Here's your 'Survey' AFL - Why dont you go anymore?

[austinnn]

I haven't been to a game since I left the country in 2003, but for the little it's worth IMO less people are going because there are many cheaper and more convenient distractions and because their original experience is a world away from the necessities of modern life and professional sport.

What used to be a simple exercise - buy a ticket at the gate if you weren't already a member, go in with your mates, watch a seconds match and a seniors match whilst drinking and talking with nothing but the sound of the crowd, leave - is now complicated and sanitised to the point of diminishing enjoyment.

The rule changes are having a huge effect too. The AFL have supporters' heads spinning with the amount of adjustments they've had to make when watching a game, I can't think of another professional sporting league that has been so foolish.

Personally I find the amount of whistle blowing and stops during a match highly frustrating but I can't remember if it was like that in the nineties or not.

But yeah I reckon the biggest crowd killer is The Internet.

 

[Whiskers]

No doubt covid has changed the way we are, I think that’s the biggest reason. We are just comfortable at home.
Of course everyone has their reasons and they are very good reasons not to go but nothing really puts me off.

The only thing stopping me occasionally is the rolling fixture. People invite you to things before the fixture is out and you can’t organise the days off work that you may need. I utterly despise the rolling fixture and I don’t give two hoots who plays when.

If I’m home to watch GWS vs GC on a Sunday I will, just like I would watch it on a Friday night if I were home. Who cares who is playing who when.

Plus we are not America, it’s truly amazing how the people in charge think we have the same culture and the same type of sport.
We don’t, so get stuffed with your americanisation of the game.

The Stand rule. STFU umps, this isn’t netball. I do not want to hear stand.
Actually this part makes me more likely to go to a game so I don’t have to hear the umpires yell stand into their mics all the time.

 

[Demonic Ascent]

Would rather just watch on Kayo. Going to games is such a hassle for a disappointing product, not to mention the cost of going.

Most games (even featuring my own team) bore me so much I end up changing over to something else before half time. The Eng vs NZ test match was better viewing than any game last weekend.

Then there's the issue of the league being a morally corrupt piece of s**t.

Yep I chose gambling ads, weather, game day experience, umpiring/rule changes, other (transport/parking) - but really it comes down to the product, if the game was as good as it used to be I could put up with all the above. Now it's just boring defensive keepings off, minimal spectacular acts, minimal acts of physicality, minimal big bags/scores kicked - basically everything that made the sport exciting, unmissable from the 80s-00s has been sanitised out of the game.

 

[RAPPA]

The game itself; whilst he spectacle has “deteriorated” somewhat with the excessive umpiring, can still generate a crowd.

For mine, it comes down to the logistics and the Covid-related hesitancy of being around a large crowd.

- Rolling fixture gives fk all opportunity to plan ahead and disempowers fans/members

- ticketing system is appalling. Finals aside, any member whose membership provides access to the relevant game, should not have to pay any additional amount to guarantee themselves a seat. That’s just ludicrous.

- prices. In addition to ticketing, there’s obviously frustration, particularly those with families, about the cost of food and drinks. This one does not so much bother me because i tend not to get any refreshments at the football, but the prices are very prohibitive.

 

[dockshark]

You can vote for a combination of things too. Lowest attended season since 1996!!!! So instead of making this a trivial point scoring affair between club supporters, let's avoid the childish tribalism and acknowledge this is a wide spread problem for the entire competition with few exceptions.

For me,

1. Digital Ticketing
2. Gambling Ads
3. Rolling Fixture
4. Rule Changes / Umpiring
5. Match Day Experience

Are my top 5,

Brief explanation

Too difficult sitting beside my friends or family unless they're also Richmond GA members. Rolling Fixture gives me no chance to plan an interstate trip I do one a year to see the Tigers, no chance to lock in dates with friends - we have kids now, and wives, we need a whole season to plan this out.

Too many gambling ads, sick of it, music in-between goals, match day 'host', during intermissions, just really uninspired by the match day presentation, over it. Just let me spend half time sinking a few with the boys whilst we talk s**t. I dont wanna see someone answer 'who was brendon gales brother Richmond traded for from another club'

And lastly, the umpiring is absolutely ducked

Keen to see the results

There’s no option there that represents my lack of desire to attend games. I have gone from attending 30 plus games a year to under 10.

