Where are the A-League fans?

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Where are the A-League fans?

Post by Beaussie »

Soccer people always have excuses for shit crowds and tv ratings in Australia. This time, it’s cricket, rugby league and rugby union to explain it all. :oops:
Vanishing A-League fans vote with feet

Image
A small crowd looks on during a Brisbane Roar home game against Adelaide United at Suncorp Stadium. Picture: AAP.

The Australian12:00AM December 16, 2017
RAY GATT
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Amid dwindling attendances, alarming broadcasting figures and off-field shenanigans, it is not hard to see why some would be tempted to describe it as the season from hell for the A-League and Football Federation Australia.

The game’s ills have been at the forefront of media attention and commentary on social media over the past 18 months. And it is the national competition, the lifeblood of the sport in this country, which is clearly taking a big hit.

The attendance and television figures don’t make pretty reading.

Total attendance for the first 10 rounds of the season was down 92,167 on the same period last season — a 12 per cent drop. The average is down from 13,507 to 11,902.

Broadcast figures for free-to-air television show they are down some 18 per cent on last season while the pay-TV figures are down a whopping 762,000.


There is no better illustration than the numbers for last week’s Sydney derby between Western Sydney and Sydney FC.

The corresponding game last season drew more than 60,000, a record, but only just over 36,000 turned up at ANZ Stadium last week. Significantly, just 55,000 tuned into One HD to watch the biggest game in the A-League.

ImageGRAPHIC: A-League by numbers

While admitting there are some concerns, A-League boss Greg O’Rourke remains bullish.

O’Rourke believes the off-field issues regarding FFA’s fight with FIFA and the A-League clubs, the poor results for Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney, and the extra competition from the Rugby League World Cup and the Ashes has had an impact.

“We are seeing a very different dynamic about the teams that are winning and those not winning. You have the Jets and Mariners in the top four and Victory and WSW in the bottom half,” O’Rourke said.

“While it is good for the league and potentially for fans that any team has the ability to beat any other, what it is doing for crowds ... they are down seven per cent.

“Victory have 20k-plus members but there was just a 60 per cent take-up for their game against Adelaide recently.

“The club surveyed the fans and the response was that they don’t like going to Etihad Stadium and prefer their games at AAMI and that they are unhappy with the results. It’s the same with the Wanderers. They feel displaced because Parramatta Stadium is being rebuilt and the team is performing poorly.

“Yes, we’ve got issues and I fully understand that and we are addressing them. But I can’t do anything about results or the way teams are performing, that’s football.”

O’Rourke pointed out that during mid-November there was a Socceroos game, the FFA Cup final and a Sydney FC home game all in the one week.

“And we got 100k attend our games in that week in the same city ... that was surely significant,” he said.

In terms of the television ratings, O’Rourke says it has been an unusual season in that the RLWC, The Ashes and even the later than usual scheduling of a Bledisloe Cup game have had an impact.

“I don’t want to be making excuses. Yes, they are down 19 per cent but there is clarity in the reasons why,” he said. “There has been a lot of competition you don’t normally see at this time. The RLWC is a four-year event, the (home) Ashes is the same.

“Our ratings were damaged during the RLWC, particularly in NSW and Queensland which are big on rugby league.

“We even had to contend with a Bledisloe Cup game on a Saturday night not normally played at this time. Given all of that, it would be naive to think there would not be some effect on our broadcast figures.”

O’Rourke found some support from Perth Gory boss Peter Filopoulos, who admits the A-League is facing a lot of challenges but still sees many positives and is confident the national competition can make significant strides.

Filopoulos, regarded as one of the best sporting administrators in the country, knows what he is talking about. Since joining Glory several seasons ago he has transformed a dysfunctional club into a solid, well organised entity.

The club has bucked the trend with crowd attendances, memberships and corporate backing significantly up.

“I firmly believe the quality of the league is strong and this season will be very competitive. The A-League is a $100 million-plus business and growing in revenue that it generates as a league,” Filopoulos told The Weekend Australian.

“Clubs are generating between $10 million to $20 million per annum in revenue.”

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/f ... 1286012da4
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Re: Where are the A-League fans?

