2026 Attendances

[The Tilt]

I know crowds won't be as big, nor ratings, but I wonder if the dogs could play Sydney or whoever is a top SA or WA team from previous season on the easter Sunday... Got 40 plus vs crows and freo last year.

It's not the worst idea, but they're more likely just to stick with Essendon and deal work something else out in the odd year when Essendon is unavailable due to it being too close to Anzac day.

The reality is, it's hard for the traditional fixtures to work (with a sense of occasion) when they don't involve the large clubs. Hence, the small clubs now being assigned Easter weekend traditional matches (Brisbane, North Melbourne and the Bulldogs) are each drawn against one of the Big 4. Don't see it changing.

 

[dave10]

Are my eyes deceiving me (?) or are there rows of largely empty seats at the top of the Olympic and Warne Stand's in the public sections?

 

[baggercrowdsonic]

Are my eyes deceiving me (?) or are there rows of largely empty seats at the top of the Olympic and Warne Stand's in the public sections?

They mustn't be.

BT, for whatever its worth (fair intel), just called 81-82k.

Hope more roll in!

 

[AstuteTiger]

Hawks v Cats
84,712

 

[PonsfordMagpie]

Biggest crowd of the season thus far.

 

[Gizmo]

Great crowd, as usual for this game.

 

[Rouel_14]

The game that always delivers.
Deserved 200K there.

Still 15,000 extra seats to be filled! - we’re gotta find ways to get em in!

 

[dave10]

We need a bigger stadium.. Certainly the proposed 105,000+ MCG will be utilised in future. Excellent crowd today, a terrific occasion.

 

[PonsfordMagpie]

After Round 4.

HOME CROWDS
Club (# of home games played) = Total (Average)

• Carlton (2) = 142,076 (71,038)
• Hawthorn (2) = 132,657 (66,329)
• St Kilda (2) = 114,382 (57,191)
• Essendon (2) = 111,538 (55,769)
• Collingwood (2) = 104,089 (52,045)
• Adelaide (2) = 97,812 (48,906)
• West Coast (2) = 97,806 (48,903)
• Fremantle (2) = 79,981 (39,991)
• Sydney (2) = 78,500 (39,250)
• Port Adelaide (2) = 69,803 (34,902)
• North Melbourne (2) = 69,237 (34,619)
• Melbourne (2) = 68,864 (34,432)
• Western Bulldogs (2) = 67,104 (33,552)
• Brisbane Lions (2) = 66,254 (33,127)
• Richmond (2) = 64,939 (32,470)
• Geelong (2) = 49,118 (24,559)
• Gold Coast (2) = 33,168 (16,584)
• GWS (2) = 25,306 (12,653)

HOME AND AWAY CROWDS
Club (# of games played) = Total (Average)

• Carlton (4) = 228,367 (57,092)
• Collingwood (4) = 221,265 (55,316)
• Hawthorn (4) = 220,198 (55,050)
• Essendon (4) = 186,373 (46,593)
• Melbourne (4) = 181,363 (45,341)
• Adelaide (4) = 180,697 (45,174)
• Sydney (4) = 177,168 (44,292)
• Richmond (4) = 174,497 (43,624)
• St Kilda (4) = 168,108 (42,027)
• Fremantle (4) = 157,323 (39,331)
• North Melbourne (4) = 156,474 (39,119)
• Geelong (4) = 153,689 (38,422)
• Western Bulldogs (4) = 147,895 (36,974)
• West Coast (4) = 144,869 (36,217)
• Brisbane Lions (4) = 136,236 (34,059)
• Port Adelaide (4) = 127,592 (31,898)
• GWS (4) = 95,231 (23,808)
• Gold Coast (4) = 87,923 (21,981)

 

[Giant YoYo]

We need a bigger stadium.. Certainly the proposed 105,000+ MCG will be utilised in future. Excellent crowd today, a terrific occasion.

Totally agree.

 

[Hawkk]

We need a bigger stadium.. Certainly the proposed 105,000+ MCG will be utilised in future. Excellent crowd today, a terrific occasion.

I agree with this.

But the only way we get meaningful increases (turning 85,000 crowds into 90,000) is if the AFL either expands the AFL members reserve or reduces the seating. Collingwood is the only club that has more than 10,000 AFL members and Carl, Ess, Rich, Haw and Geel have a cluster of 5,000 to 8,000 AFL members each. It’s too big for most of these teams and relies on a lot of neutrals rocking up to fill the seats.It’s less of an issue for the MCC which has 4 x more members. Whether the AFL is keen to reduce the seating or expand the membership (which undercuts the clubs) remains to be seen.

The game that always delivers.
Deserved 200K there.

