Finals Attendances - what can be done?

Apparently the crowd today for the EF & QF was very poor, and it's become obvious it's a problem that needs to be a addressed. I would like to hear people's opinions as to why they think people aren't turning up, and what solutions they may offer.

I heard excuses today such as the Royal Show, etc. That may be a contributing factor along with some people thinking of heading over to Melbourne for the AFL finals and wanting to save their money. Let's face it, people do not have a bottomless pit of money.

I think Football Park is a factor. If today's games were a little more central, Adelaide Oval, Thebarton Oval, Norwood Oval, etc, I would have probably gone, but I just couldn't be bothered travelling to Football Park when my team wasn't playing. I also know there is a fair % who only become interested in SANFL when the Crows have bombed out of the AFL. They haven't turned up yet.

I also feel the SANFL season is way too long. My team, by missing the first round of the finals, has now missed 6 weekends of football, including 4 byes and the state game. It has been difficult retaining a sense of continuity (and interest) when my team misses a match on average every 4 or 5 weeks. To think we start on 23rd March, end up on 7th October is way too long a season. We should be just about finished our finals like the WAFL, not just starting them.

Anyway, there's more points I have and will contribute them later on. I'd like to hear what others have to say first.

Play a tripple header

Brief points too:
I'll keep arguing for games at neutral suburban grounds like I have been for the past 10 years.

Adelaide Oval was nice as the old ground. We'd face the exact same problem at the new stadium.

My other theory from left field is that the finals need Port, Norwood, Glenelg and Sturt to draw crowds (no disrespect to the other clubs - but we tradtionally don't pull as many people as these 4) as well as the two SA-based AFL clubs to have shocking seasons to get the bandwagoners on board and make them feel like they have always backed a winner.

Is having the Elimination Final first a problem? I rocked up to Footy Park at the start of the last quarter and thought it was a decent crowd, but the red/white and the blue/green/gold soon walked out of the stadium once the game was finished. I think we may have more people stay if the EF was played after the Qualifying Final.

Starting times maybe? Is it too late a finish?

howthewestwaswon wrote:Starting times maybe? Is it too late a finish?

This was another point I was going to make. The late finish is absurd, just as it is on Grand Final Day. All season we have 2.10pm starts, why does this alter on GF day? Just plain weird, there's no reason for it, but we do it anyway.

I agree with a lot of that, but it's the clubs who want the finals at Footy Park, mainly ecause of facilities.
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Ive made comment on another thread about this .When you have teams like Centrals, West and the Eagles you will get poor crowds in finals . North are OK but these games MUST be played at suburban ovals .Same issue at AO , it will look empty ! It is just makes the comp. look second rate . Can't anyone understand this ?It's just blooody simple. The length of the season is fine , the SANFL GF MUST ALWAYS be after the AFL GF as it gives a week of exposure.

It's obvious. Put 5000-6000 in a suburban ground and it looks like people want to be there and makes for a good atmosphere. Crowds on TV make a huge differennce . This is marketing . God this is bewildering.

I heard a curious comment on 5RPH today that when AFL moves to Adelaide Oval in 2014, that means more SANFL would be played at Football Park. Oh God no!!! I'm hoping that was a statement based on personal opinion and not fact. Has anyone heard anything about this?

I heard that down the track footy park where will be reduced in capacity. I have not heard anything about sanfl games there of late. If anything maybe finals but I think the gf should be at Adelaide oval . Why not ? Anyway I Also think that footy park will be gone eventually for the benefit of the sanfl. Won't say much more on that .

howthewestwaswon wrote:Brief points too:
I'll keep arguing for games at neutral suburban grounds like I have been for the past 10 years.

Adelaide Oval was nice as the old ground. We'd face the exact same problem at the new stadium.

My other theory from left field is that the finals need Port, Norwood, Glenelg and Sturt to draw crowds (no disrespect to the other clubs - but we tradtionally don't pull as many people as these 4) as well as the two SA-based AFL clubs to have shocking seasons to get the bandwagoners on board and make them feel like they have always backed a winner.

Is having the Elimination Final first a problem? I rocked up to Footy Park at the start of the last quarter and thought it was a decent crowd, but the red/white and the blue/green/gold soon walked out of the stadium once the game was finished. I think we may have more people stay if the EF was played after the Qualifying Final.

