Crowd last night

[realdeal]

During the game a few of us commented on the fact that the area around our cheer squad resembled that of an interstate side. It turns out there was only 26,000 people there last night yet there was 38,000 at the damn Essendon- Brisbane game today!

Considering how well the Bulldogs had been travelling and the fact that we had won 6 of our past 8, we thought it was an extremely disappointing crowd. This has been an issue all year.

Where is everyone? The club obviously has some work to do to get back lapsed/new members.

[bigred]

Was such a chilly night.

My couch was so warm and the beers were so cold and cheap....

[Bernard Shakey]

Wasn't our home game.No financial benefit to pay to go out on a freezing Melbourne night, when you could stay home with Foxtel, or go to a toasty warm pub.

[Bluthy]

I suspect there are a lot of home game only memberships. That's where these membership numbers clubs trot out are pretty arbitrary - Collingwood include 3 game membership packages in their totals and I think for a while they even included pet members before the AFL made them stop. As the Saints starts winning regularly more people will upgrade to h&a and turn up more at the away games.

[WellardSaint]

I suspect there are a lot of home game only memberships. That's where these membership numbers clubs trot out are pretty arbitrary - Collingwood include 3 game membership packages in their totals and I think for a while they even included pet members before the AFL made them stop. As the Saints starts winning regularly more people will upgrade to h&a and turn up more at the away games.

Thanks for clearing that up!
But why didn't doggies members turn up to THEIR home game, at least the crowd would have been bigger

[mr six o'clock]

38 k at todays game cos the bummers fans once again believed there P R bull shite machine , and expected to win .

But the chemist had other idea's and they tanked beautifully .

No 1 locked in
and whatever charity the Afl will gift them at seasons end .

[Bernard Shakey]

I suspect there are a lot of home game only memberships. That's where these membership numbers clubs trot out are pretty arbitrary - Collingwood include 3 game membership packages in their totals and I think for a while they even included pet members before the AFL made them stop. As the Saints starts winning regularly more people will upgrade to h&a and turn up more at the away games.

We have three game memberships too!

[samuraisaint]

It was 34,000 today. A lot of Lions supporters there today by the look of it. But yes, there were a lot of Bombers supporters looking for their second win.
Against Melbourne (25,000) and Essendon (also 25,000) I thought our supporters made up well and truly the bulk of the crowd in both games.
Even last night I got the impression that St Kilda supporters made up about 13,000 of the crowd - did others get that impression?
After Port lost this evening, it will be very disappointing if we can't get the lion's share of the crowd against North to try to spur us on, even if it is their home game.

[Trev from the Bush]

There were 4 of us, our seats were right behind the Bulldogs' cheer squad. i could tolerate it, not like they are Collingwood or anything so putrid.

However, there was definately a paucity of Saints supporter. We were well outnumbered right throughout the ground.

I can't say that we have fair-weather supporters. Or foul-weather supporters for that matter. Too few of our "supporters" actually turn up to support our Club. We are flying at the moment; had we been getting beaten I hate to think how few supporters we would attract.

In other words, get off your backsides and get to the ground to support your team, Saint Supporters!

[thejiggingsaint]

For what it's worth, I think that the responsibility for a bigger crowd ALWAYS lies with the "home" club. The Dullbogs have 39+k members, they were sitting In 3rd position on the ladder, and were up against a side that many commentators saw as being one who would provide them with a stiff challenge. I sat in the level 1, aisle 6 section last night, quite close to the race, and for my money, those supporters were BRILLIANT in their vocal support for the Saints! The Doggies supporters need to turn out for THEIR own home games!

[Moods]

No way we had anymore than 5-7k worth of supporters there last night. Was almost like an interstate game. Dogs wre far louder and larger in number

[thejiggingsaint]

Which crowd made the biggest noise? Which crowd got behind their side for 4 quarters? 5-7k? Maybe......but HELL! what QUALITY they brought to their barracking! Sainters you were GREAT!

[saint-stu]

Jigster you must have been near the cheer squad. I got seats on level 2 wing and again, saints were quiet. I think it was even worse at the bombers game and I commented on this forum then.

It's just a bit sad is all. It's our home ground. I assume the club has done the research and understands why this is happening. I'd love to know the result.

The only put offs for me are
1. I can't have the same seat I have for home games
2. I know the atmosphere is going to be crap

[BackFromUSA]

Was there and ;oved every minute of it.

