What Scenario Would Produce The Most Profitable AFL Season In History?

random260

Premiership Player
Apr 20, 2013
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So what would the ladder/finals need be for that to happen?

I'd imagine the ladder would have to be something like this to maximise profit

1) Crows (Feel like they can bring in the crows but only if they are high up the ladder)
2)
3) Carlton
4) Richmond
5) Bombers (When they do finish high they pull in massive crowd and revenue)
6) Fremantle (Can fill up Optus same as WCE if high ladder enough. But do they pull more than St Kilda at this spot?)
7) Collingwood (Same as WCE)
8)
10) WCE (They don't need to be so high up the ladder. Since even at their worst they still bring crowds)
13) Geelong (Unless it's always at the MCG Geelong don't pull much money from being high up the ladder compared to Bombers)
14) North (Even if they were high up the ladder they wouldn't be filling stadiums)
17) GWS (Even if they were high up the ladder they wouldn't be filling stadiums)
18) GCS (Even if they were high up the ladder they wouldn't be filling stadiums)

Biggest Issue is that if all vic teams were in Top 8 the revenue wouldn't be much since the clubs might cannibalise each other revenue. So got to find right balance. Also you have clubs like Hawthorn that don't pull in crowds unless they are flying. But if you put a club like GCS Top 4 they still wouldn't bring much money. My ladder is still missing alot of clubs. Very difficult challenge. Don't know the profitability of Hawks when they slip out of the 8 so don't want to rank them yet.


Grand final:

Collingwood vs Richmond (Would pull the biggest crowds)

Prelim:

Collingwood vs Carlton
Richmond vs ...




Week 1:

Fremantle vs WCE

*Bolded for 100% confidence in
 
May 5, 2006
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2018. 91k, 92k, 90k, 72k, 95k at the MCG before the GF which always sells out no matter who is playing.

All Vic top 4 of high drawing clubs is the #1 ticket. Thurs-Fri-Sat MCG finals with one in Perth/Adelaide, two MCG semis, then two MCG prelims would generate the highest ratings and most bums on seats. All finals involving Vic sides rate well on TV because they are scheduled for the Melbourne TV market. Hence we play stupid 5/6pm weeknight finals.

Outside September WC don't make a lot of money for the AFL. We could get 11 crowds of 60k and most of the seats are taken by members so the money goes to the club. If the AFL can manufacture a 60, 70, 80k crowd during the year by pitting the right teams against each other in the right time slot that's money in the bank for the league.
 
Average crowds peaked in 2008 when West Coast and Fremantle finished bottom 4, Carl-Rich-Ess missed the 8, and Collingwood only just scraped into finals. Bulldogs and Saints finished top 4, North finished 7th and so on. It makes sense if you think about it. (EDIT: Also I think the best attendance for a single round is, or was, R22 1998 which featured the top 2 Roos and Dogs playing each other).

And as Scotland points out, the correlation between big H&A season crowds and big profits for the AFL isn't so simple, and the money generated from finals is certainly a lot cleaner for the league. Plus you also have to consider that they own Marvel Stadium now, so they potentially stand to gain much more by having teams pack that out rather than Tigers home games at the G.

Btw if the Suns were high up on the ladder, they would be at least filling one stadium (their own). 16k attendance average when they were remotely competitive in 2014 (highest finish to date, which was just 12th on the ladder).
 

BF Tiger

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150,000 seat stadiums in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth with Richmond, Collingwood, Essendon, Adelaide, Port Adelaide, WCE and Freo all making finals.
 
And as Scotland points out, the correlation between big H&A season crowds and big profits for the AFL isn't so simple, and the money generated from finals is certainly a lot cleaner for the league. Plus you also have to consider that they own Marvel Stadium now, so they potentially stand to gain much more by having teams pack that out rather than Tigers home games at the G.

I agree it's not simple, but remember at the MCG they get both AFL members and a hefty bonus from the MCG for large cumulative crowds over the season. Big games at the G make more money for the AFL than they do for the home club.
 

big_e

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Average crowds peaked in 2008 when West Coast and Fremantle finished bottom 4, Carl-Rich-Ess missed the 8, and Collingwood only just scraped into finals. Bulldogs and Saints finished top 4, North finished 7th and so on. It makes sense if you think about it. (EDIT: Also I think the best attendance for a single round is, or was, R22 1998 which featured the top 2 Roos and Dogs playing each other).

