SANFL - most popular sporting league in the WORLD...

[Ecky]

...with all teams based in the same city

(sorry, I wanted to have all that in the title, but it wouldn't let me fit it all in )

I was browsing this page on wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sports_attendance_figures
and noticed that the SANFL appears down in a modest 93rd position of Leagues ranked by average attendance at games. But what was interesting was that every league ranked above it consists of teams from a number of different cities and states, and are basically all national or international competitions, with the exceptions of a few regional baseball leagues in America. So unless there is a League with a higher attendance which is missing from the wikipedia table (can anyone think of any?), I believe we can be quietly confident in saying that...

The SANFL is the most popular sporting league in the world with all teams based in the same state/province/county etc...
The SANFL is the most popular sporting league in the world with all teams based in the same city
The SANFL is the most popular sporting league in the world with all games played in the same city (with the exception of the occasional game at Victor Harbor and other country locations)

What this shows to me is that we are extremely lucky to have a high quality sporting competition where we can go and see our teams play every game live, without travelling any further than Elizabeth or Noarlunga! So I think it is important (from a world perspective even!) that we do all we can to ensure that the SANFL survives and interest is maintained in it, because we have a truly unique competition.

Long live the SANFL!!!

[spell_check]

...with all teams based in the same city

(sorry, I wanted to have all that in the title, but it wouldn't let me fit it all in )

I was browsing this page on wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sports_attendance_figures
and noticed that the SANFL appears down in a modest 93rd position of Leagues ranked by average attendance at games. But what was interesting was that every league ranked above it consists of teams from a number of different cities and states, and are basically all national or international competitions, with the exceptions of a few regional baseball leagues in America. So unless there is a League with a higher attendance which is missing from the wikipedia table (can anyone think of any?), I believe we can be quietly confident in saying that...

The SANFL is the most popular sporting league in the world with all teams based in the same state/province/county etc...
The SANFL is the most popular sporting league in the world with all teams based in the same city
The SANFL is the most popular sporting league in the world with all games played in the same city (with the exception of the occasional game at Victor Harbor and other country locations)

What this shows to me is that we are extremely lucky to have a high quality sporting competition where we can go and see our teams play every game live, without travelling any further than Elizabeth or Noarlunga! So I think it is important (from a world perspective even!) that we do all we can to ensure that the SANFL survives and interest is maintained in it, because we have a truly unique competition.

Long live the SANFL!!!

Fantastic. I have seen that page a couple of times and did not make the correlation.

[Dutchy]

with the exceptions of a few regional baseball leagues in America.

So you ignore these?...i guess you can make anything look good if you do that!

[Stevie_K]

Interesting stuff

[Ecky]

with the exceptions of a few regional baseball leagues in America.

So you ignore these?...i guess you can make anything look good if you do that!

No, I didn't ignore these! These regional leagues all comprise teams from a number of different US states.

[Snaggletooth Tiger]

Population wise, I'm sure some of those
Indian States regional cricket comps would get a pretty huge following!

[SimonH]

Our dream should be to pass the Kazakhstan Super League. Actually, that should be written into the SANFL's charter of corporate goals.

Anyone know the average attendance at the Uzbekistani Oliy League?

[bayman]

send it to all the media outlets & the sanfl itself they may be able to use that angle in marketing

[Ecky]

Population wise, I'm sure some of those
Indian States regional cricket comps would get a pretty huge following!

Not at all, actually. See http://www.tssonnet.com/tss2847/stories/20051119000604600.htm

The blunt truth is that people only watch international cricket, and considering that less than 20 matches are staged each season the total attendance at cricket venues in India in a year is shockingly low. Unfortunately, domestic cricket is no draw at all, and unlike football matches in England or basketball/baseball in the US, Ranji games do not attract anybody.

It may be difficult for us to believe, but Adelaide truly appears to be the city in the world that has the highest attended sporting competition based entirely in the one city/state!

[Mr66]

Population wise, I'm sure some of those
Indian States regional cricket comps would get a pretty huge following!

Not at all, actually. See http://www.tssonnet.com/tss2847/stories/20051119000604600.htm

The blunt truth is that people only watch international cricket, and considering that less than 20 matches are staged each season the total attendance at cricket venues in India in a year is shockingly low. Unfortunately, domestic cricket is no draw at all, and unlike football matches in England or basketball/baseball in the US, Ranji games do not attract anybody.

It may be difficult for us to believe, but [b]Adelaide truly appears to be the city in the world that has the highest attended sporting competition based entirely in the one city/state! [/b]:shock:

That's not exactly a Melbourne Cup field that we're talking about, is it.

