TOPIC:

I thought the numbers at the games this year were bad, but after reading the Annual Report reading that our attendance was out lowest since the underage comp, is really saying something...absolutely shocking.

On top of that the Memberships have fallen for the 6th year straight, to me as attendance and memberships are obviously connected.

In saying this, it comes as no surprise whatsoever that this is the first post on the SFFC thread since my last post over a month ago.

It didn't help we lost a derby, and the season is shorter, but we are still a long way off for a team that made the GF. God help us if we ever finish last.

What I am witnessing is the now rapid decline on a once great club in terms of interest and community presence, this has happened far quicker than I had imagined. I always knew it was on the cards from 95 onwards, but its now at tipping point - indeed beyond.

The acting CEO says he is at a loss as to what to do. The new CEO has a job on his hands not turning it around but managing the collapse because I do not believe it can be turned around. It doesn't really help we have had 4 CEOs now since Cicco left.

It is a very great concern Bazz. Folk can blame Subi for it's recent dominance, the WAFC for adopting a head in the sand attitude, the 2 AFL clubs for bleeding the WAFL dry and not doing enough to keep it afloat...we can blame whomever we like but the fact remains that if something is not done and done very quickly, this once great competition including your club and mine will disappear into history.

Few different reasons for the drop off across the league
Many of the staunch have passed away and when you consider the fact that pretty much all the young only have eyes for the Vicco league and have a football commission hellbent on accommodating the AFL sides
Alarm bells have been clanging for a few years and I cannot see how this Commission can turn the league around now

Southerner wrote: Few different reasons for the drop off across the league
Many of the staunch have passed away and when you consider the fact that pretty much all the young only have eyes for the Vicco league and have a football commission hellbent on accommodating the AFL sides
Alarm bells have been clanging for a few years and I cannot see how this Commission can turn the league around now

It cant be turned around now, the chance if there was one was 20 years ago to try and get another generation into WAFL, that never happened, instead they introduced another AFL team right into our heartland, we never had a chance after that, then it was left to the diehards, and well they are moving on quickly now and not a single sole to replace them.

BC wrote: It is a very great concern Bazz. Folk can blame Subi for it's recent dominance, the WAFC for adopting a head in the sand attitude, the 2 AFL clubs for bleeding the WAFL dry and not doing enough to keep it afloat...we can blame whomever we like but the fact remains that if something is not done and done very quickly, this once great competition including your club and mine will disappear into history.

I think the time has come and gone to save it BC, its 2020..with the average age of WAFL folk what it is now, another 10 years and its pretty much over.

Yes exactly. The attendances for Fremantle Oval for the twenty 19 season were indeed very poor. So much so, thought I was seeing things.
For South Fremantle to have over 11000 less spectators than from 2 seasons ago not attending at their Home games is quite startling!
I been banging on for too long about the lack of Wafl crowds. Apparently nothing to worry about because the Wafl clubs are gaining plenty of revenue from the advertising, if anyone is silly enough to believe that statement!
The very noticeable lack of the mainstream media interest is another big factor that needed addressing and simply has not been. There are 2 ""teams"" simply making a mockery of the Wafl competition which is a very bad look and serious questions need asking. Sadly the so called football commission is not up to the job. My own personal feeling is the Wafl has been allowed to fall by the wayside. The 2019 total qualifying round attendances was poor with a figure of 147000.
Yes it's all very sad to see and the competition won't be around for too much longer.
I can remember when the South Fremantle/ East Fremantle derbies were huge games played in front of large crowds. All that is now a very distant memory.
Nowadays all the Wafl clubs membership is quite low. Considering the population of the metro area, the Wafl club memberships are positively weak.
All sad to say.

make no mistake the commission is up for the job
they've done this beautifully

westaussieguy wrote: Yes exactly. The attendances for Fremantle Oval for the twenty 19 season were indeed very poor. So much so, thought I was seeing things.
For South Fremantle to have over 11000 less spectators than from 2 seasons ago not attending at their Home games is quite startling!
I been banging on for too long about the lack of Wafl crowds. Apparently nothing to worry about because the Wafl clubs are gaining plenty of revenue from the advertising, if anyone is silly enough to believe that statement!
The very noticeable lack of the mainstream media interest is another big factor that needed addressing and simply has not been. There are 2 ""teams"" simply making a mockery of the Wafl competition which is a very bad look and serious questions need asking. Sadly the so called football commission is not up to the job. My own personal feeling is the Wafl has been allowed to fall by the wayside. The 2019 total qualifying round attendances was poor with a figure of 147000.
Yes it's all very sad to see and the competition won't be around for too much longer.
I can remember when the South Fremantle/ East Fremantle derbies were huge games played in front of large crowds. All that is now a very distant memory.
Nowadays all the Wafl clubs membership is quite low. Considering the population of the metro area, the Wafl club memberships are positively weak.
All sad to say.

