Adelaide Crowd?

[vapours]

Having driven over and attending AAMI for the first time, I dont actually blame the locals for not attending the ground.

It took us over 90 minutes to get home from the ground afterwards, killing any desire to kick on afterwards and enjoy the night. It took 10-15 mins every time to get a beer or go to the toilet and the seating is cramped. By far the worst stadium experience Ive ever had.

 

[dockshark]

The Western Australian is a mighty species, worthy of much admiration, respect and quiet awe.

Well...it must be pretty crap knowing that you live in a state that is inferior in almost every concievable way. Try not to let the anger take over though pal.

 

[petronio]

There were a lot of friendly Adelaide supporters to.
But we did cop a fair bit of verbal abuse during the game. C bomb, f word, etc.
Beer thrown at a fellow supporter, flag stolen apparently.
Even got a threat for starting a chant (didn't take it seriously of course)

Yep, sounds about right. Plenty of pissed idiots around me as well, I was sitting on the 50 where all the freo fans were so we copped a bit when it looked like you guys were gonna smash us.

 

[Pevers-Legend]

I do look fwd to when footy is played at Adelaide Oval.

It is akin to scheduling a game at Waverly when it is wet and cold on a Friday night. It is not the most appealing due to how cold the place is and how far it is from anywhere.

If crowds fail when they are Adelaide Oval in the CBD where it is easy to get to the game, then there is no excuse.

 

[Mattrox]

Not trying to change the topic.
But that was a most feral crowd I've ever experienced.

The '93 finals crowd vs Carlton is the worst I have. Have never seen such a bunch of angry winners. They wanted to start fights... and they won???

 

[Mattrox]

I pay $270 for my crows membership and paid $80 to go to last nights game. Massively overpriced. I didn't go last week because I couldn't justify going to both matches when I can watch it live on my LCD tv. I could only imagine it would be harder for families expecting to fork out for 2 overpriced matches plus the royal show.

Two finals on consecutive weekends at those prices in the same fortnight as the Royal Show = Stretched Wallets.

 

[Waspy79]

The only explanation I find plausible is that the 19th Man was tired of watching their team choke in finals. I've sat through a few chokes as a Port fan and it's the worst feeling in the world, so I have no doubts the majority of the 12,000 who dropped off from the week before against Sydney were front runners who hated the mere thought of sitting through another finals loss.

 

[Papa G]

There are many and varied reasons for not attending but i think the main one is this:

Finish top 2, hopes are high, win and it's a home prelim and a real chance to play off in the Granny. Happy Days.

..But, lose first final, all optimism goes out the window, you're a real chance to go out in straight sets, pessimism sets in, all of a sudden fans don't believe they are a genuine chance of even making the grand final, all of a sudden ticket prices, venue, time of match etc become an issue. If that game was a prelim, there would have been 45k there, despite the time, prices, show, venue etc...

 

[MarkT2]

Pies fans still turned up after Hawthorn made them look ordinary the week before and against an opponent who had only recently made them look just as ordinary.

I have not heard any real viable resons for the low Adelaide crowd. It's very odd.

 

[MarkT2]

Just on pricing, while finals aren't as cheap as they used to be they aren't expensive in relative terms. A good dinner with wine or half a comperable world sporting event at best. If price is really the reason then the AFL has to re-think venues because they aren't coming down in price.

 

[Papa G]

Pies fans still turned up after Hawthorn made them look ordinary the week before and against an opponent who had only recently made them look just as ordinary.

I have not heard any real viable resons for the low Adelaide crowd. It's very odd.

Pies fans turn up to a press conference. Do AFL/MCC fans get in for free?

 

[MarkT2]

Pies fans turn up to a press conference. Do AFL/MCC fans get in for free?

I am not entirely sure about MCC and AFL. I don't think AFL members pay tote odds but they actualy reduce attendances becasue they don't use all their alloted space in these sorts of games. AFL membership shouldn't exist but that's another issue.

 

[Hawkk]

I am not entirely sure about MCC and AFL. I don't think AFL members pay tote odds but they actualy reduce attendances becasue they don't use all their alloted space in these sorts of games. AFL membership shouldn't exist but that's another issue.

