AFL is on the decline - the younger generation is just not that into you

Kingpin

Brownlow Medallist
Jan 15, 2004
13,082
933
AFL Club
Richmond
Footy is as popular as ever.
At AFL level yes. The attendance figures are still strong. Memberships are at record levels. It's well marketed, has a constant media presence and is the fourth highest attended sporting competition in the world at present, playing in first class stadiums.
Outside the AFL it is certainly isn't.
Every state and local league across the country has been on a rapid decline for a number of years now.
 
Does the fact that crowds and ratings are at record high numbers mean anything? Guess not because a few people on Bigfooty is all the evidence you need.

Yeh, are those numbers put out by the AFL?

Like that time they said 2 billion people watched Port v St Kilda and there was "25,000" at the ground.

Pigs also fly.
 

Kappa

Brownlow Medallist
Oct 7, 2014
27,769
37,134
AFL Club
Collingwood
Yeh, are those numbers put out by the AFL?

Like that time they said 2 billion people watched Port v St Kilda and there was "25,000" at the ground.

Pigs also fly.

So the AFL also fake the ratings, along with Foxtel and Channel 7 in the biggest conspiracies in Australian company history? Was the TV deal also fake? What is real? Are the people in the crowd actually fans or just paid AFL employees? So many questions.
 
Aug 21, 2016
15,613
24,581
AFL Club
Geelong
Other Teams
Oldham
Does the fact that crowds and ratings are at record high numbers mean anything? Guess not because a few people on Bigfooty is all the evidence you need.

Total H&A attendances dropped after the introduction of Gold Coast and GWS despite there being 22 more games played. The total has recovered now but the average attendance is lower than it was 10 years ago.

Year Attendance GM Ave.

2018 6893909 198 34818
2017 6733960 198 34010
2016 6306355 198 31850
2015 6354634 197 32257
2014 6402010 198 32333
2013 6368346 198 32163
2012 6238876 198 31509
2011 6525071 187 34893
2010 6495814 176 36908
2009 6370401 176 36195
2008 6511255 176 36996

When you look across the states, Victoria has remained fairly static despite the population increasing by 25% in that time and Geelong stadium capacity increasing by about 40%. NSW and QLD have gone down considerably. WA and SA have both gone up considerably.

Year VIC NSW WA QLD SA

2018 42195 25494 47909 15370 41822
2017 42595 25534 34563 15025 43218
2016 38594 26583 34352 14065 43316
2015 38779 23308 36980 15319 44807
2014 38464 24735 35381 17563 46365
2013 41844 21545 35510 17221 30264
2012 40714 21287 35789 16732 29197
2011 44108 26615 36214 19425 28349
2010 43814 31585 36054 29933 29404
2009 43508 30505 34761 25612 32393
2008 43973 31691 36765 23923 32496

https://afltables.com/afl/crowds/summary.html
 

Kappa

Brownlow Medallist
Oct 7, 2014
27,769
37,134
AFL Club
Collingwood
Total H&A attendances dropped after the introduction of Gold Coast and GWS despite there being 22 more games played. The total has recovered now but the average attendance is lower than it was 10 years ago.

Year Attendance GM Ave.

2018 6893909 198 34818
2017 6733960 198 34010
2016 6306355 198 31850
2015 6354634 197 32257
2014 6402010 198 32333
2013 6368346 198 32163
2012 6238876 198 31509
2011 6525071 187 34893
2010 6495814 176 36908
2009 6370401 176 36195
2008 6511255 176 36996

When you look across the states, Victoria has remained fairly static despite the population increasing by 25% in that time and Geelong stadium capacity increasing by about 40%. NSW and QLD have gone down considerably. WA and SA have both gone up considerably.

Year VIC NSW WA QLD SA

2018 42195 25494 47909 15370 41822
2017 42595 25534 34563 15025 43218
2016 38594 26583 34352 14065 43316
2015 38779 23308 36980 15319 44807
2014 38464 24735 35381 17563 46365
2013 41844 21545 35510 17221 30264
2012 40714 21287 35789 16732 29197
2011 44108 26615 36214 19425 28349
2010 43814 31585 36054 29933 29404
2009 43508 30505 34761 25612 32393
2008 43973 31691 36765 23923 32496

https://afltables.com/afl/crowds/summary.html

Right, so I'm correct.
 
