TOPIC:

bolter wrote: Without a doubt the dominance of Subiaco is the prime reason for the decline in crowds and dwindling interest in the WAFL. They have been dominant for nearly 30 years now and it is just getting boring.
For the comp to rejuvenate it needs Swans East Perth and Perth in the top 3 for once. They will get the crowds back as we have seen with Perth this year. The alignment has absolutely no effect on the crowds falling. Look at the SANFL. Adelaide and Port are in the finals and they are getting 12,000 to the finals and the total crowds are steady mainly because not one team is dominating. They have had 6 different premiers over the last 10 years.
Subiacos continued dominance will be the death of the WAFL full stop. Don't blame the AFL teams.

I blame the Footy Commission for doing stuff all about it.

bolter wrote: Without a doubt the dominance of Subiaco is the prime reason for the decline in crowds and dwindling interest in the WAFL. They have been dominant for nearly 30 years now and it is just getting boring.
For the comp to rejuvenate it needs Swans East Perth and Perth in the top 3 for once. They will get the crowds back as we have seen with Perth this year. The alignment has absolutely no effect on the crowds falling. Look at the SANFL. Adelaide and Port are in the finals and they are getting 12,000 to the finals and the total crowds are steady mainly because not one team is dominating. They have had 6 different premiers over the last 10 years.
Subiacos continued dominance will be the death of the WAFL full stop. Don't blame the AFL teams.

Spot on. Great post.

DD wrote:

Bazza wrote: South need to do a lot of soul searching about it's future looking at these figures.

The club has spent a lot on improving facilities for members, great bar facilities, new comfortable seating in the stand, and the addition of private boxes, a new merchandise store.

SFFC have been very competitive in last few years as well, problem is everyone knows that only subi can win it and that's the killer.

Numbers will continue to decline most attending at 60 plus in age, declining health and father time is taking its toll.

Just in my seating area alone 4 people have kicked the bucket in last 5 years , no body has replaced them.

Bazza does your club have junior days at any WAFL games during each season? I know one thing our club has been very good at for a long time is holding junior days where every junior club turns up in their colours with banners and flags and they get introduced and paraded around and scream their lungs out and of course the parents are there. Makes for a great atmosphere and our club has bouncy castles and face painting etc...

Maybe that converts a few next generation supporters to replace the ones that are falling off the perch? Maybe your club doesn’t do enough to bring in the next generation of supporters which every club should be doing to continue to keep the WAFL alive and relevant for the next hundred years. No point living in the past, unfortunately those days are gone.

Mate we have had those junior days for ever and a day, and still do, they achieve SFA the kids and parents come down in dockers gear, play a game or do a parade and walk around bemused at the WAFL ( remember parents now only have known the AFL as well ) and piss off after half time, I doubt they have earned a single new member from those days in 20 years.

bolter wrote: Without a doubt the dominance of Subiaco is the prime reason for the decline in crowds and dwindling interest in the WAFL. They have been dominant for nearly 30 years now and it is just getting boring.
For the comp to rejuvenate it needs Swans East Perth and Perth in the top 3 for once. They will get the crowds back as we have seen with Perth this year. The alignment has absolutely no effect on the crowds falling. Look at the SANFL. Adelaide and Port are in the finals and they are getting 12,000 to the finals and the total crowds are steady mainly because not one team is dominating. They have had 6 different premiers over the last 10 years.
Subiacos continued dominance will be the death of the WAFL full stop. Don't blame the AFL teams.

To say the AFL clubs not being in the comp has had no effect at all is mind boggling. Just look at how Peel( freo ) raided the finals to a lot of fans disgust, then theres the heartless games themselves down at Mandurah that no prick can be bothered go to, and that's before you get to WAFL clubs flogging games to the Eagles and the fact that the few fans left and getting diluted and end up supporting peel or the eagles.

that's NOT to say Subis dominance isn't a huge factor as well.

bolter wrote: Without a doubt the dominance of Subiaco is the prime reason for the decline in crowds and dwindling interest in the WAFL. They have been dominant for nearly 30 years now and it is just getting boring.
For the comp to rejuvenate it needs Swans East Perth and Perth in the top 3 for once. They will get the crowds back as we have seen with Perth this year. The alignment has absolutely no effect on the crowds falling. Look at the SANFL. Adelaide and Port are in the finals and they are getting 12,000 to the finals and the total crowds are steady mainly because not one team is dominating. They have had 6 different premiers over the last 10 years.
Subiacos continued dominance will be the death of the WAFL full stop. Don't blame the AFL teams.

Last 30 years!!! How do you figure that? I agree if you said the last 15 years but the previous 15 from 1989 to 2003 we didn't get a sniff.

Its really the last 15 that's done the damage.

90's were a good mix of teams.

We need to get EFFC up and fireing again if theres any chance of a revival, on top of that the comp going down to 3 derbies a year is a blow.

Tbh I reckon and have always said the entry of the Dockers would be the death knell for SF and EF, the region just isn't big enough for 3 teams.

West Coast Eagles collapsing in 1989 was the point of time when the shit started falling - for quite a few years everything was directed into bailing that debacle out
This league was never the same after that
the second "side" just sucked out the remaining dregs of talent
and then the AFL became a Corporation

[quote="Bazza" To say the AFL clubs not being in the comp has had no effect at all is mind boggling. Just look at how Peel( freo ) raided the finals to a lot of fans disgust, then theres the heartless games themselves down at Mandurah that no prick can be bothered go to, and that's before you get to WAFL clubs flogging games to the Eagles and the fact that the few fans left and getting diluted and end up supporting peel or the eagles.[/quote]

Yes, Falcon made the good point along those lines in an earlier post. And officialdom continue to fiddle around and wonder why people lose interest. And they bloody wonder why!
Then there is the very poor mainstream media coverage! Although the few outlets that remain do their best and one needs to congratulate them.

bolter wrote: Without a doubt the dominance of Subiaco is the prime reason for the decline in crowds and dwindling interest in the WAFL. They have been dominant for nearly 30 years now and it is just getting boring.
For the comp to rejuvenate it needs Swans East Perth and Perth in the top 3 for once. They will get the crowds back as we have seen with Perth this year. The alignment has absolutely no effect on the crowds falling. Look at the SANFL. Adelaide and Port are in the finals and they are getting 12,000 to the finals and the total crowds are steady mainly because not one team is dominating. They have had 6 different premiers over the last 10 years.
Subiacos continued dominance will be the death of the WAFL full stop. Don't blame the AFL teams.

30 years!! Mate get your facts right before posting something. Subi are the fortunate benifactor of being based at Subi over for over 100 years, but make no mistake, every other WAFL club without exception if given the same deal would have done exactly the same as Subi has done, so direct your vitriol at that august body of AFL sycophants the WAFC if you dont like whats been happening.

I for one would like to see some action from the WAFC to sort out the comp, in an ideal world all players returning from AFL should go back to their clubs of origin, any interstaters coming into the WAFL should be subject to a draft with the lowest club first pick etc and clubs cannot recruit from a club that finished lower than them in the previous season. that all sounds great but there are massive legal issues to sort out like restraint of trade, so good luck with getting any of that sorted out, if they did then we would have a more even comp within 3-4 years and punters would return.