The collapse in our support has been astounding, and worse still we have been very competitive in last few years, I think that has fed a bit into it as well, coming up against a loaded Peel side, and then the Subi dominance, so many supporters are shrugging shoulders and saying we cant be bothered with a rigged comp. if comimg second is the best you can expect then why bother,

Ive banged on about this for seasons now, but the poor performance of EF feeds into us as well, because if the derbies are crap year in and year out they die, and thats whats happened.

We spent a lot on members facilties, but its just not enough to get a new crew in if the product is crap.

Of course theres the elephant in the room as well, the dockers have sucked us dry of local support, I think the new stadium has played a part as well, its muc easier for people to grab a seat at any game they like, the casual WAFL fan has become the casual AFL fan.

Wait until the dockers hit top form and we are at the bottom, no bull I reckon you can expect crowds of sub 500 on a regular basis.

As for membership, its such a pittance now revenue wise, the clubs just rely on WAFC /AFL handouts.

Bazza wrote:

westaussieguy wrote: Yes exactly. The attendances for Fremantle Oval for the twenty 19 season were indeed very poor. So much so, thought I was seeing things.
For South Fremantle to have over 11000 less spectators than from 2 seasons ago not attending at their Home games is quite startling!
I been banging on for too long about the lack of Wafl crowds. Apparently nothing to worry about because the Wafl clubs are gaining plenty of revenue from the advertising, if anyone is silly enough to believe that statement!
The very noticeable lack of the mainstream media interest is another big factor that needed addressing and simply has not been. There are 2 ""teams"" simply making a mockery of the Wafl competition which is a very bad look and serious questions need asking. Sadly the so called football commission is not up to the job. My own personal feeling is the Wafl has been allowed to fall by the wayside. The 2019 total qualifying round attendances was poor with a figure of 147000.
Yes it's all very sad to see and the competition won't be around for too much longer.
I can remember when the South Fremantle/ East Fremantle derbies were huge games played in front of large crowds. All that is now a very distant memory.
Nowadays all the Wafl clubs membership is quite low. Considering the population of the metro area, the Wafl club memberships are positively weak.
All sad to say.

The collapse in our support has been astounding, and worse still we have been very competitive in last few years, I think that has fed a bit into it as well, coming up against a loaded Peel side, and then the Subi dominance, so many supporters are shrugging shoulders and saying we cant be bothered with a rigged comp. if comimg second is the best you can expect then why bother,

Ive banged on about this for seasons now, but the poor performance of EF feeds into us as well, because if the derbies are crap year in and year out they die, and thats whats happened.

We spent a lot on members facilties, but its just not enough to get a new crew in if the product is crap.

Of course theres the elephant in the room as well, the dockers have sucked us dry of local support, I think the new stadium has played a part as well, its muc easier for people to grab a seat at any game they like, the casual WAFL fan has become the casual AFL fan.

Wait until the dockers hit top form and we are at the bottom, no bull I reckon you can expect crowds of sub 500 on a regular basis.

As for membership, its such a pittance now revenue wise, the clubs just rely on WAFC /AFL handouts.

The first derby crowd last year was shocking. On a beautiful April Saturday afternnon just 1100 could be arsed going along to Freo Oval. Having a dockers home game on at same time did not help - maybe the derby should of been a curtain raiser for that Dockers games. The second derby on the holiday Monday drew well over 5000 to Moss Street. This proves their is still some interest out there but I agree when you say nothing can be done - we are well past that and it has been going on since 1987. The rot is now accelerating as the diehards are just not replaced. It is sad but what can you do? I am just going to keep supporting my team because it is my duty - but it is a pleasure and privilege to do so.

Yep, piss weak derby crowds, and crap fixturing, the other day was foundation day which at 5000 barely has a heart beat. mind you 5000 at a home and away fixture these days is a boom for wafl.

my tip is foundation day will drop again this year, people know the comp is a joke and cbf.