Bandwagon supporters

[upthemaidens]

   I'll defend my team..  Footy is played at Adelaide oval now, not Footy park. That alone has increased crowd numbers and membership.
     

[Noz]

We went through one of the roughest times a club has faced in the AFL and most people wanted our club to merge with the Magpies (SANFL affiliated team) and the majority of our supporters were down and nearly lost interest in the club and sport all together. With most members thinking "why go to a game when we already know the outcome" supporters of both Melbourne and Carlton have both experienced this in the last 2 decades but now the competition is getting more even and it's become less predictable and in my opinion that's a contributing factor to the increase in membership

I feel you can count some of our members "bandwagons" (especially most of the port supporters on this website I swear back in 2012 there were like 4 of us) but you have to also take in what Kochie has done for the club his business/markerting skill/mind is really second to none.

Then again back in the early 00s we didn't have such a huge member base but not many clubs were cracking the 40+ thousand members each year so as a sport membership has increased dramatically over the past 3-4 years.

I feel Sydney are becoming a bandwagon club especially with the recent additions of both Franklin and Tippett but for me the biggest bandwagon clubs are still GC and GWS with the majority of supporters dropping their first team to go barrack for the expansion clubs.

[quinny88]

We went through one of the roughest times a club has faced in the AFL and most people wanted our club to merge with the Magpies (SANFL affiliated team) and the majority of our supporters were down and nearly lost interest in the club and sport all together. With most members thinking "why go to a game when we already know the outcome" supporters of both Melbourne and Carlton have both experienced this in the last 2 decades but now the competition is getting more even and it's become less predictable and in my opinion that's a contributing factor to the increase in membership

I feel you can count some of our members "bandwagons" (especially most of the port supporters on this website I swear back in 2012 there were like 4 of us) but you have to also take in what Kochie has done for the club his business/markerting skill/mind is really second to none.

Then again back in the early 00s we didn't have such a huge member base but not many clubs were cracking the 40+ thousand members each year so as a sport membership has increased dramatically over the past 3-4 years.

I feel Sydney are becoming a bandwagon club especially with the recent additions of both Franklin and Tippett but for me the biggest bandwagon clubs are still GC and GWS with the majority of supporters dropping their first team to go barrack for the expansion clubs.

I think thats a bit over dramatic saying port faced one of the roughest times a club has faced in the AFL. Lets not forget you played in a GF in 2007. Melbourne have gone through far worse for far longer so I can see why their supporters dont show up. They have never had many though anyway. Hell, try being a Richmond supporter. Im 25 and ive seen us play in the finals 3 times.

Theres no doubt that Kochie, a new coach and a new ground have all played major parts in getting people through the gates but at the end of the day people want to go and see their team win and if they dont then there are a percentge of bandwagon supporters that will dissapear and then reappear when the club is winning again. Every club has these and every club has a core supporter base that still show up no matter what. I think Ports majority are from the bandwagon category though. The change from 18 months ago when there was banners over the chairs and empty seats to what its like now is the quickest turn around I can recall seeing.

[Kellogscrunchynut]

If you had of asked me before the Drugs Scandal I'd have said Essendon since Just about all the supporters I knew never shut up when they win and disappear when they lose. However in recent times dons fans seemed to have rallied around their team and stuck by them.

You could make a case for every AFL team for having bandwagon supporters though, I reckon if Melbourne were to come back to prominence in 2 years or so the bandwagon fans will be out in force.

[Noz]

We went through one of the roughest times a club has faced in the AFL and most people wanted our club to merge with the Magpies (SANFL affiliated team) and the majority of our supporters were down and nearly lost interest in the club and sport all together. With most members thinking "why go to a game when we already know the outcome" supporters of both Melbourne and Carlton have both experienced this in the last 2 decades but now the competition is getting more even and it's become less predictable and in my opinion that's a contributing factor to the increase in membership

I feel you can count some of our members "bandwagons" (especially most of the port supporters on this website I swear back in 2012 there were like 4 of us) but you have to also take in what Kochie has done for the club his business/markerting skill/mind is really second to none.

Then again back in the early 00s we didn't have such a huge member base but not many clubs were cracking the 40+ thousand members each year so as a sport membership has increased dramatically over the past 3-4 years.

I feel Sydney are becoming a bandwagon club especially with the recent additions of both Franklin and Tippett but for me the biggest bandwagon clubs are still GC and GWS with the majority of supporters dropping their first team to go barrack for the expansion clubs.

I think thats a bit over dramatic saying port faced one of the roughest times a club has faced in the AFL. Lets not forget you played in a GF in 2007. Melbourne have gone through far worse for far longer so I can see why their supporters dont show up. They have never had many though anyway. Hell, try being a Richmond supporter. Im 25 and ive seen us play in the finals 3 times.

Theres no doubt that Kochie, a new coach and a new ground have all played major parts in getting people through the gates but at the end of the day people want to go and see their team win and if they dont then there are a percentge of bandwagon supporters that will dissapear and then reappear when the club is winning again. Every club has these and every club has a core supporter base that still show up no matter what. I think Ports majority are from the bandwagon category though. The change from 18 months ago when there was banners over the chairs and empty seats to what its like now is the quickest turn around I can recall seeing.

Oh there is no doubting that Melbourne faced a tougher time then us, I hope Melbourne supporters can be rewarded very soon. I suppose it always just a little bit harder for an interstate club to have such a huge turn around in such a small amount of time.