The Collingwood game (like Hawthorn this week) was boosted by the Series ticket allocation. Couple this with AFL and MCC memberships and its not surprising that MCG finals always draw significant crowds

 

[King Elvis]

Yep, pretty good deal.
Quite a few, including myself, tend to go to neutral finals because it is so cheap in weeks 1 and 2.
In fact for the Cats vs Dockers game because the AFL reserve was no where near full you could just rock up and scan your card at the gate and get in for free.

I meant, how does that have nothing to do with the Crows crowd?

Crows Members pay full price for tickets to the finals; neutrals in Melbourne get in cheaper than members here do.

 

[MarkT2]

The Collingwood game (like Hawthorn this week) was boosted by the Series ticket allocation. Couple this with AFL and MCC memberships and its not surprising that MCG finals always draw significant crowds

Series tickets, MCC and AFL members cost attendances. Too many empty "reserved" seats. Open the tickets to the general public on the Monday and you'd get more there IMO. There would be 200,000 Collingwood supporters who aren't members. Some of them would buy tickets.

 

[MarkT2]

I meant, how does that have nothing to do with the Crows crowd?

Crows Members pay full price for tickets to the finals; neutrals in Melbourne get in cheaper than members here do.

Club members pay full price FWIW.

 

[Hawkk]

Series tickets, MCC and AFL members cost attendances. Too many empty "reserved" seats. Open the tickets to the general public on the Monday and you'd get more there IMO. There would be 200,000 Collingwood supporters who aren't members. Some of them would buy tickets.

There were 20,000 empty tickets in the General Reserve on Saturday, there is now way that the Series, MCC and AFL membership cost attendance, no way at all.

 

[MarkT2]

I know a lot of people who would go if they knew they could buy a ticket on Monday. WCE people and Collingwod people from work. Pies fans I know that aren't members. I would have got tickets for my neices and Nephews if they could have been bought with ours and we could have sat together. The whole ticketing process is doesn't maximise attendances but as it was the AFL members sections was largely Collingwood. A lot of them would probably be Collingwood memebrs if they weren't AFL.

MCC is a diferent issue again. You can't do alot about that but you can reduce the AFL members section and phase it out. The problem from an AFL persepctive is that it filters money to the clubs rather than to the AFL to hold over the clubs.

 

[sigur]

Just for comparison - attendance at the Adelaide show is about half a mill per year - same as melbourne and 100K more than Perth, so relative to the population of the cities it's a more significant player in Adelaide than elsewhere. You couldn't drag me there but my family went and had an expensive but great time.

I went the game on friday - paid $55 for my members seat and $80 for a guest pass. Left the city at 6pm so I could get 7 seats together in the members. Even at 6:30 pm when I got to the ground the members was filling up downstairs. Got home around midnight, so it was a 6 hour event, couldn't put my kids through that on a friday night.

I'm sure there's plenty who opted to stay at home on the couch with a Coopers, but they missed out on a great win.

 

[hellboy1975]

Having driven over and attending AAMI for the first time, I dont actually blame the locals for not attending the ground.

It took us over 90 minutes to get home from the ground afterwards, killing any desire to kick on afterwards and enjoy the night. It took 10-15 mins every time to get a beer or go to the toilet and the seating is cramped. By far the worst stadium experience Ive ever had.

What part of the stadium were you sitting in? I've been going to the football for years an not once has any of those things happened to me, and I live 45 minutes drive in normal traffic away from the stadium.

 

[Scotland]

Pies fans still turned up after Hawthorn made them look ordinary the week before and against an opponent who had only recently made them look just as ordinary.

I have not heard any real viable resons for the low Adelaide crowd. It's very odd.

2005, hosted PF against Adelaide - sellout
2006, lost QF at home to Sydney after finishing top and faced Western Bulldogs at home in the SF - sellout
2007, lost QF away to Port and faced Collingwood at home in the SF - sellout
2011, lost QF away to Collingwood and faced Carlton home in the SF - sellout
2012, hosted EF against North Melbourne - sellout

Expensive? Check. Shit stadium? Check. Hosting 'low drawing teams'? Check.

