Will the Granny sell out?

youneverknow22

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More people watched the Lions game in Brisbane than in Perth, Adelaide and even the competing NRL game that was on Channel 9. The sport has turned from irrelevancy into the number 2 sport in the state overnight and this game would have sold out suncorp if they wanted to play the game there. If Brisbane were playing, I bet you 100k Brisbane residents would have turned up to the game
 

Recon_29

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More people watched the Lions game in Brisbane than in Perth, Adelaide and even the competing NRL game that was on Channel 9. The sport has turned from irrelevancy into the number 2 sport in the state overnight and this game would have sold out suncorp if they wanted to play the game there. If Brisbane were playing, I bet you 100k Brisbane residents would have turned up to the game

This. People don't realise how big AFL is in SEQ.
 

youneverknow22

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This. People don't realise how big AFL is in SEQ.

Exactly. People like to lump Queensland and NSW together, but realistically, AFL is considerably more popular in Queensland than it ever will be in NSW. I know we're stereotyped for being bandwagoners, but what team doesn't have those? You won't see Richmond with 100k members if they were down the bottom of the ladder.
 

raymond35

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Exactly. People like to lump Queensland and NSW together, but realistically, AFL is considerably more popular in Queensland than it ever will be in NSW. I know we're stereotyped for being bandwagoners, but what team doesn't have those? You won't see Richmond with 100k members if they were down the bottom of the ladder.

Correct. It was this that made the horror years of ch9 having the footy so bad.
Areas like southern NSW and gold coast received the same AFL coverage as Sydney for gods sake.
 
not going to read the whole thread but surely no one genuinely thought it wouldn’t sell out did they? No one can be that out of touch with the game... surely?

Just wishful thinking from WAh so they can pretend it would have been better in Perth.
 

Ron The Bear

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Exactly. People like to lump Queensland and NSW together, but realistically, AFL is considerably more popular in Queensland than it ever will be in NSW. I know we're stereotyped for being bandwagoners, but what team doesn't have those? You won't see Richmond with 100k members if they were down the bottom of the ladder.

Not 100K, no. That's only a recent phenomenon.

Back in the late 1980's the clubs averaged fewer than 6K members each, with Richmond lowest at under 3K at one point (1987). Numbers have steadily grown across the board as clubs developed membership into a significant income stream, but it's tough to build on the back of two finals appearances in 25 years (1988-2012). Even so, by 2013 Richmond had the third-highest membership and second-highest attendance, with over a million through the gate after precious little reward for their loyalty.

Yeah there is a healthy percentage of bandwagoners/younger supporters who will disappear when the good times end. I suspect these people are responsible for the perception of Richmond supporters as arrogant or obnoxious. After what we've been through, the vast majority of us are proud but measured.

Crowds at Brisbane games dropped by 40% from the threepeat days before spiking in 2019. Everyone loves a winner, some more than others.
 
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Crowds at Brisbane games dropped by 40% from the threepeat days before spiking in 2019. Everyone loves a winner, some more than others.
There was a slight bandwagon in the late Bears/early Lions days before flags as well. In 1994-5 (when Bears became competitive and after moving from Carr to Gabb in '93, so finding a new local crowd) it was hovering around 8-15K a game, and then in 1996-97 it was 15-22K. Typically the biggest crowds when playing Essendon or Collingwood (who both back then were touted as having the best travelling crowds in the northern states) and smaller crowds for the likes of the Roys, Bulldogs, Swans, early Power. Then in 1998 it dips back to a 14-20K. 1999 they only dipped below 20K once and got 26K to the QF against Carlton. Their next Gabba game (Rnd5 2000 v Adelaide) exceeded that, then Rnd 8 v Ess almost 32K. Rnd16 v Carl 34.7K. <20K crowds now aren't a thing.

All fairly predictable and understandable. You can see by 2001 they've already contended twice and become an increasingly popular team, highly touted going into 1997 and 2000, quickly righting ship after the hiccup of '98. As that streak stretched on in late '01, even sides like the Bulldogs (26K) and Swans (33K) were getting a decent crowd. Come 2004, their lowest crowd was 29.3K against the lowly Bulldogs. Capacity for AFL is 37.5K. The '01 'if it bleeds' (36K) and '01 PF (37K) games (their first home prelim) both must have been the first 'full houses'.
 
