Interesting post......I definitely think the AFL shoot themselves in the foot regularly in terms of watchability. I know at Frankston we aim to preserve as much of a traditional day out at the footy as possiblel. We even brought back footy records (ya know, paper ones). Crowds are up at local footy level too.
Understandable sanfl is more popular when they have a heap more media coverage , they are often in the news reports etc whereas the vfl is pretty much non existent in the media. Afl.is also disinterested in it otherwise they would have helped Preston. Having said that the vfl.does draw good crowds at the start and end of the season.when the weather ia.good but drop.off during hhe colssf months.
Too hard to draw regular support, most come.once or twice and say the same thing, love the old fashioned feel, the footy is very impressive but drop off in.my opinion due to the lack of notoriety.
It's a good.comp.bug in my opinion it's.nwver going to.be mich bigger that what it is now.
17 PREMIERSHIPS, 19 X Runners up
THE VFLS MOST SUCCESSFUL CLUB - THE MIGHTY PORT MELBOURNE BOROUGH!
I'M PORT MELBURNE BORN, I'M PORT MELBOURNE BRED, I'LL BE PORT UNTIL I'M DEAD!!!
Good article, thanks for posting. I have thought that frustration with the AFL and the associated media circus should drive interest in the state leagues - though I don't think people frustrated with umpiring would find greater satisfaction in the VFL! Then again at least with the VFL we don't have to hear every week that the umpiring is better than ever. It does seem like it's difficult to get people into the habit of watching/supporting a league they didn't grow up with. (In my case, not being Australian I found the entire sport without having grown up watching, and then once I was following a new sport it was natural to follow a VFL club as well as an AFL club - but it seems to me that people who grow up watching a given sport in one league only rarely then start also following another league within that sport as adults.)
double post
Interesting post......I definitely think the AFL shoot themselves in the foot regularly in terms of watchability. I know at Frankston we aim to preserve as much of a traditional day out at the footy as possiblel. We even brought back footy records (ya know, paper ones). Crowds are up at local footy level too.
Time to rebadge the AFL to C7FL.
Also the VFL scheduling times are a joke and all over the shop no wonder attendance is shrinking every year.
it's got to the point where most of the crowd are either directly involved on game day or are friends and relatives.
Blackrocker's post regarding SANFL crowds is the way to go, even though under the current AFL stranglehold they won't allow this to happen.
Oh for a true stand-alone strong suburban competition once again.
Understandable sanfl is more popular when they have a heap more media coverage , they are often in the news reports etc whereas the vfl is pretty much non existent in the media. Afl.is also disinterested in it otherwise they would have helped Preston. Having said that the vfl.does draw good crowds at the start and end of the season.when the weather ia.good but drop.off during hhe colssf months.
Too hard to draw regular support, most come.once or twice and say the same thing, love the old fashioned feel, the footy is very impressive but drop off in.my opinion due to the lack of notoriety.
It's a good.comp.bug in my opinion it's.nwver going to.be mich bigger that what it is now.
17 PREMIERSHIPS, 19 X Runners up
THE VFLS MOST SUCCESSFUL CLUB - THE MIGHTY PORT MELBOURNE BOROUGH!
I'M PORT MELBURNE BORN, I'M PORT MELBOURNE BRED, I'LL BE PORT UNTIL I'M DEAD!!!
Good article, thanks for posting. I have thought that frustration with the AFL and the associated media circus should drive interest in the state leagues - though I don't think people frustrated with umpiring would find greater satisfaction in the VFL! Then again at least with the VFL we don't have to hear every week that the umpiring is better than ever. It does seem like it's difficult to get people into the habit of watching/supporting a league they didn't grow up with. (In my case, not being Australian I found the entire sport without having grown up watching, and then once I was following a new sport it was natural to follow a VFL club as well as an AFL club - but it seems to me that people who grow up watching a given sport in one league only rarely then start also following another league within that sport as adults.)