By Thomas Williams (@tomwilliamspol)
The Professional Footballers Australia will aim for a league-wide average attendance of 10,000 in the 2022/23 A-League Men season citing an expected uptick in numbers following three consecutive COVID-affected campaigns.
This optimistic target drawn from the association’s annual report of the A-League Men competition equally asserts that the league is well placed to rebound after it slumped to a record low average of 5,353 spectators per match last season. Since recording an average of 13,027 almost a decade ago during the 2013/14 season, A-League attendances have suffered a gradual decrease in every subsequent campaign.
By 2018/19 (the last A-League season not influenced by the pandemic), attendances had fallen to 10,424. Thus, the PFA’s objective to reinstate a league-wide average of 10,000 seems to be fuelled by a desire to bounce back to pre-COVID attendances as has been the case in other leagues across the world. An average of 10,000 would also re-elevate the A-League into the top 20 best attended football leagues in the world.
The PFA argues that “creating an unrivalled atmosphere on match days” should be the primary goal for A-League clubs to encourage fans to attend matches in 2022/23. However, this remains a serious issue for much of the league as clubs continue to toil with unsuitable stadia and a lack of connection with the local community – both of which contribute to tame atmosphere during games.
The size of stadiums in the A-League is a poignant problem as clubs battle with a lack of purpose-built football infrastructure in their respective regions. Brisbane Roar will move back to the 52,500 capacity Suncorp Stadium next season for several fixtures following fan discontent in having to make the long journey to Dolphin Stadium in Redcliffe over the past two seasons.
Sydney FC will also be playing in a large venue as they call the new Allianz Stadium home after several seasons of playing home matches at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium in Kogarah. While the $828 million facility is undoubtedly state of the art, it is difficult to imagine the Sky Blues reaching a capacity crowd at the 45,500 seat stadium outside of derby games against the Western Sydney Wanderers.
Perth Glory face their own stadium struggles as they will play games at NPL venue Macedonia Park next season while Melbourne City’s recent success has not been reflected in their crowd numbers at AAMI Park as they still battle with a largely undefined identity aside from being Melbourne Victory’s rivals. Expansion side Western United’s very own stadium debacle need not be mentioned.
Given the current state of football in Australia, whereby the domestic product is largely invisible on a dysfunctional platform seldom owned by non-diehard football fans – it is difficult to envisage a scenario where the PFA’s 10,000 target is realistic and achievable next season. As the report posits, the goal must be to encourage fans to develop a lifelong connection to an A-League club.
The easiest way of facilitating this is by capitalising on the game’s unique selling point which is the atmosphere created by fans at games. This is important because loud, boisterous fans give a reason for spectators to return to stadiums while also providing a better broadcast experience. Ultimately, engendering better crowds helps to drive commercial opportunities that bring more much-needed money into the domestic game and league.
Unfortunately, the effects of unsuitable stadia are cyclical in the sense that they are not conducive for creating a fierce atmosphere which in turn dissuades people from attending and thus contributes to the league’s attendance problem.
Simply put, it must be an objective for every A-League club to be playing at a suitably sized football-appropriate venue within the next couple of seasons. This was a major factor during the seasons that the league recorded its best crowds particularly as Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney Wanderers continually sported large attendances at AAMI Park and Pirtek Stadium respectively.
In the PFA’s report, the association analysed the A-League’s attendances between 2013-2018 and compared them to 51 other football leagues across the world. This analysis found that the A-League ranked 14th among the leagues studied which also suggests that Australian domestic football is capable of garnering an audience that is respectable, even on a global scale.
Between 2010-2022, the A-League ranks fifth in the AFC region for average attendances behind the top leagues in India, Japan, China and Indonesia, all countries with much larger populations than Australia. On a per capita basis, Australia had the best attendance in the AFC region over this period. This suggests that Australia is also capable of being competitive with the rest of Asia in this respect.
Analysing the crowd figures over the last two COVID-affected seasons would undoubtedly paint a more bleak picture of the state of the domestic game in Australia.
WIth almost all COVID restrictions now a distant memory in Australia, governing bodies must make it a goal to replicate the fan experience that was a hallmark of the league during its heyday.
However realistic this may be, the APL has burnt most of its excuses in the past couple of seasons and simply cannot afford for next season to be a write-off. The World Cup in November will provide unprecedented exposure for the game. A-League clubs will need to be in a place where they can capitalise.
While a league-wide average attendance of 10,000 may be unattainable next season, material improvement is not, and that is all that fans want to see. It is now or never for the A-League.
Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images