Still 15,000 extra seats to be filled! - we’re gotta find ways to get em in!

The GA club members seats didn’t help (they were about 85 per cent full). Last year Geelong made the game fully ticketed and it drew 4,000 more (88,500 or thereabouts). Given tickets for today were sold out for the best part of a week IMO this game could have drawn 88,000 to 90,000 too with smarter ticketing.

Leaving aside 6 bays at the back of the Southern Stand only for HFC and Geelong (home and away members) is a lot of seating.

 

[PLATTS44]

24,287 happy with that

sorry mate but it was perfect weather and you came off a great win over the blues

Are my eyes deceiving me (?) or are there rows of largely empty seats at the top of the Olympic and Warne Stand's in the public sections?

I agree with this.

But the only way we get meaningful increases (turning 85,000 crowds into 90,000) is if the AFL either expands the AFL members reserve or reduces the seating. Collingwood is the only club that has more than 10,000 AFL members and Carl, Ess, Rich, Haw and Geel have a cluster of 5,000 to 8,000 AFL members each. It’s too big for most of these teams and relies on a lot of neutrals rocking up to fill the seats.It’s less of an issue for the MCC which has 4 x more members. Whether the AFL is keen to reduce the seating or expand the membership (which undercuts the clubs) remains to be seen.



The GA club members seats didn’t help (they were about 85 per cent full). Last year Geelong made the game fully ticketed and it drew 4,000 more (88,500 or thereabouts). Given tickets for today were sold out for the best part of a week IMO this game could have drawn 88,000 to 90,000 too with smarter ticketing.

Leaving aside 6 bays at the back of the Southern Stand only for HFC and Geelong (home and away members) is a lot of seating.

Fantastic crowd as it was bucketing down in werribee 2 hours before the game when i was driving to the game

 

[Cmarsh]

sorry mate but it was perfect weather and you came off a great win over the blues

The Demons average vs Gold Coast at the MCG is just over 23k. I think it is reasonable to say that yesterday's crowd was quite good considering potential patrons went away over the long weekend.

 

[Rouel_14]

I agree with this.

But the only way we get meaningful increases (turning 85,000 crowds into 90,000) is if the AFL either expands the AFL members reserve or reduces the seating. Collingwood is the only club that has more than 10,000 AFL members and Carl, Ess, Rich, Haw and Geel have a cluster of 5,000 to 8,000 AFL members each. It’s too big for most of these teams and relies on a lot of neutrals rocking up to fill the seats.It’s less of an issue for the MCC which has 4 x more members. Whether the AFL is keen to reduce the seating or expand the membership (which undercuts the clubs) remains to be seen.



The GA club members seats didn’t help (they were about 85 per cent full). Last year Geelong made the game fully ticketed and it drew 4,000 more (88,500 or thereabouts). Given tickets for today were sold out for the best part of a week IMO this game could have drawn 88,000 to 90,000 too with smarter ticketing.

Leaving aside 6 bays at the back of the Southern Stand only for HFC and Geelong (home and away members) is a lot of seating.

Surely there is a world where the AFL Reserve can expand and reduce due to demand? Like how they already do with in demand games and open a bay to the public.

Likewise could the AFL open up a 3rd level of membership how the MCC have done with provisional and restricted?

I still think the clear path forward (and least popular) is member bays instead of reserved seats. If you can even gain 2 bays back to public seating on level M that’s got to make a difference.

Data showed even in peak Richmond 17-19 member show rate was 66% average. 2024 was 50% average.

At absolute worst you have standing behind all bays for over flow.

Even for Dusty 300 we arrived at the siren running late and got 3 seats together.

 

[Rouel_14]

The Demons average vs Gold Coast at the MCG is just over 23k. I think it is reasonable to say that yesterday's crowd was quite good considering potential patrons went away over the long weekend.

Agreed. Easter Sunday. Long odds.

Melbourne both prosper and suffer from MCG syndrome. It’s hard enough to fill for Richmond, Carlton and Essendon.

 

[Cmarsh]

Into another episode of the annual crowd average killer - Gather round.

 

[Hawkk]

sorry mate but it was perfect weather and you came off a great win over the blues

Melbourne effectively had the same crowd during their round 1 match last year (bucketing down and up against the F1 Grand Prix) and Easter Saturday. Easter Sunday is worse that those slots and has seen crowds that 20-30 per cent lower than other timeslots in the past.

Melbourne v GWS — 23,278 (Round 1)
Melbourne v Fremantle - 25,202 (Easter Saturday)

The Dees cop a lot of crap for ther fair-weather supporters but their crowds are a lot more consistent than the other MCG tenant clubs. Play the Easter Sunday game on Saturday and that’s a 30,000 crowd.

