2018 AFL Crowds & Ratings thread

[Our Game]

ie corporates who have to pay, but get 10 seats or 15 seats or 20 seats for their boxes and not everyone rocks up would make up most of that 400+ shortfall. Illness and accidents, maybe even a death or two would see some punters who have paid $150-$200 of their own hard earned not make it to the game and not give their ticket away to someone.

A 60,000 seat stadium with no GA standing room will never get to a 60,000 crowd

The MCG only gets over 100,000 at the GF sometimes is because they sell more than the 5000 GA standing room tickets because if they only sold the 95K seats and 5000 standing they would always fall below 100,000 due to the various reasons people end up not showing up..

 

[Demonoid]

It will be interesting to see if the GF can break the 100,000 with WC playing. I doubt it.

100,007 attended in 2013 with Hawthorn and Freo.



On iPad using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[kid_a]

1.14m fta for yesterday’s game. Significantly lower than Friday despite not being head to head with the nrl. Amazing what a ten goal half time margin can knock off the viewing average

Might push 1.6m with stv

Edit: 432k stv so 1.576m all up

I think it being Saturday afternoon also had something to do with.

 

[Our Game]

100,007 attended in 2013 with Hawthorn and Freo.



On iPad using BigFooty.com mobile app

The long term forecast is not looking good if it is cold and wet it could impact the crowd.

Saturday 29 September
Summary

Min 8
Max 15
Shower or two.
Possible rainfall: 1 to 2 mm
Chance of any rain: 70%

Melbourne area
Cloudy. High (70%) chance of showers. Light winds becoming southerly 15 to 25 km/h during the day.

 

[manicmagpie]

It will be interesting to see if the GF can break the 100,000 with WC playing. I doubt it.

The GF attendance has been pretty consistent since the redevelopment:



The MCC didn't bother turning up to the replay in 2010, but apart from that it hasn't been lower than 98.6k since 2007. But yes, it might be difficult to cross the threshold of 100k.

I'm never too interested in the attendance for the GF though. We all know you could sell out the stadium twice over, so as long as it is at least getting to the 98-99k mark the actual figure isn't so relevant. It's just all down to getting every last MCC seat/standing room spot filled, and again, we all know their system isn't ideal for ensuring that happens.

 

[Rabman]

The average attendance for the finals series so far is just over 75,000 per game, will be around 77,800 after the Grand final. Have to go back to 1981 when a finals series had a high average attendance like that. Understandably most games have been at the MCG but it goes to show how strong Australian Rules Football is at the moment that we can still pull crowds today like they did throughout the 50, 60's, 70's and 80's when there was no free to air coverage and to watch the game you had to be present.

 

[manicmagpie]

The average attendance for the finals series so far is just over 75,000 per game, will be around 77,800 after the Grand final. Have to go back to 1981 when a finals series had a high average attendance like that. Understandably most games have been at the MCG but it goes to show how strong Australian Rules Football is at the moment that we can still pull crowds today like they did throughout the 50, 60's, 70's and 80's when there was no free to air coverage and to watch the game you had to be present.

If we get at least 99,170 to the GF then the MCG will have averaged 90k for its 6 finals, an amazing achievement.

 

[mxett]

I think it being Saturday afternoon also had something to do with.

absolutely. The game was at 1pm in WA and 3pm in Vic. That would have a massive impact on ratings, as would an increadibly one-sided contest. According to twitter the Melbourne audience dropped to 84k towards 6pm, yet averaged 434k over the 3 hours.

 

[kaypee]

1.14m fta for yesterday’s game. Significantly lower than Friday despite not being head to head with the nrl. Amazing what a ten goal half time margin can knock off the viewing average

Might push 1.6m with stv

Edit: 432k stv so 1.576m all up

Fair go. It was on in the afternoon. People have stuff to do on Saturday Arvos. It was never going to match Friday night prime time. I don't understand why they didn't play west coast Melbourne on Friday night (late arvo their time). Would have got rid of that annoying shadow across the ground too

 

[manicmagpie]

Some random Scott Pendlebury facts:

On Friday night he became only the second player to play in front of 15 million fans, after Dustin Fletcher. Fletcher reached that figure in game 311, while Pendles has done it in 276. If Pendles maintains his present average he’ll need to make it to 355 games to overtake Fletcher’s record total of just under 19.3 million.