[Ecky]

It may be difficult for us to believe, but Adelaide truly appears to be the city in the world that has the highest attended sporting competition based entirely in the one city/state!

That's not exactly a Melbourne Cup field that we're talking about, is it.

Not sure what you mean Mr66?

There are thousands of sporting Leagues around the world which are based in just the one city - and most of them have very low attendance figures. This is where the SANFL is the exception.

Or am I missing your point?

[Wedgie]

Whilst I haven't looked up the exact stats in regard to the SANFL, the AFL has the 3rd highest average attendance at games in the world, only 3rd behind the NFL in America and the Bundesligia in Germany which is very impressive as we're a pretty small country population wise.
BUT having said that even though I don't barrack for the Crows or Port and until the upcoming year Adelaide United, Adelaide consistently has the best crowds per popula in most sports Australia wide so it doesn't suprise me that the SANFL would rate up there as far as domestic comps go.
Adelaide truly is the sporting capital of the world!

[Mr66]

It may be difficult for us to believe, but Adelaide truly appears to be the city in the world that has the highest attended sporting competition based entirely in the one city/state!

That's not exactly a Melbourne Cup field that we're talking about, is it.

Not sure what you mean Mr66?

There are thousands of sporting Leagues around the world which are based in just the one city - and most of them have very low attendance figures. This is where the SANFL is the exception.

Or am I missing your point?

THOUSANDS?!?!
Most of them would have low attendance figures because they are minor sports eg undewater hockey,trugo.
Major sports in most cities are not confined to their own cities but are national competitions hence they
are major sports.
This discussion does provoke a question however,which I don't think even Spelly would know the answer.
What are the crowd figures for major sports(played in that particular country) for local comps in big cities?
eg Soccer leagues in Manchester,Liverpool,Milan,Madrid
Baseball in New York,Chicago
Ice Hockey in Montreal,Toronto etc.

[Ecky]

THOUSANDS?!?!
Most of them would have low attendance figures because they are minor sports eg undewater hockey,trugo.
Major sports in most cities are not confined to their own cities but are national competitions hence they
are major sports.
This discussion does provoke a question however,which I don't think even Spelly would know the answer.
What are the crowd figures for major sports(played in that particular country) for local comps in big cities?
eg Soccer leagues in Manchester,Liverpool,Milan,Madrid
Baseball in New York,Chicago
Ice Hockey in Montreal,Toronto etc.

I think you are getting to the same point I am making, but in a roundabout way

What I am saying is that I believe that all competitions of all sports, whether they be major or minor sports (and yes there would be thousands of these competitions/leagues), that are based in the one city, all have lower attendances than the SANFL. That includes baseball comps in New York, Soccer leagues in Manchester, tiddly winks in Casablanca, the WHOLE LOT. How much clearer do I have to make myself?

And PS, If you don't believe that this is the case for soccer leagues in Manchester, the Nationwide Conference (the 5th highest soccer League in England) has average attendances of only 1978, so it is safe to say that all other Leagues in England have lower attendances than this.

Also, if you want to consider baseball in New York, the New York-Penn League, which covers 6 states, has average attendances of only 3390, so any league below this based in only New York would surely have lower attendances.

[Mr66]

The problem these comps would have is that they would always had to play second fiddle to
the national comp. They would have been formed to give people a chance to play
their particular sport so they would have been subserviant to the big leagues.
The SANFL has a leg up on these comps because they were always the big fish,
thus having a more traditional following.
I doubt whether these comps would have many paying customers, the would be similar in culture to
our amateur football leagues.

[Mr66]

THOUSANDS?!?!
Most of them would have low attendance figures because they are minor sports eg undewater hockey,trugo.
Major sports in most cities are not confined to their own cities but are national competitions hence they
are major sports.
This discussion does provoke a question however,which I don't think even Spelly would know the answer.
What are the crowd figures for major sports(played in that particular country) for local comps in big cities?
eg Soccer leagues in Manchester,Liverpool,Milan,Madrid
Baseball in New York,Chicago
Ice Hockey in Montreal,Toronto etc.

I think you are getting to the same point I am making, but in a roundabout way

What I am saying is that I believe that all competitions of all sports, whether they be major or minor sports (and yes there would be thousands of these competitions/leagues), that are based in the one city, all have lower attendances than the SANFL. That includes baseball comps in New York, Soccer leagues in Manchester, tiddly winks in Casablanca, the WHOLE LOT. How much clearer do I have to make myself?

