Rucci said:
Fickle fans negate inroads
I thought it was well accepted by now that Port simply don't have the size of supporter base it was always assumed pre-1997. In the last decade the membership figures have ranged from a high of 38305 in 1998 to a low of 33296 in 2001.
As for the fickle claim, between 2002 and 2004 - Port's boom period on the field - membership only moved by 120-odd people. That's hundred, not thousand.
In the aftermath of the Premiership year membership rose by less than 500 people. 500!
Hardly the stuff of bandwagoners or fickleness.
AAMI STADIUM. As the AFL admits, the arena is tired. The SANFL's refusal to allow beer to be taken to seats has turned away many of Port's core supporters.
Abysmal assumption.
Never mind issues like cost, work commitments, other sporting commitments or simple lack of supporter base - one of the core reasons thousands stay away is because you can't sink piss in your seat?
Really Rooch? Really?
LIVE TELEVISION. Of Port's 11 home games, as many as 10 will be shown live against the gate - eight on Pay-TV network Fox Sports. Foxtel executives told the AFL in Melbourne last week that subscriptions in Adelaide are "going through the roof".
It's not because terrestrial TV is increasingly awful and Foxtel are offering carrots left and right beginning with free installation - people want to see the Power dammit!...
PICK-AND-CHOOSE FANS. Rather than buy a season ticket for all 11 home games, fans decide on match day if they will go.
Wouldn't you if there were 20000 free seats to choose from each week? If you're one of the supporters who regularly can't make it due to financial, work or sporting reasons, you can rock up on any given weekend and see a game without the need to shell out hundreds for a season ticket you rarely use.
Top stuff, Rooch.