AFL crowds on the up as Bombers fans returnThe Australian
2 August 2017The AFL’s most evenly contested and competitive season on record is also drawing the fans in droves, with the league set to create a new home-and-away attendance record.
The league confirmed yesterday they were heading for a combined home-and-away attendance figure of more than 6,525,071 which is the current record and achieved in 2011.
An AFL spokesman said that based on current trends, they were confident a total attendance in excess of 200,000 more than last year would be set by the end of the month. This stands in contrast to the NRL which has seen attendances fall by 2.5 per cent from last season with an average crowd of 15,117 for the season.
There’s a new AFL club leader in the popularity stakes, and it isn’t the traditional big-drawing inner-Melbourne suburban clubs Collingwood or Richmond. And it’s not a tenant club of the MCG, which has a capacity of 100,000.
It’s Etihad Stadium-based Essendon, who have surged in rank-and-file support over the past month to attract more fans to their games this year than Collingwood and Richmond, the two clubs who dominated attendances over the past two years.
The fact that Essendon have attracted 863,226 to their 18 games is a clear indication the Bombers have moved on from their past few years of hell due to the 2012 supplements scandal where sanctions lasted until late last year.
Essendon, who are on target to attract one million fans to their games this year, are in front of Collingwood (833,952) and Richmond, who have had 830,835 through the gates to watch them this season.
Last year the Magpies were the most supported club with 972,219 — an average of 44,192 — attending their games ahead of Richmond, who averaged 40,920. The previous year the Tigers were the most watched club during the home-and-away season, attracting 1.05 million with Collingwood, also over the one-million mark, a close second.
Essendon’s average crowd of almost 48,000 this year is well up on last year’s comparison of 36,457, and has been achieved by their returning stars, playing more competitively and still being a chance to play finals.
Bombers chief executive Xavier Campbell told The Australian: “The passion and resilience of this supporter group can never be underestimated. They continue to show that they are the best in the business, they care so much about this team and club, and it’s a privilege for all of us to play for them and have them behind us.”
Campbell revealed Essendon’s membership has hit a record with 67,700 members, which was well above budget and more than 10,000 above last year’s figure.
He said the Bombers were heading for a profit of at least $3 million, almost $2m more than the club initially forecast. Campbell said Essendon’s outstanding financial result this year would help ease the extraordinary abnormal costs incurred by the drugs saga. The Bombers last year recorded an operating loss of $9.8m.
He said debt would be slashed from about $10.5m to $7m by the end of the year.
Richmond’s average crowd this season has jumped to 46,158 and that’s despite not having a prime-time Friday night game scheduled all year after playing in six last season.
Tigers chief executive Brendon Gale has predicted an overall home-and-away attendance in 2017 to be more than one million for only the fourth time.
This year’s Dreamtime match against Essendon at the MCG in round 10 attracted 85,656 to be the highest-attended Saturday night game ever.
Following Richmond’s first loss last season ($80,000) for 12 years, the Tigers will return to the black this year with a healthy profit expected.
Melbourne’s average home crowds at the MCG of more than 38,000 are 7000 up on last year with chief executive Peter Jackson telling The Australian last month that the Demons were within reach of making their first $1m profit.
“Clearly I can see more than 40,000 attending our games on average as early as next year,” he said.
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