TOPIC:

Cardy wrote: The Alignment doesnt start until 2014! Even though Peel will be stacked this year not so EP. I see 2013 as being a good year for attendances except for Peel and EP games as from what I have heard a lot of supporters will not be going to these games when their club plays them.
Now 2014 will be a different story with a lot of Loyal WAFL supporters not becomming members and moving on because of the uneven playing field.
Just my thoughts

I will always renew my Sharks membership and support them through this crap Cardy. However, I certainly won't be going to Judas's home games and support their gates. I have already handed my Eagles membership in because I simply can't support their reserves team.

Yep I will still pay my membership for WPFC as they have given me a lot of enjoyment. As for the games well thats another matter. Will see what 2014 brings but I suspect it will be dominated by 2 TEAMS

La Hincha wrote: Yeah, the Mandurah community just haven't embraced Peel at all.

Back in 1997 they probably should have only given them a colts licence. That's really all they have been - a feeder club to the AFL.

Maybe that will change when they start winning more games. I doubt that Mandurah folk will care too much if the team is stacked with AFL players. And let's face it, they don't have a core of hardcore supporters that will be put off by the arrangement. It's been friends and relatives only so far.

East Fremantle are a worry. They have supporters. That's clear when they have a derby but they don't turn up anymore for other matches. I'd much rather see them get 2500 at every home game instead of 1500 every week plus one attendance of 6000.

I don't really understand what happened at EF. Is it the facilities putting people off? Have the locals lost the connection with their local club? Is the ground in a bad location? Maybe a bit of each.

Very interesting post mate.

Yes EF decline has been noticeable for well over a decade now, they always had a slighly smaller supporter base than SF, but that gap has widened signifgantly since the advent of the AFL clubs.

Home attendances are very poor, with the exception of derbies but even then many attending are Souths or neutrals.

They also have a very old support base, as do most WAFL clubs I guess, so are hit more rapidly wuth deaths of members etc.

The EFTC survey a few years ago found that most members were senior cits and most had been members for 20 years or more, there were very few new members in the last two years.

that was about 5 years ago now, so that trend would of deteriorated further.

Facilities are very poor and the club has limited financials, but I put it down mainly, to the advent of the dockers, the vast majority of what were middle aged and certainly younger EF people embraced the dockers in a big way, and of course the very young know nothing different so have no connection to EF.

Although SFFC have been badly hit by both the eagles and dockers I think easts people are far more dockers inclined.

On Souths numbers, it was very noticeable last year with the drop in form the big drop in attendances, this hit the bar takings badly as well.

Interesting WP v SF had a poor turnout, for about the last 5 years you could put money on the one of the lowest crowds at Fremantle Oval for a visiting team would be when we play WP, no real idea why this is but their away attendances have fallen away badly.

Fixturing last year was TERRIBLE, thank goodness we have four games in the opening round. last year was hopeless..should always start with a bang.

In saying that there are still some poor fixturing, South go 3 or 4 weeks with no home game at stages, and we only got one Friday night game for the whole year against guess who WP...so that will be a fizzer on past trends.

An improvement in form should see the SF fixtures pick up, but I imagine EF and Claremonts will deteriorate further as they lose players to the host clubs.

I expect Peel and EP figures to improve in the short term.

Long term though I dont hold out much hope, as it becomes evident that two teams dominate the comp crowds will dissapear.

Yeah Bazza, if it does turn out that the two host clubs are much too strong, then the comp is in trouble.

On the other hand, I've always believed that every good drama needs a bad guy. The one that everybody wants to bring down. A bit like the old Port Adelaide in the SANFL.

East Perth might well be the team everybody hates and wants to knock off most.

Even now, I've decided that I'm going to rock up to Lathlain for round 1 when Subi have the bye, simply because I want to see Perth beat Peel Dockers.

While we're still breathing there's always hope.

La Hincha wrote: Yeah Bazza, if it does turn out that the two host clubs are much too strong, then the comp is in trouble.

On the other hand, I've always believed that every good drama needs a bad guy. The one that everybody wants to bring down. A bit like the old Port Adelaide in the SANFL.

East Perth might well be the team everybody hates and wants to knock off most.

Even now, I've decided that I'm going to rock up to Lathlain for round 1 when Subi have the bye, simply because I want to see Perth beat Peel Dockers.

While we're still breathing there's always hope.

I really cannot see the ageing demographic trend changeing,or the decline in attendance, both are linked as more elderly WAFL people die or get to old to attend the attendances will shrink.

The host club arrangement, will only further hasten that as the level of genuine competion at games falls further and further behind, further as local members see their own talent being syphoned away from home clubs to host clubs they will become more and more disallusioned with attending.

I think most of the traditional club supporters will boycot away games against the traitors which will affect numbers but will attend home games. Following Subi I will still attend the away fixtures against the feral eagles as it's still really a "home" game.

Cant see too many Eagles or freo members "lowering" themselves by going to a WAFL game. Most of them only started watching footy in either 1987 or 1995. Imagine having to carry your seat to the game or having to sit on some grass, heaven forbid. Too bad for them coz they will miss out on way less expensive food and drinks and the fact that there are actually 2 lots of supporters watching a game, something they will struggle to come to terms with. Imagine how badly they would cope with the great banter and atmosphere up at Basso at the can bar or in the pigpen at lathlain!!!!

Ben, do you have the average attendances for each club from last season and previous seasons. Would be interested to see how each club faired.

TheRock wrote: Ben, do you have the average attendances for each club from last season and previous seasons. Would be interested to see how each club faired.

No, I did have all that info on Footygoss and then WAFLonline but it's gone for good.

I guess it's possible to add it all up using the WAFL fixtures link. www.wafl.com.au/games

No dramas.

I must admit our attendances have been average at best, however we only had 1 mention in the worst 10 attended games.

The attendances for Foundation day matches are always brilliant and where are those people for normal games? I guess the Foundation Day games are played on a Monday public holiday. No ammo games, work etc will help.

It will be interesting to see how all clubs fair for this season.

TheRock wrote: No dramas.

I must admit our attendances have been average at best, however we only had 1 mention in the worst 10 attended games.

The attendances for Foundation day matches are always brilliant and where are those people for normal games? I guess the Foundation Day games are played on a Monday public holiday. No ammo games, work etc will help.

It will be interesting to see how all clubs fair for this season.

Yeah, will be interesting to see how the Derby does on a Sunday this year.

I hope we do alright mate. Things have been picking up quite a bit since 2003. I remember not a single club averaged 2000 per game back in those days.

Last year we slipped a bit.

If people keep saying we are doomed, then sure enough we will be. Some things become self fulfilling if said often enough.

When the 1st game of the season comes around, I'm going to do a preview every week, highlighting all games but specifically the 2 games of the round, whatever game doesn't clash with the Eagles/Dockers and maybe whatever game has a proper club promotional idea attached to it.

Probably won't help much but got to try anyway.

Some bloody good players on those lists this year. Some of those kids the draft missed are outstanding. Will excite the punters that's for sure. Every club has at least 4/5.