And PS, If you don't believe that this is the case for soccer leagues in Manchester, the Nationwide Conference (the 5th highest soccer League in England) has average attendances of only 1978, so it is safe to say that all other Leagues in England have lower attendances than this.

Also, if you want to consider baseball in New York, the New York-Penn League, which covers 6 states, has average attendances of only 3390, so any league below this based in only New York would surely have lower attendances.

Nationwide? States? I thought we were discussing CITIES.

[Wedgie]

These figures might help in the discussion:

Crowd talk
Wednesday, 13 December, 2006 - 3:30PM
Despite being in just its second season, the Hyundai A-League is one of the best attended football leagues in world football, an amazing statistic that belies the popular belief that the atmosphere at Australian football matches is incomparable to that in Europe or South America.

The best attended football league in the world is Germany’s Bundesliga, home to former Mariners defenders Michael Beauchamp and Dean Heffernan, which drew an average of 40,775 spectators to their league fixtures throughout its 2005/06 campaign.

England’s Premier League is a close second (33,875), with Spain’s La Liga (29,029), Italy’s Serie A (21,968) and France’s Ligue 1 (21,576) each trumping the likes of the Hyundai A-League in terms of their average gates, as one would expect.

Elsewhere around the world, Mexico’s Football League is the best attended non-European league, averaging 24,970 per match in 2006, while Japan’s J-League is the flagship competition in Asia, averaging 18,292 each game of their most recent season.

In total, the Hyundai A-League ranks 17th in terms of football league average attendances worldwide, higher than a host of world football superpowers including no less than Portugal, Sweden and the Czech Republic.

The top-tier leagues of 2006 FIFA World Cup finalists Switzerland, Ukraine, Poland, Croatia and Serbia & Montenegro all average less than the current Mariners average home attendance of 9,544.

ccmariners.com.au looks at just how the crowds at Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium compare to the landscape of attendances around Australia and around the globe.

Australian Premier Leagues

AFL
2006 Average Attendance 35,250
The AFL is not only Australia’s best attended national sporting league, it is also second only to Germany’s Bundesliga and the United States’ NFL in terms of the best attended leagues of any sport in the world. Turnstiles at AFL grounds in Australia clicked more than 6 million times throughout 2006, more than double the amount of its nearest national rival – Rugby League’s NRL. The largest attendance of the 2006 AFL season was an astonishing 97,431, which saw the West Coast Eagles defeat the Sydney Swans in the showpiece event at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

NRL
2006 Average Attendance 16,485
Australia’s premier Rugby League competition, the NRL, attracted an average of 16,485 spectators to their matches in 2006, some 5,000 more than the inaugural Hyundai A-League season. The Hyundai A-League only marginally trailed the NRL in terms of finals attendances last season, with the Hyundai A-League’s second week finals matches recording similar numbers to the NRL’s equivalent: Hyundai A-League – 47,806, NRL – 52,988. The largest NRL attendance of 2006 was 79,606, who were on hand for September’s Grand Final at Telstra Stadium in Sydney.

NBL
2004/05 Average Attendance 3,665
The NBL, Australia’s top-flight Basketball competition, is the only Australian sporting competition to include teams from both Singapore and New Zealand. Amazingly, the competition’s most northern Australian club, the Cairns Taipans, have to travel only 1,500 kilometres further to play the Singapore Slingers compared to the Perth Wildcats. Currently in its 29th season, the NBL records the lowest average attendance of any of Australia’s major sporting leagues, only marginally above the Hyundai A-League’s lowest crowd-pulling club, the New Zealand Knights.

Worldwide Football Leagues

K-League
2005 Average Attendance 11,258
Korea’s K-League has long been flagged as Asia’s premier competition and, certainly, their record in Asia’s premier club competition, the AFC Champions League, would suggest so (K-League clubs have won six of the past eleven AFC Champions League titles). The K-League, only just behind the Hyundai A-League in terms of average attendances, has featured several footballers of Australian fame in its 13 year history, including fringe Socceroo Ahmad Elrich and current Newcastle Jets striker Milton Rodrigues.

Portugese Superliga
2005/06 Average Attendance 10,600
Portugal’s top-tier competition is home to three of the giant clubs of Europe – Benfica, Porto and Sporting Lisbon, each of whom have tasted significant success in Europe previously, not least Porto who claimed the 2004 UEFA Champions League. The Superliga has been home to some of Portugal’s all-time greatest players, including FIFA World Player of the Year winner Luis Figo, Manchester United starlet Cristiano Ronaldo and veteran international Rui Costa. Despite this, the Superliga averages crowds notably less than the Hyundai A-League, with the majority of clubs drawing less to their games than the Mariners do to Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium.

