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Grand Final Start Time

PostPosted: Sun Oct 07, 2007 7:56 pm
by NFC
I know they've got 3 games to play on the one day, but something has to be done about the start time. IMO 3:10 is far, far too late and it really affects the crowd. Throughout the season the games start at 2:00 and 2:30 and these times are ideal. Now as for the Grand Final, there’s no way it should continued to be played at such a late time.

If the game is looming as a blow-out, a lot of people simply choose to leave because it’s starting to get cold and reasonably late. Don’t give them a choice! If you start the game earlier there’s no reason for people to leave, but by starting the game at 3:10 you’re giving people a reason.

As for the crowd today, I was disappointed. Just over 30k which was the benchmark, but there really should have been 35k today. Hard to see the crowd ever getting above this mark until the Dogs are not involved.

Re: Grand Final Start Time

PostPosted: Sun Oct 07, 2007 8:06 pm
by Mr66
Does the SANFL allow for extra time in the U19 & ressies GFs?
If they do, this might be the cause of the late start.

Re: Grand Final Start Time

PostPosted: Sun Oct 07, 2007 8:08 pm
by stampy
i reckon you are right '66 but start the other 2 games accordingly and start the main game at 2.30 at the latest

Re: Grand Final Start Time

PostPosted: Sun Oct 07, 2007 8:48 pm
by saintal
Well written NFC.

It was the first GF i've attended and i was thinking the same thing.

Re: Grand Final Start Time

PostPosted: Sun Oct 07, 2007 9:21 pm
by cd
There is no extra time in any grand final - if drawn replayed later.

Re: Grand Final Start Time

PostPosted: Sun Oct 07, 2007 9:54 pm
by eaglehaslanded
The GF must be moved to saturday at 2pm. There's no reason for the game to be on Sunday given the fact the AFL is finished the week before and it would also give all clubs supporters to get back to their respective clubs and celebrate or comiserate whatever it be without any concern of having to work the next day.

Re: Grand Final Start Time

PostPosted: Sun Oct 07, 2007 10:00 pm
by spell_check
eaglehaslanded wrote:The GF must be moved to saturday at 2pm. There's no reason for the game to be on Sunday given the fact the AFL is finished the week before and it would also give all clubs supporters to get back to their respective clubs and celebrate or comiserate whatever it be without any concern of having to work the next day.


The reason I think it was moved to Sunday in the first place was because of the one sided Grand Finals that went before it - i.e. the Preliminary was on Sunday, the Grand Final on the Saturday. 1993 was the last Saturday Grand Final. But surely it can't be hard to make the Prelminary on the Friday Night, and the Grand Final on the Saturday?

Re: Grand Final Start Time

PostPosted: Sun Oct 07, 2007 10:02 pm
by smac
Roughly 5 of 7 GF's are on a long weekend, giving a public holiday monday to follow. Leave it as it is.

I've got 2 days annual leave to follow tonight... :lol:

Re: Grand Final Start Time

PostPosted: Sun Oct 07, 2007 10:46 pm
by bulldog pommy
NFC wrote:I know they've got 3 games to play on the one day, but something has to be done about the start time. IMO 3:10 is far, far too late and it really affects the crowd. Throughout the season the games start at 2:00 and 2:30 and these times are ideal. Now as for the Grand Final, there’s no way it should continued to be played at such a late time.

If the game is looming as a blow-out, a lot of people simply choose to leave because it’s starting to get cold and reasonably late. Don’t give them a choice! If you start the game earlier there’s no reason for people to leave, but by starting the game at 3:10 you’re giving people a reason.

As for the crowd today, I was disappointed. Just over 30k which was the benchmark, but there really should have been 35k today. Hard to see the crowd ever getting above this mark until the Dogs are not involved.


How can this be attributed to the dogs playing??

I agree should have been 35k but it was up 5k on last year.

Do you think it would reach 30k if the Eagles were playing North?

Re: Grand Final Start Time

PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 12:56 am
by NFC
bulldog pommy wrote:Do you think it would reach 30k if the Eagles were playing North?

No.

I'm not bagging the Dogs, it's just that them constantly making the GF hinders the attendance of neutral fans.

Re: Grand Final Start Time

PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 1:49 am
by StrayDog
Fair to say that competing with Bathurst is no way to maximise neutral supporter attendance either.

Re: Grand Final Start Time

PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 1:51 am
by Brucetiki
What I found silly was the use of the yellow ball yet the lights went on 25 minutes into the last quarter and even so they weren't at full capacity.

Re: Grand Final Start Time

PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 8:20 pm
by FlyingHigh
NFC wrote:I know they've got 3 games to play on the one day, but something has to be done about the start time. IMO 3:10 is far, far too late and it really affects the crowd. Throughout the season the games start at 2:00 and 2:30 and these times are ideal. Now as for the Grand Final, there’s no way it should continued to be played at such a late time.

If the game is looming as a blow-out, a lot of people simply choose to leave because it’s starting to get cold and reasonably late. Don’t give them a choice! If you start the game earlier there’s no reason for people to leave, but by starting the game at 3:10 you’re giving people a reason.

As for the crowd today, I was disappointed. Just over 30k which was the benchmark, but there really should have been 35k today. Hard to see the crowd ever getting above this mark until the Dogs are not involved.


Agree with the starting time NFC. Think we need to go back to 2.20, have that "traditional" feel.

