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

The ticket prices are ludicrous. I just had a look and GA is $55 for an adult ticket to sit on the "wing" (actually the flank/pocket) at the G. You can take the family for $72 if you want to sit in the bleachers but try to get a seat on level 2 and it's $75 each! And this is for Melb/Bris on a Thursday night, a game which will struggle to get 25k. Those prices are laughable.

The AFL desperately need to reconsider these prices, it is just not feasible for an average family especially with the looming economic difficulties. Good luck though, I'm sure they rather sell 10k tickets at $55 rather than 20k tickets at $20.

As an AFL/club member I haven't had to buy GA tickets ever really but if I wasn't a member and had to pay those prices I doubt I'd take the family more than once or twice a year if that. Nevermind the cost of finals tickets.
This is a big one i feel, it is so expensive to get seats nowdays.

North vs GWS yesterday should have been at best 10 buck seats to try and get people in the gates.
 
I was born in the 70s and I lived for footy.

I played as often as I could, and I listened to games on the radio, watched highlights and was generally engaged with my club, obsessed even. I was in the majority as well, most kids my age, most people I knew, even older where the same.

Nowadays, with kids, even adults under say 25, that level of commitment and engagement is the exception, not the rule.

Most people take it or leave it as far as the AFL goes, some have a passing interest, I would put it to you that most people do not really care.

I feel like the glory days of the AFL are over. Crowds when you compare apples with apples over time will decline, and ratings will continue to go down as well. This is especially true with these two things when you adjust for population growth.

The AFL is in trouble, maybe not now, but in the future this comp will be battling, and the reason is that rusted on supporters are a dying breed. Plastic corporates like Gil running the show do not help either just quietly.

We can argue about whether this is or isn’t the case (as many in this thread are) …

… but the thing is with an age demographic issue like this one, is that if / when it starts to bite and become a real problem, it’s around 20 years too late to do anything about it.
 
Jul 5, 2011
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This is a big one i feel, it is so expensive to get seats nowdays.

North vs GWS yesterday should have been at best 10 buck seats to try and get people in the gates.

People complained when the AFL introduced variable ticket pricing a few years back it didn't work! No neutral is gonna go to a North V GWS match even if they give away the tickets.
Peoples priorities are changing combined that with the cost of going to the football for families the horrible scheduling and the crap spectacle the game is currently in. It doesn't look very attractive for the average Joe supporter to attend anymore.
 
Oct 20, 2004
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I was born in the 70s and I lived for footy.

I played as often as I could, and I listened to games on the radio, watched highlights and was generally engaged with my club, obsessed even. I was in the majority as well, most kids my age, most people I knew, even older where the same.

Nowadays, with kids, even adults under say 25, that level of commitment and engagement is the exception, not the rule.

Most people take it or leave it as far as the AFL goes, some have a passing interest, I would put it to you that most people do not really care.

I feel like the glory days of the AFL are over. Crowds when you compare apples with apples over time will decline, and ratings will continue to go down as well. This is especially true with these two things when you adjust for population growth.

The AFL is in trouble, maybe not now, but in the future this comp will be battling, and the reason is that rusted on supporters are a dying breed. Plastic corporates like Gil running the show do not help either just quietly.
I agree. But I do think that the attention monopoly was never going to last forever. AFL has competition now that it didn’t have before
 
Dec 29, 2000
23,400
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I was born in the 70s and I lived for footy.

I played as often as I could, and I listened to games on the radio, watched highlights and was generally engaged with my club, obsessed even. I was in the majority as well, most kids my age, most people I knew, even older where the same.

Nowadays, with kids, even adults under say 25, that level of commitment and engagement is the exception, not the rule.

Most people take it or leave it as far as the AFL goes, some have a passing interest, I would put it to you that most people do not really care.

I feel like the glory days of the AFL are over. Crowds when you compare apples with apples over time will decline, and ratings will continue to go down as well. This is especially true with these two things when you adjust for population growth.

The AFL is in trouble, maybe not now, but in the future this comp will be battling, and the reason is that rusted on supporters are a dying breed. Plastic corporates like Gil running the show do not help either just quietly.

I think you will find that Adelaide, Perth will be fine as they only support two teams and are traditional football states.

