Australian sports attendences

[SportBoy333]

http://geocities.com/worldfootballrankings2004/OceaniaTop126.html

I found it very interesting that the 16th and bottom ranked club in attendence in the AFL outdraws the top ranked team in attendence in the NRL. I dont know what this means exactly. Is it because the AFL stadiums are bigger ? Because Aussie Rules is more popular than Rugby League ? Because there are too many Sydney clubs in the NRL and they've over saturated the market ? Because rugby league has to compete with Union ? Also 2 teams from the old Australian NSL outdrew some NRL clubs. With the NRL looking to go to 16 teams with the addition of the Gold Coast Dolphins perhaps they'd be a lot better off with only 12 teams.

[Capt. Socceroo]

http://geocities.com/worldfootballrankings2004/OceaniaTop126.html

I found it very interesting that the 16th and bottom ranked club in attendence in the AFL outdraws the top ranked team in attendence in the NRL. I dont know what this means exactly. Is it because the AFL stadiums are bigger ? Because Aussie Rules is more popular than Rugby League ? Because there are too many Sydney clubs in the NRL and they've over saturated the market ? Because rugby league has to compete with Union ? Also 2 teams from the old Australian NSL outdrew some NRL clubs. With the NRL looking to go to 16 teams with the addition of the Gold Coast Dolphins perhaps they'd be a lot better off with only 12 teams.

Aussie Rules is traditionally a crowd drawing sport. With the size of the field, many feel that the TV doesn't do the game justice. You really have to 'be there' to experience the thrill of AFL. With RL, you can see most of the action on the box, as there is very little taking place outside the view frame. In AFL quite a lot takes place 'up field')& consequently off camera), like leads, players peeling off opponents, open/flooded forward lines, the "diagonals" of the game. No matter how many cameras are used in the broadcast, a seasoned fan will always see more at the ground. AFL Stadiums are bigger because of the crowds the game draws.

One of the worst things the NRL did was to try to rationalise the number of teams in Sydney (consequence of the Super League wars), both of these things contributed to the increasing disenfranchisment of the sydney-siders towards League.

In Sydney, the heartland of RL, they just aren't as passionate about their sport vs other states/cities. Sure there are diehards for every sport, but the crowd figures don't lie. To put it into American terms, I regard Sydney as a very 'LA style' sports market, whereas Melbourne is more like New York. FWIW, IMO Adelaide is like Boston.

Just my $0.02

[BhoysFC1995]

[url].......... With the NRL looking to go to 16 teams with the addition of the Gold Coast Dolphins perhaps they'd be a lot better off with only 12 teams.

its official? when did they announce that? any link?

[SportBoy333]

http://www.goldcoastdolphins.com.au/

They have a website, a team name, a mascot, they're selling jerseys already they think they are a lock to be the 16th team even though the NRL hasnt offically announced it.

[OldFanatic]

How come the list is for Oceania, but doesn't include a single participant in the Super-12? (Crusaders, Highlanders, Chiefs, Blues, Hurricanes, Brumbies, Warratahs, Reds) Are they not considered to be Clubs (whatever that is)? I'm sure their crowds draw very well. Also, what about the participants in the NPC? Are they different than the 5 Super-12 participants from New Zealand? If this list somehow selectively excludes the Rugby Union teams, I don't think it is a true representative of attendance figures.

OK, so I found some numbers for Union here:

http://geocities.com/worldfootballrankings2004/Top126RugbyUnionClubs.html

But I don't believe this list, and it looks totally bogus. It only has Bulls, Sharks, Stomers (no Cats??) from South Africa. But not a single entry from Oceania. How can such a list be trusted credibly?

[(TxT)]

Exactly how large is an Aussie Rules field, they look huge?

I wish I could go to a game but I live in America in the south. I recently got into the sport watching it on TV and picked up the rules as I watched. Once there was a game at a horse park down the road a few years back but since I didn't know anything about the sport I didn't go, they were also local teams which surprised me.

