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Analysis Dwindling Crowds

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Partridge said:
From when I started going regularly (mid-1980s) to the end of 2006, I only watched footy at Geelong in standing room. Either the tiny amount that was in front of the old Member's Stand (first the right hand side, then the left hand side), and then after 1991 season behind the goals.

I absolutely get that for many reasons seated stadia are a reality. But you'd think a small fraction of the crowd could be catered for in this way.
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I was always under the wind sock. I stopped going when standing room basically finished.

But there were other reasons as well - time/work/family/distance/my age and stage of life/etc, etc.
 
As a Green Bay fan i watch routinely during the NFL season 75,000+ people turn up to Packers games in 5 degree weather (with -20 wind chill) in the middle of a Wisconsin winter, on a Sunday night, for a game that starts at 8:10pm local. I have little sympathy with anyone that says they cant do Sunday night games/Sunday 3:10/Saturday night/Friday Night/Thursday Night etc. Comparatively speaking, we've got it bloody good. You're a supporter, a member even, turn up, especially now when the team needs the fans supporting them most.

Geelong needs to think long and hard about the number of reserved seats it makes available and consider instead making them available to members on game day. By making more seats available on game day you encourage more people to attend who might just be casual members who cant afford a reserve seat. But those casual members are the ones who will barrack and cheer because they dont take the games for granted, unlike the retiree's who make up the bulk of the reserved seat holders in the stands. I had a reserved seat to the Players Stand last year and found myself sitting next to a couple who spent the whole game doing the crossword in the paper and reading Game of Thrones. Only looking up occasionally when people around them started clapping. It's a football game, not a Sunday bloody picnic! I started barracking and actually felt out of place compared to the reading group i had sitting around me, it's just madness. After that i chucked in my Players Stand reserve seat in preference to standing above the Ablett Terrace because thats where you get some actual banter and barracking, the atmosphere up their is light years better than anywhere else ive sat in that ground over the years. And that has a great deal to do with the fact that the people up there are mostly GA members and walk up attendees who actually are there to watch a football game and support the club.

The down side is that for GA members and anyone else, access to games these days means having to not only pay for a membership but also having to pay for a reserve ticket to get through the gate. I had one mate on Sunday try to get in on he's 16 game Home and Away membership only to be told he needed a reserve ticket and had to line up to pay for one. Seriously, what the **** is the point of getting a membership if you still have to pay anyway? And if he wanted to pre-book a ticket to the game he has to pay a bullshit "ticket-handling fee" to ticketek/master on top of the membership cost he's already payed. Not to mention the cost of actually reserving a ticket to a seat he wont use as we always stand, but you cant always pre-book a standing room ticket because it's "unavailable" but then on game day there's more North fans than Geelong fans in the standing section and tonnes of room for more people anyway. But there aren't more people because they've all been told to pre-book a seat and it costs $35+ to do so so they dont bother going, when all you wanted to do is scan your membership in and watch the bloody game. Its no lie to say its easier to attend a game in Melbourne as a Geelong member than it is trying to attend a game in Geelong. And thats just plain wrong. Geelong should be making it as easy as possible for members to attend games at our home. And i mean members, not just reserve seat holders, as far as im concerned, they should allocate the entire Reg Hickey Stand as a members stand and open up the rest of the ground to GA members. If you have to require an additional ticket to avoid lock outs (or if they wanna sit in groups) then fine but it shouldn't cost a Geelong member a cent, regardless of where they sit/stand in the ground.

Additionally, ban opposition cheersquads...i have no real reason for saying this other than i just dont like em in my ground, and they take seats away from the Geelong members who should be sitting in them. Plus, it burns me up inside when they...cheer...for there team...in our ground...it's disgusting and it should be stopped. Dead silence should greet an opposition goal at Geelong and that is all.
 
Partridge said:
From when I started going regularly (mid-1980s) to the end of 2006, I only watched footy at Geelong in standing room. Either the tiny amount that was in front of the old Member's Stand (first the right hand side, then the left hand side), and then after 1991 season behind the goals.

I absolutely get that for many reasons seated stadia are a reality. But you'd think a small fraction of the crowd could be catered for in this way.
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Is there something to dislike about the Standing Room down at KP these days?
 