The bigger issue will be Melbourne (exc Geelong) and its number of teams. The bigger clubs will survive however the minnows are unlikely.

Take a look at the NFL - cities with a maximum of two clubs (being New York and Los Angeles). Now the prices for game tickets in certain localities dwarf the AFL.
 
Oct 9, 2006
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So we going to blame the weather tonight?

Couldn't possibly be the new rules have killed interest in the game?

Wake up.

#boycottAFL is real
Correct , and to the bloke who has a shot at my English Expression get a life , if your joking fine? I don't know.
But stuff English expression, its football I am talking about and when people up in my age bracket and even those 40 or 50 years lower in age, those of the younger years are also seeing how the game has changed even in the last 5 years but mainly during the ten of the 2000's did the rules start to be bastardised.
I've never been able to understand why the AFL hierarchy seemed to feel that they needed the rules changed but screwed the game as well at the same time.
And I suspect it was the falling over of Demitriou's plan to send the WESTERN Bulldogs to West Sydney (??????) and North Melbourne to Gold Coast.

They wouldn't move and so the AFL in its wisdom said stuff you we'll bring in twonew clubs but gee wizit'llbe a hard slog getting twobrand new clubs up and going with 16 alreadythere and a couple almost failing South Melbourne and Fitzroy dead 10 and 20 years past.
So that is around the time that Gil and Andy were preparing to make a move , now I don't know which individuals wanted to go super corporate and turn the AFL into a tin pot billionaire footy show. Speaking of "the" footy show I can remember Sam years ago talking about the nonsense creeping into OUR game. But when GC17 and GWS were in the pipeline things began to change not just political over done correctness, but the fact that he AFL all of them that went along with the additional clubs must have thought things will need to change a bit because we are cruelling the player pool. (AND ANY AUSTRALIAN RULES FAN WITH ANY NOUS KNOWS THAT OUR GAME IS THE HARDEST FOOT ON FIELD SPORT TO ADAPT TO. Only a handful of international players that weren't born here have made it, just a few, even elite American professionals , the Irish have an advantage with the Gaelic fooyball somewhat similar in parts.
So that's my point, they knew it was a hard hard thing to do, and even then I blame that for the beginning of the ruining of the game by yearly rule fiddling, example of this was only lately the last few years with the defenders barely able to contest in fear of giving a forward a free kick, it happens all the time. Scraping the shoulders or neck or move an arm, now this stand stand stand rule , gives advantage even when the free is a joke, dissent, what the hell does the AFL think it is? Really no one could condone killing emotion in OUR game.

That is only part of it, 50 metre penalties are paid now for things that it was never meant for, it was there for real hard players that went over the top deliberately in tackles and bumps, look at it now, and every year since the expansion idea got under way, the rules and the solving of the dilution of the standard in our small population with other sports being in competition with ours. OURS the greatest or was , the greatest sport on earth, unique, these mongrels began the demise THE AFL! .
When a poster on BF who also worries about the game says, what happens when the baby boomers start to disappear, and I know plenty of adults much younger than me a couple in their 40's who are not following because they saw the game in the past at its best, but believe me some of it now is fantastic, but overkill rules will eventually kill interest. Its becoming non contact in a bigger sadder way than it ever has before.
So baby boomers, when they give up or die off!
What will OUR Aussie rules be doing , the 12 to 20 year old bracket won't follow it, like we did and my kids did and my grandkids, with fanatical loyalty and love for a club and to be a culture in footy states.

Reminding me that some footy states suffer because they see how dilution and missing a player in a draft etc, or some way else, that the less skilled player with football nous going around is getting sucked up by some new clubs, besides them getting help from the AFL financially to even get going

Yeah! Sydney got some help and Brisbane but they were AFL clubs that moved. NSW and QLD only needed one AFL club each. And this bleeding AFL hierarchy can't even put a football club in a small state Tasmania that has produced so many super champions of OUR game it boggles my mind, this corporate raider like operation, promoting huge gambling as well has hijacked this game. and that poster that says will some of the real younger kids now get used to this horrid AFLX styled over umpired nonsense that frustrates everybody, even the blokes playing the game.it means what was the best is a nothing.
You can see it, in the players and the difficulty of trying not to speak when unfairly pinged.
I'd last a minute, I'd give a mouthful to mistakes by umpires because grey rules create mistakes from each one of them in every game in every week.
I would love to tell one of these poor umpiring victims of AFL foolishness, "here take the pill go and kick the damn thing yourself"

The commentators like Whately and Robbo and Lyon and Browny and Reiwolt all those who pray to themoney god the AFL , when will they show some guts and stop promoting the cr*p of stupid decisions like "that was a correct decision" they don't agree half the time.

