Absolute disgrace

[RustyCage]

Good points Cutterman.

I think the difference is that the AFL has attracted lots of new supporters to the game - those who never went to the SANFL and are completely unaware of the tribal nature and the passion attached to it.

They are seeking entertainment only and don't fancy getting too cold or wet in the process.

Are you saying there's no tribalism or passion involved with the supporting of the AFL clubss? Of course there is, and just as passionately as the SANFL.

No, I'm not saying that at all. That's why there was 19,000 at the Port/Freo game. If there were no tribalism or passion there would have been no one there.

What I was saying is that there are a lot of supporters who have never been to a SANFL game who started going to the footy when the 'trendy' thing to do was go to an AFL game. Those folk jump ship at the first sign of something better to entertain them (like watching on TV when the weather is shitty or the team isn't winning).

I hope that's a little clearer.

Yeah, as soon as I posted I reaslised what you meant! I think that there always has been the "theres something better to do, I wont go to the footy" type person, just that now the AFL crowds are bigger than what the SANFL used to get, it is magnified in the attendance figures, and also by the fact that peoples lifestyles have changed, where its not the "work mon-fri, do other things sat-sun" situation anymore. People have a lot less free time so are a lot more selective with what they do in the free time they do have.

[CUTTERMAN]

Lot's of good points made, and I think that it might be something that the heads of the AFL have rested on and come to depend on as far as crowd numbers. Saying that I think that luckily for the Vics things haven't changed so much, they still know things pretty much how they were apart from a couple of teams moving and the ground rationalisation bit where clubs play away from their traditional grounds and now share 2-3 arenas. It's great for them!
So, yes times have changed, we have less time, more distractions and some (maybe more) have a different view of why we want to attend a game of footy and what we want to get out of it. When I go to a Sturt or Crows games I'm as equally loud and painful to be next to, but Sturt wins feel better and the losses also hurt more, when I'm in Melb watching 2 teams I don't support then I just enjoy watching the footy.
So, the AFL has lost alot of the public in SA in the grand plan of AFL footy, that being it's still based around a VFL comp, they've lost alot of punters here through not aknowledging and incorperating the SANFL and it's history, if this was done it would give a greater appreciation AUSTRALIA wide of Aussie rules as a whole and not one which dis-enfranchises states and groups of people, maybe it's becoming the same in WA, I don't know.
I'll stop there or I won't be able to have a go at Big Phil about rambling on too much.