AFL crowds slump to lowest levels in 26 years, excluding COVID seasons

Football fans have expressed frustration about ticketing issues and over-umpiring in response to figures that reveal AFL crowds are at their lowest in 26 years, excluding the past two COVID-ravaged seasons.

Across 90 games of football so far this season, attendances have averaged 30,517, well below the 2019 pre-pandemic average of 35,122 across the full 23-round season, which was a record-breaking year for total attendance across a home-and-away season. The AFL also froze general admission tickets for all MCG and Marvel Stadium matches and introduced a new $50 family membership in 2022.

“Now we not only have 15-20 players around each ball-up, and umpires are hyper-eager to pick out soft free kicks to try to open the game up. “I am going to miss travelling to Perth for the game because I can’t get the Monday off from work,” Palmer said. Richmond fan Travis Frost says while he still attends games, that doesn’t mean the AFL shouldn’t fix ticketing and scheduling issues.

Ticketing is difficult and expensive, umpiring is awful, game has become a little boring with no personality. Nothing really excites me enough to get me to the AFL

It could be the inconsistency of the umpires calls . I Can’t watch it anymore what happened to , dropping the ball ,incorrect disposal ,kicking in danger, unrealistic attempt at marks The umpires are just so far of what was the best game in Australia

FREE kicks 47 per game & stupid rules the AFL way 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

We stopped going due to the relentless gambling promotion. When your kids start parroting the lines from the adds they see at the footy you realise how toxic the AFL has become.

That's because AFL is unwatchable..I'd rather go watch the under 9s..

When you are forced to reserve your seat, up to $30 at marvel, when I have been a paying AFL member for 15 years, including the last two during the pandemic where we saw no football, it is insulting and a real slap in the face from the AFL.

Product now is rubbish, umpiring is pathetic to point of match fixing. AFL more interested in making political statements than fixing the problems. The League actively promotes gambling advertising but tries to preach morals, then is soft on drugs. The AFL are killing themselves

Yep..Let them keep changing rules that will bring crowds back 🤷🏻‍♂️

Nevertheless it remains highly alarming when looking at the footy crowds to see almost no one wearing a mask.

Time to stop price gauging on food and drink.

The great umpiring surely has nothing to do with it. Or great tribunal decisions.

When you've already got membership but still have to go through the rigmarole of logging on to confusing and crash-prone ticketing websites to get into games, it's all too hard for some.

The AFL have over-sanitized their brand, and it has far less appeal for me, because I am literally inundated with a global smorgasbord of alternative sport. Unless it returns to its unique roots asap, it will disappear from the global platform.

Covid, flu, ticket prices, cost of living

Plus it is too expensive. All round, tickets, membership, food the works all need to be reduced

AFL = Australian Freekick League

Looked obvious when AFL changed GF back to its same time slot.....World record lockdowns, curfews and rubber bullets have bought the game to its knees in Melbourne. Good old Chairman Dan.

You do realise that flu is ravaging Victoria at the moment, me included as well as my co-workers. Why not report on that?

Ill take a lucky guess but it just might have to do with how people can get a ticket. If they're not smart phone savvy and membership tickets are now online they arnt going to the footy either

You do realise that covid is still in the community? Obviously something you are completely ignorant of.

Absolute bottom line; way too much footy on tv. 4/7 and 3/7 days footy is live on tv. Much of it free. You can only enjoy so much vanilla slice before enough is enough. And the live experience is a manufactured sterile theatre event. The tribalism passion is much diminished.

Bread & circuses

Covid and footy are not a great mix..

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