In the next eight weeks Melbourne play Brisbane, Richmond, Hawthorn and Collingwood at the MCG. If they can capitalise on their draw (which opens up from here) they should draw some very large crowds to those games.

 

[Hawkk]

Into another episode of the annual crowd average killer - Gather round.

Where the AFL just make up the crowds

 

[threenewpadlocks]

Surely there is a world where the AFL Reserve can expand and reduce due to demand? Like how they already do with in demand games and open a bay to the public.

Likewise could the AFL open up a 3rd level of membership how the MCC have done with provisional and restricted?

I still think the clear path forward (and least popular) is member bays instead of reserved seats. If you can even gain 2 bays back to public seating on level M that’s got to make a difference.

Data showed even in peak Richmond 17-19 member show rate was 66% average. 2024 was 50% average.

At absolute worst you have standing behind all bays for over flow.

Even for Dusty 300 we arrived at the siren running late and got 3 seats together.

I mean, not really, the fact that an AFL membership costs $600 is the idea that there is access to a reserve that's yours.

They did sell public seats in the AFL reserve anyway, but if it becomes a common and consistent thing, AFL members are right to question what precisely their money actually buys

 

[Hawkk]

I mean, not really, the fact that an AFL membership costs $600 is the idea that there is access to a reserve that's yours.

They did sell public seats in the AFL reserve anyway, but if it becomes a common and consistent thing, AFL members are right to question what precisely their money actually buys

True. But if the AFL members can give away three bays to public reserve and still can’t fill it for Easter Monday (one of the marquee games of the season) between the fifth and sixth biggest Vic clubs than it’s clearly too big for 70 per cent of matches. Which is basically all non Collingwood games.

I agree with you on finals but the reserve is half empty for 60 per cent of MCG games. They could easily give three or four bays of M level seating (M25 to M28) back for those lower drawing games and it would look miles better on TV

 

[threenewpadlocks]

True. But if the AFL members can give away three bays to public reserve and still can’t fill it for Easter Monday (one of the marquee games of the season) between the fifth and sixth biggest Vic clubs than it’s clearly too big for 70 per cent of matches. Which is basically all non Collingwood games.

The way that the AFL Membership is set up is the right to not actually turn up provided they've purchased their membership and paid the money for it though. It's their reserve, not the club members' or the public's.

The AFL got the right to have this reserve when they substantially contributed to the cost of the redevelopment of the stand in 1993. Of course, the AFL can just decide what they want to do with this reserve, but they would piss off a lot of its AFL Membership base and a major revenue source if they stopped it being an AFL reserve. The reason they can sell tens of thousands of AFL memberships (worth millions of dollars) and then have a waiting list and bronze membership is precisely because of the knowledge of the size of the AFL reserve.

That's not to say that I don't think that the AFL shouldn't slightly design the membership in such a way to encourage people to turn up - similar to European soccer etc. - where you get access to premium fixtures via actually turning up to other games. Too many people effectively squatting on a membership solely for the purpose of Anzac Day, and Prelims/GF. Perhaps the AFL also shouldn't be so money hungry to demand $12 to reserve a seat to sit at the back (and then claim that there's a few walk-up rows), but rather allow people to reserve a seat for a nominal cost of facilitation/administration of the ticket (a few dollars, not $12)

But broadly speaking, the AFL membership system is good for the revenue it produces for the AFL, and the desire for a crowd to have a few hundred more people in isn't worth upsetting the millions of dollars of additional revenue its existence brings in.

 

[manicmagpie]

Random fact: Last round was the 8th highest for average crowd per game in history, and the 2nd highest average for a round without Collingwood playing in Melbourne (Round 22, 1998 is the highest).

 

[threenewpadlocks]

Random fact: Last round was the 8th highest for average crowd per game in history, and the 2nd highest average for a round without Collingwood playing in Melbourne (Round 22, 1998 is the highest).

View attachment 2575205

Helps when GWS, irrespective of where they're playing, have a bye I suppose.

 

[Underarm]

Helps when GWS, irrespective of where they're playing, have a bye I suppose.

And GC being the away team adds +15k.

If we got St Kilda v GWS, the round would have been in the top 20 all time. One for the doomers on that main board thread about lower attendance.

 

[Rob]

I mean, not really, the fact that an AFL membership costs $600 is the idea that there is access to a reserve that's yours.

They did sell public seats in the AFL reserve anyway, but if it becomes a common and consistent thing, AFL members are right to question what precisely their money actually buys

To be fair, $600 is an unbelievable bargain given what it gets you. Stay a member for long enough and you can realistically have the opportunity to get grand final tickets at face value, even if your team isn't playing.
So i'm not sure AFL members should have any sense of entitlement here.