No time to be Timid. Expand and crush the other spectator sports

[Colonial]

No one has ever said the words ‘Greater Western Sydney‘. If they shortened to Western Sydney that is what they would be called.
‘GWS’ is a nothing name.

Been said many a time.

It may be a nothing name to you not to us.

How about Hawks change their name to Melbourne, after all that’s where they play. Makes sense.

 

[footyfan1978]

I have heard this a few times..
Very interesting times indeed, but while other sports are putting a 'sobrave' face on it, they are cracking financially behind closed doors.

Time for the AFL to put pedal to metal and go for complete domination? they are relatively good financially. 2-4 more teams etc etc

Rather than put pedal to metal, they jamming on brakes with 16 minute quarters and got footy as uncompelling to watch as it been since tv gave a few on the game. I saw a bit of footage from some black and white games back in late 50's and early 60's on youtube on weekend from some old recorded footy marathon and felt the same lack of feeling compelled to keep watching as I do now. I thought before this season got underway the reduced quarters would make it even more congested play for bigger percentage of games and average score would drop to around 72 as a result. I underestimated how much more congested and sideways football would happen and scoring dropped to 60 points a game during the season. Such to a point you know the margin will not be big in games so you can kind of skip most of game knowing it might be stalemate for big chunks of game and watch towards end when some side will start to take risks as they no longer can have both sides go sideways most of the time as they need to put priority on taking risks to score in order to open up their chance to win with time running out.

Footy now has minimal edge over other sports to watch. Rather than crush other sports it probably blends in more to all sports and losing the unique aspects that made it so compelling to watch from the start. It not too late to turn this around but if do not fix the mess more and more people that originally loved the game will fall out of love with it and just be a sport they used to love.

 

[Freomaniac]

Tassie and Canberra and then we are fine.

Can play each other once and have a bye.

Canberra is perfect. Stuck inbtween Sydney and Melbourne so most of the Away games wont be as long to travel like Melbourne to perth for example.

Good to win back some Aussie Rules fans back after 20-30 years of neglect too

 

[Freomaniac]

The AFL doesn't have to do anything really except continue doing what it's doing.
As long as next season is not a complete write off, the AFL will continue to earn more broadcast revenue and more sponsorship revenue.
If things return to normal by this time next year, you can throw in massive gate receipts and membership revenue, although the latter was not affected this year.
One could well argue that a repeat of this season next season would see even greater separation, even without attendances, because AFL members will continue buying memberships.
AFL fans put their money where their mouth is, always have, these situations accentuate that advantage.
If things get so bad that the AFL hurts a bit financially, it probably means curtains for other sports.

Only 2 reasons the AFL is marching on is the TV rights revenue and the Betting Agencies

 

[Gigantor]

Only 2 reasons the AFL is marching on is the TV rights revenue and the Betting Agencies

Well, given the bumper ratings in this disrupted season, that revenue is going to stay strong, certainly stronger than any other sport, and sponsors will follow, so it's a double whammy in favour of the AFL.
But you are being a bit disingenuous with your comment.
As I said in the post you quoted, hardly any members asked for their money back, final count was less than 1%.
Indeed, some clubs still broke records in a season where members didn't see any games live.
Meaning?
Meaning you are incorrect in stating that the AFL is only surviving via TV rights revenue, which adds up to some 25% to 30% of the $1.5 billion generated annually by the whole football industry (may have taken a slight dip this year).

 

[NoobPie]

Well, given the bumper ratings in this disrupted season, that revenue is going to stay strong, certainly stronger than any other sport, and sponsors will follow, so it's a double whammy in favour of the AFL.
But you are being a bit disingenuous with your comment.
As I said in the post you quoted, hardly any members asked for their money back, final count was less than 1%.
Indeed, some clubs still broke records in a season where members didn't see any games live.
Meaning?
Meaning you are incorrect in stating that the AFL is only surviving via TV rights revenue, which adds up to some 25% to 30% of the $1.5 billion generated annually by the whole football industry (may have taken a slight dip this year).

Well said. The money from the betting agencies might be in the low tens of millions a year. Membership and seating revenues (if you include AFL and a decent chunk of the MCC) would be easily over $300M a year and by all reports the clubs retained most of those revenues even in a year that most couldn't go)

And then the AFL dwarfs the other codes in corporate / sponsorship revenues...