I mentioned in a post myself that coaches have to beat coaches!
Not the AFL hierarchy trying to out manoeuvre coaches with rule changes?
But the coaches who develop hard nosed tactical structures that they can carry out for years, other coaches have to do the working out for beating them.

My suspicion when you see the Hawthorns and Geelongs and Richmonds of our competition, all with three flags in the last15 years!

I think they get so good and strong and then this mob bring in two more clubs, for TV money dilute the standard,
(TV MONEY??? AND SOMETIMES THE PRODUCT IS SWITCH OFF MATERIAL)
Then have to CHANGE RULES AROUND, to even things up, so good footballers can be stymied by stupidity that is what will drive people away, no matter how many are at the MCG today.
Coll v Melb crowd means nothing, I have already seen a 50m present Melbourne with a goal, nothing unusual now, frees rule this sport and create scores regularly.

The crowd at todays big game will see frees they aren't sure of why?
They will see umpires penalise a whole club because the ump made a mistake, he can't change, and a player said something, 50m they will see umpires decide whats in a players brain( mind reading) if the ball bounces out THE WRONG WAY, ( deliberate?) they will see players wrestle on the boundary and one will accidently tap the ball over the line from below his knee, and get penalised for DELIBERATE!!! ARE YOU KIDDING.

They will see stupid disputable goals and points scored as a camera not an umpire picks the thing, and also some of those replays on film are so dodgy they should be banned , how many BF people every week see a score check they disagree with LOTS I'd say?
They will see nothing but kick to kick when defenders kick the ball in from a behind score, and place it most times (about 90% of the time ) up the out of bounds line!
All very well keeping the ball in with a kick but then half the time it comes back, robotics?

I am retired, I watch a lot of footy I watch different sides than just my own.
Many times these last couple of years I turn the old idiot box off, when some nonsense from over zealous umpires takes the enjoyment of watching turns it into frustration sometimes plain anger.

Like I said three major reasons I believe our game has been bastardised by corporate AFL, money making, too many clubs in the comp it is diluted.
And three, clubs at the moment, those clubs that have in the past few years left the rest for dead, and the only way to even it up is according to the AFL I think, make the rules more difficult and make the game easier. For some who because of the diluted stream, don't really make the grade.

WE HAVE TOO MANY TEAMS, ANDTHE RUKES HAVE CHANGEDOUR SPORT AND WHO EVER CAUSED IT GIL OR ANDREW, THEY LEAVE A LEGACY OF ONE TERRIBLE RUINATION OFTHE BEST THEREHAS EVER BEEN, no soccer basketball gridiron even Rugby league which can get exiting, none ever stand close to the specatacle of our game, when prancersdidn't help decide the result by rulesthat should be over hauled and we should get our game back.

There hows that any thing tosay, and ifmy english is sh*thouse tough luck! I may be old, I am not blind and I know when I am losing my sport, also too dear for the average person to go to footy these hard times.
 
Sep 21, 2004
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Be very interesting to see if all clubs just didnt have memberships for a season and all tickets were just whoever rocked up on the day and the money was split evenly half way if all clubs would end up better off and/or if attendances boom or bust?

I guess as the season went on lower ranked sides would suffer from drop offs

On SM-G925I using BigFooty.com mobile app
 
Aug 25, 2005
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It’s the evolution of the game mate.

Defence is paramount.

NBA, NFL, Hockey, the round ball game..all zone team sports that have focused primarily on defence in the last 20 years.

The AFL 666 gives more opportunities to attack quickly ..the play on from kick-outs allows teams to drive the ball further away from the opponent’s goals. Everyone is trying to counteract it.


