There were 47,000 at Optus Stadium too, but AFL crowds, on average, are the lowest they have been since 1996. Just over 30,000 watched the reigning premiers on their home ground on Saturday night, while the crowd at the Adelaide Oval was well below par.
Not taking the past two COVID-damaged seasons into account, 2022 experienced a 16 per cent drop off in average crowd attendance for the home-and-away campaign, averaging 30,871, compared to the 37,250 fans recorded in 2019. This would result in a shocking 26-year low for the competition.
In some of the southern states, it is the most popular of all sports. As a football code, it is the most popular form of football in the Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia.
Viewership the NRL has 137 million viewers a season. The AFL has 126 million viewers a season. NRL is a better sport to watch on TV. in Queensland and New South Wales.
The AFL is Australia's biggest sporting competition and it is gaining steam in 2021, but how does it compare in popularity with the NFL? Viewership is hitting record numbers in the Australian Football League. Amazon added Making Their Mark - an inside look at AFL, to its documentary lineup.
Australian rules football is the most popular sport in the country, both in terms of attendance and total spectatorship.
While it can be argued that the growth of the AFL in New South Wales and Queensland has been far greater than the NRL's in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, the Victorian-born code is still an extremely long way behind in the eastern states, especially in New South Wales.
“Unsurprisingly it is the Sydney Swans on top with 1.12 million supporters, an increase of 91,000 (+8.8%) on a year ago and cementing top spot for those who say they support an AFL club for a record 17th straight year – every year since winning the drought-breaking 2005 Premiership.
The annual lists reveal a record number of players on $1m or more, with 22 names claimed to be earning a seven-figure salary this season. Overall, AFL players combine to earn more than their NRL compatriots with a total of $82m against $77m, with over 25% of the highest earners aged 25 or under.
Australian Rules Football is clearly the most popular spectator sport in Australia, though in terms of participation more men play golf, cricket and tennis. Rugby league is another popular sport, but not as a sport to play.
Australian rules football in the United States (most commonly referred to simply as "Footy" but sometimes "Aussie Rules" or AFL) is a team and spectator sport which has grown rapidly since the late 1990s.
AFL is deeply rooted in tradition
AFL traces its root to Australia's tradition. After the game was invented in Melbourne, it quickly spread to other states. As a result, it has gained roots in Australian families who then pass it from one generation to the next.
Australian Rules Football, also known as Aussie Rules and Footy, is Australia's biggest sport and has some serious fans that make up the fourth-highest average attendance of any domestic sports league in the world. That said, American football, or the NFL, is the number one attended domestic sports league in the world.
Fans are staying away from AFL games in droves due to a wide range of issues including controversial new rules and the high cost of taking a family to the footy, a wide-ranging survey has revealed.
The AFL is the king of live sport in Australia, with an average of 32,620 per match over the home-and-away and finals periods. That dwarfs the NRL's 17,121.
Players take a day off to relax, engage in alternative activities, and rejuvenate their bodies for the challenges ahead. Friday: The pre-game session, known as the captain's run, is all about sharpening skills and maintaining intensity.
The Australian Paralympic Committee was the highest funded body while Swimming was the most funded sport.
According to the AFL 2022 Annual Report the total average audience for the 2022 Season was 125.5 million (including finals), a one per cent increase when compared with 2021 and up 13 per cent on 2019.
In its latest research Roy Morgan found that the most-supported AFL team is the Sydney Swans (Volkswagen). All teams showed growth in their supporter numbers in 2021 in the latest survey – except Fremantle.
Choosing to play certain games twice, such as the local derbies and blockbusters (games between the "Big 4" Victorian clubs of Collingwood, Carlton, Essendon and Richmond, are known as "blockbuster" games), results in a skewed fixture which is rarely evened out over time.
However it is strongest (by participation rate and overall interest) in the Australian states and territories of the Northern Territory, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory. The sport is moderately popular in Queensland and New South Wales.
In the AFL you can get hit from anywhere and sometimes you don't even see it coming, but the players are less violent and also much lighter generally. In the NRL, three huge beasts can come for you and there is no man (or woman) alive who can withstand the power of a combined attack.
Historically, rugby league and rugby union football codes have been more popular than Australian rules football in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland, whereas Australian rules football has been more popular in Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Northern Territory and Western Australia.
Nationally this rate is 5.7%, almost double that of any other code. It is also fast growing in Queensland and New South Wales, though with participation rates of 1.3% and 1.1% respectively it is considered a minor sport, lagging behind soccer and rugby league in overall interest.