Are non-Victorian teams' fans killing their own clubs?

[glengowan]

I reckon 30% of people who support an AFL team in SA support someone other than the Crows or the Power. Maybe that percentage is less for kids. Just about everyone in SA had an old VFL team before the Crows came in and many didn't switch or held on to some sort of allegiance which has resulted in them now continuing to support that club and often has their kids in those colours as well. Of course, there are many Crows supporters located all over the country, including a big cohort in Melbourne.

I don't think the TV rights etc has anything to do with it. In SA at least, the media is absolutely saturated with Crows and Power.

 

[PerthBoy86]

I reckon 30% of people who support an AFL team in SA support someone other than the Crows or the Power. Maybe that percentage is less for kids. Just about everyone in SA had an old VFL team before the Crows came in and many didn't switch or held on to some sort of allegiance which has resulted in them now continuing to support that club and often has their kids in those colours as well. Of course, there are many Crows supporters located all over the country, including a big cohort in Melbourne.

I don't think the TV rights etc has anything to do with it. In SA at least, the media is absolutely saturated with Crows and Power.

That sounds high. My school mate went for St Kilda (he's my age 38, so didn't watch in the VFL days) for some random reason but he was one of the few I knew. That's WA mind you. If you consider interstaters who moved to SA too?

Did they show many VFL games on fta tv before 1990? Have no idea what it was like here in WA, like the split between WAFL and VFL games. Like i imagine most more followed the WAFL than VFL but have no clue.

 

[SC_Power]

That's exactly what I'm suggesting.

It'd also lead to non-victorian teams having greater access to national fta games, and higher sponsorship revenue.

The current tv deal screws over the non-vic clubs just so a few entitled fans can watch every week.

It hurts the bottom line, and it hinders growth.

It's bad for the long term viability of the clubs.

In what bizarro world do you see non-vic teams ever getting greater access to national fta games?

Because it's a good idea? That's gold.
Maybe if we had the biggest and best game, the Grand Final, in other states, that would make people like the game even more in those states hey?

Even your premise that national FTA show the good Victorian teams only because non Vic teams are hogging the local timeslots is absurd. How about the AFL actually put those good non Vic games on national FTA regardless? Or do you think, like the AFL, that Vics won't watch?

The best rivalry in Australia, the Showdown, has been FTA, SFA. Why is that, exactly?

Sorry, but your post doesn't stack up. Thanks for the concern though.

 

[Rob]

Are they?

Can't think of any other club that would continue getting 40k to their games against interstate opposition (at a minimum adult ticket price of $57) when they're getting obliterated every game.
Collingwood, for example, can only pull those sort of numbers when they're winning. Most clubs can't get that many at any time.

 

[JimmyBC]

That sounds high. My school mate went for St Kilda (he's my age 38, so didn't watch in the VFL days) for some random reason but he was one of the few I knew. That's WA mind you. If you consider interstaters who moved to SA too?

Did they show many VFL games on fta tv before 1990? Have no idea what it was like here in WA, like the split between WAFL and VFL games. Like i imagine most more followed the WAFL than VFL but have no clue.

I doubt anyone in Adelaide or Perth really gave two shits about the VFL in the heyday of the SANFL & WAFL.

 

[LordLucifer]

About 20 years overdue.

Subiaco Bulldogs.

Alberton Kangaroos.

Darwin Saints.

20th team to Canberra.

You're welcome Dillon.

Canberra Kangaroos

Sunshine Coast Saints

 

[Smeg Head]

Even if they were under no obligation to show local games here, Channel 7 wouldnt suddenly cover some of them. They want all their timeslots to be games in Victoria since it cuts their costs down. They are well on their way to being broke as it is.

 

[HTPunter]

I really don’t understand or follow this thread. At all.

Are WC, Freo, Adelaide & Port struggling for fans?

Why would watching the national FTA game help support those 4, when they see the bandwagon Vic club of the time (Cats/Hawks/Tigers/Pies/this year Blues) every Thursday/Friday night while the local team is relegated to Sunday afternoon when they’re playing their own footy match?

