TOPIC:

Some great crowds at the WAFL last Saturday with about 9500 over the 5 games which was great in the rain. I was at Basso and it was a great atmosphere in the outer can bar though I think the big crowd caught the club by surprise as it was a 30 metre line to get served.  The official crowd was 2557 but it just looked bigger . Fantastic atmosphere. I reckon WAFL crowds are up about 20 per cent this year.

just imagine what it could be if the competition was actually promoted and clubs better funded

Yes it was great at Bassendean. East Perth v Swans games always have a great crowd involvement and atmosphere. My Favourite Bassendean memory since the Halcyon days of the 1980s was the 2010 Preliminary final between the two sides where 11000 people turned up on a special day for WAFL footy.
Just a pity that Swans couldn't rise to the occasion in 2023 and make it a decent contest. We were lucky in that there wasn't a huge amount of rain during the league game, just a bit of drizzle in the first quarter.

Southerner wrote:

just imagine what it could be if the competition was actually promoted and clubs better funded
 

                Exactly.
                And wouldn't it be fantastic to have say between 5,000 - 10,000 (or more) people in attendance at each match in the qualifying rounds. As things currently stand, that simply will not happen!

mikeh wrote:

Yes it was great at Bassendean. East Perth v Swans games always have a great crowd involvement and atmosphere. My Favourite Bassendean memory since the Halcyon days of the 1980s was the 2010 Preliminary final between the two sides where 11000 people turned up on a special day for WAFL footy.
Just a pity that Swans couldn't rise to the occasion in 2023 and make it a decent contest. We were lucky in that there wasn't a huge amount of rain during the league game, just a bit of drizzle in the first quarter.

The 2010 prelim.played before 11000 was a very good atmosphere,but i would have elevated the day to a fantastic atmosphere had we got up and kept my 66/1 premiership bet alive.

bolter wrote:

Some great crowds at the WAFL last Saturday with about 9500 over the 5 games which was great in the rain. I was at Basso and it was a great atmosphere in the outer can bar though I think the big crowd caught the club by surprise as it was a 30 metre line to get served.  The official crowd was 2557 but it just looked bigger . Fantastic atmosphere. I reckon WAFL crowds are up about 20 per cent this year.

Up 20% - Mate you need to check those numbers, they are way down on last year.

Bassendean crowds are always interesting. At HT the Lord St and Old Perth Road gates are thrown open. The crowd always increases in the second half..Theres more people on the grass banks in the second half of matches. 
If you look at Swans attendances over 5 decades.The fans disappear when the sides ,struggling on field.No difference to other teams and sports.

Mike the 2010 Prelim Final official crowd attendance was 11,251 but it was more closer to 15,000 as they ended up opening the gates in the 1st qtr to allow everyone in as the lines were way down Old Perth Rd at both entry gates.
Despite all the hoohaa about crowds being down in 2023, from my vantage point I think they have looked bigger at the games I have been to this season (all Swans games and a few neutrals) and the overall average would only have been affected by the Foundation Day Monday crowd numbers due to the wet day and in which only 4 clubs get the benefit of every year!
And I dont think the standard of footy has been much good either at most games I have seen, far too defensive, dour contests sheesh when did WA and WAFL football become so negative? We used to be the most exciting footy to watch in Australia with open fast moving style that has been lost in the last decade or so as a more boring Victorian style has set in to our WAFL.
From a Swans point of view if we ever get our act together on the field we could possibly average 2500-3000 at our games but alas we continue to fill the bottom half of the ladder and with only 4 wins from 12 games!

WA Round 7 last year pulled 16,500.

Half that this year.

Just had a look at Wafl Footy Facts,attendances. 

2023 started well in the first two rounds.
The Afl sides are killing our average attendances. 

7 Eagles games under 1000 spectators. 4 of those games under 500 fans.

6 games for Peel under 1,000 fans.

 WP,,2,100 av home attendance.
Swans and East Perth just under 2000.Both up about 15% on 2022 along with WP.

Big drop for South's with the pre season points suspension. 

Time to give the Wafl Eagles some player concessions. After all they have paid the Wafc over $30,000,000 in dividends this century. And some monster dividends in the 1990's.