The professionalism of modern sport provides many of its participants with significant monetary reward. Sadly, for fans, the net result of attendance is often less financial stability.

A recent trip to the Australian Open and centre court seats to gift my kids the chance to see Roger Federer in action, proved it beyond doubt.

Swiping for $550 at the box office stung and my hand trembled over the paywave device.

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With four in our party and after $10 sandwiches, copious bottled water to stay hydrated, and a few celebratory sparkling whites for my wife and I, we maxed out somewhere between $650 and $700.

Easily manageable for most in attendance and the mass of white, middle-aged money on show said something profound about the advantages of having lived through such a prosperous time in Australia.

Alas, it is different for many young working families and it effects other sports more noticeably.

While cost is always a factor, transport, scheduling and time pressures are also crucial when it comes to people making the effort to attend live matches.

Television coverage adds a further challenge for executive bodies and finding inventive incentives to lure people through the gate has become the norm, with family tickets and two-for-one deals now commonplace.

As a thirsty media wait expectantly to put the boot into A-League attendance figures, which have taken a hit this year, they fail to balance their commentary with comparative statistics across other sports that paint a similar picture.



The numbers are clearly concerning for many sports, however after a rainy weekend of number crunching a hunch of mine was proven correct.

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Since the Western Sydney Wanderers joined the competition in 2012-13, the ten-team league hasn’t significantly changed shape or structure except for the rebranding of the Melbourne Heart.

Looking at that time period and the home performance of the clubs draws an astonishing picture that perhaps provides part of the reason for the recent drop in football attendances.

2012-13 saw a boost in crowds from the previous year, as the Wanderers ignited the competition and unleashed an untapped supporter base in western Sydney.

This success was ridden through their first three seasons and the Asian Champions League success positioned them as the potential owners of the biggest supporter and membership base in the country.

In that very season, A-League teams won 53 per cent of their home matches. Quite a high figure in isolation, yet one that was almost emulated the following season, with 48 per cent of home fixtures seeing success for the local team.

The key to any competition is teams winning at home and providing their loyal fans with something to cheer about at least half the time.



Sure, the rusted-on fans will be there rain, hail or shine. But the busy, time-poor and frugal younger family might just stay away if the kids keep leaving the stadium in tears after another loss.

Wins on the road count for exactly the same value, three points is three points in anyone’s footballing language, however sending fans away with home goals and wins can never be surpassed.

Building a fortress at home galvanises crowd figures like nothing else; no fandangled campaign or gimmick designed to lure in the curious can produce consistent attendance numbers like victories on home turf.

A-League attendance slowly trickled south from 2014 on, yet 2016-17 figures merely mirrored the 12-13 numbers. In short, attendance had gone up and come back down again; treading water if you will.

Home victories remained steady, with 48 per cent of home matches won in 15-16 and 46 per cent in 16-17.

Then, all of a sudden, we fell off the face of the Earth. Season 13 has seen a significant drop in attendance that effectively corresponds to around 1500 people per game.

If I was to tell you that the home winning percentage had dropped to 37 per cent, would you join me on this wild statistical ride?



The reality is, if Sydney FC’s numbers are excluded from the equation and – let’s face it – they have been in a different stratosphere at home for the last two seasons. The remainder of the league are winning home matches this season at the rate of one in three or 32.9 per cent.

Is that enough to sustain a home supporter base? Perhaps not. While originally a hunch and merely research designed to satisfy my curiosity, the data was stunning.

Undoubtedly there are ample matches where the points are shared, yet honourable draws don’t put bums on seats like victories do.

Prior to the weekend of matches just gone and since the inception of the Wanderers, the overall A-League winning percentage of the home team sits at 46 per cent, compared to the 37 per cent for the current season and the 32.9 per cent after barring the dominant Sky Blues.

Attendance figures for 2017-18 currently reflect a 13 per cent drop. Is it a fair hypothesis to suggest that at least a portion of that figure is created by disappointing home results? The early season numbers for the Wanderers and the Roar seem to suggest this is indeed the case.

Such a percentage drop is a concern, yet perhaps there is more to it than what meets the simplistic eye of the casual critic, who senses the demise of the A-League.

Poor returns in their own stadiums may not only have hampered some clubs’ positions on the ladder but also had a significant impact on crowd size.

Short of spot-fixing and instructing referees to favour home teams, which I am pretty sure is illegal in most sports, the solution is unclear.



Has the overzealous monitoring of supporter groups affected the influence and motivational value they have for the home side? Are our stadiums becoming so bland and sterile that fear of the hostility of the away venue ceases to exist? Are our officials so fair and balanced that hometown decisions are a thing of the past? Surely not?

Whatever the actual reasons, the general trend towards poor home results is real and keeping fans away.