I'm just seeing excuses for people in Adelaide not really wanting to go to the footy...

 

[Hawkk]

I know a lot of people who would go if they knew they could buy a ticket on Monday. WCE people and Collingwod people from work. Pies fans I know that aren't members. I would have got tickets for my neices and Nephews if they could have been bought with ours and we could have sat together. The whole ticketing process is doesn't maximise attendances but as it was the AFL members sections was largely Collingwood. A lot of them would probably be Collingwood memebrs if they weren't AFL.

MCC is a diferent issue again. You can't do alot about that but you can reduce the AFL members section and phase it out. The problem from an AFL persepctive is that it filters money to the clubs rather than to the AFL to hold over the clubs.

My point is, playing home finals at the MCG does inflate attendance.

Whilst its possible its very doubtful that Collingwood would have drawn 65,000 to that final without the assistance of AFL, MCC and Series Ticket holders...

Play a standalone final at the MCG (with the assistance of Series, MCC and AFL members) and 35k-40k Collingwood supporters in attendance gets boosted to 65k+

Whilst Adelaide's attendance was poor, its probably equivalent to 50,000 at the MCG.

 

[MaccasNeighbour]

last day of the show which costs a family about 70 bucks + increase in rides prices + showbags probably had a factor

We spent $400 on a family of 3 - only bought 5 showbags, my wife did not go on any rides and we brought sandwiches from home. Spent another $200 at the QF the same week. Not embarassed to admit that I could not justify another $200 at the SF. If our empty seats diminished the viewing pleasure of viewers in other states well quite frankly I don't give a damn.

 

[vapours]

What part of the stadium were you sitting in? I've been going to the football for years an not once has any of those things happened to me, and I live 45 minutes drive in normal traffic away from the stadium.

Same side as the Freo cheer squad. It obviously happens often enough, as people were selling pies to the bus line.

Oh yeah the bus driver also got lost on the way back to the city after missing a turn.

 

[dblue8]

I don't think there's any one particular reason for the low crowd. But before I list a few thoughts I would say that maybe we are too conditioned by the AFL and Melbourne expectations as to what good crowds should be. After all 31,000 probably beats most NRL finals crowds including games where both teams are Sydney based.

Here's my list of possible reasons:
1. SA is the poorest mainland state, not supported by big business in NSW and Vic or mining in WA and QLD. Also with the smallest (state) population there aren't as many people with the money to splash around.
2. September finals coincide with the Royal Show so when the Crows get a second home final in consecutive weeks, many will have already committed their budget to the Show.
3. Maybe some Crow supporters had a choice both in time and expense of going to Crows-Freo or local SANFL finals and chose SANFL.
4. Someone could correct me but I think Crows membership is 20% country people. My folks have a 4 hour round trip to get to AAMI and would get home around 1.00am with an 8.15pm start. Maybe do it once but not two weeks straight. Why go to all the effort when it's shown on tv? Scheduling is important.
5. Live on tv against the gate. If the AFL doesn't like the low crowds then remove live against the gate. This is all about their contractual obligations with Foxtel and 7.
6. Membership. There are those members (or ex members) who are somewhat disgruntled by the lack of membership priveleges. Finals games aren't included in AAMI stadium memberships so there are zero benefits of being a member. You may as well pay at the gate for only the games you attend. MCG members can see games for free in the first two weeks can't they? Take those figures out of the equation and how many paying supporters actually went to the MCG in the last two weeks?
7. Non core Crows supporters are probably pretty fickle (just like most clubs). When things aren't going that well, crowds drop off, even after a finals loss. I wonder whether this is a result of the Crows being a manufactured club where it's easier to jump on and off. You always have your SANFL club to fall back on.
8. Ticketing. Not sure if this is an issue at AAMI but I don't like having zero or little choice in seating preferences.
9. Media and marketing mis-information. How many times have you heard a game is a sellout but during the game there's something like 5000 empty seats. What the? Not saying it happened in this case though.

For me the biggest influence is the live tv against the gate. Too much tv saturation.