Post by Terry »

Beaussie wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2017 9:47 am
Soccer people always have excuses for shit crowds and tv ratings in Australia. This time, it’s cricket, rugby league and rugby union to explain it all. :oops:
Vanishing A-League fans vote with feet

Image
A small crowd looks on during a Brisbane Roar home game against Adelaide United at Suncorp Stadium. Picture: AAP.

The Australian12:00AM December 16, 2017
RAY GATT
Sports reporterSydney
@Gatty54

Amid dwindling attendances, alarming broadcasting figures and off-field shenanigans, it is not hard to see why some would be tempted to describe it as the season from hell for the A-League and Football Federation Australia.

The game’s ills have been at the forefront of media attention and commentary on social media over the past 18 months. And it is the national competition, the lifeblood of the sport in this country, which is clearly taking a big hit.

The attendance and television figures don’t make pretty reading.

Total attendance for the first 10 rounds of the season was down 92,167 on the same period last season — a 12 per cent drop. The average is down from 13,507 to 11,902.

Broadcast figures for free-to-air television show they are down some 18 per cent on last season while the pay-TV figures are down a whopping 762,000.


There is no better illustration than the numbers for last week’s Sydney derby between Western Sydney and Sydney FC.

The corresponding game last season drew more than 60,000, a record, but only just over 36,000 turned up at ANZ Stadium last week. Significantly, just 55,000 tuned into One HD to watch the biggest game in the A-League.

ImageGRAPHIC: A-League by numbers

While admitting there are some concerns, A-League boss Greg O’Rourke remains bullish.

O’Rourke believes the off-field issues regarding FFA’s fight with FIFA and the A-League clubs, the poor results for Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney, and the extra competition from the Rugby League World Cup and the Ashes has had an impact.

“We are seeing a very different dynamic about the teams that are winning and those not winning. You have the Jets and Mariners in the top four and Victory and WSW in the bottom half,” O’Rourke said.

“While it is good for the league and potentially for fans that any team has the ability to beat any other, what it is doing for crowds ... they are down seven per cent.

“Victory have 20k-plus members but there was just a 60 per cent take-up for their game against Adelaide recently.

“The club surveyed the fans and the response was that they don’t like going to Etihad Stadium and prefer their games at AAMI and that they are unhappy with the results. It’s the same with the Wanderers. They feel displaced because Parramatta Stadium is being rebuilt and the team is performing poorly.

“Yes, we’ve got issues and I fully understand that and we are addressing them. But I can’t do anything about results or the way teams are performing, that’s football.”

O’Rourke pointed out that during mid-November there was a Socceroos game, the FFA Cup final and a Sydney FC home game all in the one week.

“And we got 100k attend our games in that week in the same city ... that was surely significant,” he said.

In terms of the television ratings, O’Rourke says it has been an unusual season in that the RLWC, The Ashes and even the later than usual scheduling of a Bledisloe Cup game have had an impact.

“I don’t want to be making excuses. Yes, they are down 19 per cent but there is clarity in the reasons why,” he said. “There has been a lot of competition you don’t normally see at this time. The RLWC is a four-year event, the (home) Ashes is the same.

“Our ratings were damaged during the RLWC, particularly in NSW and Queensland which are big on rugby league.

“We even had to contend with a Bledisloe Cup game on a Saturday night not normally played at this time. Given all of that, it would be naive to think there would not be some effect on our broadcast figures.”

O’Rourke found some support from Perth Gory boss Peter Filopoulos, who admits the A-League is facing a lot of challenges but still sees many positives and is confident the national competition can make significant strides.

Filopoulos, regarded as one of the best sporting administrators in the country, knows what he is talking about. Since joining Glory several seasons ago he has transformed a dysfunctional club into a solid, well organised entity.

The club has bucked the trend with crowd attendances, memberships and corporate backing significantly up.

“I firmly believe the quality of the league is strong and this season will be very competitive. The A-League is a $100 million-plus business and growing in revenue that it generates as a league,” Filopoulos told The Weekend Australian.

“Clubs are generating between $10 million to $20 million per annum in revenue.”

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/f ... 1286012da4
It's kinda sad that some folk get enjoyment out of the perceived failings of sports they don't follow. My no. 1 sport is of course RL but I also follow and enjoy soccer and RU. (Although that idiot Fitzsimons could easily see me ditch RU.) I try to watch AFL but it's such an ugly mess I can't get past a few minutes at a time but I do try.

