Crowds question MCG V Etihad

[greatwhiteshark]

Can I suggest you save up and head over for a weekend for a couple of big games at both stadiums. You'll love it. The MCG is something special, its not just about watching the game but about the atmosphere leading to the game and the walk up to the ground. Seeing the MCG lit up for night games, the walk along the river. Seeing both teams well represented and not just 1 team, Being treated well by the MCG staff who are the most professional in the world. State of the art stadium, hardly a line. Being able to duck down.across.up to get a beer after a goal and see the next bounce....... Just go mate.

Cheers mate, been many times to both stadiums and while my preference is the G I would still go and see my side if they were at Etihad. Clearly some of you locals don't.

 

[Papa G]

MCG massively over rated
Etihad massively under rated.

 

[WagonBang]

I love the people who say that Etihad Stadium is lifeless, no atmosphere, dull, soulless. Go there for an A-League match. It'll change your mind. Stadium can only be as dull as the crowd in it.

 

[blue harvest]

Good.
I consider myself lucky that my team doesn't play home games at that hole.
Hence i don't have a membership ticket to walk in as i should without cursing the place i already hate with a passion.
I DO NOT GO.

Don't forget our home game there against Port in a few weeks.
Free reserved seats on levels 1 and 2 if you have a reserved seat at the G.
GA members level 3.

 

[bombersfan4000]

For you guys that live in Melbourne what is the difference between going to the MCG and going to Etihad?
I was a little disappointed with the crowd at the Pies/Eagles match on the weekend and did a little research and it seems clear that people just won't go to Etihad on the surface?

Collingwood V Eagles since 2008

2008 MCG - 52968
2009 No game in Melbourne
2010 Etihad - 38781
2011 MCG - 52560
2012 MCG - 62957
2013 MCG - 41198
2014 MCG - 53049
2015 MCG - 36527

Is this common for all clubs in Melbourne? Is there a reason some fans won't go to Etihad? Is it a seating issue? Saints and Tigers never seem to have that issue on Sunday.
Just interested in your thoughts guys, not knocking anyone or any club, used Collingwood as an example against us the Eagles.
But as you can see it is a significant swell in crowds at the MCG v Eagles. Going into last weekends game I was expecting a full house at Etihad. Was way wrong.

its because idiots like Eddie & co crap on about etihad how its bad for their club so it coups a bad wrap

 

[bombersfan4000]

I love the people who say that Etihad Stadium is lifeless, no atmosphere, dull, soulless. Go there for an A-League match. It'll change your mind. Stadium can only be as dull as the crowd in it.

im suprised how people say that as with the roof shut it traps the noise in and amplifies the noise

 

[WagonBang]

Colonial Stadium/Telstra Dome/Etihad Stadium has been a good case study in stadium mis-management and disenfranchising your customers. They designed a stadium which catered to the "elite" seats and gave the finger to the footy fans in the cheap seats. No bloody wonder many fans stay away. Adelaide Oval, by contrast has won many people over. People enjoyed the experience and so they'll go back again and again.

Think the AFL control the seating layouts and Pricing. A-League has GA on level 1 for $25. Same seats at an AFL match - $47.

 

[telsor]

Cheers mate, been many times to both stadiums and while my preference is the G I would still go and see my side if they were at Etihad. Clearly some of you locals don't.

It's twofold.

Firstly, as you say, it's not quite as good. (not nearly as big as some people seem to suggest though). I don't mind going there for away games, but I do grumble a bit about having 'home' games there (especially when we always seem to play teams that call it their home ground).

Secondly, well...Imagine if WCE was forced to play some home games at the WACA (where you got a worse deal) because the AFL got an additional benefit out of it? Would that colour your view of those games and the venue?

 

[no orange peeler]

In regards to saying its colder then the G i agree. Is the actual playing surface below the water level of the harbour? This is purely a thought as to why it is colder at etihad.