Sep 21, 2004
36,630
25,295
Adel - SA - Aust - Earth
AFL Club
West Coast
Other Teams
Norwood & Liverpool.
One thing that Ive noticed is the media and fans are quick to have a go at a team like port for "only" getting 35k to a port home game v a team like Bris or gws but no mention of a game for example like rich v nm from 2 weeks ago. 2 vic teams get only 29k and its glossed over.

Vic fans seem to have dropped off.

On SM-G925I using BigFooty.com mobile app
 
Does the fact that crowds and ratings are at record high numbers mean anything? Guess not because a few people on Bigfooty is all the evidence you need.

That’s a pretty simplistic way to look at things.

Worth remembering that Australia’s population has increased around 20% in the last 15 years (with the majority of these 5M+ going to Melbourne and Sydney.

Footy is a luxury for Young people, for a gen y couple with 2 season memberships it is around $800... now with massive Tv screens, it being Live and cheap food and beer at home, its smarter financially to stay home.

I think there's a fair bit of truth in this. It is bloody expensive for most younger people to get ahead in life nowadays due to the extreme cost of living of essentials (food, water, electricity, shelter). In Melbourne at least the stadia (in particular the influence of the size of the MCG, but also Docklands Stadium's size vs the average attendance of it's clubs - including their higher interstate team burden) has made it difficult to move to a premium model. There's no real rarity of tickets to most games and that deflates prices, certainly different economics than Perth for example but it is still a hell of a lot cheaper to watch at home. I think they need to watch this trend or start thinking about adjusting the funding model even more to the TV input.
 
Last edited:

HavUEvaSeenTheRain

Norm Smith Medallist
Apr 20, 2006
9,110
12,172
AFL Club
Carlton
Total H&A attendances dropped after the introduction of Gold Coast and GWS despite there being 22 more games played. The total has recovered now but the average attendance is lower than it was 10 years ago.

Year Attendance GM Ave.

2018 6893909 198 34818
2017 6733960 198 34010
2016 6306355 198 31850
2015 6354634 197 32257
2014 6402010 198 32333
2013 6368346 198 32163
2012 6238876 198 31509
2011 6525071 187 34893
2010 6495814 176 36908
2009 6370401 176 36195
2008 6511255 176 36996

When you look across the states, Victoria has remained fairly static despite the population increasing by 25% in that time and Geelong stadium capacity increasing by about 40%. NSW and QLD have gone down considerably. WA and SA have both gone up considerably.

Year VIC NSW WA QLD SA

2018 42195 25494 47909 15370 41822
2017 42595 25534 34563 15025 43218
2016 38594 26583 34352 14065 43316
2015 38779 23308 36980 15319 44807
2014 38464 24735 35381 17563 46365
2013 41844 21545 35510 17221 30264
2012 40714 21287 35789 16732 29197
2011 44108 26615 36214 19425 28349
2010 43814 31585 36054 29933 29404
2009 43508 30505 34761 25612 32393
2008 43973 31691 36765 23923 32496

https://afltables.com/afl/crowds/summary.html
2/3 of population growth now is from migrants, football will never be able to grow at the same rate as long as that’s the case.
 

blaisee

Norm Smith Medallist
Aug 11, 2004
9,106
13,343
Punt Road
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
None
You used to show up to a party and find the blokes in the room. First question you always ask is who do you barrack for. Most say an NBA franchise or a Premier League team before AFL is even mentioned. Been a big shift in recent years. Football is becoming more of a thing people jump in and out of. I spent 4 years recently as a mature age student at University spending a lot of time with that 18-25 demographic. It was actually very very hard to find anyone to have a decent conversation about AFL. Most of the sporting conversations revolved around the NBA.

I'm now teaching a Grade 3/4 class where kids should be living and breathing AFL, and I can say that there are only 3 or 4 kids who even barrack for an AFL team. It's all XBox and basketball. Of course this is just 1 classroom among a million in this country, but it's concerning and having spent a lot of time with the younger generation recently, there is absolutely a shift away from AFL.

This is so true

Since Liverpool came to Melbourne with Suarez I have been dead keen on them and follow them closely. Also big Philadelphia fan as well . There has been a huge drop off in fan interest and this has been a huge reason for the push and investment into AFLW.