 

[brutus76]

1. Rules and umpiring (aesthetically the game is rubbish now - i find the Under 8s 9s 10s at my local clubs a better spectacle)
2. Night games start too late (FFS Gil 7.05pm AEST on FRI and SAT please)
3. At Gabba little food options so you have to go and eat prior
4. Getting to Gabba not easy (unless you mind a walk - I don't)

 

[JyeDye]

'Let it go', the theme song to the Disney movie, 'Frozen', blasted through the speakers last night after a few goals.

I mean, your AFL audience is primarily men from the ages of 18-55.

You're playing songs that 8 year old girls listened too


...
Five years ago.

And they're 'shocked' by the low attendance numbers ?

The Lions players all choose what song plays after their goals. Joe Daniher has let it go, Charlie Cameron has Country Roads. The crowd really enjoys it, it’s 20 seconds of singing along. If that’s stopping you from going to the footy you are a sad old man.



Seriously, this whole thread is just filled with angry old men. Went to the Gabba on Saturday and thought it was fine. The actual match was terrible, but that’s not any different on the TV. If you’re not going due to the state of the game and the rule changes, then that’s fine but I assume you’re also not watching the game as much either. But people complaining about the ‘Americanism’ as a reason for not going are just trying to be some sort of elitists. The way people are writing it up here it’s as if it’s a basketball game with the crowd encouraged to chant defense and kiss cam permanently up. The only time anything happens is during the quarter breaks and it’s just music and kids dancing. Do you know how easy it is to just tune that out. I talked to my friends during the breaks with no issues, it’s really not that hard. If kids dancing and having an air guitar contest rattles your bones, get help.

There’s only one reason I don’t go as much, the prices. Everything is so expensive: tickets, food, merchandise, surprised I don’t have to pay to go the toilet yet.

 

[Masotiger]

The Lions players all choose what song plays after their goals. Joe Daniher has let it go, Charlie Cameron has Country Roads. The crowd really enjoys it, it’s 20 seconds of singing along. If that’s stopping you from going to the footy you are a sad old man.



Seriously, this whole thread is just filled with angry old men. Went to the Gabba on Saturday and thought it was fine. The actual match was terrible, but that’s not any different on the TV. If you’re not going due to the state of the game and the rule changes, then that’s fine but I assume you’re also not watching the game as much either. But people complaining about the ‘Americanism’ as a reason for not going are just trying to be some sort of elitists. The way people are writing it up here it’s as if it’s a basketball game with the crowd encouraged to chant defense and kiss cam permanently up. The only time anything happens is during the quarter breaks and it’s just music and kids dancing. Do you know how easy it is to just tune that out. I talked to my friends during the breaks with no issues, it’s really not that hard. If kids dancing and having an air guitar contest rattles your bones, get help.

There’s only one reason I don’t go as much, the prices. Everything is so expensive: tickets, food, merchandise, surprised I don’t have to pay to go the toilet yet.

And you sound like a wet-behind-the-ears novice.

Are you a member of your club? Will you still be a member for every year in 40 years time? I doubt it. You're the classic brainwashed theatre goer.

If the AFL and your particular club is relying on people like you for its survival they're in big trouble.

Kill the passion and you kill the game.

 

[Romeoh1]

I’ve been a few times this year and it’s been great I must say. Been to the MCG, K.Park and Marvel-saw really good games and enjoyed watching it from great seats. Had good chips too. Pretty sure I caught COVID on the unbelievably packed train coming home, other than that, all good and I’ll go again soon.

 

[Herne Hill Hammer]

They've cooked the goose.

It's amazing, along with mining iron ore, AFL is probably one of the easiest things in the world to make money from, it's like shooting fish in a barrel.

It's probably harder and more complex to * it up than it is to not * it up. Well done AFL.

 

[JyeDye]

And you sound like a wet-behind-the-ears novice.

Are you a member of your club? Will you still be a member for every year in 40 years time? I doubt it. You're the classic brainwashed theatre goer.

If the AFL and your particular club is relying on people like you for its survival they're in big trouble.