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Recon_29

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When I went to Gold Coast last year (in Grand Final week), I was actually surprised at how many people there cared about the AFL. I thought that people hardly cared about the sport in Queensland but was wrong


Having lived here a while now i would argue the gold coast region is actually stronger in terms of AFL than it is for NRL. I think participation figures back that from memory.
 
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Crowds at Brisbane games dropped by 40% from the threepeat days before spiking in 2019. Everyone loves a winner, some more than others.
Only making finals once in a 14 season stretch will do that to a young 'non footy state' club. A lot of the '01 flag stars had also gone by the end of the decade. Brown, Black and Power were the only ones still there in 2010, and when that top-up failed and Brennan/Rischitelli left to the new local side it was bleak. Lappin & Copeland left the Lions in '08. Notting & Bradshaw in '09. Most of the others had been around since the Bears days and were done not long after contention. Ashley McGrath (a young bottom 6 flag player in '03) was the only other survivor.
 

Recon_29

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Crowds at Brisbane games dropped by 40% from the threepeat days before spiking in 2019. Everyone loves a winner, some more than others.


True. However Richmond crowds in their dark years of the mid 2000s averaged 34721. In the period of success during 17-19 that went up to 59037. A difference of 41%. Some clubs just love a winner more than others.
 

Johnny Bananas

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I see the usual VFL navel gazers used this to have another sook about Queensland, despite it selling out incredibly quickly. Both Richmond and Geelong have a huge number of fans living in Brisbane, even if they're not all members.
 

Ron The Bear

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True. However Richmond crowds in their dark years of the mid 2000s averaged 34721. In the period of success during 17-19 that went up to 59037. A difference of 41%. Some clubs just love a winner more than others.

A wooden spoon year after playing finals twice in 21 years? Richmond was still 6th for average attendance that season.

Brisbane played finals in 9 out of 10 years whereas Richmond was 2 for 22 at the end of that year. And despite its bastard conception, Brisbane was never abandoned to die by the AFL.
 

Recon_29

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A wooden spoon year after playing finals twice in 21 years? Richmond was still 6th for average attendance that season.

Brisbane played finals in 9 out of 10 years whereas Richmond was 2 for 22 at the end of that year. And despite its bastard conception, Brisbane was never abandoned to die by the AFL.

Richmond also had a 100 year headstart on Brisbane, a team based in so called NRL heartland. Every club has bandwagon supporters as the last 3 years have shown with Richmond and before that Hawthorn. Its a part of sport in general
 

Ron The Bear

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Richmond also had a 100 year headstart on Brisbane, a team based in so called NRL heartland. Every club has bandwagon supporters as the last 3 years have shown with Richmond and before that Hawthorn. Its a part of sport in general

Yes, as initially acknowledged.

The post I responded to felt like a cheap shot. We've paid our dues.
 
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A young frontier club going through its first post-success dark patch will always be vulnerable, compounded by a recent merge, fan drain from the Suns and the Freo-mirroring rise of the long-maligned North QLD Cowboys. I don't think you can compare that to an old club like Richmond who has seen multiple ups and downs and had an extended period of regular success from 1965-82. Not many clubs have recently experienced a period like 2005-2018, where 2005-2013 is generally wilderness and then you plunge into 24-86 in 2014-18 finishing no higher than 15th.
 
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Ron The Bear

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A young frontier club going through its first post-success dark patch will always be vulnerable, compounded by a recent merge, fan drain from the Suns and the Freo-mirroring rise of the long-maligned North QLD Cowboys. I don't think you can compare that to an old club like Richmond who has seen multiple ups and downs and had an extended period of regular success from 1965-82.

Yes it's very different, but plenty of clubs wouldn't survive 2 finals series in 30 years without being substantially propped up by the AFL, let alone be gathering strength at the end of it. Port almost went bust 7 (?) years after a flag and 4 years after a GF (forgettable as it was).
 
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I don't really think it's an embarrassment if it doesn't sell out. It may have slipped past a few people, but there's been a couple of mitigating circumstances this year.

Would Melbourne sell out Marvel for two random teams in the NRL grand final, if most of the club's fans couldn't enter the state and tickets were $200-300 each? I don't know.
can tell you a coupla places where it would have sold out in 10 minutes flat......
 
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