Once this peters out the AFL will contract in size I have no doubt
 
the AFL sold out to Marvel (Disney) and many people on here defended it - "it'll be great for the kidz" "they need a reason to go to the footy" "they can't identify with players anymore its not the 80s" "the game is too long and boring for kids" i read all kinds of bullshit in the initial Marvel sponsorship thread.

even Marvel Stadium flopped, you get 20,000 - 30,000 people in Melbourne going to all-Vic games most rounds lmao. the ground itself is the problem, as well as fickle Victorians, but we all know AFL is stuck in an awful agreement with an awful playing surface that nobody likes, supporter or player.

when you have these kinds of morons in powerful positions, from CEO down to vocal supporters, its no wonder the AFL brand has tarnished so very quickly.
 
Sep 21, 2004
36,630
25,295
Adel - SA - Aust - Earth
AFL Club
West Coast
Other Teams
Norwood & Liverpool.
Personally I CBF going to the footy anymore. Ive been to 1 game this year and it was because I got a free ticket.

It can be an expensive day out.

Like I said on another thread even watching on tv I have good intentions of watching a full game but majority of games Im flicking channels by half time.

It's become a bit meh.





On SM-G925I using BigFooty.com mobile app
 
Oct 3, 2007
16,084
17,344
Perth
AFL Club
West Coast
Other Teams
West Perth
the AFL sold out to Marvel (Disney) and many people on here defended it - "it'll be great for the kidz" "they need a reason to go to the footy" "they can't identify with players anymore its not the 80s" "the game is too long and boring for kids" i read all kinds of ******** in the initial Marvel sponsorship thread.

even Marvel Stadium flopped, you get 20,000 - 30,000 people in Melbourne going to all-Vic games most rounds lmao. the ground itself is the problem, as well as fickle Victorians, but we all know AFL is stuck in an awful agreement with an awful playing surface that nobody likes, supporter or player.

when you have these kinds of morons in powerful positions, from CEO down to vocal supporters, its no wonder the AFL brand has tarnished so very quickly.

You can’t just blame head office, the clubs have stood behind every decision the AFL has made, and then we the members stood behind our club. It’s all been on our watch that we have allowed them to change a sport which needed no change.
We the supporters and members are as much to blame as we are the ones funding them to keep changing it.
 
Oct 3, 2007
16,084
17,344
Perth
AFL Club
West Coast
Other Teams
West Perth
Personally I CBF going to the footy anymore. Ive been to 1 game this year and it was because I got a free ticket.

It can be an expensive day out.

Like I said on another thread even watching on tv I have good intentions of watching a full game but majority of games Im flicking channels by half time.

It's become a bit meh.





On SM-G925I using BigFooty.com mobile app

I’m an 11 game member and I watch more West Perth games than I do Eagles games, lately I even struggle to find someone who wants my tickets.
But it’s the game itself more than anything that hurts me, it’s simply not Aussie Rules Football. It’s plain and simply a hybrid version of the sport.
 
Jul 16, 2007
13,919
11,209
Melbourne
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Other Teams
MUFC, Storm, Rebels
Total H&A attendances dropped after the introduction of Gold Coast and GWS despite there being 22 more games played. The total has recovered now but the average attendance is lower than it was 10 years ago.

Year Attendance GM Ave.

2018 6893909 198 34818
2017 6733960 198 34010
2016 6306355 198 31850
2015 6354634 197 32257
2014 6402010 198 32333
2013 6368346 198 32163
2012 6238876 198 31509
2011 6525071 187 34893
2010 6495814 176 36908
2009 6370401 176 36195
2008 6511255 176 36996

When you look across the states, Victoria has remained fairly static despite the population increasing by 25% in that time and Geelong stadium capacity increasing by about 40%. NSW and QLD have gone down considerably. WA and SA have both gone up considerably.

Year VIC NSW WA QLD SA

2018 42195 25494 47909 15370 41822
2017 42595 25534 34563 15025 43218
2016 38594 26583 34352 14065 43316
2015 38779 23308 36980 15319 44807
2014 38464 24735 35381 17563 46365
2013 41844 21545 35510 17221 30264
2012 40714 21287 35789 16732 29197
2011 44108 26615 36214 19425 28349
2010 43814 31585 36054 29933 29404
2009 43508 30505 34761 25612 32393
2008 43973 31691 36765 23923 32496

https://afltables.com/afl/crowds/summary.html
Increase in WA and SA are pretty obviously stadium related. Those states have the correct balance in supply and demand so it'll always be fairly high.