Kill the passion and you kill the game.

Sorry I don’t get upset over kids dancing on the big screen. Next time I’ll yell at all the kids around me to stop enjoying themselves and feel a bit of passion.

 

[morsie]

Too bloody noisy and flashy

 

[raymond35]

Sorry I don’t get upset over kids dancing on the big screen. Next time I’ll yell at all the kids around me to stop enjoying themselves and feel a bit of passion.

So you enjoy the woman screaming at you with deafening volume level do you?
I bet you want a night grand final with pretty fireworks as well.

 

[Strato]

Have not been to a AFL game in over 3 years. All these crap rule changes, fixturing and the atrocious umpiring have contributed to the decline to our once great Australian Rules Football. I am a passionate Aussie Rules Supporter, all my life I have been involved in a major league country club for over 60 years but did venture to Melbourne to watch the AFL Club I supported and now only support them by watching on television. The game has been deteriorating for the last decade, I am saying it and all supporters are saying it. All leagues are suffering badly for numbers, sponsorship and support with club teams getting thrashed week after week and unfortunately some not even scoring - this is tragic for football. AFL response: Hardly a murmur. The spectacle of the game is terrible with at times a bias commentary, does not give much of an appetite to any supporter watching television. The AFL will continue to get hard nut supporters to games but baby boomer supporters will diminish along with the younger sectors following who have other interests, therefore support for the Aussie Rules will get a lot worse. If the the AFL Click don't wake up soon our great game will take years to repair but then again support may have gone as it is heading that way now in all leagues not just the AFL.

 

[Chief Ten Beers]

I watched Casey thump the Pies yesterday in a rainy wet weather game.

It was more enjoyable than a lot of games in the AFL.

3 free kicks in the first quarter.

The game flows.

No music or PA artificially amping up a crowd.

It was just local footy.

You have to ask too, do do VFL players play the game better than AFL players if there was like 3 free kicks in the first quarter? Or are the umpires there just using common sense and letting a lot of the technical frees go to have a more free flowing game?

 

[Masotiger]

Sorry I don’t get upset over kids dancing on the big screen. Next time I’ll yell at all the kids around me to stop enjoying themselves and feel a bit of passion.

Your choice as to what you do, but answer my questions. Are you a member of your club and will you be taking out consecutive memberships for the next 40 years? The AFL and your club is relying on you. Us older folk have shown our true colours, will you?

 

[Fadge]

The Lions players all choose what song plays after their goals. Joe Daniher has let it go, Charlie Cameron has Country Roads. The crowd really enjoys it, it’s 20 seconds of singing along. If that’s stopping you from going to the footy you are a sad old man.



Seriously, this whole thread is just filled with angry old men. Went to the Gabba on Saturday and thought it was fine. The actual match was terrible, but that’s not any different on the TV. If you’re not going due to the state of the game and the rule changes, then that’s fine but I assume you’re also not watching the game as much either. But people complaining about the ‘Americanism’ as a reason for not going are just trying to be some sort of elitists. The way people are writing it up here it’s as if it’s a basketball game with the crowd encouraged to chant defense and kiss cam permanently up. The only time anything happens is during the quarter breaks and it’s just music and kids dancing. Do you know how easy it is to just tune that out. I talked to my friends during the breaks with no issues, it’s really not that hard. If kids dancing and having an air guitar contest rattles your bones, get help.

My reading of the thread is that 'Americanism' is a reason for a minority of posters. If this is their take, it's valid - who are you to pass judgement? Isn't it the duty of the AFL to cater to all demographics?

There’s only one reason I don’t go as much, the prices. Everything is so expensive: tickets, food, merchandise, surprised I don’t have to pay to go the toilet yet.

Does this make you an 'angry old man'?!?

 

[NYRB]

The thing also is , as a lost AFL fan, Id imagine it would be very hard to win them back once they are gone. Like I said before living in this day and age of social media, advanced technology ,Ive been one of these guys that use to attend roughly 10-12 games a year, and can now enjoy the game very much in the comfort of my own lounge without dealing with traffic, queues, pricing etc. Being a previous FoxSports subscriber, it was pretty much every game was available on TV. Kayo has gone the extra length now, where you can view any game from anywhere: office, work, uni, out when your socializing, when your shopping etc.

