Here's your 'Survey' AFL - Why dont you go anymore?

[Altum Volantes]

Umpiring inconsistency / Rule changes, the number 1 reason why people don't go to the game?

I call bullshit

Exactly.

Your team is playing s**t or it’s raining is the reality.

 

[biggiemediums]

I do like to go to a couple games a year usually, but it's just too much for me at the G. I get overwhelmed being on the spectrum.

I'm just old enough to remember Victoria Park games and man; now if it was still like that. I'd go every week.

 

[Collingwood 4 eternity]

Anyone who says they enjoy football as much as they did in the 90's to early 2000s is either too young or too senile to remember just how good it was. It is not even remotely the same game anymore. It's not just the umpiring and the rules either, the coaches have coached most individual elements out of the game. It's not football anymore, it's Team Defence Ball. And the young players are drafted according to their ability to jog around all day playing team defence. There's no fat players anymore, there's no characters anymore, there's no villains anymore, there's no drama anymore. It's just a boring slog up and down the field resetting for the stoppages and kicking goals from free kicks and 50m penalties.

To bring back more contests that would have to make the grounds bigger , which they cannot do.

Make it an 18 v 18 team game only

Or If they allowed only 16 v 16 on field and 2 on the bench

Or 14 v 14 on field with 4 on the bench per team , and only 2 of your 4 could be used in first half only , and the other 2 in the second half of match only.

Quarters same length as now

Half time 10 mins only

 

[terrybull]

I suppose my interest in the game is purely contingent on West Coast doing well - apart from that, I have no interest at all. This has also coincided with overall change in my life, wherein my investment in Australian rules as a sport has significantly tapered off over the course of this year. Now, when I look at someone like Ginnivan being paid far too much for what he actually does as an occupation, given fame for no other reason than having a somewhat superior athletic ability compared to the general populace, I find it hard to invest my time as I used to before.

The AFL as a sport has become the end and goal of too many peoples day to day lives. What used to supplement a community in its pursuit of a common goal or as it existed, the sport has now become the end around which we form communities (this is more a comment on local clubs). The problem with this is that making sport the end around which we form our association with others will always be inadequate, because, by its very nature, it is deficient for this purpose. It is purely a thing that enables us to keep fit, not a source of social fabric around which we can situate our entire being.

It distracts us from far more important matters in society, such as the situation of the poor, or addressing the lack of direction that most young people find in their lives. I still read this forum and keep an eye on the competition, but, on top of what I said above, to put it in another way, the main problem with the AFL is that it has been expanded far too much for the purpose of profit - this inadvertently gives the sport a ridiculously unmerited position. The profile afforded to someone like Dustin Martin who, apart from his accomplishments on the field, has achieved absolutely nothing with his life so far, testifies to the fact that we place the AFL on a pedestal that just doesn’t make much sense.

I guess my solution would be the dissolution of the AFL. We should go back to state level competitions being the highest form of the game, mitigating the negative social consequences that the AFL currently inflicts. But that will never happen, because the AFL has turned into a commercial product driven purely by the profit motive - that would require a reorientation of what motivates the administrators of the game, and those (in power) who enable it to hold such a position in society.

Could happen if more people started going to WAFL, SANFL, VFL etc etc. than the AFL. Then AFL will go bust.

But nah… never going to happen

 

[terrybull]

I don't go as much as I used to.. miss the Victoria Park days mate.. used to wait in behind the big sticks frothing for the opportunity for a player to snag one through the big sticks so that I can get my hands on it.. jump over the back fence with it.. and do the runner with it.. then sell it to my mates for $50 or whatever. Go to the game for $10.. make a profit of $40 from it and that man. Getting all emotional just thinking about it now and that man.. agh those were the days man.. those were the days. These days.. forget about it mate.

You can't profit from going to a game at all these days mate. If you get your hands on the leather after a player has snagged a sausage roll.. you've got to throw it back mate. Everyone's like.. throw it back you gallah and that.. and you're like.. allright man.. allright man. Take it easy mate.