[thejiggingsaint]

Saint-stu, fair comment re your reasons for being "put off" however, I have to say NOTHING puts me off going to barrack for this club! NOTHING!

[Winmar]

I've only got a home membership because I go away a bit for work, and staying at home last night was quite an appealing prospect. It was freezing and I didn't feel like paying $25 for a likely loss. However I dragged myself out and was rewarded for doing so. It was great to be there for such a good win.

We were outnumbered but their fans were very quiet when they weren't calling for holding the ball.

[thejiggingsaint]

Good on you Winmar ! I have a 16 game membership but paid $30 last night in order to sit with fellow Saints! Boy was it worth EVERY cent!

[noddy04]

We are full 11 game social club members who live interstate and would love to go to every game but circumstances say no. We are wanting to come over for the final game v Brisbane but because its such a secret (looking at you Gil) no one knows when and where we will be playing. I rang club last week and they still dont know. Hard to book hotels and flights etc if we dont know when we play. Lots of interstate members in the same boat

[ace]

I suspect there are a lot of home game only memberships. That's where these membership numbers clubs trot out are pretty arbitrary - Collingwood include 3 game membership packages in their totals and I think for a while they even included pet members before the AFL made them stop. As the Saints starts winning regularly more people will upgrade to h&a and turn up more at the away games.

We have three game memberships too!

If Collingwood can't include animals in their membership numbers wouldn't that make their membership total zero.

[samuraisaint]

Jigster you must have been near the cheer squad. I got seats on level 2 wing and again, saints were quiet. I think it was even worse at the bombers game and I commented on this forum then.

It's just a bit sad is all. It's our home ground. I assume the club has done the research and understands why this is happening. I'd love to know the result.

The only put offs for me are
1. I can't have the same seat I have for home games
2. I know the atmosphere is going to be crap

I was at the Bombers game and I have to say I thought for most of it it seemed like there were more St. Kilda supporters there, even though it was their home game.

There are issues at the moment with just getting to games with the issues on the Frankston line not really running with buses replacing trains and the temporary closure of stations on that line, but that doesn't explain why supporters of other sides get along to games and we don't seem to.

This week will be interesting - with Port losing and us having to win to keep our faint hope of finals alive, it being a North Melbourne home game and Harvey's record breaker, and we've been playing an exciting brand of football. It would be good to see our supporters turn out in force for this one.

I can remember games when North were struggling when it seemed as if they had less than 10 supporters at their games against us - and they weren't on the bottom of the ladder either, they were in the middle rungs. The Bulldogs too for that matter.

[thejiggingsaint]

I can still remember vividly being part of the travelling support for the Saints at AAMI( moron) Park in 2005 for the qualifying final against the ( hotly fancied ) Crows outfit. Then seeing North Melbourne achieve the dubious "distinction" of posting the lowest ever crowd figures for a Melbourne-based final! Ask yourselves just why they've struggled to gain/maintain membership over the years, and then look to their underlying "culture"

[saintspremiers]

38 k at todays game cos the bummers fans once again believed there P R bull shite machine , and expected to win .

But the chemist had other idea's and they tanked beautifully .

No 1 locked in
and whatever charity the Afl will gift them at seasons end .

Essendon have signed up with the Russian Olympic federation and also the IOC as major sponsors next season.

[thejiggingsaint]

Well they appointed a qualified pharmacist as senior coach SP so why should your theory be challenged?

[White Winmar]

For what it's worth, I think that the responsibility for a bigger crowd ALWAYS lies with the "home" club. The Dullbogs have 39+k members, they were sitting In 3rd position on the ladder, and were up against a side that many commentators saw as being one who would provide them with a stiff challenge. I sat in the level 1, aisle 6 section last night, quite close to the race, and for my money, those supporters were BRILLIANT in their vocal support for the Saints! The Doggies supporters need to turn out for THEIR own home games!

The Dullbogs! I see what you did there, Jiggster! Classic.

[evertonfc]

People just don't fancy going to the footy like they used to.

As an away fan, unless you fork out huge dollars, you'll be high up on level 4, cold and probably can't see that well.

The problem is that, for a lot of people, it's just not worth the time/cost (5 hours and high expenses) to see a game that isn't really very attractive any more, with all teams playing roughly the same way.

My honest view is that as TV $ go up, admission costs should be way, way lower. It even makes it look better on TV, which is important to broadcast quality.

We also need a StubHub equivalent - would do wonders for getting people in cheaper.