Tasmania crowds, for Hawthorn at least, as dropped off too.
 
Jul 16, 2007
13,919
11,209
Melbourne
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Other Teams
MUFC, Storm, Rebels
the AFL sold out to Marvel (Disney) and many people on here defended it - "it'll be great for the kidz" "they need a reason to go to the footy" "they can't identify with players anymore its not the 80s" "the game is too long and boring for kids" i read all kinds of ******** in the initial Marvel sponsorship thread.

even Marvel Stadium flopped, you get 20,000 - 30,000 people in Melbourne going to all-Vic games most rounds lmao. the ground itself is the problem, as well as fickle Victorians, but we all know AFL is stuck in an awful agreement with an awful playing surface that nobody likes, supporter or player.

when you have these kinds of morons in powerful positions, from CEO down to vocal supporters, its no wonder the AFL brand has tarnished so very quickly.
What's different to the Marvel deal compared to all the other ones? Telstra, Etihad, Colonel? The AFL sold itself out years ago and is just marketing itself to future companies for more advertising space.

Goal Square, 50m advertising. Wing advertisement has been in for a while, but I doubt they're finished selling out part of the ground.
 
You used to show up to a party and find the blokes in the room. First question you always ask is who do you barrack for. Most say an NBA franchise or a Premier League team before AFL is even mentioned. Been a big shift in recent years. Football is becoming more of a thing people jump in and out of. I spent 4 years recently as a mature age student at University spending a lot of time with that 18-25 demographic. It was actually very very hard to find anyone to have a decent conversation about AFL. Most of the sporting conversations revolved around the NBA.

I'm now teaching a Grade 3/4 class where kids should be living and breathing AFL, and I can say that there are only 3 or 4 kids who even barrack for an AFL team. It's all XBox and basketball. Of course this is just 1 classroom among a million in this country, but it's concerning and having spent a lot of time with the younger generation recently, there is absolutely a shift away from AFL.

I've got a similar story. I moved to Melbourne a year and a half ago after living in Tassie my whole life. Aside from my new job, I was really excited to go watch North play live! That aspect is great, but what shocked me is that nobody in my entire office that I work with supports as AFL team! I thought I was going to be talking footy by the water cooler all day, because I assumed that everyone would follow footy in the city it was created in. The only bloke I've found who follows it is an Englishman! Everyone is all about soccer and basketball, and not even the Aussie leagues.
 
Oct 9, 2006
22,522
29,233
Left of centre.
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Other Teams
Super Tottenham....from the Lane.
So the AFL also fake the ratings, along with Foxtel and Channel 7 in the biggest conspiracies in Australian company history? Was the TV deal also fake? What is real? Are the people in the crowd actually fans or just paid AFL employees? So many questions.

The whole AFL is fake mate.

Oxygen thief Gillon McLachlan has hijacked the sport.
 
Sep 28, 2011
19,391
18,282
Melbourne
AFL Club
Gold Coast
Other Teams
Arsenal
Grass roots footy is screaming out for help.

AFL should be pumping money into the local footy communities.
The issue is, you can pump all the money into local footy you want, no one will still turn up.

Local weekend footy is now not just competiting with other football codes. It is in competition with streaming, video games, other hobbies, that are cheaper and require less effort to keep you entertained, everyone only has a finite amount of time and money on the weekend and the audience for local footy will keep getting further and further fractured.
 
What's different to the Marvel deal compared to all the other ones? Telstra, Etihad, Colonel? The AFL sold itself out years ago and is just marketing itself to future companies for more advertising space.

Goal Square, 50m advertising. Wing advertisement has been in for a while, but I doubt they're finished selling out part of the ground.

My whole point is how people defend the Marvel deal (which is obviously very different to those vanilla brands kids don't care about like phone/insurance/etc) saying it's good to draw kids into games they're otherwise not interested in because it's "too hard" to connect to the players. The thread is about how the younger generation is just not into you (the AFL). Not even Disney will make a difference to a failing AFL governing body.
 

The Gong

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 24, 2012
6,774
14,382
AFL Club
Sydney
Other Teams
Northern Districts Tigers
Well if footy is doomed I hope we've timed our run right to get one more flag before they close the whole thing down. What's the deadline?
 
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