 

[LB#16]

Funny how people cite the Southern Cross station crush but the Richmond station crush doesn't keep them away...

Docklands gets lower crowds because there's no MCC, less AFL members go, and there's less 'big games' fixtured there. And there's a lot of people who only go to the 'big games'.

Just on getting out of the G; Went to the opener this year at the G with my tigers supporting Mum, the crush at Richmond station was poorly managed by the staff and we ended up waiting there for 30 mins, making us miss our Vline train. Despite being told over and over again by staff that the wait "won't be long" .

Not to mention that a mate and I discovered after the North-Ess elimination final last year, that Jolimont station doesn't go straight back to Southern Cross on the South Morang line any more. So any country fans have to get off at Flinders and wait around for 25-30 minutes for another train to come along to get to Southern Cross. Excellent experience.

 

[Halftimehero]

Don't get the "no atmosphere" comments at Etihad, have been there plenty of times when the crowd is over 40k and the noise is louder than at the G on ANZAC day. I still prefer going to the G though but have no drama's with Etihad either.

 

[AFDogs]

It is closer to the Western Suburbs therefore I prefer Etihad over the G. Love that it has a roof, too. Don't have to worry about potential rainfall.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

It's twofold.

Firstly, as you say, it's not quite as good. (not nearly as big as some people seem to suggest though). I don't mind going there for away games, but I do grumble a bit about having 'home' games there (especially when we always seem to play teams that call it their home ground).

Secondly, well...Imagine if WCE was forced to play some home games at the WACA (where you got a worse deal) because the AFL got an additional benefit out of it? Would that colour your view of those games and the venue?

Possibly it would mate but I think I would still go watch my side but can't talk for others. You guys do have two great stadiums though and being club mad as we believe you guys to be the location of the game should not be an issue. I think we all get a bit fussy these days, I still sit on a wooden bench as a Premium member and pay $600 a year for that for 11 games. Collingwood have a huge following and it was a big game for them yet only around 25k of them turned up. They must hate the stadium with a passion.

 

[master bate]

It is closer to the Western Suburbs therefore I prefer Etihad over the G. Love that it has a roof, too. Don't have to worry about potential rainfall.

 

[melbournemartin]

i have no idea why. i mean they usually put the less popular matches at etihad but pies eagles was certainly one that should have drawn a good crowd. that said the saturday twiglight fixture is possibly the worst of them for attendance. it almost requires a totally vacant saturday so can understand that matches aren't selling out at that timeslot.

but i like etihad a lot. doesn't have the same coliesium feel to the mcg but from a pure spectator point of view etihad with the roof closed is best stadium is Australia to watch footy. i get the atmosphere isn't as good but it staggers me how so many people actually dislike etihad.

It was due to the soccer at the MCG.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

More insinuating that what you all complain about is 'gee I prefer my Mercedes over my BMW'.

You're absolutely right in that regard, but it's more my tether point to understand what quality is and good lord you lot have it in spades. So yes you do seem like whingers.

P.s atmosphere is better at the G, if this Man City game is anything to go by.

The seating really is a big part of it.

Sitting up in the heavens where the players look like ants, climbing a virtual mountain up endless steep stairs to get there and having very few basic amenities is not "quality" no matter where it is. It happens at the G too, but only when the rest of it is full. If you're half organised you can secure a great seat at the G and you pay no more for it.

At Etihad even if you're organised enough to do it, it's prohibitively expensive. For the supporters, the model is ****ed. At reasonable prices you're forced to sit up there and stare down at all the good empty seats. It's shithouse.

There's not much inherently wrong with Etihad, but the whole experience is decidedly non friendly to supporters. I could fix it in a week without any bulldozers or tools. It's 90% the disgraceful seating situation.

 

[telsor]

Possibly it would mate but I think I would still go watch my side but can't talk for others. You guys do have two great stadiums though and being club mad as we believe you guys to be the location of the game should not be an issue. I think we all get a bit fussy these days, I still sit on a wooden bench as a Premium member and pay $600 a year for that for 11 games. Collingwood have a huge following and it was a big game for them yet only around 25k of them turned up. They must hate the stadium with a passion.