When you think about if you go back to a couple years ago when Collingwood by 130+ points and then the following week when we lost to Hawthorn by 150+ points it was the first time in VFL/AFL history that a team has lost by a combined total of 300+ points in consecutive weeks. We were breaking all sorts of records for the wrong reasons. Looking back we broke 9 records in those 2 weeks alone.
Here are a list of players that played in those games that also played on the weekend

Travis Boak
Matthew Broadbent
Alipate Carlile
Domenic Cassisi
Kane Cornes
Robbie Gray
Hamish Hartlett
Thomas Jonas
Jasper Pittard
Jay Schulz
Jackson Trengove
Justin Westhoff

Matthew Lobbe, John Butcher, Cameron Hitchcock and Cam O'Shea also played in both matches but both did not play on the weekend

So it wasn't about going out and recruiting a new core set of players fast forward 3 years and most of them are now B+ to A+ players. There is no denying that Hinkley, Kochie and Burgess have completely turned this club around and saved it from potentially folding or merging. No doubt the banners over chairs were one of if not the most embarrassment moment we have ever been apart of but now its good to see supporters getting to the ground and supporting the boys.

Sorry if this has turned into a complete Port Adelaide thread. Honestly i don't really mind that we are increasing our membership tally each year the true supporters who followed us through both good times and bad times are now being rewarded again, and if you just jumped on board you came at a good time :)

[Capper]

Luckily i voted and now Dons are joint leaders

[Mat0369]

That game was in the pouring rain...

And how is this defending bandwagon fans? I have seen bigger crowds in conditions far worse then the ones during that game

[Ringo]

To be honest I do not call them bandwagon but fair weather supporters come out when team is going well and disappear when team slides down the ladder,
Not being in Melbourne it is hard to judge other clubs but have seen it in Brisbane.  During our halycon days in the early 2000's our membership was above 30,000 compared to the 23,000 now.  So yes all clubs supporter bases can be accused of of being "bandwagon" only when team is doing well.  BTW Brisbane membership this year is up on last years though so maybe new board and new coach did contribute something. 

[Rusty00]

   I'll defend my team..  Footy is played at Adelaide oval now, not Footy park. That alone has increased crowd numbers and membership.
   

This aspect is underestimated outside of SA. It's not the sole reason for the increase for Port game crowds but it is a big reason.

Also it's not like they are filling the stadium every week anyway.
vs Adelaide 50,397
vs Brisbane 36,231
vs Geelong 47,007
vs Fremantle 38,324

IMO if they (and the Crows) were still playing at AAMI Stadium this year, their crowds would have been about 20% less than they have been.

[Purple 77]

Melbourne Demons reached their record membership in the 2008-12 period (two wooden spoons, 2 12th placed and 2nd last), dropped in '13 though. So really, Melbourne are the opposite of bandwagon  :P

[The_Captain]

   I'll defend my team..  Footy is played at Adelaide oval now, not Footy park. That alone has increased crowd numbers and membership.
   

This aspect is underestimated outside of SA. It's not the sole reason for the increase for Port game crowds but it is a big reason.

Also it's not like they are filling the stadium every week anyway.
vs Adelaide 50,397
vs Brisbane 36,231
vs Geelong 47,007
vs Fremantle 38,324

IMO if they (and the Crows) were still playing at AAMI Stadium this year, their crowds would have been about 20% less than they have been.

Any reason for this Rusty? Better location or ??

[Noz]

   I'll defend my team..  Footy is played at Adelaide oval now, not Footy park. That alone has increased crowd numbers and membership.
   

This aspect is underestimated outside of SA. It's not the sole reason for the increase for Port game crowds but it is a big reason.

Also it's not like they are filling the stadium every week anyway.
vs Adelaide 50,397
vs Brisbane 36,231
vs Geelong 47,007
vs Fremantle 38,324

IMO if they (and the Crows) were still playing at AAMI Stadium this year, their crowds would have been about 20% less than they have been.

Any reason for this Rusty? Better location or ??

In 2011 when we played at Adelaide Oval for the first time we only got 29 thousand but we did play Melbourne that game.

[Rusty00]

   I'll defend my team..  Footy is played at Adelaide oval now, not Footy park. That alone has increased crowd numbers and membership.
   

This aspect is underestimated outside of SA. It's not the sole reason for the increase for Port game crowds but it is a big reason.

Also it's not like they are filling the stadium every week anyway.
vs Adelaide 50,397
vs Brisbane 36,231
vs Geelong 47,007
vs Fremantle 38,324

IMO if they (and the Crows) were still playing at AAMI Stadium this year, their crowds would have been about 20% less than they have been.

Any reason for this Rusty? Better location or ??

Better location and with the upgrade to Adelaide Oval it's a much more inviting stadium to watch footy at than AAMI Stadium.

[quinny88]

That game was in the pouring rain...

And how is this defending bandwagon fans? I have seen bigger crowds in conditions far worse then the ones during that game

It was geelongs home game and there were twice as many Richmond supporters there than Geelong supporters.

[Dudge]

In them bad years, when us fair weathered supporters dropped off, what would you expect when your coach tells the supporters " We don't care about the results(winning).  Admittedly I've left out the reasons why he said that, but it was hard to get motivated with that mindset coming from the coach.

btw - I loved him as a player/captain :)