In other words.. the game itself.. just feels too contrived these days. Doesn't feel as natural and spontaneous as what it once was. All the umpires have got chrome domes. The rules are a cods wallop. The stand on the mark rule.. say for eg.. does my head in mate.. the game should be all about trying to outwit.. outsmart.. outplay your opponent.. and all that sort of stuff and that.. it just doesn't feel like that anymore. If I'm on the mark.. say for eg.. I'm going to give my opponent enough room for him to take me on mate.. then it's a contest mate. Then it's game on mate. It's a thing of beauty mate.

And another thing.. if the crowd is not making enough noise.. why play music mate.. why play music mate.. defeats the purpose done it. Maybe folk want to get loud at the footy.. but they're not doing it cause they run the risk of getting booted out or being told to sit down. Not everyone wants to go to the footy and have a cuppa and a cut lunch and chew the fat mate.. It's not necessarily a good thing mate. Let's get loud mate.. then we can put the music on mate and then we can all get our Jen Lopez on mate.

That's it mate.

Maybe you never enjoyed the game?

Before you would take off as soon you got your footy.

Now you are stuck to watch the whole game matey.

 

[terrybull]

Characters are nearly extinct and not encouraged.

If a player now days does something individual then it’s criticized to death by the media, AFL and the public.

The little taunt Bolton did was way overreacted by the fans, media and his coach.

Players and coaches interviews are boring and unimaginative. Always careful what they say and being super nice. When they do spit the dummy they apologize quickly later and it was not really what they meant.

Humor is disappearing from the game (and the world).

Best footy show is Bounce which is a snippet of when the Footy show was good. It’s way to short unfortunately.

 

[deck]

Tried buying general admission tickets for a mate for last Sunday's game. First Ticketek wouldn't except my credit card even though there is no problems with my card. Organised for someone else to purchase them only to find general admission was no longer on sale over 24 hours before the game and cheapest tickets were $61.

******* disgrace trying to force people to pay top dollar when half the stadium is empty. Mate didn't end up going. Another mate has had similar problems when using his Melbourne membership and being told he needs to upgrade to a reserved seat.

 

[BringouttheGimp]

Maybe you never enjoyed the game?

Before you would take off as soon you got your footy.

Now you are stuck to watch the whole game matey.

No.. I would hide it somewhere.. then jump back over the fence.. so I've only lost a minute of game time man.

Am I a great or what man?

 

[Billy ray]

Game day experience for me. Just so sick of not being able to talk with my mates during the breaks about the quarter of footy we've just watched, because some unqualified idiot has possession of a mic and a PA system.

would be great to sneak in a speaker and mic and when they start yelling about whatever s**t they yell about, yell back shut the * up, shut the * up, shut the * up - get the whole crowd involved in saying it

 

[Cairnsman]

Going to the footy is like going to a music and light show these days and occasionally a game of footy breaks out.
I know the current game day experience is created on the marketing knowledge that young people have the concentration span of a gold fish and so you have to provide non stop "engagement" but it's destroyed it for me. you can't hear the person next to you.
And to make matter worse now the TV broadcasters have started piping the music between goals loudly into my lounge room.
I'm close to giving AFL away and focus on grass roots footy instead.

 

[Rustica]

I’d like the AFL to explain why 5 AFL members plus a visitor can’t get seats on Level 1 and instead want us to sit in Level 4. I guarantee there will be seats available bottom deck on game day.
Just lost another 6 going to the game.
Note that we tried to book Level 1 seats when they went in sale a couple of weeks ago. Level 2 or 3 we might have gone.
At least the corporate sector are looked after. That’s all that matters.

This 100%

Reserved member seats should free up for purchase at a discounted price after a certain period in the week. As a member you should be given ample time to lock in that you will be going to the match, if for some reason you know you won't be going, free it up and it can be sold as a reserved ticket at a much cheaper price. Just spit balling, might get more people to attend with the allure of good seats. I don't know

 

[PrinceCharles]

I love how every thread just becomes about Richmond fans complaining about umpiring.

