TOPIC:

For your benefit DW some of these apply to most clubs.
1. Dead or incapacitated
2. Leaving Perth Oval cut the active supporters by fifty percent
3. The saturation of AFL in the media has killed any chance at new interest in the WAFL
4. Current Alignment has cut remaining active supporter base by 30 percent roughly
5. More alternatives in local sport and entertainment

Whilst the latent supporter base remains very large a combination of these events and various other minor factors has EP on its knees.

Larry Bird wrote: For your benefit DW some of these apply to most clubs.
1. Dead or incapacitated
2. Leaving Perth Oval cut the active supporters by fifty percent
3. The saturation of AFL in the media has killed any chance at new interest in the WAFL
4. Current Alignment has cut remaining active supporter base by 30 percent roughly
5. More alternatives in local sport and entertainment

Whilst the latent supporter base remains very large a combination of these events and various other minor factors has EP on its knees.

Apologies Larry, I did misread your previous post. I thought you were suggesting you would list the people that had stopped going, not the reasons for. Was a tongue in cheek reply from me expecting a similar reply from you just to see if I knew anyone I could throw in the shame file as I do have a lot of relatives outside of my immediate family who were EP people who only have eyes for the AFL nowadays.

On your points above I umderstand and agree especially with the Perth Oval comments. As a very young kid with no money I remember riding my bike from Basso for what seemed like hours just to get to EP v SD games at Perth Oval, chaining it up outside the main gate then running around the side to jump the fence just to watch my beloved Swans. It was the only away game with a ground close enough to ride to as a not so brave 10-14yr old new to the metro area and the only one I knew how to get to because I could follow the train tracks until the big underpass at Guildford Rd. My memories of those fixtures are that Perth Oval was a very intimidating place where this huge roar of East Perth after every goal did not stop from the stand that I was too afraid to enter as an outsider so I'd sit behind the goals. I hated a skinny EP player by the name of Hayes back then although can not recall why nowadays, that one will forever remain with my childhood although I suspect he must have been a dirty player as were all EP players In the 80's. I did get caught once jumping the fence and copped a solid lecturing from police. In hindsight they took pity on me when full of tears I told em that I had no money and just wanted to watch my team play and even paid for me to go in that day (think we used to get charged $2 as kids if not with a paying adult). Recall SD lost that day but I went home happy anyway knowing I'd got away with one and escaped a long term jail sentence. Never did tell my parents and is aside from the odd speeding ticket and work related incidents in the liquor industry the only run in I ever had with police. Guess I learnt my lesson there. Some fond childhood memories of Perth Oval and the big ride just to get there.

Good story DW - fond memories for sure

Perth Oval was a fantastic ground, played a few games there for my primary school in lightning carnivals, EP junior combined sides.....even little league throughout the late 70's early 80's.......DW you rode your bike from Bassendean to Perth Oval mate?.....geez that's a long way mate .....I rememeber I used to ride my bike to Cyril Jackson High School from home near the Mt Lawley subway on Guildford Road in year 8.....lasted about a week before I begged my folks to move....we did..... to bloody Dianella!!!.....

DW & freeze I remember riding my bike from my home in the foothills to training at Lathlain Park & back one time ...also was the last time I ever did that! A bloody long way to ride when you can barely lift your legs let me tell ya!

Very true I know heaps of folk that follow EP but would only go to a Grand Final if it was fine and convenient that weekend. Wouldn't even consider a home and away match anymore, and I think there in lies the problem of ever getting crowds up meaningfully. Great Perth Oval stories, for me when we left that's when the WAFL and in particular EP died. I still go home and away although it's hard for me now. Maybe that's why the alignment didn't scare me off altogether because my heart is still at Perth Oval.

Freezin wrote: Perth Oval was a fantastic ground, played a few games there for my primary school in lightning carnivals, EP junior combined sides.....even little league throughout the late 70's early 80's.......DW you rode your bike from Bassendean to Perth Oval mate?.....geez that's a long way mate .....I rememeber I used to ride my bike to Cyril Jackson High School from home near the Mt Lawley subway on Guildford Road in year 8.....lasted about a week before I begged my folks to move....we did..... to bloody Dianella!!!.....

Freeze, u gotta understand I was new to the city after growing up in Lancelin until 10 so was scared of the cars which were as thick as flies after the Lano upbringing and mum decided that I'd need a big sturdy bike aka the wrought iron heaviest bike ever made, the Rally Grifter....the darn thing was heavier than a modern car. To add insult to injury my 2 younger brothers got brand new latest tech lightweight aluminium mongoose frame bmx bikes so were constantly popping wheelies across the front of me whilst I pedalled like a mad man in the hope of moving. At least it had back brakes but was only on the downhill that I got to do a skid, the rest of the time I could jump off and walk faster. Its other positive was I never had to worry about those feral EP kids stealing it, come to think of it I don't even know why I used to chain it up at the gates My famous purple Rally Grifter was probably the reason i pursued footy as a kid whilst both my brothers became accomplished moto x dirt bike riders in their teens after their junior bmx racing childhoods. I even used to walk the 1.5km to footy training so the other kids didn't see my bike and laugh at me. Now they are probably treated like rare collectables but to this day I've never been one for riding a bike, unless goin downhill and trust me I'd still struggle to ride one from Basso to Perth Oval I'll leave u to race BH who has the runs on the board already tackling the foothills to Lathlain and back. A solid effort BH

Beasley Hutton wrote: DW & freeze I remember riding my bike from my home in the foothills to training at Lathlain Park & back one time ...also was the last time I ever did that! A bloody long way to ride when you can barely lift your legs let me tell ya!

I dips me lid to ya BH......was the ride out of necessity, naivety or stupidity mate? Actually my CJ high school ride was only about 20km tops......it was more the bottle dodging & weaving from the SD locals which stressed me the most.....if only they knew I was dating Brad Shines cousin at the time.......and yes she was better looking than Brad!

Actually I remember telling that story in my best mans speech in the early 90s, when one of my best mates from school married ex SD / Carlton champ Mike Smiths sister......still got a photo of me standing next to Mike in one of the bridal party photos......nice guy Mike....pity he had knackered knees!