Yo.


Recently I went to the WACA ground to watch a Sheffield Shield cricket game between WA and TAS. Seeing as I am off work for the moment, it seemed like a good way to pass some time before I went back.

When I got there I was pleasantly surprised to see that the entry fee had been abolished; you could walk in for free and enjoy a great day's cricket for no charge. That said, whilst at the ground I purchased:

1 beer
1 coke
1 kitkat
1 hot chips
1 season preview programme



This got me thinking - could something similar be achieved with local football? Granted, the state one dayers and the money-spinning domestic 20/20 comps are where cricket makes all its money... but is admission for <1000 people really going to be a big earner for local football clubs?

Is there any possibility that a club which dropped gate fees would attract more people, more money at the bar, and spread a bit more good will through the community?

Thoughts welcome...

Though ticket sales are still the biggest income for 2nd Division + sides...

I don’t think there should be a price admission on the off chance that someone might be exposed to it by chance, like it and support it, however price is not barrier to attendance. The problem in Victoria at least, is there isn’t the local connection and it's not giving the a-league fans a reason to look, which means the league doesn’t have a purpose and there is no interest.

The other thing to consider with SS is because of the length over several days it lends itself to either kids on school holidays or working folk having a look at lunch or after work if it's getting interesting, those wouldn’t be inclined to attend if they had to pay for short periods.

FMD :lol: :lol: :lol:

Ram :-({|= :-({|= :-({|= :-({|=

The problem with ALL state leagues is that the general public in Australia is not interested in watching second tier football.

For example, Queensland State League also has very low attendance figures despite being a league consisting entirely of sides representing specific geographic locations.

Clubs in NSW run themselves as purely businesses, and as a business, you look at anyway to exploit your inputs, and if you can get a positive return from your ouput, then they'll continue.

Tickets=Money, Club want money.

Yeah, for sure. But it's often discussed on WA football forums anyway the idea that no gate price = slightly higher gates = even higher bar takings.


It's just something that had been discussed over here anyway. I just thought I'd see if similar thoughts had happened over east.

Edited by f1dave: 25/10/2011 01:22:15 AM

Not really a musician Spiro.

I did like your song about walking on water though.:lol:

South Melbourne had a free game season before last as a farewell to Bob Jane Stadium. There were elements of the day one would prefer to forgot (read: morons on the pitch), but the attendance was around 3000-3500. However, it was - by VPL standards - a pretty well promoted game. I'm not sure how often clubs could afford to make it free.

Also, I don't know how it works in NSW, but here in Victoria all U12 get in free. I often take my son just to get him away from the Wii.

Edited by Benjamin: 25/10/2011 12:25:59 PM

come back to FA you bush spic.

u16 for free in NSW.

I'm banned mate. Pour out some Ouzo for me.

what u do?

What's the price break down is NSWPL? In Victoria, VPL is $12 adult, $8 concession.

I'm a heartless troll that should spend more time working.

i know that, u didnt tell me what u did u imbred bush rat.

Upset DDK.

NSWPL varies at different grounds some charge $10 others charge $15 for adults
$5 or $10 for concession depending on the different venues.
U-16s are free

Reasonable idea but local clubs need every dollar they can possibly muster. 500 paying customers means around $5k revenue which goes a long long way for most clubs. Most grass roots fans that attend SL games understand how hard it is to run a club and don't mind paying to watch, buying food and drinks from the canteen etc. Really for around $25 you get a decent day out, a good feed and a good laugh usually.

Maybe have a one off community round where entry is free and clubs/FFV can organise stuff like farmers market stalls, kids entertainment, appearances from HAL players etc.

I'm of the opinion that in most cases you should never give away your product for free.

If state league clubs allowed free entry, i don't think it will make a single bit of difference to increasing attendances. It will only hurt an important revenue stream and devalue the product. People who WANT to go, WILL go.

Also there are some venues that just make bad food. I've pretty much got a list of clubs where i will and won't eat, so the idea that it will encourage people to spend more on food i think won't work.

IMO there is a case that suggests the games are too expensive. Most Super League (ie Premier League equivalent) clubs charge $9 entry. I think $5 is about right, but there are teams who have good viewing facilities and should charge more (for maintenance purposes). Whilst there are others who have no elevated viewing and should be charging nothing (or less).

You should go into business. You'd make a killing.:lol:

:lol: I come from the Gene Simmons school of thought:

"My point of view is "Earth," that's not such a cool name for the planet. "Planet Kiss," now you've got something. If every inch of ground is KISS ground, and the air you breath is KISS air and the food you eat is KISS food, then we've got something. Brand everything. And you should pay us for every step along the way.....I don't believe in anything for free... Last time I checked, KISS is not a charity. I will let you know when I want to give my stuff away for free. I don't want you to determine that."

Geno's always good for a laugh.

We've discussed this before. Usually you confuse geographical meaning non-ethnic, when i’m saying connected v non-connected. It makes sense to have a league connected and give it a purpose, then decide how much support there is for a secondary tier, rather than just declaring from the start that there is no support.

As for Qld, i'm unsure whether you know anymore than me, they appear to be producing more players than us, but from what i can gather from on here, their competition was created on top of their existing leagues and is equally as unconnected as ours, as well as spread out over a much larger state.

How do we create connections?

lol i'm unsure why you think playing dumb is smart, most people would consider it as insincere.

I'm not playing dumb. I'm asking a question. You're extremely good at saying what you think needs to be done, but very rarely seem to offer any suggestions of how to actually do it.

The question remains - how do we create a greater sense of identity between supporters and teams in order to generate larger crowds at a local level?

People who want to go to State League games will go whether it's free or not.

Devaluing the product by giving it away for free will not bring extra people through the gates, IMO. At least not to the extent where they will make up for the lost revenue from ticket sales

If the fee was abolished, the clubs would have to find another way to find the 12 buck entry fee. I already buy a coffee and a pie there, i dont know how else I will spend the entry fee to reimburse the club for the free entry.. if you like the state league you will go to it regardless of the price to be honest

Exactly... FNSW raised prices from $12 to $15 this year and it certainly didnt impact our crowds. The same fans will always be there whether it's free, $10 or $30.

What the clubs should be doing is encouraging their juniors to come to games. Give one of the parents a free season pass or something. That may result in a small increase of revenue as people who usually wouldnt go might decide to take their kid every now and then.