The crowd is shrinking!!!

[Adelaide Hawk]

If I live to be 100 I will never understand why people get uptight about this. I've left games early before. There's more to life than footy, and if the game's all over with 10 minutes to go, and you've got somewhere else to be, then why not get moving?

I've paid my money, if I want to get up and leave, I will ... and stuff what anyone else thinks.

No, no there is not.

If you're serious, I feel very sorry for you.

[Trader]

If I live to be 100 I will never understand why people get uptight about this. I've left games early before. There's more to life than footy, and if the game's all over with 10 minutes to go, and you've got somewhere else to be, then why not get moving?

I've paid my money, if I want to get up and leave, I will ... and stuff what anyone else thinks.

No, no there is not.

If you're serious, I feel very sorry for you.

Agreed Hawk, there's cricket too!

[Gingernuts]

If I live to be 100 I will never understand why people get uptight about this. I've left games early before. There's more to life than footy, and if the game's all over with 10 minutes to go, and you've got somewhere else to be, then why not get moving?

I've paid my money, if I want to get up and leave, I will ... and stuff what anyone else thinks.

If I live to be 100 I will never understand why people will get uptight about the fact that I bring my knitting to the football. There's more to life than footy and if I have forty rows to go for my grandson's wooly jumper then why not get knitting. I've paid my money and if I want to knit one pearl I will....and stuff what anyone else thinks.

Come on Hawker, are you trying to tell us you have NO understanding of the underlying tribalism that makes up our great game? By leaving early you are presenting a nice juicy gift to opposition fans and if you happen to be marketed as the '19th man' it's even more amusing. I reckon that leaving a game early is like leaving a Rock concert by one of your favourite acts just because the lead guitarist snorted too much coke and dropped a few bum notes. It must be deflating to see the '19th man' disappear out of the stadium as soon as you kick back to back goals for the first time in the match.

People aren't 'getting uptight' about people leaving early..they are quite rightly pissing themselves laughing at the frontrunning bandwagonners who are turning tail on their team so they can spend eleven less minutes on West Lakes Boulevard. If there is more to life than Footy why bother going in the first place? You can watch a couple of quarters on the box instead and miss the traffic entirely. After spending years reading the Advertiser it must be quite a shock for some of these blackbird 'fans' that there are other teams in the league and shock horror, they can actually play.

regards,

REB

This sh1ts the missus and I to tears. Yes we were losing but there's still reason to stick around - a couple of very good grabs that all the early leavers missed for instance. Newsflash - you don't have to win to get your money's worth and appreciate the game.

I loved watching Sandilands yesterday, what a unit! And Dangerfield's goal, that was worth the price of admission alone!

I'm with you REB - if you can't commit to sittiog out a game then stay home and watch it on tv.

[dedja]

If I live to be 100 I will never understand why people get uptight about this. I've left games early before. There's more to life than footy, and if the game's all over with 10 minutes to go, and you've got somewhere else to be, then why not get moving?

I've paid my money, if I want to get up and leave, I will ... and stuff what anyone else thinks.

No, no there is not.

If you're serious, I feel very sorry for you.

Piss-o-meter on the fritz?

[FlyingHigh]

Only time I can remember leaving a game early was the 1990GF. Was with a group of Glenelg supporters and we left about the 30 minute mark and the siren went as we were walking under the grandstand. Think there were a lot of sick stomachs due to the Port-AFL issue. Even as a kid with the old man, can never remember leaving early.

Never leave early. We are all part of the one club, they the players and me the supporter. We don't become separated just because the players have not performed as I would have liked.

But then again, I don't go to the AFL.

Regarding transport to Footy Park, have never understood why they haven't ran a line off the Clark Terrace line east of the Boulevard.

[heater31]

I have seen Crows fans even do it in Melbourne as well. I gave them a mouth full when they left they didn't even bat an eye lid.


I have only ever walked out on Sturt once and that was in the 2008 Preliminary Final. God they were disgraceful that day

[spell_check]

Saw a lot of empty seats on TV about halfway through the last quarter of the Docklands match today. A lot of empty seats for a crowd of nearly 50,000.

[gossipgirl]

how dare people think they have the right to leave or stay. you would think people had freedom of choice

perhaps the title should be changed to peoples brains are shrinking.

[Hondo]

Because of where I park at AAMI (20 minute walk up to Bartels road and then a big loop back home that doesn't fuss me) I don't need to rush out early because it makes no difference to the time it takes me to get home. So I always stay until the end.

However, if someone wishes to leave early that it doesn't bother me. As Spelly said, it's a free country.

What I don't like is the implication that Port or Crows fans are somehow lesser supporters when (1) no-one has official stats on early leavers across the country to prove if it's worse here and (2) we all acknowledge that AAMI Stadium has parking and access issues so that an earlier exit could save maybe 40 minutes or even more on the time you get home. If you have young kids or elderly people then that saved time can be important.

Hey, at least they are there in the first place!

