Crowds

how about every team plays each other twice = home and away

yes 16 rounds seems short but then do we incorporate a pre-season comp.

Adelaide Hawk wrote:

StrayDog wrote:A bit off topic, but have been curious for a while as to why '75 was a special case. A one off year of specifically allowing for NFL matches perhaps?

I've always assumed it was because we introduced the Datsun Cup that year which was a departure from night competitions. They needed to find around 4 weeks from somewhere, so it made good sense to trim it back to 18 rounds.

That would explain it. Thanks A H.

how about we get rid of port and play each other 3 times 21 games
beautiful

Ben W wrote:Another problem IMO is this farcical idea that a nine team competition has to play the same season length as the 18 in the AFL. IMO its stretching the resources of the SANFL clubs to far. We should simply play each other twice then have the finals. Start the season in good weather play some good night games to high crowds with the right promotion to start it off. Football Park and Thebarton are good options for clubs that dont have lights. Sturt need 3000 to break even at Unley, they might get a pretty good deal opening the season at Thebarton in a "home" game against WWT for example. 6000 there on the night helps them out on a week where they get 1700 at home.

This has nothing to do with crowds declining though ? If we shortened our season it would be the biggest mistake the SANFL could make. Who said Thebby could be used ? Start off under lights when the weather is fine is what happens now . ? The season must end the week after the AFL GF as it is a week of much more SANFL exposuure and our GF is in the spotlight . It would get lost if it was weeks before from an exposure viewpoint and the GF would decrease for sure . Then add in the weather conditions being not as good and you wouuld have a very ordinary result.

As much as the SANFL gets the blame for poor promotion , the clubs should also take some heat . Why dont the SANFL take out a FULL page advert and summary of each game in the FRIDAY & SATURDAY paper as an example . Needs pumping up as I am finding the articles in the paper decreasing .$10 entry is good , members bringing a "friend" get discount on food or a drink , groups of a certain number ( eg 6 or 10 ) paying at the gate get a deal of 1 for free /2 for free or something like that . (maybe a group of10 paying at gate get half price ?) I'm sure with time I can add ideas to this list , all of us can , but it just requires some thinking and focus on our comp. from the decision makers. Last I knew the SANFL was not just about the AFL clubs ?

this week if you go to a 'Good Guys' store you'll get free tickets if you ask the person behind the counter


ps, you have to give Norwood credit as they've had N. Basset doing adds for friday nights clash all week

I forgot one, program crowd pulling games better.EG Season openers , public holidays , early when the weather is fine etc.

The marketing team at West have been innovative this season, eg Ladies Day and the Norwood promotion, but they're just not pulling the crowds.

Agree the Tiser coverage has dropped off. Yes, lower the price or freeze it now for three years.

I think demographics have changed. New people move into the inner suburbs, in particular, and have no allegiance to their local club. Maybe councils and real estate agents should be tapped to offer free tickets and membership info in welcome packs for new residents.

Not sure that playing the SANFL Grand Final the week after the AFL Grand Final gets the SANFL any special media coverage any more. The media are generally still full of the AFL Grand Final result and Trade Week talk seems to take precedence over the SANFL.

As mentioned before, a short Pre Season comp followed by an 18 round season, and finals. Enthusiasm always leaks, bringing the SANFL season back to what it historically was is a good way of retaining interest. Just putting on games is coming at cost to at least one club in the SANFL if the attendance falls under 3000. I suspect that others are likely in the same basket also.

The sanfl gf gets heaps of media attention gf week. A lot more than it would if it was played during the AFL finals . It also gets media attention post gf.

Agreed that the SANFL GF benefits from not competiting head to head with AFL finals .. will be interesting as media sports coverage becomes less local and more national / global if those benefits will continue.

Alas there are two non AFL windows to exploit, in March the weekends around NAB cup final and no games prior to the season start and the week after the GF. To make use of both you end up with a very long season.


Re the real estate agents that is a good idea as its important to devlope connections with your local area, in particular within a few KM's of their home ground.

One SANFL club has a large residential development occurring just down the road and has teamed up with the developers to give each new residents a "Welcome Pack" which includes some social club vouchers, membership offers and a free family ticket to a home game.

The crowd drop is a concern with five clubs experiencing a home crowd decline of more than 10% this season.

I have no numeric proof but I suspect the drop off is in "walk ups", ie visiting fans who only have a home match tickets, non members or neutrals going to an extra game. ... these are the ones who would pay the full $14.
I think most clubs seems to have stable home match & season ticket numbers and you would assume a good percentage would turn up.

I also wonder if the new AFL TV deal has had an impact this year. With the lure of being able to watch every AFL game live with Foxtel rather than the chook lotto of years past I wonder how many now stay home and invest their money to enjoy watching a Friday Night match at a reasonable time or a triple header on a Saturday.

I say this remembering the effect having live broadcasts of AFL games in Adelaide on Saturday afternoons had on the SANFL crowds when introduced in 1987.

why would it be the worst mistake the sanfl could do by shortening the season??

Depends if it makes money from home match / season ticket sales, gate takings, bar & canteen income
and if that is more than what they will save in expenses by having less games.

One reason why country games are no more is that the crowd (gate) increase (where there was one) did not offset the loss of bar & canteen income.

Crowds so far Rd 18

Norwood v Port - 6050
North v West - 1720
Central v Glenelg - 2357

could an option be for clubs or the sanfl to have a deal where if someone goes in with a club member they get in for 1/2 price. Could make it a max of 2 people as an example. Those 2 people have invested $14 between them to get in and will no doubt spend money over the canteen for food and drinks.

The idea you mentioned PhilH on the local club teaming up with the local developers should have a positive result for that club.

well the SANFL are now in a unique position where it is able to do some serious promotion for games with teams fighting for a finals spot.

Not often that teams from 4th -9th are evenly matched.

With the right promotions no reason why some games this week cant get good crowds.

PhilH wrote:Crowds so far Rd 18

Norwood v Port - 6050
North v West - 1720
Central v Glenelg - 2357

not sure of the South v Sturt crowd but i'd suggest it was on par with last weeks, so lets say there was about 11,000 people who went to the SANFL over the weekend......how many were at footy park yesterday ?

i'll add had it been a $10.00 entry fee, the SANFL crowds would have passed the footy park crowd

bayman wrote:

PhilH wrote:Crowds so far Rd 18

Norwood v Port - 6050
North v West - 1720
Central v Glenelg - 2357

not sure of the South v Sturt crowd but i'd suggest it was on par with last weeks, so lets say there was about 11,000 people who went to the SANFL over the weekend......how many were at footy park yesterday ?

i'll add had it been a $10.00 entry fee, the SANFL crowds would have passed the footy park crowd

There was only 1,617 at Noarlunga yesterday, bayman...

1,617 at Noarlunga yesterday

ok thanks for that

6050 @ Norwood
1720 @ Prospect
2357 @ Glenelg
1617 @ Noarlunga

11,744 in total

14,583 was at Football Park

so 2,839 more people went to the AFL game than the SANFL round...i'd suggest the AFL would be more disappointed with those figures than the SANFL

wouldn't the sanfl be disappointed with the powers crowds as they are somewhat liable for them?

Yep. non Power people think its a great laugh but the joke is on us.

Double Blues or Calrton fans perhaps? This was on the wall of the BP opposite from Coopers Stadium...

Love the totally unnecessary apostrophe.

redandblack wrote:Love the totally unnecessary apostrophe.

You're assuming that people with the mentality to vandalise walls also know how to punctuate?

Definitely not, that particular apostrophe atrocity is widespread.