Huh? wtf?

 

[Coolangatta]

Canberra Kangaroos

Sunshine Coast Saints

AFL might prefer smaller NSW/ACT/QLD markets as secondary.

Giants continue long-term with Canberra.

North Sydney Kangaroos (8 Sydney, 2 Newcastle, 1 Gosford) -- gets them into Hunter/Central market
Moreton Bay Bulldogs (9 Brisbane, 2 Sunshine Coast)
South Sydney Saints (9 Sydney, 2 Wollongong)

But it ain't happening, the 10 Vic teams we have will stay put.

 

[glengowan]

That sounds high. My school mate went for St Kilda (he's my age 38, so didn't watch in the VFL days) for some random reason but he was one of the few I knew. That's WA mind you. If you consider interstaters who moved to SA too?

Did they show many VFL games on fta tv before 1990? Have no idea what it was like here in WA, like the split between WAFL and VFL games. Like i imagine most more followed the WAFL than VFL but have no clue.

I just did a quick flick through my fb friends list to see who I knew which club they support and it came out something like a bit over 50% Crows, a bit under 25% Port and a bit under 25% the rest. That's obviously only a small sample size.

I was born 1981 and strongly remember being taken to SANFL games, State of Origin games and watching the VFL/AFL on a Sunday on TV in the late 80's until the Crows came in. Everyone had their SANFL club as their number one team until the Crows came in and a massive percentage jumped ship to the AFL straight away, including the media, from 1991. I loosely followed West Coast because they copied the blue and gold and used the Eagles of my SANFL team West Torrens, until the Crows came in. Because the Crows were a bit late in coming in - there was already a generation of South Australian players who had gone over to the VFL in the late 70's and through the 80's and people would follow their favourite player. Or people would follow the team that resembled their SA team in colours or mascot.

Now almost everyone has an AFL team as their number one team, but most still hold some allegiance to their SANFL team, hence the big crowd for an SANFL Grand Final each year. I think people would be surprised how many SA people follow the non-SA AFL teams, especially based on how parochial our media is with the Crows and Port. It helps the Crows and Port with their crowds as well and goes some way to making Gather Round a success.

 

[Coolangatta]

I would have loved if they set up the AFL in 1987 as the top 6 VFL teams, top 3 WAFL teams, and top 3 SANFL teams. 12 teams playing each other twice, with the bottom three being relegated back to whatever state leagues they came from and each of the VFL, WAFL, and SANFL premiers being promoted.

You would not have been able to have 3 divisions of 30+ teams back then because of the insane costs of air travel, but if there was just one division, the national league, that only had air travel expenses, maybe it could have worked.

I don't think you could have had a draft, but maybe each league could've merged and applied the same salary cap rules across the board to stop clubs from bleeding themselves and the state leagues dry of the best talent.

87 would've looked like this, based on 86 state ladders:

Hawthorn
Sydney
Carlton
Fitzroy
Essendon
Collingwood
Subiaco
East Fremantle
Perth
North Adelaide
Glenelg
Port Adelaide

 

[Freomaniac]

I'm sure our 2 FTA games will see us flourish.

Ironic as North Melbourne were the ones that hosted many games of Friday night games on tv before it was cool.

 

[MC Bad Genius]

Here's a theory...

Only the absolute dregs of society wear their AFL footy gear 'out and about'.

The only time it is even remotely understandable (not acceptable, but understandable) is when losers travel interstate to watch their team play. They put on their gear, and go 'out and about'.

So you notice them.

I was in Paris earlier this year when the rugby World Cup was on. Believe it or not, but I saw heaps of people out and about in Irish gear - but none in French gear.
Now stay with me...this doesn't mean that there are more Irish rugby union fans in Paris than French ones.


The locals don't wear their gear when they go out and about. Cause, you know, that would be idiotic and would out them as complete losers.

The only team that seems to buck this trend is the Rabbitohs in the NRL. Every day I see dozens of people around this way wearing red and green. It's like a cult.