There are 10 people in our membership group, and only 4 turned up on Sunday. Some were away on school holidays, some had sick kids, some just couldn’t be bothered.
Sunday games are ok in small doses, but a bit of a drag if that’s all you get. I’m already a bit excited for the Saturday night game against North, even though it’s against North.
The AFL hasn’t done us many favours in the fixturing department, but Foxtel gets good value out of the late (Vic time) Sunday slot, and 3pm Sunday is much more palatable for fans to attend in Perth than 5pm for the Melbourne fans. We’ve played pretty rubbish footy for half a decade, and are at best a mid-tier club. Port and Brisbane have had some good fixture slots this year, which shows if teams are good/entertaining enough they’ll get a decent run.
As for the stadium, it’s a bit cavernous when half empty, and creates some logistical difficulties, but I didn’t love Subi. I’m a big fan of the Sky View Bar, and I’m a bit annoyed the club has closed that for Clubhouse members, because it’s the only reason I pay for the add-on.
The main thing that is missing is stakes in the game. If the games have meaning beyond ‘development’, if there are real consequences for winning and losing, then we’ll get better fixtures, the place will fill up, and the ground will feel a lore more fun.