NBA brought in the shot clock so teams didn’t just hold the ball and waste time ..NFL focus on covering receivers and developing elite corner backs etc etc

It’s just the way sport evolved
In basketball, baseball, cricket, NFL, etc. - good offence beats good defence.

That's the difference. And that's the problem with AFL....
 
Oct 9, 2006
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Be very interesting to see if all clubs just didnt have memberships for a season and all tickets were just whoever rocked up on the day and the money was split evenly half way if all clubs would end up better off and/or if attendances boom or bust?

I guess as the season went on lower ranked sides would suffer from drop offs

On SM-G925I using BigFooty.com mobile app
That would be a good experiment . I know I keep delving into the past but I can remember when Sat morning 11 am some mate 'd ring up say wanna go to the footy, and off you went any ground any game no booking no problems didn't need to re mortgage the house to get in and buy a pie or a few beers although you could take a car fridge in those days, but understood it's a new world but have the AFL created a new Jurrasic park and let corporate T Rex's run the place. Some umpires look like velociraptors when they hand out 50's.
 
Sep 21, 2004
36,628
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Adel - SA - Aust - Earth
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Norwood & Liverpool.
That would be a good experiment . I know I keep delving into the past but I can remember when Sat morning 11 am some mate 'd ring up say wanna go to the footy, and off you went any ground any game no booking no problems didn't need to re mortgage the house to get in and buy a pie or a few beers although you could take a car fridge in those days, but understood it's a new world but have the AFL created a new Jurrasic park and let corporate T Rex's run the place. Some umpires look like velociraptors when they hand out 50's.
Good old days.

Used to be able to go early and see U19, reserves and league for a reasonable entry price.

If every team had a reserves side in 1 league together and you had that as a curtain raiser before each game it would be actually worth $50+ entry.

You could see the future coming through.

Now its just $50 for flashing lights/loud music and nothing before the game.

Its all a bit meh.

Stay home, chill out, save money and if its s**t watch Family Guy re runs


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ThePhantom777

Norm Smith Medallist
Apr 2, 2014
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The ticket prices are ludicrous. I just had a look and GA is $55 for an adult ticket to sit on the "wing" (actually the flank/pocket) at the G. You can take the family for $72 if you want to sit in the bleachers but try to get a seat on level 2 and it's $75 each! And this is for Melb/Bris on a Thursday night, a game which will struggle to get 25k. Those prices are laughable.

The AFL desperately need to reconsider these prices, it is just not feasible for an average family especially with the looming economic difficulties. Good luck though, I'm sure they rather sell 10k tickets at $55 rather than 20k tickets at $20.

As an AFL/club member I haven't had to buy GA tickets ever really but if I wasn't a member and had to pay those prices I doubt I'd take the family more than once or twice a year if that. Nevermind the cost of finals tickets.
Sounds like the price of swimming lessons for my kids. But learning to swim when you live on an island is pretty important. I feel for the families who can't afford it.
 

Daddoo

Master Chef
Oct 31, 2015
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We can argue about whether this is or isn’t the case (as many in this thread are) …

… but the thing is with an age demographic issue like this one, is that if / when it starts to bite and become a real problem, it’s around 20 years too late to do anything about it.

Great point. Tickets are used for players salaries and once that money is spent on contracts, you can't go back. I have season tickets to the GB Packers and tickets are now close to $100 a piece. So, money for the ticket, a ton for gas, a hotel room if its a night game (I live 4 hours away), food, beer, and parking and I'm looking at close to $350 to go to a game. This is sadly why I have to sell my seats more often than I can go. And if you're paying Rodgers $100mil, you can't all of a sudden decide to drop ticket prices. It's sad really. Sports should be accessible to all.
 
Great point. Tickets are used for players salaries and once that money is spent on contracts, you can't go back. I have season tickets to the GB Packers and tickets are now close to $100 a piece. So, money for the ticket, a ton for gas, a hotel room if its a night game (I live 4 hours away), food, beer, and parking and I'm looking at close to $350 to go to a game. This is sadly why I have to sell my seats more often than I can go. And if you're paying Rodgers $100mil, you can't all of a sudden decide to drop ticket prices. It's sad really. Sports should be accessible to all.

I guess that’s a reason why college football is so popular?
 
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