Starting times maybe? Is it too late a finish?

I'm of the school that the team that finishes higher gets the final played at their home ground.
Gives clubs a great incentive to keep winning.
West really didn't play their best squad in the last few games but if a home final had been the prize on the line I'm sure the club would have insured the coach put the best team out there( based solely on the extra revenue the club could generate from a home final.)Season means something right up till the end game, even if the final five teams have been decided early, the positions haven't.
Real incentive to become a member of a club, for if god forbid, a final did sell out then the next year, club members should be given first crack at buying tickets for a final.People might actually become members.
Finals don't need Port, Glenelg, Norwood or Sturt.
So what if they've got a bigger supporters base, are their supporters more important ?
I read this ramble all the time. "We need Norwood and Port to be strong for the good of the competition...get back to the good old days....what we need is the traditional rivals to be strong"...well bloody well earn it then.
Sick to death of these types of statements, to some, teams like West and South should only be fodder for these big four teams and are an inconvenience or disruption to the preordained order of football life. A four team competition would get pretty boring quickly.

I know there was no disrepect intended "HowtheWestwaswon" but that is a prevailing attitude of some supporters, it's almost like we need to rig the competition for the good of the league so they always get in.... Centrals winning every year is bad for the comp....Why?... They were the best team!!

Which ever way they go the early finals must be taken away from those big arena's Footy park and Adelaide oval and put into a suburban ground environment.No double headers, finals played at different grounds where a crowd over 4000 gives a sense of occasion and atmosphere.

I

I'll expand on this at a later point but the "VIBE" of finals in a Stadium is very different to that which SANFL suburban footy provides during the season.

Those changes are not necessarily positive for the week by week SANFL fan.

I have already stated the case that the SANFL Club home match & season ticket holders should have access to prime seating at the finals, ie the Members Reserve.

Instead they have to sit in the pockets, or facing the sun on the outer wing, hardly a reward for the SANFL Club loyalty they provide.

As another classic example I was with a group of about 40-50 Eagles supporters in the North West Pocket in the General Reserve just by the Members Reserve fence.

There were two Eagles fans, both members and season ticket holders who wanted to stand up to watch the game as they would do week in, week out on terraces and hills around the league.

They stood up behind the seats, they were not blocking any thoroughfare because of the members reserve fence. There was not even anyone sitting in the Mezzanine area behind them as this was members reserve seating only and was closed off.

However on at least three occassions a Security Official came up and reminded them they could not stand up behind the seats but had to stand in specially marked yellow painted boxes about 2m back.

Technically correct ... absolutely.

Showing any semblance of common sense and the normal SANFL suburban "vibe" ....... alas not.

Some people should learn how to read... CB10, I was not stating that the SANFL should be rigged to support these teams, rather I was just observing the numbers in their supporter bases. Maybe I shouldn't have used the word 'need' in my sentence. I was just noting that in the neutral games that I have gone to involving these clubs, the numbers of people attending is larger than the other games when they are not involved. I really don't give a sh*t if they make it or not, rather I'm trying to give an opinion without 100% West Adelaide bias. I agree with you on one point though - No way in hell is my club a fodder team!!

CB10 wrote:I know there was no disrepect intended "HowtheWestwaswon" but that is a prevailing attitude of some supporters, it's almost like we need to rig the competition for the good of the league so they always get in.... Centrals winning every year is bad for the comp....Why?... They were the best team!!

Very true. However, in the overall picture, you can't expect crowds to grow when you see the same team in 12 Grand Finals, winning 9 of them. Not blaming Central, all you can do each season is try to win the flag, I blame other clubs for underperforming over that period. While Central have been busy winning flags, a number of other clubs have been in survival mode.

howthewestwaswon wrote:Some people should learn how to read... CB10, I was not stating that the SANFL should be rigged to support these teams, rather I was just observing the numbers in their supporter bases. Maybe I shouldn't have used the word 'need' in my sentence. I was just noting that in the neutral games that I have gone to involving these clubs, the numbers of people attending is larger than the other games when they are not involved. I really don't give a sh*t if they make it or not, rather I'm trying to give an opinion without 100% West Adelaide bias. I agree with you on one point though - No way in hell is my club a fodder team!!

