2019 AFL Crowds & Ratings Thread

[Hawkk]

How many West Coast fans will be present at the G on Friday. 20K?

The Eagles seem to have a sizeable expat community in Melbourne but if you think about travelling WA fans...

17,500 Eagle members plus corporates effectively brings the airline business to a standstill in grand final week...

The Semi Final and Preliminary Final weekends, not so much...

It's an unfortunate byproduct of the finals system we have.

The host teams for the semi finals are the ones who lost the previous week and whose premiership hopes suffered huge blows. It's not conducive to attracting big crowds. Furthermore, any travelling fans would probably have to travel the following week as well if they make it through. and it's obviously more attractive to travel to the Prelim than this week. This will be an issue for WC fans this week, I'm sure.

Of course, if the teams who won the Elimination Finals are lucky enough to get a semi final which is also in their home state it negates both the above factors. The last two times this happened we ended up with 90k and 88k for those semi finals. The unfortunate thing is that semi finals between two teams from the same state doesn't happen very often. We've only had 9 out of a possible 40 under this system.

The 2016 and 2018 are the yeats I presume you are referring too?

The Dogs and Dees had huge sentimental support in both of those finals series too, that cannot be underestimated in finals attendances

 

[sverik25]

Family tickets for four now $50 for Cats v WC. All categories. Cat 1 would usually be well over $200. Would not be happy if already purchased.

Where is this?

 

[Rouel_14]

Great move not opening level 4
Crowd will look/feel heaps better than swans/cats


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[JayJ20]

I think the other issue is that Geelong vs West Coast is not really an appealing match up for neutrals.

Geelong vs Brisbane would probably spark more interest.

 

[Rob]

I see there's plenty of seats for the game in Brisbane too.....although of note is that all the cheap seats are gone. People are prepared to pay $50, but not $90.

 

[Walshawk]

Where is this?

Ads all over my FB feed all week - clicks through to ticket site. Now pushing the $35 seats.

 

[Billy ray]

I see there's plenty of seats for the game in Brisbane too.....although of note is that all the cheap seats are gone. People are prepared to pay $50, but not $90.

I paid 61

 

[Sammoll]

The MCG are still sticking to only 55K on Friday.

Not anymore. They've lowered it to 51k. There's a risk that this game won't even crack the 50k mark, which would be disappointing if so.

 

[Rob]

I paid 61

Now there's a bunch of $35 seats available.

I don't know if it's ticketmaster or the AFL, but someone's a campaigner.

 

[Hawkk]

Not anymore. They've lowered it to 51k. There's a risk that this game won't even crack the 50k mark, which would be disappointing if so.

To be fair the Cats drew 55,800 to their 2017 SF against the Swans and given the Swans Melbourne fan base did we really expect this game would outdraw that?

 

[JohnZ]

I want it well below 50k.

Show the AFL that on Friday nights, Geelong fans can't make it to the G and either the game should be a Saturday or in Geelong. Lot's of Geelong based fans sold out by the AFL the last two weeks.

 

[Ned_Flanders]

I want it well below 50k.

Show the AFL that on Friday nights, Geelong fans can't make it to the G and either the game should be a Saturday or in Geelong. Lot's of Geelong based fans sold out by the AFL the last two weeks.

I think the pies fans were responsible for that last week

 

[Craze]

I want it well below 50k.

Show the AFL that on Friday nights, Geelong fans can't make it to the G and either the game should be a Saturday or in Geelong. Lot's of Geelong based fans sold out by the AFL the last two weeks.

It's what, a little over one hour. Takes me the same length of time to get to the MCG from outer-east.

 

[Meli]

I want it well below 50k.

Show the AFL that on Friday nights, Geelong fans can't make it to the G and either the game should be a Saturday or in Geelong. Lot's of Geelong based fans sold out by the AFL the last two weeks.

I'm driving 3 and a half hours to get to the prelim, yous can't drive a measly 1 hour?

 

[Our Game]

No excuses Geelong fans. Its a piss poor crowd for a semi final on a great night weather wise.

 

[JackBero]

51,800 at the G


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[JackBero]

There was pretty much no one here 45 mins before the game


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[Hawkk]

Just for some perspective the opening final of the NRL, between the two foundation clubs, at the historic SCG, 2nd v 3rd, drew under 31,000

Could you imagine Carlton and Collingwood finishing 2nd and 3rd, playing in the opening final and struggling to draw 30,000 in a 45,000 stadium?