You pick the option

Option 1: 5-7 hours all up Game Day Experience being at the ground, higher costs for nibbles, transportation to get to and from the ground

Or

Option 2: 3 hours in front of TV screen/computer monitor, your own nibbles, option of your own mates, own couch

Peoples time is too important these days. Im a guy in my mid 30's and right now I am living my life where my time is super important. When you get in your mid 30's , also your priorities change as well. Its about the family, its about squeezing in time for things. As a younger kid up until my late 20's, AFL football was my focus. Footy was like a religion to me. Unfortunately I cant invest 7 hours on a Football game anymore. But I dont think this is sorely an AFL thing as well. Across all sports codes in Australia in particular soccer and cricket they are experiencing the same thing. The difference in these codes is the sports are shorter in duration.

I will also admit that I like to have a bet or punt. For me, being a multi sports guy, it works out better to watch multi sports from home, then attending and sorely focusing on 1 AFL match at the ground. People have become more multi tasked in this day and age. I actually think spectators who go to sports events, purely focus on a sport event for the whole game. Peoples attention spans have got a lot shorter in the digital age. I also like to multi-task by watching and reading stuff off Twitter/watching AFL or in some cases studying/Watching AFL.

 

[AlorraVex]

One thing going unmentioned is transport, a lot of people take trains and atm there are major project works going on on all train lines. People hate delays, replacement buses etc. COVID has made a lot of people too impatient for this sort of thing.

Thursday night there were buses replacing trains between Caulfield and Westall, which was the main reason I did not go because I just cannot be stuffed taking replacement buses at that time of night when I work in the morning.

and driving to/out of the MCG is a pain, even on the odd occasion I'm a passenger I get annoyed at it, can't imagine what it would be like driving.

100% agree. As soon as I saw that there were Caulfield-Westall replacement busses on Thursday I decided it wasn’t worth it.

 

[PetterdHoisted]

The AFL will continue to get hard nut supporters to games but baby boomer supporters will diminish along with the younger sectors following who have other interests, therefore support for the Aussie Rules will get a lot worse.

this is a good point, the Boomers will have been naturally dropping off and will do so precipitously from here

that leaves GenXers as the rusted-on cohort, who got rusted-on watching 'golden age' late 80s/90s footy

no wonder crowds are dropping off with the current product!!

I think it is retrievable, but we need a change of CEO ASAP, someone who is able to call STAND the terrible mistake it was and reverse it. Things will improve exponentially from there, scoring will come back up, viewer frustration will drop down, and we can all start enjoying the experience of watching the game again.

Put simply, it is impossible to enjoy a game where every 30 seconds there is an impossible-to-adjudicate-fairly rule applied that distorts the game completely in favour of the team in possession.

The heart of the problem is STAND.
Just go back and watch a game before that rule came in, and measure your enjoyment and blood pressure levels.

 

[Engimal v3]

I've seen 2 wins in 2 years, with an average margin of -38 points, with this year alone being an average of -50.

I still turn up each and every week, because I'm not soft as butter.

 

[Partridge]

Peoples time is too important these days. Im a guy in my mid 30's and right now I am living my life where my time is super important. When you get in your mid 30's , also your priorities change as well. Its about the family, its about squeezing in time for things. As a younger kid up until my late 20's, AFL football was my focus. Footy was like a religion to me. Unfortunately I cant invest 7 hours on a Football game anymore. But I dont think this is sorely an AFL thing as well. Across all sports codes in Australia in particular soccer and cricket they are experiencing the same thing. The difference in these codes is the sports are shorter in duration.

This can't be understated. It's exactly what I was (and now am) like, and I bet there are tons of others. Up until my 30s I would happy spend the bulk of the day at the footy - and if that was a game in Geelong, it was pretty close to leaving before lunchtime and getting home after dinner. No problem, and didn't mind doing it. Now, there is absolutely no chance I would do it, put bluntly - I've got better things to do.