SkittleCats said:
As a Green Bay fan i watch routinely during the NFL season 75,000+ people turn up to Packers games in 5 degree weather (with -20 wind chill) in the middle of a Wisconsin winter, on a Sunday night, for a game that starts at 8:10pm local. I have little sympathy with anyone that says they cant do Sunday night games/Sunday 3:10/Saturday night/Friday Night/Thursday Night etc. Comparatively speaking, we've got it bloody good. You're a supporter, a member even, turn up, especially now when the team needs the fans supporting them most.

Geelong needs to think long and hard about the number of reserved seats it makes available and consider instead making them available to members on game day. By making more seats available on game day you encourage more people to attend who might just be casual members who cant afford a reserve seat. But those casual members are the ones who will barrack and cheer because they dont take the games for granted, unlike the retiree's who make up the bulk of the reserved seat holders in the stands. I had a reserved seat to the Players Stand last year and found myself sitting next to a couple who spent the whole game doing the crossword in the paper and reading Game of Thrones. Only looking up occasionally when people around them started clapping. It's a football game, not a Sunday bloody picnic! I started barracking and actually felt out of place compared to the reading group i had sitting around me, it's just madness. After that i chucked in my Players Stand reserve seat in preference to standing above the Ablett Terrace because thats where you get some actual banter and barracking, the atmosphere up their is light years better than anywhere else ive sat in that ground over the years. And that has a great deal to do with the fact that the people up there are mostly GA members and walk up attendees who actually are there to watch a football game and support the club.

The down side is that for GA members and anyone else, access to games these days means having to not only pay for a membership but also having to pay for a reserve ticket to get through the gate. I had one mate on Sunday try to get in on he's 16 game Home and Away membership only to be told he needed a reserve ticket and had to line up to pay for one. Seriously, what the **** is the point of getting a membership if you still have to pay anyway? And if he wanted to pre-book a ticket to the game he has to pay a bullshit "ticket-handling fee" to ticketek/master on top of the membership cost he's already payed. Not to mention the cost of actually reserving a ticket to a seat he wont use as we always stand, but you cant always pre-book a standing room ticket because it's "unavailable" but then on game day there's more North fans than Geelong fans in the standing section and tonnes of room for more people anyway. But there aren't more people because they've all been told to pre-book a seat and it costs $35+ to do so so they dont bother going, when all you wanted to do is scan your membership in and watch the bloody game. Its no lie to say its easier to attend a game in Melbourne as a Geelong member than it is trying to attend a game in Geelong. And thats just plain wrong. Geelong should be making it as easy as possible for members to attend games at our home. And i mean members, not just reserve seat holders, as far as im concerned, they should allocate the entire Reg Hickey Stand as a members stand and open up the rest of the ground to GA members. If you have to require an additional ticket to avoid lock outs (or if they wanna sit in groups) then fine but it shouldn't cost a Geelong member a cent, regardless of where they sit/stand in the ground.

Additionally, ban opposition cheersquads...i have no real reason for saying this other than i just dont like em in my ground, and they take seats away from the Geelong members who should be sitting in them. Plus, it burns me up inside when they...cheer...for there team...in our ground...it's disgusting and it should be stopped. Dead silence should greet an opposition goal at Geelong and that is all.
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I love so many things about this post... but particularly the banning opposition cheer squad bit haha

Outstanding
 

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iameviljez said:
Is there something to dislike about the Standing Room down at KP these days?
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Someone on my twitter feed posted this on the weekend....

IMG_20150428_172802.jpg
 
I always buy a membership but last year was the first year I didn't get to one game. I was hoping to take my five year old to his first match last year, but they where either night games in Melb or afternoon / twilight in Geelong. (We live in Melbourne). The only game that wasn't as far as I remember was the Melbourne game last year where it rained all day, got to a top of 13 degrees and we where both sick for. I'm hoping we get to one this year.....
 
SJ said:
Staggering.

I reckon as late as two years ago it was full every match.
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That was about 30 mins or so before the game I believe
 
Lots of reasons why I am not going to as many games as I have for the past 25 odd years and none have to do with not winning. For most of those years we didn't win.
Game times have to think about what time 1.15,3.20 and this week 1.45-all over the place. $4 to stand at SS so again have to plan, the boring and tepid Geelong supporters at Geelong, The AFL and its lack of integrity and understanding of supporters(add to that the GFC) that it wasn't the price of a meat pie that made us cross,; the umpiring-how could that miss that Elliot one at the weekend and 26 to 12 free kicks pleeeeaaase.
And the disregard of the GFC for its members
 
I understand the club has to make good money out of KP games to remain viable so I'm not whinging. But I can't afford to go to Geelong games.
Having 2 young kids I can't take them to the standing area cause they'll run amok and won't be able to see. Also on some games you even have to pay for a standing ticket on top of you membership which I think is ridiculous.
Average income families from Melbourne are preety much priced out of these games. Maybe as demand gets lower they can do something about this.
I also think having to pay for 3 KP games in a Melbourne membership is wrong when your never going to those games.
 