 

[hoianbulldog]

Players and coaches interviews are boring and unimaginative.

Keep an eye on Bevo's......dudes loose and likely to go nuclear before year end.

 

[gadj1976]

I’d like the AFL to explain why 5 AFL members plus a visitor can’t get seats on Level 1 and instead want us to sit in Level 4. I guarantee there will be seats available bottom deck on game day.
Just lost another 6 going to the game.
Note that we tried to book Level 1 seats when they went in sale a couple of weeks ago. Level 2 or 3 we might have gone.
At least the corporate sector are looked after. That’s all that matters.

Rd 1 this season we were in Melbourne and we had Friday night free, so we thought we'd catch the St Kilda vs Collingwood game. I went online Friday morning and was told it was sold out. When i finally got in touch with Ticketek, they told me to go to the gate and see if any tickets were released last minute. Nup, sold out. I think the total crowd that night was 38k.

 

[Macca180]

Umpiring inconsistency / Rule changes, the number 1 reason why people don't go to the game?

I call bullshit

yep I hear ya... If your team is going well you're not gona use that as an excuse.

But let's be honest, the ticky touch stuff and crappy 50m penalties does make it hard to watch and frustrating.

 

[terrybull]

No.. I would hide it somewhere.. then jump back over the fence.. so I've only lost a minute of game time man.

Am I a great or what man?

I been at Victoria Park only once.
I’m surprised you could move let alone run!

 

[Timmy from Thomastown]

Where’s the covid option? Some people just want to keep their families safe and avoid crowds where possible

 

[amazingjoshy]

Rolling fixture/shitty timeslots the main one for me, and rule changes next

Thursday/Monday nights can get funked.

The review needs to go, sucks the life out of any atmosphere

 

[Private Hudson]

The over coaching has ruined the game. It’s all about having the best defensive set up.

 

[Arr0w]

yep I hear ya... If your team is going well you're not gona use that as an excuse.

But let's be honest, the ticky touch stuff and crappy 50m penalties does make it hard to watch and frustrating.

Might be frustrating, but doesn't stop you going to a game

 

[Mego Red]

The home experience is too good. It's just better than live.

70" tv playing HD Keyo stream while you relax on the couch with a fridge full of beer? And it takes 10 seconds to get there from wherever you are, as compared to commuting into the ground?

 

[catters_28]

I've missed 3 games that I would have normally gone to this season due to covid and other cold/flu illnesses. I feel like the amount of illness around this winter has to have had an impact on crowd numbers.

 

[Big Crow]

Because my team could go undefeated by 100 points in every every game of the minor round, and would still end up playing the deciding match on the MCG probably against a team playing at home. Therefore the matches are pretty much meaningless and a bit of a pisstake really.

Also gross gambling advertising.

 

[raskolnikov]

I moved from Victoria to Queensland 10 years ago. When I was in Victoria I was a regular at the footy. After I moved to Queensland I still flew down for 4-5 games a year. Covid put a stop to that. A general disillusionment with the game has meant that I haven't flown down for any games since covid. I've even stopped watching on tv a lot. The umpiring is too frustrating. The Port-Suns game last weekend was diabolical. I'll watch a Suns or Lions game most weekends and Essendon if they're on FTA. That's it

 

[JPetro83]

Rather watch it on TV, game day isnt what it used to be.. i miss the basic game day of what it was in the 90s without the loud music, fireworks, americanisation of the game etc.. i enjoy the SANFL game day better. also have a young family now which makes it hard to plan things. i will go to the occasional game but only on a Fri/Sat night as my Mrs works weekends during the day and i am not taking a toddler to the footy lol.. also doesn't help when your team is getting flogged every week. i was a member from 1991-2018.. then pulled the pin cos i stopped enjoying it.. not enough reward and the time had come to stop planning life around the footy fixture.