How "mainstream" is Adelaide United - or solid support?

[David Votoupal]

When you look up A-League crowds, you'll see that crowds peaked in V3. From around 14,600 in 07/08 overall league average, to around 8,100 this season. That's a substantial drop. Which is all the more sobering given the league has never been better. That's funny, back then we were all criticising the league quality, questionable recruitment policies, etc. Did people just fall for it then?

However, these things tend to be distorted by individual club factors. Sydney FC and Brisbane Roar have experienced a more substantial erosion, and the poor crowds of Gold Coast United and North Queensland Fury (both sub-5k) further distort the average. While Melbourne Victory's crowds are considered to have been cannibalised by the Melbourne Heart- which current crowds for both tend to support, even if this may not be the sole factor.

But to Adelaide United. Average crowds over the course of the A-League have been in the 10-12k range and are now better than the league average. Although crowds last season were actually down on the previous season, it was a comparatively small drop given last season's problems. In the context of the league, United's supporter base has been pretty solid and even stable, compared to the substantial drops experienced by other "big city" teams. Only Perth have had any increases in the past couple of years.

Then you might ask: how "mainstream" is Adelaide United, or how much it the club etched into the city's sporting life and public conscience, media, etc? Does it seem better than in other cities?

Or do we go further and try and examine exactly why A-League crowds have seen a sharp erosion and what can we do to remedy it.

[tinby]

Without any knowledge of " mainstreaming " in other cities I would say the Reds are a " mainstream " sports team here. I would put this down to 2 foundation rules.

1. Adelaide is a football city. The fact that Adelaide's heritage base is English, German and Scot v the traditional English - Irish ( and includes all the class consciousness therein )
Sure the English are the highest percentage of immigrants but the Scot influence of Waite etc who settled here in the state's infancy plus the Germans who began vineyards in this fledgling colony ( how many cities have a Schutzenfest? ), has created a city that accepted football sooner.

2. Adelaide has enjoyed playing teams from other countries by virtue of success in the ACL. As it has been in the ACL 3x and it's second dig was hugely successful it was embraced by the mainstream media, with them knowing that they actually could give away T shirts and put United on TV without being frowned upon.

IMO these two have formed a basis which upon which many things join to make football and United a recognised and accepted state brand.

[shinAUFC]

even though our average for this season is a bit down, unless your an AU supporter it would be hard to understand why.

I can only think of 1 home game this year where just as i arrived to the game the skies were not threatening us with dark clouds. Frankly we have only had one game where the weather was anything acceptable. so with that in mind AU fans should be applauded.

I wouldnt say we are mainstream, Id say we are almost there but im happy for the club not to fall into that mainstream market as everytime i goto hindmarsh i feel its our secret we have on the rest of the city.

[sevengoals]

tinby
Don't forget the Italians, Greeks, the Croatians, Serbs, the Dutch, Austrians, Hungarians and Germans ( and the rest that came) between the wars and straight after the Second World war.


SA has always had a strong Football core running through it.
But i think it really received a boost after the WW2 when the main influx of European refugees started arriving.

And i may suggest that the germans/prussians who came to the state in 1839-50s did not know "football" as it had not been formalized.
The first "kicker verein" was not formed in Germany till 1850 in Dresden. The DFB was formed 1900. And the first true national competition, the Bundesliga started in the 1963.

I believe it was the Central and Southern Europeans who migrated after the 2nd World War that really established the game in the state.

Maybe the question should be "how mainstream is football in South Australia"?

[Stuckey]

I think the location of Hindmarsh stadium has a bit to do with it and the Stadium itself.

I generally liken Adelaide United to the 36ers everyone in Adelaide are aware they exist its just a matter of getting those people to one or two games to get the foot in their door.

One way of seeing how 'loved' something really is, is by looking it up on facebook.
There really isn't a better way of getting market research.

And as far as that goes last time i checked Adelaide United had as many fans as Port Power. Obviously we don't get as many people to matches (although give Port a couple more seasons and they may be different) so i think we just need to market towards those fans on facebook for example who like AU but don't really show up that often. Some of them just need a kick up the arse cos they're slack and some just need to constantly be reminded that games are on and how to get there eg. from work on a friday night.

[David Votoupal]

On a per capita basis, Adelaide does better than any major city in getting people to games. Of 8 home games this season, however, four have been under 10k.

In the case of Sydney and Brisbane, average crowds have gone down by nearly half in the last few years.

[tinby]

You're quite right sevengoals post war migration was the key, without doubt.
I used to play for the Pirates and Colin Alagich's history of the club tells me that it was the second club to be formed in Australia and that it is well over 100 years old and as Adelaide is the fifth most populated city in Australia I would have to say we must be more accepting of football into our " mainstream "

[Dermot]

Having lived in this state for the last 42 years I have watched grassroots football grow into what it is today. In the days before the old NSL, here in Adelaide the big teams were Juventus (Italians) & Hellas (Greeks)and they always drew large crowds.