I think people who poke fun at, and laugh at, sports they don't like have some sort of insecurity syndrome. It makes them feel better or somehow superior but I think it really shows a lack of character and moral fortitude.

I'm sure the Aleague will survive and prosper into the future and I love the socceroo games whoever they are playing.

Thank You.

You know it's the voice of reason!!
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Re: Where are the A-League fans?

Post by leeroy*NRL* »

the worrying sign is that SYDNEY FC been so dominate for a few years in a row now but cannot crack the 15k mark.


50% of the clubs can not crack 7-8k most weeks

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Re: Where are the A-League fans?

Post by NRL&NFLweLaughATafl »

The biggest problem is that it is a reserve standard game in Australia. Everyone is watching the EPL on fox.
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Re: Where are the A-League fans?

Post by Swans4ever »

NRL&NFLweLaughATafl wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2018 8:54 pm
The biggest problem is that it is a reserve standard game in Australia. Everyone is watching the EPL on fox.
Be interested to see if this is the case do you know what the tv rating comparisons are? IMO it is because summer is very crowded now compared to when A-League started. It does well when it gets clean air but in a summer that had the RLWC, Ashes and the growing importance of BBL (not to mention NBL which is growing steadily), it is to be expected there would be a drop off.
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Re: Where are the A-League fans?

Post by phil »

Perhaps the A league people could talk to the rugby league people and put on a double header. That way they may have some chance of half filling one of their (small) stadiums. Throw in free, or 2 for one tickets, that might help ?
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Re: Where are the A-League fans?

Post by leeroy*NRL* »

Swans4ever wrote: Sun Jan 14, 2018 5:54 pm
NRL&NFLweLaughATafl wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2018 8:54 pm
The biggest problem is that it is a reserve standard game in Australia. Everyone is watching the EPL on fox.
Be interested to see if this is the case do you know what the tv rating comparisons are? IMO it is because summer is very crowded now compared to when A-League started. It does well when it gets clean air but in a summer that had the RLWC, Ashes and the growing importance of BBL (not to mention NBL which is growing steadily), it is to be expected there would be a drop off.
so hard to get EPL figures due to it being on OPTUS
the SBS games seem to rate well on Saturday night for the EPL>>

back when EPL was on FOX a round of EPL would outrate a round of A League>>
even when the EPL games were mostly at 10pm and 1am 3am etc...

A league tv figures are shocking>>

anyone know how much it would cost FOX to screen a game>>
with camera crews staff commentators set up costs per game>>

how are they making money.....
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Re: Where are the A-League fans?

Post by leeroy*NRL* »

FFA chief executive David Gallop has warned expansion will not solve all problems as the A-League suffers through a significant slump

I'm really GLAD the NRL got rid of GALLOP :D
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Re: Where are the A-League fans?

Post by leeroy*NRL* »

IT’S the national competition that most Australians don’t even know is happening.
If you’re not a football fan, you’d be forgiven for not even knowing the A-League season had started.

Even more concerning is this season’s average of 10,900 is below the overall average since the A-League kicked off in 2005.

And the A-League moving to commercial TV has been a disaster.
The hope was moving the game from SBS2 to Channel 10’s One could mean more people would see the league’s marquee games. But ratings have been a disappointment and even dropped below SBS levels.
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Re: Where are the A-League fans?

Post by leeroy*NRL* »

Due to the fact the play by 10 Network to have 1 x A League game per week
for game of the round> is struggling to have 80k viewers nationwide..

this will affect long term for FTA networks>> even thinking of giving A League a Go>>


the increase competition of sports of summer breaks and footy codes in the Feb/March Months>
have more eroded the A Leagues airtime>>

for me The BIG BASH has hit it for 6 for everything media attendances viewership and sponsorship>
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Re: Where are the A-League fans?

Post by Beaussie »

leeroy*NRL* wrote: Thu Feb 15, 2018 11:50 am
Due to the fact the play by 10 Network to have 1 x A League game per week
for game of the round> is struggling to have 80k viewers nationwide..

this will affect long term for FTA networks>> even thinking of giving A League a Go>>


the increase competition of sports of summer breaks and footy codes in the Feb/March Months>
have more eroded the A Leagues airtime>>

for me The BIG BASH has hit it for 6 for everything media attendances viewership and sponsorship>
Lucky for Channel Ten they got the broadcast rights for free. Seriously, what tv network would wanna touch the A-League going forward. Foxtel must feel so ripped off. Clearly even soccer fans are tuning out.
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Re: Where are the A-League fans?