And as Scotland points out, the correlation between big H&A season crowds and big profits for the AFL isn't so simple, and the money generated from finals is certainly a lot cleaner for the league. Plus you also have to consider that they own Marvel Stadium now, so they potentially stand to gain much more by having teams pack that out rather than Tigers home games at the G.

Btw if the Suns were high up on the ladder, they would be at least filling one stadium (their own). 16k attendance average when they were remotely competitive in 2014 (highest finish to date, which was just 12th on the ladder).
Was going to mention that game.

Performance of the big clubs would have to drop off a lot for their supporters to start not turning up. Anzac Day game gets 80k, no matter how bad the teams are going, for instance. West Coast will average 45k plus at Optus, even if they won the spoon a couple of years running.

But a good run by the smaller clubs would start to bring our more casual supporters back to games. Saints, Dogs, Roos, Demons, not to mention the bandwagons that would form in Western Sydney and on the Gold Coast if those sides could win a flag or two.
 

Dump Truck

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1) Carlton: Win their last 10 games of the season. Jack Newnes kicks a goal after the siren in four different games including one when he was on the bench, against Gold Coast. The AFL ticks it off as acceptable.

2) Freo: Win first 6 games by an average margin of 40 points, even beating Gold Coast. Die-hard fans start noticing the Camfield becomes busier during game day and seats can’t be grouped for 10 people. Freo also brings the half-time anchor back.

3) Essendon: Could have finished the season in top spot but lose their last 2 games due to concentrating more on upcoming Lawn Bowls 2021 World Championship hysteria.

4) Richmond: Many players rock up to game day in Hawaiian shirts and pluggers. As this is against AFL policy they cannot play. Consequently, this results in losing 2-5 games, including a shock loss to Gold Coast.

5) Hawks: Barely win a game in the early part of the season. Clarko goes on a Nepalese mountain experience a few weeks before the bye. Comes back and hawks look unstoppable, even beating Gold Coast.

6) Crows: The WWE wrestler Tony Modra becomes their ambassador, so most of Alabama and Florida sign up for AFL Live passes. Also, they win a few games, even against Gold Coast.

7) Port: Kochie makes deals with North Korea. While seemingly a risky proposition for the club as now 43% of the Power is owned by the North Korean navy, their players become incredibly “muscular” and “athletic”. Charlie Dixon grows an extra arm, making him kick 185 goals for the season, including 53 in one game, against Gold Coast. Russian scientists pay the AFL millions of dollars to study the AFL player, The AFL ticks this off as acceptable.

8) Collingwood: Could have finished higher but Mason Cox gets sworn in as a United States supreme court judge, somehow AFL receives a significant stimulus package from the USA for “existing”.



Week 1:
Richmond V Carlton @ MCG: Richmond wins by 3 points, kicking the last 5 goals of the game, including one after the siren from 85 metres on the boundary in controversial circumstances; Tom Lynch lets Jack Newnes from Carlton to take the kick wearing his jumper. Kick never in doubt, and the AFL ticks it off as acceptable. Dusty wins BOG for his half time speech where he necks 6 pints and high fives all security guards on the field. No one ever hates Dusty ever again.

Fremantle vs Essendon @ Optus. Due to the Bombers obsession with the 2021 Lawn Bowls World Championship, Fremantle absolutely dominate (don’t get excited fellow Freo fans, our eventual pain will come). Fyfe gets 48 disposals and 8 goals. The AFL decide to award him Brownlow votes.

Crows V Port @ AO: Adelaide wins it by a point. A record number of incorrect calls result in at least 12 goals for both teams as the free kick count finishes at 44-44. Both fans claim they were robbed. The Ramsgate hotel hosts the true final, however, as at least 12 players are arrested. Powell-Pepper gets glassed at least 8 times, he laughs it off as “playful banter”. The AFL ticks this off as acceptable.

Hawks V Pies @ MCG. 90K. Pies win by 80 points. the AFL allows pies fans loitering around the G to purchase tickets for $10 at 3qtr time for empty seats. Clarko cares more about his players ZEN than rings now, so they go to Nicaragua for a scuba-diving team-building exercise as a reward. They win the next 8 flags, even beating Gold Coast.

Week 2:

Carlton V Collingwood @ MCG: Blues win the game 2-12-24 to 2-10-22. In perfect conditions. Gibbons misses a kick after the siren in the goal square. Jack Newnes uninvites him from his laser tag team.

