That's the headlines in this saturdays's West Australian .
Only 15k to see the Force's best win on of season .
What's is happenning out there at Perry Lakes ?
What would have been the New limited headlines ?

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the headline should have read Force fans abandon Subiaco. I took a picture on my mobile from near the three tier stand which really shows how sh*t it is for rugby. I'll try and post it tomorrow if I can upload it

The Reds at the moment aren't the biggest drawcard in the comp and there doesn't seem to be many Reds fans in Perth compared to Brumbies and Waratahs fans either

As I said in another post, I am counting down the days till the Force move to Members Equity

Is that an organised date ?

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I can assure you, it's just as sh*t for footy as well.

It's still a great crowd compared to what the NZ provinces get AND this is in an emerging market. The Farce will pack a redeveloped MES.

And are more profitable than similar expansion sides in the AFL such as the Brisbane Lions and Sydney Swans.

Yes it's still a great crowd , but originally twice as many people were willing to attend Subiaco . The crowds are still going down in spite of the crowd now occupying the better viewing seats .it must be a worry .
What is the latest situation with MES ?

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How much did the Force make last year? And are you comparing current ie season 08 to season 08 or Season 08 S14 to Season 89 AFL (Sorry VFL)?

Because the Lions are one of the most profitable teams going around, indeed last year they made a profit of over $2 Million before the GFC hit their investments. Which they haven't sold so it isn't money lost par say, just not worth as much atm. Plus multi million doller profits through the successfully years which let them invest alot of money for a rain day.

No idea on the Swans although I always assumed they got along all right.

I don't think that is an issue . I assume they are still in a quite healthy position and comparissons to the AFL are quite meaningless as the turnovers involved at AFL clubs at huge these days .

The issue as I see it is the accelerated downward trend in home crowds .
I'd like to know what's happenning about MES too as MES was upgraded for the farce and now they could easily accomodate them .

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The current upgrades to MES were done prior to the force coming in.

They were offered an additional upgrade to the stadium (around 25k capacity IIRC) on the grounds that they agree to play all their home games there in their 2nd season, to which they refused. AFAIK, the offer is now off the table.

The worry for the force is that they're going the way of the Wildcats, the Perth Heat and the Glory, which all went through periods of popularity for a few years only for support to diminish for no apparant reason other than the novelty simply wearing off. A move to MES should help them as it should encourage fans to get season tickets and hopefully for their sake they can sell 80% of the ground before the season.

You might include the Reds in there as well.
It's the dynamics of the Perth sporting market .




But is there any talk of a move ?

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Especially when you consider Perth is far less propped up by the ARU then what the AFL props up Brisbane and Sydney, the comparison in profit situation is huge. 1 million profits, going down to $850,000.

And Rob, there is a reason why crowds are dropping. "not for no apparent reason" Subiaco Oval. There have been numerous studies that show the distance from the pitch is impacting on attendance.

Eg There pre-season game had more people than the last regular season game at the sh*t hole.

Trying to find the official Western Force Press release, but here's a start

http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,24827205-5005401,00.html [/url]

Andrew mate, that redevelopment is very unlikely to happen.

They are going to stick a few more temporary stands on to get it to 22,500 I think.



Auckland and Perth, still have no idea about stadia...

But at least 20k seats would have better viewing than the SCG .

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