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SkittleCats said:
As a Green Bay fan i watch routinely during the NFL season 75,000+ people turn up to Packers games in 5 degree weather (with -20 wind chill) in the middle of a Wisconsin winter, on a Sunday night, for a game that starts at 8:10pm local. I have little sympathy with anyone that says they cant do Sunday night games/Sunday 3:10/Saturday night/Friday Night/Thursday Night etc. Comparatively speaking, we've got it bloody good. You're a supporter, a member even, turn up, especially now when the team needs the fans supporting them most.
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With respect - I got a few laughs out of your post - but I pay my money and I'll choose to show up if and when it suits me. Hopefully the club and the AFL don't take your attitude. Green Bay might have the population and culture to deliver those crowds regardless of circumstances but we clearly don't (and won't by simply telling people to "turn up").
 
catempire said:
Green Bay might have the population and culture to deliver those crowds regardless of circumstances but we clearly don't
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Green Bay, Wisconsin Population: 104,779 (as of 2013)
Geelong, Victoria Population: 178,650 (as of 2010)

You're right, its our culture, cause it sure as shit hasn't got anything to do with our population.
 
SkittleCats said:
Green Bay, Wisconsin Population: 104,779 (as of 2013)
Geelong, Victoria Population: 178,650 (as of 2010)

You're right, its our culture, cause it sure as shit hasn't got anything to do with our population.
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I'm pretty sure that the 75,000 at the game aren't literally 75% of the town's population. It's about population density. The U.S. and Australia are completely different in that respect. They would come from all over to go to Packers games.

But yeah, culture too.
 
catempire said:
I'm pretty sure that the 75,000 at the game aren't literally 75% of the town's population. It's about population density. The U.S. and Australia are completely different in that respect. They would come from all over to go to Packers games.
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Oh no doubt, but thats why, with a city of 4.5 million people an hour up the road there's really no excuse for poor attendance. As you say, it's culture.
 
We have reached point where it's easier to watch it on TV at home than it is to travel out to a game.

I mean, if it's 10 degrees and raining outside, your side ain't traveling that well, you got a couple of kids in tow and a few bills to pay that week, why wouldn't you just whack a six pack in the fridge and a couple of pies in the oven and watch it on your couch on your nice 48 inch HDTV?
 

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iameviljez said:
Yeah, it's because most other people like sitting... I, for example, am short!
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I like sitting... if I'm paying for a membership then I want to sit down, I'm on my feet all day at work... so on the weekend I want to be on them as little as possible
 
Willo_ said:
I like sitting... if I'm paying for a membership then I want to sit down, I'm on my feet all day at work... so on the weekend I want to be on them as little as possible
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It's also nice not having to watch where you put your feet across the day, or guard your spot like a dog so nobody else pinches it... yeah, I know Partridge, we're soft.
 
SkittleCats said:
Oh no doubt, but thats why, with a city of 4.5 million people an hour up the road there's really no excuse for poor attendance. As you say, it's culture.
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Just need to look at the wait for season tickets for the Packers to see the passion that there is for the team.
(if people think that the AFL membership or MCC membership waiting list is long check this out)

Green Bay — If you got on the waiting list for Green Bay Packers season tickets today, you could expect a just-won-the-lottery call from 1265 Lombardi Ave. in, oh, about 955 years.
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http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/114877119.html
 
Willo_ said:
I like sitting... if I'm paying for a membership then I want to sit down, I'm on my feet all day at work... so on the weekend I want to be on them as little as possible
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this. Last time Metallica came out "Dude, do you want seats or moshpit?" My mates response "f^{k man, we are nearly 40. My knees aren't up to mosh pits anymore". Same goes at the footy. Yes, I got soft as I got old.
 
Willo_ said:
I'm not sure about others but it is a draining event going to the footy... I'm knackered when I get home normally so I can understand people taking advantage of the digital option
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Especially with kids. Would definitely be more a Saturday event.

I live in qld. That's my excuse
 

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