SANFL games this season, and the finals have not started yet. This league is flourishing and SA Footy is not in as bad state as some would have you believe. Unfortunately this year has seen some real bitterness develop between Adelaide based AFL fans and the hardcore 'SANFL Only' loyalists, a division has certainly arisen and this will become a major problem for football in this state.
John Hunt
Guest
I'm a South Australian and SA footy is in a bad place bar the SANFL I think the move to the Oval is good but it is not going to save the game. We need better leadership not just a new Oval (too many "DOB'S" (Disciples of Basheer) in the game that need to be sacked.
Rodney Penny
Roar Pro
Hey, The Wookie. Yes, I have no doubt that your findings are correct. However, I am going by current 2011 average attendances. My source at the SANFL gave me the Norwood v Glenelg match attendance, and told me that the average attendance for all matches up to the end of Round 6 was 5674. Thanks for the comment.
The recalcitrant
Guest
For mine, the SANFL was the #2 football league in Australia after the VFL/AFL.You would see the SANFL GF the weekend after the Victorian GF and the attendances and size of the event was bigger than the Sydney RL premiership.
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
they werent ignored. It was the SANFL and WAFLs call to maintain as much of their independence as possible for as long as possible. Something you can respect, but not blame the AFL for. SANFL annual reports show 16 crowds of more than 4000 attendees last year, which is damn good for state level competition.
Football United
Guest
8000 for a state league? wow, gold coast united's humiliation continues even longer. hahaha. I'm a strong believer of more involvement between the state leagues and AFL Teams, especially in WA and SA where people who supported their local team were just ignored by the AFL.
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
2010 SANFL annual report puts average attrendances at 3073 for state league matches. Just sayin. I have some doubts that SANFL crowd averages have grown by 60% since last season, especially as up until last weekend SANFL crowds hit the average of 3099 for the 2011 season. (although it may have been larger if you count the AFL curtain raiser match) Dont doubt the quality of the SANFL comp, but I live in Adelaide, and the figures for attendances are lower than you apparently believe.