Also, via the awesome sirswampthing on Twitter following the semi final against GWS:

 

[Pal22]

Today was Grand Final day for the VFL, SANFL & WAFL, Here are attendance figures:

WAFL @ Optus Stadium – 25,064
SANFL @ Adelaide Oval – 40,355
VFL @ Docklands – 12,884

Not sure what the crowd figures usually average for these games, but surely the VFL match in theory should have had more then 13K attend especially considering the teams that played were the reserve sides for AFL clubs Melbourne and Hawthorn. Maybe the VFL should move away from having the GF at a ground like Etihad (which for some reason seems to be on the nose with fans) and play it at a ground like Princes Park which would have provided a great atmosphere for a crowd of around 13,000

 

[Rabman]

Today was Grand Final day for the VFL, SANFL & WAFL, Here are attendance figures:

WAFL @ Optus Stadium – 25,064
SANFL @ Adelaide Oval – 40,355
VFL @ Docklands – 12,884

Not sure what the crowd figures usually average for these games, but surely the VFL match in theory should have had more then 13K attend especially considering the teams that played were the reserve sides for AFL clubs Melbourne and Hawthorn. Maybe the VFL should move away from having the GF at a ground like Etihad (which for some reason seems to be on the nose with fans) and play it at a ground like Princes Park which would have provided a great atmosphere for a crowd of around 13,000

Since 1991 first year of South Australia having a club in the AFL, the average attendance for the SANFL GF was 36,458 (excluding today's game). North/Norwood are traditional rivals and was always going to get a strong crowd. Highest attended GF since 1998.

 

[____]

Today was Grand Final day for the VFL, SANFL & WAFL, Here are attendance figures:

WAFL @ Optus Stadium – 25,064
SANFL @ Adelaide Oval – 40,355
VFL @ Docklands – 12,884

Not sure what the crowd figures usually average for these games, but surely the VFL match in theory should have had more then 13K attend especially considering the teams that played were the reserve sides for AFL clubs Melbourne and Hawthorn. Maybe the VFL should move away from having the GF at a ground like Etihad (which for some reason seems to be on the nose with fans) and play it at a ground like Princes Park which would have provided a great atmosphere for a crowd of around 13,000

I reckon it should stay at Docklands, I like the idea of having the Grand Final at a venue neutral to all clubs like the FA cup was with Wembley

I was at the Q cup final today at Lang Park, ground of neither team, 50/50 crowd. Way grand finals should be

 

[Rob]

Today was Grand Final day for the VFL, SANFL & WAFL, Here are attendance figures:

WAFL @ Optus Stadium – 25,064
SANFL @ Adelaide Oval – 40,355
VFL @ Docklands – 12,884

Not sure what the crowd figures usually average for these games, but surely the VFL match in theory should have had more then 13K attend especially considering the teams that played were the reserve sides for AFL clubs Melbourne and Hawthorn. Maybe the VFL should move away from having the GF at a ground like Etihad (which for some reason seems to be on the nose with fans) and play it at a ground like Princes Park which would have provided a great atmosphere for a crowd of around 13,000

I doubt they would have got even half as many at Princes park, just as they wouldn't have got 15k to Subi oval for the WAFL.

 

[The_Wookie]

AFL

AFL attendances during 2018 Preliminary Final Weekend totalled 154,567 at the MCG and Optus Stadium. This figure was up 4.38% on the 2017 weekend at the MCG and Adelaide Oval. All up Finals crowds for the AFL now total 600,371 at an average of 75,046, up 32.3% on 2017.

To be fair, much of the AFL Finals attendance uplift can be attributed to GWS not playing a home final at Spotless Stadium, and more MCG finals.

The SANFL had its best Grand Final attendance since 1998 as 40,355 people turned up at Adelaide Oval. In the West, 25,064 attended the WAFL Grand Final at Optus Stadium. In Melbourne, the VFL was attended by 12,884 at Docklands.

Over the Preliminary final weekend, the AFL was watched by 3.606 million viewers across the 7 network and Fox. This figure is down 4.43% on the 3.776 million who watched last years prelimns. Metro down 5.43%, Fox down 1.43%.

Over the 2018 Finals Series, the AFL Finals have been watched by 12.785 million viewers, down 0.82% on the 2017 series, as the lack of Adelaide/Sydney teams bites. Syd -16%, Melb +6.5%, Bris +16.2%, Adel -32.9%, Per +2.9%, Metro -3.85%, Reg -7.3%, FTA -4.66%. Fox +11.2%

 

[Cmarsh]

From 1990 the VFL changed entirely with all the existing VFL clubs graduating to the AFL leaving the VFL with not a lot of sides with big existing fanbases.
The SA and WA state leagues still kept their historical sides when the respective AFL franchises were created from those states.
So the historical attachment of the existing clubs in the SA and WA state leagues still persist and probably explain the bigger GF crowds compared to the current VFL.