Post by leeroy*NRL* »

Beaussie wrote: Thu Feb 15, 2018 10:45 pm
leeroy*NRL* wrote: Thu Feb 15, 2018 11:50 am
Due to the fact the play by 10 Network to have 1 x A League game per week
for game of the round> is struggling to have 80k viewers nationwide..

this will affect long term for FTA networks>> even thinking of giving A League a Go>>


the increase competition of sports of summer breaks and footy codes in the Feb/March Months>
have more eroded the A Leagues airtime>>

for me The BIG BASH has hit it for 6 for everything media attendances viewership and sponsorship>
Lucky for Channel Ten they got the broadcast rights for free. Seriously, what tv network would wanna touch the A-League going forward. Foxtel must feel so ripped off. Clearly even soccer fans are tuning out.
:lol: I didn't know Ch10 were broadcasting it for free :lol:

no other network would wanna touch it, not with those figures.. even if they doubled they are still pathetic>>

new FOX paid overs straight away on this tv deal> as the ratings didn't stack up to what they paid for it>>
they may have been hoping figures would lift.
or went higher $$ COIN $$ as they lost the Premier League
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Re: Where are the A-League fans?

Post by Swans4ever »

leeroy*NRL* wrote: Fri Feb 16, 2018 9:25 am
Beaussie wrote: Thu Feb 15, 2018 10:45 pm
leeroy*NRL* wrote: Thu Feb 15, 2018 11:50 am
Due to the fact the play by 10 Network to have 1 x A League game per week
for game of the round> is struggling to have 80k viewers nationwide..

this will affect long term for FTA networks>> even thinking of giving A League a Go>>


the increase competition of sports of summer breaks and footy codes in the Feb/March Months>
have more eroded the A Leagues airtime>>

for me The BIG BASH has hit it for 6 for everything media attendances viewership and sponsorship>
Lucky for Channel Ten they got the broadcast rights for free. Seriously, what tv network would wanna touch the A-League going forward. Foxtel must feel so ripped off. Clearly even soccer fans are tuning out.
:lol: I didn't know Ch10 were broadcasting it for free :lol:

no other network would wanna touch it, not with those figures.. even if they doubled they are still pathetic>>

new FOX paid overs straight away on this tv deal> as the ratings didn't stack up to what they paid for it>>
they may have been hoping figures would lift.
or went higher $$ COIN $$ as they lost the Premier League
Any word on EPL figures?? I dont think they are that much, IMO the problem is that soccer is exciting (like most sports) if the crowd is involved and produce an atmosphere. People have been turned away because soccer has a bigger dick head element in thes crowd and people dont want to take their kids to a game.
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Re: Where are the A-League fans?

Post by leeroy*NRL* »

Swans4ever wrote: Mon Feb 19, 2018 7:00 am
leeroy*NRL* wrote: Fri Feb 16, 2018 9:25 am
Beaussie wrote: Thu Feb 15, 2018 10:45 pm


Lucky for Channel Ten they got the broadcast rights for free. Seriously, what tv network would wanna touch the A-League going forward. Foxtel must feel so ripped off. Clearly even soccer fans are tuning out.
:lol: I didn't know Ch10 were broadcasting it for free :lol:

no other network would wanna touch it, not with those figures.. even if they doubled they are still pathetic>>

new FOX paid overs straight away on this tv deal> as the ratings didn't stack up to what they paid for it>>
they may have been hoping figures would lift.
or went higher $$ COIN $$ as they lost the Premier League
Any word on EPL figures?? I dont think they are that much, IMO the problem is that soccer is exciting (like most sports) if the crowd is involved and produce an atmosphere. People have been turned away because soccer has a bigger dick head element in thes crowd and people dont want to take their kids to a game.
The only figures you can get here in Australia of EPL is the Saturday night SBS game>

which generally kicks off around 10pm - 12am

last weeks game rated this much>

TVratings Saturday Premier League #EPL #SBS
#NorthLondonDerby Tottenham v Arsenal 120k

(remember Optus streams the game) and I'm not sure if those figures are provided)
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Re: Where are the A-League fans?

Post by Swans4ever »

Ok thx
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