[Craig the Aussie]

How come the list is for Oceania, but doesn't include a single participant in the Super-12? (Crusaders, Highlanders, Chiefs, Blues, Hurricanes, Brumbies, Warratahs, Reds) Are they not considered to be Clubs (whatever that is)? I'm sure their crowds draw very well. Also, what about the participants in the NPC? Are they different than the 5 Super-12 participants from New Zealand?

Most Australian & NZ rugby grounds have capacities of about 40,000. Also Super 12 teams only play 5 or 6 home games per year.

The NZ & SAf Super12 teams are amalgamations of the provincial teams that play in the NPC and Currie Cup competitions

[Craig the Aussie]

Exactly how large is an Aussie Rules field, they look huge?

I wish I could go to a game but I live in America in the south. I recently got into the sport watching it on TV and picked up the rules as I watched. Once there was a game at a horse park down the road a few years back but since I didn't know anything about the sport I didn't go, they were also local teams which surprised me.

There is no set size for a field. The minimum & maximum sizes are:

Length: between 135 and 185 metres
Width: between 110 and 155 metres

As an example, the Sydney Cricket Ground is considered small, the Melbourne Cricket Ground is large.

Check out www.afana.com

The US Nationals are in Atlanta in October.

[OldFanatic]

Most Australian & NZ rugby grounds have capacities of about 40,000. Also Super 12 teams only play 5 or 6 home games per year.

The NZ & SAf Super12 teams are amalgamations of the provincial teams that play in the NPC and Currie Cup competitions
So what, if it's only 5-6 games? Considering that they draw such large crowds, the attendance numbers should be averaged out and properly represented by whoever prepared that list.

[Craig the Aussie]

So what, if it's only 5-6 games? Considering that they draw such large crowds, the attendance numbers should be averaged out and properly represented by whoever prepared that list.

Agree, I was just thinking that it may effect the way the lists are drawn up.

[(TxT)]

There is no set size for a field. The minimum & maximum sizes are:

Length: between 135 and 185 metres
Width: between 110 and 155 metres

As an example, the Sydney Cricket Ground is considered small, the Melbourne Cricket Ground is large.

Check out www.afana.com

The US Nationals are in Atlanta in October.


THX I'll probably check them out.

[OldFanatic]

Check out www.afana.com (http://www.afana.com)
Also see:

www.usfooty.com (http://www.usfooty.com)

[Spartacus]

With the size of the field, many feel that the TV doesn't do the game justice. You really have to 'be there' to experience the thrill of AFL.
Well said, Capt.

When I attended the 2001 Grand Final I was absolutely blown away by the size of the ground...the expanse of the playing surface at the MCG is enormous. It's amazing how one playing field can hold 18 men a side, 3 referees, and how many runners per side, and still have plenty of space left over for players to find space.

[(TxT)]

Well said, Capt.

When I attended the 2001 Grand Final I was absolutely blown away by the size of the ground...the expanse of the playing surface at the MCG is enormous. It's amazing how one playing field can hold 18 men a side, 3 referees, and how many runners per side, and still have plenty of space left over for players to find space.


Are runners those guys I see on TV wearing bright green shirts giving players water and such while play is going on??

[Spartacus]

Are runners those guys I see on TV wearing bright green shirts giving players water and such while play is going on??
Those are the ones...they also run messages from the coaches boxes out to the players on the ground...

[Craig the Aussie]

Well, yes & no. The runner can only take out messages, and then is supposed to immediately leave the field (some cynical coaches get them to hang around near play to make opponents think their is less free space).

Water etc is taken out by trainers, who generally wear white track pants and jackets in club colours.

[Spartacus]

Well, yes & no. The runner can only take out messages, and then is supposed to immediately leave the field (some cynical coaches get them to hang around near play to make opponents think their is less free space).