In the very first year of the Old NSL Adelaide City & West Adelaide Hellas both drew crowds of 10-12,000 people, however after the first few years numbers did dwindle and come back again. This was in 1977-1982, after that I am not too sure what the numbers were until the current A-League started.

So after many years of football without much promotion and technologies to promote the game like we do today, crowds of between 7,000-12,000 people I think are quite respectable in those formative years.

Today as we all know Adelaide United is attracting between 8,000-13,000 to most games. So the question should be, why with all the technologies available and marketing so much better, why have we increased our crowds by an average of 1,000 people only?

It is obvious that those that were in the crowds in the 70's & 80's are either too old to come now or have passed away. It is now their children and grandchildren that are showing the way for others, for the future.

Adelaide as a city has always been able to attract more than 13,000 for one off games in any era, but has always struggled to maintain those figures for regular games.I would like to think that we could all play our part in helping our club achieve regular increases season after season.

[shinAUFC]

Having lived in this state for the last 42 years I have watched grassroots football grow into what it is today. In the days before the old NSL, here in Adelaide the big teams were Juventus (Italians) & Hellas (Greeks)and they always drew large crowds.

In the very first year of the Old NSL Adelaide City & West Adelaide Hellas both drew crowds of 10-12,000 people, however after the first few years numbers did dwindle and come back again. This was in 1977-1982, after that I am not too sure what the numbers were until the current A-League started.

So after many years of football without much promotion and technologies to promote the game like we do today, crowds of between 7,000-12,000 people I think are quite respectable in those formative years.

Today as we all know Adelaide United is attracting between 8,000-13,000 to most games. So the question should be, why with all the technologies available and marketing so much better, why have we increased our crowds by an average of 1,000 people only?

It is obvious that those that were in the crowds in the 70's & 80's are either too old to come now or have passed away. It is now their children and grandchildren that are showing the way for others, for the future.

Adelaide as a city has always been able to attract more than 13,000 for one off games in any era, but has always struggled to maintain those figures for regular games.I would like to think that we could all play our part in helping our club achieve regular increases season after season.

I thought in the last 10ish years of the NSL adelaide clubs were lucky to crack 2000?

I really think no matter how the club is promoted we will never get bigger then a 13k average simply because our stadium is to small.

I know it sounds silly, but experts have shown that there is a magic number ( normally about 70% capacity ) that sporting teams just wont beat on average over a season. ( of course derby games or extra special events are another story)

[David Votoupal]

That was down more to the fact the NSL was dying and people just didn't believe in it. A sure lesson for the A-League to learn.

Adelaide United arrived when the NSL was on its deathbed but, like Perth Glory had done for years, restored faith and people responded. The club united the football community, on the surface if not underneath.

[terry tibbs]

DV, don't forget this is a one-paper town. We're fortunate that its a paper willing to give the club a good run coverage-wise (whether or not we agree with what it says).

That said, one negative piece will undo the good work and positive coverage - yes, I'm looking at you Tom Zed with your disgraceful scare piece against Victory a few years back.

We'll pull 20-30,000 to Adelaide Oval in a few weeks. I always come back to this point: we have to get them back to Hindmarsh. Christ, if they enjoy a game at a shitty venue like AO, the Hindmarsh experience will blow their minds.

Victoria's at the club now (isn't she?), they've pumped up her experience at Chelsea, now she's got to deliver for the club.

[sevengoals]

That's a good point Dermont.
What has happened to the children and grand children of the people that kicked started the post war soccer boom?

I know that a lot of older Greeks stopped coming when WA Hellas went broke and disappeared. That was before United was formed and there was no way you would get these die hards to support another team, let alone Adelaide City!
(And now sadly a lot of them are too old, not well or have passed away)

Adelaide City supporters go and watch Adelaide City no doubt.
I have friends in the city that do not go to United games simply because they are City fans.
Go figure...

And which brings me to the bomb shell.
I reckon we have done such a good job of integration that most of the children and grand children of the first wave European migrants are now die hard "footy" fans!

In my family alone in Adelaide i have 10 first cousins and a sister.
Most of them have kids so lets add another 9 people.
So 19 second and third generation greek australians. ( not including myself and the others that have left the country nor the first generation)

Of these one first cousin is a round ball fan and goes to Hindmarsh with his wife, kids.
All the others are either not interested or only seem interested whenever a WC comes along.
But all have one thing in common.
They all follow the "footy". All of them "LOVE" footy.
The kids of my cousins are mad crows or power fans.

[andyj]

Adelaideans are very parochial, we seem to have an immediate affection and affinity towards any sporting team that represents our fair city.

We do get a good run with our media as well, the paper is very good to us, the news always talks about our games and has interviews with players and Rini, while I don't know first hand what it is like in other regions I do hear that other teams, Sydney for example do not get such a good run.

[General Ashnak]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I just tried to post a bit of an essay like response to this and the forum died!

[David Votoupal]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I just tried to post a bit of an essay like response to this and the forum died!

Hey, it's happened to me in other places. Don't be disheartened and collect yourself to write again!