Belgian Jupiler League
2005/06 Average Attendance 10,293
Belgium’s Jupiler League has been a hotbed for emerging Australian football talent for decades now, with the likes of Frank Farina, Paul Okon and even the Mariners’ own Tony Vidmar beginning their overseas careers with Belgian clubs. Anderlecht and Club Brugge are unquestionably Belgium’s two largest and best supported clubs, while the likes of Lierse (former club of the Melbourne Victory’s Archie Thompson), Sint Truidense and Beveren struggle to draw attendances totaling five figures with any consistency.

Swiss Super League
2005/06 Average Attendance 7,993
The showpiece football competition in Switzerland is home to several current Socceroo stars, including Scott Chipperfield, Mile Sterjovski and Ljubo Milicevic. The former two play with Switzerland’s most dominant club – FC Basel, who, based in the Swiss city of the same name, have dominated the Super League in recent years. Despite boasting many FIFA World Cup stars throughout the competition’s ten clubs, crowds in Switzerland are not particularly strong, with FC Schaffhausen a poignant example – rarely nudging their Stadium’s 7,300 capacity.

League of Wales
2005/06 Average Attendance 268
Unquestionably one of the most amazing league’s in terms of attendance in the football world today – the League of Wales draws an unbelievable 268 people to their matches on average. Due in some part to the country’s three largest clubs – Cardiff City, Swansea City and Wrexham playing in England’s lower leagues, the League of Wales attendances are among the worst of any top-flight football league in the world, a baffling statistic given Wales’ enormous history and standing in the world game.

Top 20 Attended Football Leagues

1 – Bundesliga (Germany), 40,775
2 – Premier League (England), 33,875
3 – La Liga (Spain), 29,029
4 – Football League (Mexico), 24,970
5 – Serie A (Italy), 21,968
6 – Ligue 1 (France), 21,576
7 – J-League (Japan), 18,292
8 – League Championship (England), 17,616
9 – Primera Division (Argentina), 17,363
10 – Premier Super League (Turkey), 16,799
11 – Eredivisie (Netherlands), 16,789
12 – Premier League (Scotland), 16,174
13 – Major League Soccer (United States), 15,220
14 – Bundesliga 2 (Germany), 13,124
15 – Campeonato (Brazil), 12,385
16 – Premier League (Russia), 11,792
17 – Hyundai A-League (Australia), 11,627
18 – K-League (Korea Republic), 11,258
19 – Super League (China), 10,600
20 – Superliga (Portugal), 10,600

[Ecky]

Nationwide? States? I thought we were discussing CITIES.

Yes, we are.

But if a nationwide or 6-state league has a lower attendance than the SANFL it would then be a safe bet to say that single city comps within that region would also be smaller. How come my logic seems to be so difficult for people to follow today?

[Wedgie]

More importantly this one:

A more comprehensive list of world football league averages from wiki...

1. NFL (Gridiron) - US - 66,453
2. Bundesliga - Germany - 40,775
3. AFL - Australia - 35,250
4. Premier League - England - 33,875
5. CFL (Gridiron) - Canada - 29,343
6. La Liga - Spain - 29,029
7. Mexican FL - Mexico - 24,970
8. Serie A - Italy - 21,968
9. Ligue 1 - France - 21,576
10. J-League - Japan - 18,292
11. Championship - England - 17,616
12. Primera - Argentina - 17,363
13. Premier SL - Turkey - 16,799
14. Eredivisie - Netherlands - 16,789
15. NRL - Australia - 16,485
16. Premier League - Scotland - 16,174
17. Major League (soccer) US - 15,220
18. NPC Div 1 (Rugby union) NZ - 13,356
19. Bundesliga 2 - Germany - 13,124
20. Brasileiro Série A - Brazil - 12,385
21. Russian Premier League - 11,792
22. A-League - Australia - 11,627

[Mr66]

Nationwide? States? I thought we were discussing CITIES.

Yes, we are.

But if a nationwide or 6-state league has a lower attendance than the SANFL it would then be a safe bet to say that single city comps within that region would also be smaller. How come my logic seems to be so difficult for people to follow today?

If they were that small, they wouldn't be significant in their local community and probably
wouldn't be economically viable.
SANFL and its clubs have a century plus headstart on any local, major-sport league in the world.
And its better for it, but I wouldn't boast about it because other the 6 billion and bit people on Earth
couldn't give a rats clacker.