Crowds - The thread of Australian whining

Oh dear.  Congratulations to her but how inconsiderate.  ;) Hope all goes well TS.

FFS don't people know how to time things for the off season.

17/09/15 Lions vs Otago Westpac Stadium. Croud = 1840.

But of course it's only the Nix that are struggling with crouds...

Source.

I think something closer to like for like would be Hurricanes games.

Hurricanes play in the best league in the world, and feature the majority of the worlds top players. ITM Cup is not the top league in the world, and does not feature many of the worlds best players. 

I know which one of the two I would consider the A-League to be more similar too.

The Phoenix are more akin to the Hurricanes because they are both at the top level of their sport in this country. The Hurricanes might be at a higher level than the Phoenix, as the Lions are at a higher level than Wellington United. But the Hurricanes and Phoenix have more in common than the Lions and the Phoenix.

The Hurricanes play fewer games in Wellington though so there is a constraint there which will increase attendance.

But rugby is meant to be the biggest sport in this country and both the Lions and to a lesser extent the Hurricanes get bumped by opposition fans who only have to travel domestically to attend.

Remembering the Phoenix are a club side, the Hurricanes  are a regional and the Lions are a regional side.

However you want to spin it its still a poor croud. The Lions used to get 20-30k at the stadium at times.

Yeah, it's well established by everyone except the media and perhaps Dome / Wellnix that the Phoenix are very good and consistent performers in a rather down NZ sporting market.

Sports here has gotten themselves into a vicious downward spiral with reliance on TV money.

I still remember the waiting list for season tickets at a sold out Westpac.

I remember bragging to some rugby-only mates in season 1 that we were nearly matching lions crouds, and they argued that the hurricanes were a more worthy comparison.

Season-before last we were just about matching them.

Then they got good.

Maybe have another crack next season!

By my count, we need another 9,000 or so to break the million spectator mark. Ultimate A-League website has 12,000 more needed. 

Either way, very close to the big milestone and this should be the angle for marketing the next home game. have a promotion like be the millionth spectator through the gates and win a prize or something like that.

Anyone with connections in the media that can let them know about this milestone? I think it's quite a significant achievement for the club and professional football in NZ.

(These figures include finals matches. However, excluding them puts the current figure at around 911,000 so the 1m milestone could be used as encouragement to break it this season. There are nine more home games in the regular season and 89,000 more spectators to go!)

Failing to break 8k is disappointing.

I hope that Welnix made a point in their discussions with FFA, that if they want to have us play home games with a 7pm kickoff then it better not be on Sundays. We can do it on Friday nights or Saturday nights.

I wonder what a 3pm KO would have brought? It was nicer at ghat time too.

I thought that was a good crowd considering it was 7pm on a Sunday. 

Likewise. Expected at least 1000 less considering the time and recent poor form. Really good noisy support too.

Sunday 7pm. What else do you expect?

Find it even stranger that Welnix selected a 7 kickoff to be there kids game.Yes there were kids there but i also bet there were many who stayed away because of the 7 kickoff. Realise its done because if the TV market but a 7 kickoff here in NZ is just downright bloody stupid.

Another metric  designed to fudge us over.

Isn't it always the first home game in January?

If so the FFA decided to make the kids game 7PM on a Sunday.

They don't get to choose. It's given to them.

Also congrats to Oi oi for being the millionth fan through the gate.

Oh it was Oi Oi?  Grats man.  What was in the press kit? (aside from the lifetime membership)

Next game at Westpac 7th Feb

Imagine if we supported a team where you had an actual home game at your actual home ground once a fortnight.

What about the damage it would do to our metrics for New Zealand-wide brand engagement though?

In a near 3 month period we will have only played 2 games in Wellington. 

And we wonder why? If yesterdays game had been at 3pm, we would have had 2 or 3 thousand more because it was fine and warm them and parents with kids would have been more inclined to come. But the FFA aka FOX can't give us a break like that, it might interfere with their metrics.

As I said earlier, a 3pm Sunday kickoff is great for us, poor for FOX audiences as it is only 1pm in Sydney / Melbourne (even earlier in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth). That's why Sunday afternoon game is best if it is played in Australia. It should not be our home game in New Zealand. I would happily forgo nice family Sunday afternoon at Westpac if it means no Sunday night home game. We would get more kids and families on a Friday or Saturday night than on a Sunday night.

To clarify, I meant "late Sunday afternoon / evening", like 7pm

You guys have a excuse for everything on crowds. Its the fken holidays - As if kids are not aloud to got to bed late Sundays because the have a holiday on Monday????.

Really seems you along with a few others just dont get it. So what if its school holidays its not about being allowed to stay up late. Fact is its just to late for some kids. Would loved to have taken my grandaughter but she is normally in bed and asleep by 8 olclock and there is no way she would have lasted till the end of the game.

Sorry but to schedule a kids game at 7 is just crazy,yeah might be fine for some kids but there are plenty of others who just couldnt handle it being that late and to suggest otherwise really shows little understanding. 

I think the point is that 7pm on a Saturday wouldn't have helped either in that regard. Hard to get games at 5pm (and a lot of people complained when all our games were at that time).

LOL you point might add up to 3 or 4 people, But there were more kids at that home game vs Roar then there has been for some time. Its more like Adults that have issues about late times then it is about kids. Blaming late night on family matters, then actually looking at the crowds and seeing fk all teenage/adult supporters at home games makes more sense. The kids were there, The adults fans weren't.

Fudge it lets just have games at 2am then. No excuses, right? 

Clearly the time has an effect on crowds. And 7pm Sunday is a stupid time that creates legitimate excuses for many to not attend. 

Isnt that the time zone for Perth Glory games play on SKY?.

Says the guy posting from Sydney....

Not sure how that is relevant...but you'll probably find viewership drops off for those games too. Kickoff time matters. 

Took my son to the game at Labour Weekend v Roar. Last night, (also the Roar) was his 2nd game this season. In that 11-week period, he's only blown off 2 games at Westpac (Adelaide & Sydney)