[Rik E Boy]

Come on Hawker, are you trying to tell us you have NO understanding of the underlying tribalism that makes up our great game? By leaving early you are presenting a nice juicy gift to opposition fans and if you happen to be marketed as the '19th man' it's even more amusing.

REB old boy, I've left games early when my team was 10 goals in front. There are some things in life more important than football.

Not wearing Leggie colours I hope!

regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

how dare people think they have the right to leave or stay. you would think people had freedom of choice

perhaps the title should be changed to peoples brains are shrinking.

Yeah you have freedom of choice...stay home and watch it on telly. Hang on, Crows, Glenelg....play on!

regards,

REB

[The Dark Knight]

If I live to be 100 I will never understand why people get uptight about this. I've left games early before. There's more to life than footy, and if the game's all over with 10 minutes to go, and you've got somewhere else to be, then why not get moving?

I've paid my money, if I want to get up and leave, I will ... and stuff what anyone else thinks.

No, no there is not.

If you're serious, I feel very sorry for you.

No I'm not serious but life would be very boring if there was no footy.

[saintal]

With REB on this one.

Have sat through countless dull South beltings and am yet to leave early. Hell it was hard sitting through that final 30 minutes of footy last October (AFL) but I guess it had to be done.

Only 33K to the Crows game..another indication that Saturday arvo AFL is not a winner in Adelaide and probably never will be.

[Hondo]

As alarming as Power crowds are to most of us, I'd be interested to compare them to what has been happenning to Crows crowds over the same period.

33,000 is really getting low. That used to be the worst case scenario crowd for Crows games. I think that's a bigger issue than whether they leave early.

[saintal]

As alarming as Power crowds are to most of us, I'd be interested to compare them to what has been happenning to Crows crowds over the same period.

33,000 is really getting low. That used to be the worst case scenario crowd for Crows games. I think that's a bigger issue than whether they leave early.

According to FootyWire:

Adelaide regular season home crowds:
2010 35,764 (19.7% drop from 2003)
2009 38,801
2008 40,678
2007 41,992
2006 42,455
2005 42,341
2004 39,879
2003 44,524


Port regular season home crowds:
2010 23,044 (27.6% drop from 2003)
2009 24,349
2008 23,842
2007 27,870
2006 27,257
2005 32,911
2004 29,877
2003 31,845

[southee]

With REB on this one.

Have sat through countless dull South beltings and am yet to leave early. Hell it was hard sitting through that final 30 minutes of footy last October (AFL) but I guess it had to be done.

Only 33K to the Crows game..another indication that Saturday arvo AFL is not a winner in Adelaide and probably never will be.

Did the same Saintal with the South games.....talk about total self abuse!!!

I used to stand there nearly in tears watching it

[Drop Bear]

I've found if you park where you have to walk for about 15-20 minutes to get to Footy Park, getting out after the game is pretty straight forward. Don't park in carparks.

[whufc]

As alarming as Power crowds are to most of us, I'd be interested to compare them to what has been happenning to Crows crowds over the same period.

33,000 is really getting low. That used to be the worst case scenario crowd for Crows games. I think that's a bigger issue than whether they leave early.

Dont show Wedgie this, the AFL is by absolute far at its most popular its even been.

South Australians are turning off of football.

Crows and Port crowds down.
SANFL crowds down.
Adelaide United crowds sustaining.

[Hondo]

The AFL is very popular and I agree with Wedgie's sentiments

I think however that popularity is not being reflected in bums on seats at AAMI Stadium and the reasons why could be debated for pages and pages. Port's drop off is worse than the Crows but clearly something is going south down there.

[whufc]

The AFL is very popular and I agree with Wedgie's sentiments

I think however that popularity is not being reflected in bums on seats at AAMI Stadium and the reasons why could be debated for pages and pages. Port's drop off is worse than the Crows but clearly something is going south down there.

COST COST an COST!!!

Also i think the AFL is popular with the wrong type people. (only basing this on people i know)

In my friendship group the blokes that have been following football for years, take out memberships, go to every home game, drink in the bars before and after games have had enough with the AFL and their constant rule changes etc etc, four of them having given up there memberships and have been attending the SANFL on a regular basis now taking out memberships for various clubs.

While the people who are living the AFL at the moment in our group is the women, kids and some of our mates who just follow the highest level of sport no matter what happens. Out of about 30 of them none, have a team membership, 1-2 of them attend one or two games a year and the rest never miss a game on the t.v, always watching it without knowing the score no matter how delayed the telecast.

TBH i dont think TV ratings are a true indication of how popular the game is, i will generally watch all AFL games but not because i enjoy the AFL but i enjoy playing supercoach, i will not spend at cent at an AFL club or go to an AFL game this year though.


Victoria is having a football surge at the moment BUT off course it will with Collingwood, Geelong, Hawthorn, Carlton, Essendon, Saint Kilda, Western Bulldogs and Melbourne all having alot of upside about them in the last couple of years.

Football in SA on the other hand is struggling big time.