Water etc is taken out by trainers, who generally wear white track pants and jackets in club colours.
So exactly how many members of the "support staff" are allowed on the field at any time?

[Capt. Socceroo]

So exactly how many members of the "support staff" are allowed on the field at any time?

AFAIK, there is no limit.

As Craig said, each club has two 'runners', dressed in flouro green. It is his job to relay messages to the players, such as tactical advice, implementing positional changes, substitutions (called "being dragged" if done as a punishment) and to deliver the coaches bollockings if it can't wait until the quarter is over. Only one runner is allowed onto the field at a time, policed by the fourth umpire at the interchange area (on centre wing). The other is on the interchange bench with his ear to the phone....waiting for the coach to direct him.

Each AFL level club also has about 6 or so 'trainers'. They are positioned around the boundary of the field, and run on to the field to deliver water bottles to the players when play is up the other end. They are usually dressed in track pants and club polo shirts.

There is also the club medical staff, also usually dressed in track pants and club polo shirts. If a player goes down injured, the medicos can run onto the field at any time to attend to the player, dodging play as it usually doesn't stop. If the player is seriously injured and requires a stretcher, the medicos tell the nearest umpire, so he can stop play, and the coach, so he can ready a substitution. If a player can hobble off under his own steam, only the coach is notified. Play is not stopeed while the player makes his way off the field. If play is stopped for the former case, the club support staff get the stretcher (or little motorised cart) out to the player and cart him off.

If a player suffers a wound that bleeds, as soon as an umpire notices this, he will halt play and enforce the "blood rule". The player must immediately leave the arena for treatment, with a substitution allowed. If blood is on the guernsey, it must be replaced with a clean one. The player is allowed to be re-admitted to the game via an interchange when the fourth umpire (the one incharge of the interchange area) is satisfied that the player is not leaking blood anymore and there is no danger to other players from blood contamination.

All up there are 36 players, 3 field umpires and 4 boundary umpires on the field at any one time as well as all the supprt staff. Hope this helps!

[westcoast929406]

The first post in this thread got it right. AFL crowd figures are the highest in the country by far. The reason the crowds come in huge numbers (6.3 million in 2003 season for 22 game qualifiers only, and crowds are up 6 per cent on that this season so far) is to watch a fast open spectacle. No off side -It is a 360 degree game. A lot of courage required to play this sport.
Eddie Jones the coach of the Wallabies -Australia`s Rugby Union National Team paid the game the ultimate compliment. He said the sport is light years ahead of Rugby U in Training techniques - Tactics - Structure - Eddie regularly visits AFL Clubs to pick up the latest trends.
The crowd last night in Sydney at the Olympic Stadium to watch AFL Sydney play AFL Collingwood was 50,065. It was up against a TV cast direct into Sydney of Australia v England in Brisbane in the repeat of World Cup Final. Also on were 2 NRL R/League derbys, which drew big crowds- Sydney is a Rugby League and Union city.

[OldFanatic]

Eddie Jones the coach of the Wallabies -Australia`s Rugby Union National Team paid the game the ultimate compliment. He said the sport is light years ahead of Rugby U in Training techniques - Tactics - Structure - Eddie regularly visits AFL Clubs to pick up the latest trends.
Yeah, but one thing Eddie has got going for his sport is a true international footprint, and the identity of a national team. I mean, when was the last time there was a World Cup of Australian Football? I use the same argument about American Football and the huge NFL attendances. They are a 1 (maybe 2) nation phenomenon with built in isolationism. (OK, so at least you have the Australia-Ireland test matches with a hybrid code. Not that I would call it an international footprint. But the Americans don't even bother playing against the Canadians in a hybrid American/Canadian football code. There is no such thing as an American national team of American football.)

Don't get me wrong, I love Australian football. But if I had a choice of only 1 code to choose from among Rugby Union and Australian Football, I would choose Rugby Union hands down. And it's not even like that code is as much plagued from problems with the offside rule as Association Football.