 

[Walshawk]

Today was Grand Final day for the VFL, SANFL & WAFL, Here are attendance figures:

WAFL @ Optus Stadium – 25,064
SANFL @ Adelaide Oval – 40,355
VFL @ Docklands – 12,884

Not sure what the crowd figures usually average for these games, but surely the VFL match in theory should have had more then 13K attend especially considering the teams that played were the reserve sides for AFL clubs Melbourne and Hawthorn. Maybe the VFL should move away from having the GF at a ground like Etihad (which for some reason seems to be on the nose with fans) and play it at a ground like Princes Park which would have provided a great atmosphere for a crowd of around 13,000

VFL crowd was in the low side of normal. No many Dees fans - might have been had they won yesterday.

 

[Cmarsh]

AFL

AFL attendances during 2018 Preliminary Final Weekend totalled 154,567 at the MCG and Optus Stadium. This figure was up 4.38% on the 2017 weekend at the MCG and Adelaide Oval. All up Finals crowds for the AFL now total 600,371 at an average of 75,046, up 32.3% on 2017.

To be fair, much of the AFL Finals attendance uplift can be attributed to GWS not playing a home final at Spotless Stadium, and more MCG finals.

The SANFL had its best Grand Final attendance since 1998 as 40,355 people turned up at Adelaide Oval. In the West, 25,064 attended the WAFL Grand Final at Optus Stadium. In Melbourne, the VFL was attended by 12,884 at Docklands.

Over the Preliminary final weekend, the AFL was watched by 3.606 million viewers across the 7 network and Fox. This figure is down 4.43% on the 3.776 million who watched last years prelimns. Metro down 5.43%, Fox down 1.43%.

Over the 2018 Finals Series, the AFL Finals have been watched by 12.785 million viewers, down 0.82% on the 2017 series, as the lack of Adelaide/Sydney teams bites. Syd -16%, Melb +6.5%, Bris +16.2%, Adel -32.9%, Per +2.9%, Metro -3.85%, Reg -7.3%, FTA -4.66%. Fox +11.2%

So Brisbane has easily the biggest ratings increase of the cities? Ratings are a strange beast.

 

[Walshawk]

From 1990 the VFL changed entirely with all the existing VFL clubs graduating to the AFL leaving the VFL with not a lot of sides with big existing fanbases.
The SA and WA state leagues still kept their historical sides when the respective AFL franchises were created from those states.
So the historical attachment of the existing clubs in the SA and WA state leagues still persist and probably explain the bigger GF crowds compared to the current VFL.

Yes, the VFL is essentially a reserves completion, the SANFL and WAFL are not.

 

[The_Wookie]

So Brisbane has easily the biggest ratings increase of the cities? Ratings are a strange beast.

That difference though is only 48,000 viewers across 8 games - 6,000 per match. Its like 1 or 2 ratings boxes.

 

[Our Game]

100,007 attended in 2013 with Hawthorn and Freo.



On iPad using BigFooty.com mobile app

Its interesting that all the recent 100,000 GF crowds are just a few over 7,16 24 methinks the MCC and AFL just want the 100,000 mark to brag about

 

[Our Game]

"From 1990 the VFL changed entirely with all the existing VFL clubs graduating to the AFL leaving the VFL with not a lot of sides with big existing fanbases".

You are quite wrong the current VFL was the VFA until 1996 and the the name was changed to the VFL.
There were no original VFL teams as they all became AFL teams.

From 2000 some of the AFL reserves teams joined the VFL and others joined with some of the VFA clubs and some VFA/VFL clubs stayed on their own.That is the current makeup of the VFL

The VFA never got the crowds the VFL did - its biggest crowd ever was 47,098 GF at the MCG 1939
The VFA now VFL from 1897 when the VFL was formed from existing VFA clubs became the number two comp in Victoria and thats why the current VFL dosent get the GF crowds of the SA and WA leagues who were the number one leagues in their state.

The VFA from 1877 to 1896 was the premier competition in Victoria.

 

[The_Wookie]

From 1990 the VFL changed entirely with all the existing VFL clubs graduating to the AFL leaving the VFL with not a lot of sides with big existing fanbases.

Not quite.

The original VFL changed its name to become the AFL in 1990 and no clubs were left in the VFL at that time. The VFA and AFL Reserves were separate organisations at this point. The AFL reserves went into a competition called the VSFL from 1992 to 1994. In 1994 the VFA and VSFL bodies merged with the VFA being renamed to VFL in 1996, however the AFL reserves stayed separated until they were merged with the VFL in 2000.

 

[kid_a]

Does anybody know of anyone who's 'main' or favourite team back in the day played in the vfa and not the vfl??
Like has anyone ever met a full on port Melbourne or 'insert whichever club' fan, who would follow the vfa much more closely than the vfl in the 60'-80's??

 

[Greenstar5]

So Brisbane has easily the biggest ratings increase of the cities? Ratings are a strange beast.

Maybe because of the improvement of the Lions, more people are watching games? Be interesting if that trend continues as they rise up the ladder.