No I can read HTWWW, I thought you may think I was having a go but it wasn't aimed at you.
They do have the biggest supporter base no doubt, would never intentionally have a go at a Westies man. There are so few of us around and we are a very loyal bunch who turn up year in, year out, yet we still get criticised for having poor crowds. That's just the way it is.
Your post opened up a small window and I jumped through and vented my spleen. Wanted to get this whole "It's their god given right thing off my chest". I feel better now!

Surely when Adelaide oval is completed, SANFL games will be played there. There's no way I will go to Footy park for a minor round game. Just a point on playing finals at suburban grounds which I agree with, it would mean that only one final would be televised as there is no way the ABC would cover 2 grounds. Not really a problem in my eyes as I'm sure TV coverage affects bums on seats. If finals were played at Adelaide oval however, I think I would go as a neutral supporter. (Would have yesterday for example)

CB10 wrote:

howthewestwaswon wrote:Some people should learn how to read... CB10, I was not stating that the SANFL should be rigged to support these teams, rather I was just observing the numbers in their supporter bases. Maybe I shouldn't have used the word 'need' in my sentence. I was just noting that in the neutral games that I have gone to involving these clubs, the numbers of people attending is larger than the other games when they are not involved. I really don't give a sh*t if they make it or not, rather I'm trying to give an opinion without 100% West Adelaide bias. I agree with you on one point though - No way in hell is my club a fodder team!!

No I can read HTWWW, I thought you may think I was having a go but it wasn't aimed at you.
They do have the biggest supporter base no doubt, would never intentionally have a go at a Westies man. There are so few of us around and we are a very loyal bunch who turn up year in, year out, yet we still get criticised for having poor crowds. That's just the way it is.
Your post opened up a small window and I jumped through and vented my spline. Wanted to get this whole "It's their god given right thing off my chest". I feel better now!

Righto. I had to vent back. I think we can play on.

The other two leagues we most compare with (VFL & WAFL) have finals at suburban grounds. The VFL is a mix of home & neutral (not sure on what basis) but WAFL appears to be home finals.

You would hope a home final would attract a minimum 4.000 each, a great atmosphere.

Would also mean EVERY position in the top 5 means something


Based on yesterday, Prelim Final day really worries me especially if Norwood are not in it. Could well be a crowd under 5K

Problem is that the SANFL themselves along with the help of 5AA have been putting out negative publicity re Football Park to get people on board with Adelaide Oval and all the negatives that they constantly broadcast eventually stick.

The other problem is that the SANFL has evolved past Football Park and to go back to it would be a huge step backwards. Many SANFL fans will not pay for the additional car parking fees and other costs to attend Football Park.

IMO the SANFL have sat on thier hands for the past two years in terms of promoting and scheduling the SANFL and now that has become a monkey on their backs that is going to take some time to get rid of. Opening the season last year with a Port vs Norwood game as a Curtain Raiser did the comp a lot of damage and lost it momentum.

A much stronger effort is required from the SANFL to promote and to be innovate in scheduling of games if the competition is to move forward, the current attitude appears very poor and more should be expected of the SANFL to turn their own attiude around.

I think media build up to the finals has been very poor. (both paper and radio)

Too much focus on the Crows finals and not really enough on the SANFL.

Dont think you can put blame on the teams in the finals for poor turnout.

Last year, we had South, Eagles in for a final and got over 10,000 to a doulble header.

Southee wrote:I think media build up to the finals has been very poor. (both paper and radio)

Too much focus on the Crows finals and not really enough on the SANFL.

Dont think you can put blame on the teams in the finals for poor turnout.

Last year, we had South, Eagles in for a final and got over 10,000 to a doulble header.

It seemed that there would not have been 4,000 people at the second game. In the outer in particular there seemed a strong contingent of North supporters but not much from the other three clubs.

Have we got a number for yesterdays crowd?

It was about 7,500.

7,162

redandblack wrote:It was about 7,500.

7,126 was the official figure...

Big Phil wrote:

redandblack wrote:It was about 7,500.

7,126 was the official figure...

That amount would not have been at the Central v West game. IMO it would have dropped to 4000. Total tickets sold perhaps?

Free beer - ban Centrals from the finals - 2 options to get larger crowds