Question:
Who did the Adelaide Camry Crows supporters follow before this franchise entered the AFL?
How can you just jump ship from your local SANFL club to follow this souless franchise?? And don't tell me you support both as the crowd figures at SANFL games don't support this!
A buch of "theatre-goers" if ever I seen them!
I laugh when I see 70 year-old in the crowd carrying on like this team actually matters!! So they spent 55 years of their life barracking for their local team and then "boom" see-you later! "I'm off to the theatre"!
I know you will carry-on about our lack of success but at least we have a soul and wouldn't jump ship under ANY circumstances!
Give me Port's heart and soul any day over this corporation!
Maybe some research into things before you post.
The SANFL crowd figures were dwindling even before there was a SA side in the AFL. The SANFL was suffering an enivitable decline from the early 80s, due to the best players leaving the state. Victoria was killing the state leagues and more and more people weren't going each year as they favourites would be shipped over the boarder. For every Kernahan, Bradley, platten that left the SANFL would cost the SANFL supporters and attendees at the games. The same thing was happening in WA.
You also need to understand the culture in SA, SA do not like change at the best of times and it doesnt much negative media spin for a great idea to sound like a bad one. The SANFL through the media played up the joining of the AFL to be negative and gave the impression that the VFL/AFL were impossible to deal with arrogant etc whereas the truth more had to do with the VFL/AFL not stroking the ego of the SANFL etc and people all had their own adgendas and put their own interests ahead of what the public really wanted. So the scare campaign was to make sure that the people in SA reminded vigilant in line with the SANFL in regards to joining the AFL.
Deep down people wanted it, but they were scared by the negative SANFL campaign until it actually happened.
Its not a case of they dropped their team to support another one, the SANFL in structure was the same but the standard was continuing to drop and people were losing interest in what became a feeder league that either had good youngsters playing or guys that couldnt cut the mustard in the big league. It wasnt the same to most people anymore, people wanted a representative side in the AFL, people wanted to be part of that league where the best SA players were going.
Being in victoria I am sure that you wouldnt understand. Its not like the SANFL sides are in the AFL its a whole different league. The Port supporters have done the same thing (Port magpies have the same links to the Port Adelaide Football club as the Power) once they have had their taste of the AFL they dont seem to be out there supporting the magpies. They might turn up to a couple of games if they are having a good year, but generally they only take a passing interest in it.
Doesn't that say something ???
Why arent there 80k going to see the sheffield shield matches ??? I mean they go to the Australia games so why dont they go to see the shield games it is kinda the same argument when you have a team completing in the elite competition in the country people arent going to ingore that to go and see a B standard game.
As for Adelaide not meaning much in 97 and 98 in the those prelim finals we did.
As for a souless franchise can you tell me the real difference I can tell you that my support for the AFC would be the same as yours for Footscray. Some people might have thought it didnt matter when fitzroy ceased to exist, it all comes down to a matter of interpretation. Some people wouldnt give a rats if the bulldogs moved to West Sydney, whereas others would. Again all intepretation so to you the AFC doesnt matter, but to 90% of its supporters it matters just as much as the footscray matters to your supporters.