Also, it's 1 game from 15/16, which makes it slightly easier to 'make a statement'...

I dare say a lot of those refusing to go have never been there.

 

[blue harvest]

Lol people saying it is too cold.
On a warm evening with the roof shut it gets too hot and humid in there.
I remember posting it was like a sauna for our game against North earlier this year.

 

[MightyHawks]

You're spot on with this. It is my opinion that clubs should face greater restrictions in the number of reserved seats they can sell. I know it's helping clubs with their bottom lines but it's turning people away from attending games. Go to the G nowadays and the only general admission is up in the nosebleed sections, while there are thousands upon thousands of prime seats empty because they're locked away for people who haven't bothered to show up.

It's most notable at Hawthorn and at Collingwood home games, probably because they're the two clubs who have been most successful at selling these packages. It's criminal that even at games such as Hawthorn v Geelong or Collingwood v Carlton these seats still don't get anywhere near filled when the rest of the ground (with the exception of the MCC, but don't get me started on those guys) is packed.

They need to introduce a proper members resale program. If you aren't going to the game then tell the club you aren't going and they can put the tickets back on ticketek/ticketmaster - members need to get enough $$$ back to justify relisting the tickets

Of course if you want good seats at Etihad you can always pick up Medallion Club tickets on eBay

 

[PetterdHoisted]

Don't go to Etihad except for the one game a year I get on my RFC add-on to my MCC membership (last round vs North).

Really wanted to go to the Maddie game, but then discussing it with the family, we knew it would be hell to get in, we'd be sitting up the back at the top. Not worth it.

The crowd numbers listed earlier are a bit frightening, the stadiums actually getting *less* popular over time. I hated it most at the beginning, can never forget Ian Collins swearing there was no issue with the surface when there was sand everywhere, rail-roading Carlton there etc. Summed up earlier by others: arrogant corporate BS. Puts people off permanently, and it seems that has been passed to the next generation.

 

[YES! YES! YES!]

I'm just going to say what's on everyone's mind.

They should drop a nuke on a game between North and Essendon at Colonial Stadium.

This will finally destroy that horrible stadium and finally end those 2 annoying teams legacies.

 

[Astro_]

I'll take Eithad over MCG anyday.

MCG and bulldogs don't mix. 30,000 at the G and it's like a morgue. When the stadium has 50,000 - 60,000 un-utilised seats is doesn't look good.

 

[YES! YES! YES!]

Etihad is perfectly good stadium people like to whinge a bitch about it but that probably is that their teams never win any games in it.

You have just owned every single Melbourne supporter (including myself).

 

[BoxMatrix]

In all sincerity, maybe 10K?

There was a really large amount.

It could be a bad estimation but I was genuinely shocked.

10k? Not even close. Closer to 5000 eagles fans.

 

[master bate]

The seating really is a big part of it.

Sitting up in the heavens where the players look like ants, climbing a virtual mountain up endless steep stairs to get there and having very few basic amenities is not "quality" no matter where it is. It happens at the G too, but only when the rest of it is full. If you're half organised you can secure a great seat at the G and you pay no more for it.

At Etihad even if you're organised enough to do it, it's prohibitively expensive. For the supporters, the model is stuffed. At reasonable prices you're forced to sit up there and stare down at all the good empty seats. It's shithouse.

There's not much inherently wrong with Etihad, but the whole experience is decidedly non friendly to supporters. I could fix it in a week without any bulldozers or tools. It's 90% the disgraceful seating situation.

This might be one of the most disgusting things about the joint. They know so few supporters will shell out for the 2nd level they can paint a bunch of seats in to dog food advertising. It's like a permanent Port Adelaide tarp with a big FU to all the people sitting on the 3rd level.