51,800 for Geelong v West Coast was far from poor (equivalent SF’s against Fremantle, Port Adelaide and Sydney drew 44k, 52k and 55k)

 

[NoobPie]

Just for some perspective the opening final of the NRL, between the two foundation clubs, at the historic SCG, 2nd v 3rd, drew under 31,000

Could you imagine Carlton and Collingwood finishing 2nd and 3rd, playing in the opening final and struggling to draw 30,000 in a 45,000 stadium?

51,800 for Geelong v West Coast was far from poor (equivalent SF’s against Fremantle, Port Adelaide and Sydney drew 44k, 52k and 55k)

Lower than the swans average in a bottom 4 season!

 

[AstuteTiger]

51,800 for Geelong v West Coast was far from poor (equivalent SF’s against Fremantle, Port Adelaide and Sydney drew 44k, 52k and 55k)

51K is still a poor crowd no matter how you look at it. Its a do or do final, 55K-60K should've rolled up tonight, the cat's membership has grown over the last few years.
I live 45 mins away from the G and always go rain, hail or shine. Sometimes with big games, it can take up to an hour. Too many excuses from cats fans about travel, one would think they had to make a 2-hour trip...

 

[Our Game]

Its not only the Cats fans to blame What about the MCC and AFL members they looked pretty light on as well.
Its a sad day when a cut throat final in Melbourne gets a much smaller crowd than the Eagles V Essendon elimination final in Perth.Well at least the Richmond match next week should be a lot better and get 90,000.

 

[JayJ20]

Its not only the Cats fans to blame What about the MCC and AFL members they looked pretty light on as well.
Its a sad day when a cut throat final in Melbourne gets a much smaller crowd than the Eagles V Essendon elimination final in Perth.Well at least the Richmond match next week should be a lot better and get 90,000.

Like I said pre-game, Geelong vs West Coast was never an appealing matchup to neutrals. If it was Geelong vs Brisbane or Geelong vs Essendon, it'd have more appeal.

 

[Hawkk]

Like I said pre-game, Geelong vs West Coast was never an appealing matchup to neutrals. If it was Geelong vs Brisbane or Geelong vs Essendon, it'd have more appeal.

I know there were capacity constraints but it was only 15 years ago that an Essendon v Geelong Semi Final drew 53,319 (which was 7,000 under the 60,719 ‘capacity’ that Essendon and Melbourne drew for an elimination final)

There have always been high drawing and low drawing finals.

Even if you go back to the 90’s there are countless crowds in the same range as last night. For every 72,000 that turned up to a major semi final between Geelong and West Coast (1992), 46,000 turned up for an Elimination Final between Melbourne and Essendon (1991).

Even the might of Collingwood drew 52,000 to their Elimination Final against Port Adelaide in 2013. These things happen

If we are bemoaning a crowd of ‘just’ 51,000 for a Victorian v non Victorian match up...our game, at least in crowd attendances, is in extremely strong shape.

That said, in terms of paying customers, it’s likely the AFL would have made more from a capacity crowd at Kardina Park then they would have last night (given AFL Series, AFL members, MCC and last minute discounted tickets). Perhaps some food for thought

 

[JayJ20]

I know there were capacity constraints but it was only 15 years ago that an Essendon v Geelong Semi Final drew 53,319 (which was 7,000 under the 60,719 ‘capacity’ that Essendon and Melbourne drew for an elimination final)

There have always been high drawing and low drawing finals.

Even if you go back to the 90’s there are countless crowds in the same range as last night. For every 72,000 that turned up to a major semi final between Geelong and West Coast (1992), 46,000 turned up for an Elimination Final between Melbourne and Essendon (1991).

Even the might of Collingwood drew 52,000 to their Elimination Final against Port Adelaide in 2013. These things happen

If we are bemoaning a crowd of ‘just’ 51,000 for a Victorian v non Victorian match up...our game, at least in crowd attendances, is in extremely strong shape.

That said, in terms of paying customers, it’s likely the AFL would have made more from a capacity crowd at Kardina Park then they would have last night (given AFL Series, AFL members, MCC and last minute discounted tickets). Perhaps some food for thought

Would Geelong vs Essendon have drawn 53K last night though?
It'd have more interest is what I am saying. Nothing exciting about two clubs who've been there and done that. Brisbane or Essendon however makes the game more interesting.

 

[dave10]

Th

Would Geelong vs Essendon have drawn 53K last night though?
It'd have more interest is what I am saying. Nothing exciting about two clubs who've been there and done that. Brisbane or Essendon however makes the game more interesting.

That Essendon v Geelong game in 2004 was considerably impacted by rain and it rained most of the day. Explains why some seat holders, MCC and AFL didn’t show that night.