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When were the SCG developments - the Hill/Trumper Stand conversion and then the rebuilding of the MA Noble? They impacted SCG capacity quite significantly and thus - probably - crowd sizes.
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"You get the feeling that like Monty Python's Black Knight, the Swans would regard amputation as merely a flesh wound."Comment
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There's two sudden rises in membership and they coincide directly with two players arrival......Plugger and Buddy and the third smaller rise coincides with Barry Hall's recruitment. Crowd attendance fluctuations seem to, as you allude, coincide with improved season and finals performances but the membership rises seem directly related to the recruitment of a big name power forward. It's a good business model that doesn't always lead to the ultimate success. Of these three power forwards, only BBH has 'delivered' us a flag. It can also lead to cap squeeze, which makes retaining all the ingredients needed for success harder.It is a tricky business, figuring out membership data. I think you're right that information about how many of each type isn't publicly available or at least, very hard to come by.
The Swans Wikipedia page has a table with memberships and average home crowds. I do not know precisely how either are calculated or where the data comes from but hey, we can make a chart anyway. Crowds left, members right.
So home crowds essentially peak following the 1996 GF and since then have oscillated around, depending largely on finals performance. What's interesting to me is that members mirrors crowds, somewhat anyway, up to around 2011 and then absolutely take off. How much of that is due to differences in how they were counted, I do not know.
We can dig into crowds a bit deeper, looking at just SCG crowds and just home & away games.
Well, correlation is not causation. But I think we see rises associated with improved performance and finals success in 1987, the rise to 1996 and again from 2003-2006. Interesting though that 2012 was quite low. Certainly consistently high from 2014 onwards. How much is the star players (Capper, Plugger, Buddy), how much the performance improvements, how much are those things linked? Difficult questions.
It would be interesting to compare with other clubs of course, but I can't think of too many in recent times with so much focus on the signing of one star player as with Buddy. In my mind the only contemporary of similar stature / media interest is Dustin Martin but of course, he has never switched clubs.
We are well and truly established in Sydney now, so should maybe drop the need for a big name forward top prop up membership and concentrate on recruiting and retaining exactly what we need for the ultimate on field success.....flags. Let's face it, flags also bring in new members....everyone loves a winner! Having said that, I'm sure Buddy would have helped add to our flag tally if Mike Fitzpatrick and his Vic cronies hadn't been such a bunch of cheating manipulating ****s.Last edited by stevoswan; 28 September 2021, 01:12 PM.Comment
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In view of the financial benefits that accrue from his presence (thanks neilfws & mcs) perhaps we should stop Buddy from retiring even after his on field contributions aren't up to it? He didn't make a huge contribution on field in 2020, but we didn't lose much in the way of memberships.
A sort of emeritus place on the list.Comment
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There was this relatively enjoyable advertising campaign back in the day
The broader question of what happens when Buddy leaves will be really interesting - will there be a downturn, or will we have converted most of those additional members that we postulate he may have created into 'diehards'. Probably a combo of both
"You get the feeling that like Monty Python's Black Knight, the Swans would regard amputation as merely a flesh wound."Comment
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Hahaha - WTAF?!There was this relatively enjoyable advertising campaign back in the day
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Terrific! Thank you.There was this relatively enjoyable advertising campaign back in the day
AFL BARRY HALL COMMERCIAL (1) - YouTube
The broader question of what happens when Buddy leaves will be really interesting - will there be a downturn, or will we have converted most of those additional members that we postulate he may have created into 'diehards'. Probably a combo of bothAll opinions are not equal. Some are a very great deal more robust, sophisticated, and well supported in logic and argument than others. -Douglas Adams, author (11 Mar 1952-2001)
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Why isn’t Buddy following the TB12 playbook and announcing that he wants to play in the AFL until he’s 40 years old?
TB12 in his late 30s famously said that his goal was to play in the NFL until he’s 45 years old. Now he’s 44, at the top of his game and declared that he wants to now play until he’s 50 years old.
Buddy should declare that he wants to play in the AFL until he’s 40, release a fitness chronicle called Buddy23 and release details of his insane work ethic for the game.
That would reset all the league’s expectations that he’s almost at the end.
What do people think?Comment
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Who's TB?
Does he play that American 4 hour TV ad, that has compulsory 2 minute play breaks every 15 minutes.spriteComment
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The Tom Brady lesson for Buddy is that Buddy needs to make a statement. He’s said that he may play beyond his current contact but he needs more ambition.
If Buddy said that he wants to play in the AFL until he’s 40, we'd all think of him as a player in the middle of his career and not at the end.
People were speculating when Brady was 37 years old whether he would get through another year. He says that he wants to play until he’s 45 and it shifts the whole perception. He keeps playing at the GOAT level and keeps winning Super Bowls and everyone believes. Brady is 44 now and has declared that he wants to play until he’s 50.
Buddy can play until he’s 40 if he wants it. He needs to declare that he wants to play until he’s 40, he needs to work as hard as Brady 5.00am - 8.00pm at night everyday and needs to outwork every other player in the AFL.
Can he do it. I’m backing him.Comment
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