Good on the league for trying the three games on the one day, but it appears an indictment of where the SANFL is, that any supporters (or parents) who go along to watch these games may get counted in the numbers, but a lot seem to leave after their game of interest. Staying arounjd to watch the "main event" has no appeal for a lot of them. Based on that, yesterday's crowd was roughly equivalent to '03, with only two games and three teams playing.

Timing of long weekend affects both the prelim and GF's. Only diehards are going to stay around for a prelim final on a long weekend. Conversely, GF on long weekend gives people coming to Adelaide for the weekend the chance to go to GF too, but on a regular weekend it doesn't. Think this is borne out by the figures in '01, '06 and '07.

Re: Grand Final Start Time

PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 10:46 pm
by BPBRB
FlyingHigh wrote:
NFC wrote:I know they've got 3 games to play on the one day, but something has to be done about the start time. IMO 3:10 is far, far too late and it really affects the crowd. Throughout the season the games start at 2:00 and 2:30 and these times are ideal. Now as for the Grand Final, there’s no way it should continued to be played at such a late time.

If the game is looming as a blow-out, a lot of people simply choose to leave because it’s starting to get cold and reasonably late. Don’t give them a choice! If you start the game earlier there’s no reason for people to leave, but by starting the game at 3:10 you’re giving people a reason.

As for the crowd today, I was disappointed. Just over 30k which was the benchmark, but there really should have been 35k today. Hard to see the crowd ever getting above this mark until the Dogs are not involved.


Agree with the starting time NFC. Think we need to go back to 2.20, have that "traditional" feel.

Good on the league for trying the three games on the one day, but it appears an indictment of where the SANFL is, that any supporters (or parents) who go along to watch these games may get counted in the numbers, but a lot seem to leave after their game of interest. Staying arounjd to watch the "main event" has no appeal for a lot of them. Based on that, yesterday's crowd was roughly equivalent to '03, with only two games and three teams playing.

Timing of long weekend affects both the prelim and GF's. Only diehards are going to stay around for a prelim final on a long weekend. Conversely, GF on long weekend gives people coming to Adelaide for the weekend the chance to go to GF too, but on a regular weekend it doesn't. Think this is borne out by the figures in '01, '06 and '07.


Fully agree - 3.10 way too late!

As for the crowd - when I saw 30k on the board as the official tally I thought that had to be wrong. Been to the last 3 GF's and this years crowd was a lot closer to 35K IMO

Re: Grand Final Start Time

PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 10:52 pm
by RustyCage
BPBRB wrote:
FlyingHigh wrote:
NFC wrote:I know they've got 3 games to play on the one day, but something has to be done about the start time. IMO 3:10 is far, far too late and it really affects the crowd. Throughout the season the games start at 2:00 and 2:30 and these times are ideal. Now as for the Grand Final, there’s no way it should continued to be played at such a late time.

If the game is looming as a blow-out, a lot of people simply choose to leave because it’s starting to get cold and reasonably late. Don’t give them a choice! If you start the game earlier there’s no reason for people to leave, but by starting the game at 3:10 you’re giving people a reason.

As for the crowd today, I was disappointed. Just over 30k which was the benchmark, but there really should have been 35k today. Hard to see the crowd ever getting above this mark until the Dogs are not involved.


Agree with the starting time NFC. Think we need to go back to 2.20, have that "traditional" feel.

Good on the league for trying the three games on the one day, but it appears an indictment of where the SANFL is, that any supporters (or parents) who go along to watch these games may get counted in the numbers, but a lot seem to leave after their game of interest. Staying arounjd to watch the "main event" has no appeal for a lot of them. Based on that, yesterday's crowd was roughly equivalent to '03, with only two games and three teams playing.

Timing of long weekend affects both the prelim and GF's. Only diehards are going to stay around for a prelim final on a long weekend. Conversely, GF on long weekend gives people coming to Adelaide for the weekend the chance to go to GF too, but on a regular weekend it doesn't. Think this is borne out by the figures in '01, '06 and '07.


Fully agree - 3.10 way too late!

As for the crowd - when I saw 30k on the board as the official tally I thought that had to be wrong. Been to the last 3 GF's and this years crowd was a lot closer to 35K IMO


Have been to many Power games where there was bigger crowds, but was considered only 25000.

Re: Grand Final Start Time

PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 10:59 pm
by FlyingHigh
Yeah, I thought there may have been a few more - a lot seemed to be standing for both teams.

Members lower area was just about full, but top section wasn't. Also, Northern grandstand looked fairly sparse. Think it was said on here last time to close that unless numbers warranted it.

Re: Grand Final Start Time

PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 10:59 pm
by Brucetiki
Is it the SANFL or BASS that work out the official number. If it's BASS, it would explain alot of the dodgy figures.

Re: Grand Final Start Time

PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 11:28 pm
by spell_check
It's probably better if the Grand Final crowds are done this way, as it was done pre 2005:

17s Grand Final and 19s Grand Final on Preliminary Final day - the 19s also have the extra week to finish 1 week earlier in the State Game week

Grand Final day:
11 am Reserves
2.20 pm League

I recall in 2000 that both the 19s and 17s Grand Final were played on the Friday Night before the Grand Final at Norwood, can't recall how it was done in 2001 and 2002 but in 2003 and 2004 the 19s and 17s were at Adelaide on Preliminary Final day.

Re: Grand Final Start Time

PostPosted: Tue Oct 09, 2007 1:13 am
by NFC
spell_check wrote:Grand Final day:
11 am Reserves
2.20 pm League

This I like!

Re: Grand Final Start Time

PostPosted: Tue Oct 09, 2007 3:40 am
by Mic
A shame the game didn't end at 3:13.