Other things add up. I can remember quite clearly waiting in the carpark at the MCG after we lost to Hawthorn in the finals in 2014. Yeah it sucked to lose, but that wasn't so bad. What made it infinitely worse - the carpark was closed for THIRTY MINUTES after the game until people had left. Yes, because some idiot bumped their shin on a car once now it was suddenly too dangerous to have people and cars moving at once. So what was already a long commute just got at least 30 minutes longer. Feck you AFL.

Now there's no struggle at all. 99% of the time I'll choose family, home, basically just about anything. And with the recent idiotic rule changes - the protected zone and stand together could be the death knell - it's easier than ever to not bother. I'm not paying money (and time) to see adult Auskick.

 

[Stabby McGee]

Not living within 300 odd kms of a ground is my main reason, but the umpiring (and I'm not blaming them, rather the stupid rule changes) makes it rarer and rarer that I want to make a weekend of it. I won't watch neutral games any more because I can see how badly they've damaged the game. At least with Melbourne games bad calls / bad rules can be explained away in my head as me just being one eyed.
And as mentioned covid has changed how we do things. I think a lot of rusted on football fans found other things to do on their weekends. Whether that is a long term thing depends on the 'custodians' pulling their head out of their ivory tower sitting bums and cease making the game more and more alien each year.

 

[footyfan1978]

I still go but no longer a lock to go every week.
It just less compelling than the reasons I first took up going to the football every week.
I lived well over an hour from going to footy when first started going and never even gave it a second thought as loved every moment of arriving for start or reserves match or sometime later and then the 10 to 15 minutes before the start of senior match talking to others or listening to build up on radio. It was a great day out. Now it not always a day out, it half the time , night, freezing cold like was on friday night and there is no reserves game before and instead we have this nonsense label of game day experience which apparently means listening to bullshit on loud speakers and not being able to freely make up your own time between start of play or quarter breaks. It is horribly imposed on us via speakers and hard to escape from even when you have no interest in it. It not entertaining experience to be subjected to dribble on loudspeaker with more often that not is cringe worthy stuff. I'm there to see the football and talk to friends or other supporters. I do not ask for this dribble on loudspeakers that so loud it just ******* spoils the breaks between play.
So you get stuff you do not want, like that and lose stuff you want like reserves game curtain raiser which helps spread crowd arrival out and the whole "game day experience" is diminished as a result compared to why I first started wanting to go. So my want to go is less and if it night match the comforts of home where it warmer and you not have to travel home late at night is avoided. The alternative of seeing on tv or kayo is there so naturally at times, it just easier to stay at home and save yourself from dribble on loudspeakers and save both some time and money too in what it would take to get there and back. It is no longer the value it once was to attend. I still go but there are times I have stayed home because of balance of things that are the negative, win out.
Who know, there maybe a point where I no longer justify paying for AFL membership. I easily attended well over 20 matches a season in decades past but more recently it becoming 15 or less and sometimes now 10 or less and at that point the AFL membership value as access to grand final ticket becomes in question to my mind.

I have not even mentioned the actual football matches themselves... That is another story, but let's just say, I hate the rotations and seeing how it has lead to so much more of 36 players in one part of ground for bigger chunks of matches. I only keep going expecting in time that may change again but if I totally convinced it never will , I feel I will eventually stop going.

 

[Partridge]

Not living within 300 odd kms of a ground is my main reason, but the umpiring (and I'm not blaming them, rather the stupid rule changes) makes it rarer and rarer that I want to make a weekend of it. I won't watch neutral games any more because I can see how badly they've damaged the game. At least with Melbourne games bad calls / bad rules can be explained away in my head as me just being one eyed.
And as mentioned covid has changed how we do things. I think a lot of rusted on football fans found other things to do on their weekends. Whether that is a long term thing depends on the 'custodians' pulling their head out of their ivory tower sitting bums and cease making the game more and more alien each year.

This is a good point. I'm with you - I do NOT blame the umpires - it's the instructions given them that are so ludicrous. They've got no choice at all but it absolutely kills the physicality, and even less, just the pressure. You can effortlessly run the ball from one end to the other without any contact. It's not footy, it's a training drill. It's horrible.

Right now, there's a chance of a semi-decent match between Melbourne and Collingwood today. I'm not watching it, simply don't care enough and I know there will be 10-20 insane free kicks given that will be praised by the commentators. No thanks.