Bombers V Crows @ MCG: (Etihad surface being returfed for 2021 lawn bowls world championship, expected to bring record numbers) Bombers win by 10 goals. Players and fans party that Philadelphia Eagles fans adopt Essendon as a sister-club.



Week 3:

Richmond V Essendon @ MCG: Essendon win in an absolute landslide as the vast majority of Tigers are in LA to view Marlion Pickett’s debut in the new Avengers movie. He wins an academy award for best actor.

Fremantle vs Collingwood: Due to a contentious Lawn Bowls World Championship final, the lawn bowls championship replay is resecheduled for Optus Stadium, meaning the game is at the MCG. Freo fans like myself get that dangly carrot feeling once again and flock to the MCG. They lose the game by 1 point, with a kick after the siren. Despite being in Bali and on Holidays, Jack Newnes is awarded a free-kick and nails it.



Brownlow:

Michael Gibbons: As he is not there to accept the award, Jack Newnes is awarded it on his behalf. During the confusion, Jack Newnes is awarded the 2021 Brownlow Medal, despite not polling any votes. The AFL ticks it off as acceptable.

Grand Final:

Essendon and Collingwood @ MCG: Considered the greatest game of all time and televised to a global audience of over 1 billion due to the influx of international attention. It’s a draw. Despite the new rules, the AFL decides to postpone, playing a best of 45 series in stadiums all across Australia. Eventually, Collingwood win as Eddie McGuire donates 34 million to end this madness. The AFL ticks this off as acceptable.
 
Everyone finishing 11-11 (crowds stay high all year with fans still hopeful)

But, once percentages are taken into account

1. Carlton
2. Essendon
3. Sydney
4. West Coast
5. Brisbane
6. Adelaide
7. Collingwood
8. Richmond

Carlton def. West Coast
Sydney def. Essendon
Richmond def. Brisbane
Adelaide def. Collingwood

West Coast def. Richmond
Adelaide def. Essendon

Sydney def. West Coast
Carlton def. Adelaide

Carlton def. Sydney

Any answer that doesn't involve Sydney in the Grand Final shows the posters ignorance.

And as much as I truly believe Adelaide being in the Grand Final is best for tourism and the Victorian economy. The question didn't ask that, it asked for the AFL. And Carlton (and to a lesser degree, Essendon) being the premiers would achieve that as it wouldn't just be a one off injection. It would carry over for years as Richmond has recently. I went Carlton first as their drought is 5 years longer than Essendon's

Having Adelaide and West Coast in the prelim is for having a national reach late in the season.

Note: I feel Geelong could really be good for the profitability of the league with a good season. I remember in 2017, the 3 highest FNF games ratings were the Geel-Adel, Adel-Syd, Syd-Geel trio of games. So Geelong must have something going for them.
 
Jul 13, 2015
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Everyone finishing 11-11 (crowds stay high all year with fans still hopeful)

But, once percentages are taken into account

1. Carlton
2. Essendon
3. Sydney
4. West Coast
5. Brisbane
6. Adelaide
7. Collingwood
8. Richmond

Carlton def. West Coast
Sydney def. Essendon
Richmond def. Brisbane
Adelaide def. Collingwood

West Coast def. Richmond
Adelaide def. Essendon

Sydney def. West Coast
Carlton def. Adelaide

Carlton def. Sydney

Any answer that doesn't involve Sydney in the Grand Final shows the posters ignorance.

And as much as I truly believe Adelaide being in the Grand Final is best for tourism and the Victorian economy. The question didn't ask that, it asked for the AFL. And Carlton (and to a lesser degree, Essendon) being the premiers would achieve that as it wouldn't just be a one off injection. It would carry over for years as Richmond has recently. I went Carlton first as their drought is 5 years longer than Essendon's

Having Adelaide and West Coast in the prelim is for having a national reach late in the season.

Note: I feel Geelong could really be good for the profitability of the league with a good season. I remember in 2017, the 3 highest FNF games ratings were the Geel-Adel, Adel-Syd, Syd-Geel trio of games. So Geelong must have something going for them.

Swans need far more wins during the H & A or thr crowds disappear.

But correct they need to make the GF. Only way to get more than a handful of NSW people watching.
 

CarnTheScray

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One where all the small (Vic) clubs do well. Big clubs already get big crowds but you aren't raising that average unless the bottom clubs pull their weight.
 
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