By Scott Lockhart reporting for AFANA from Perth.
The AFL has released its mid-season review with results showing a healthy rise in attendance and participation rates nationally.
Despite the numerous off field incidents that have troubled the competition for much of the year, growth in the sport has not been hampered.
The key points of the mid-season review include:
Attendance
During the opening 12 rounds more than 3.4 million people attended fixtures nationally (up 75, 000 or 2.2% on 2006). The average attendance for each game is 36, 400.
Television Ratings
Free-to-air television ratings remain solid and comparable with last year, while pay-television ratings have almost doubled as compared to 2006. The highest ratings game to date this season was the Anzac Day blockbuster between Essendon and Collingwood.
Membership
Record membership figures in 2007 with more than 523, 000 signed up as club members. Five clubs already have their highest membership levels ever. However, eight clubs have lost members from last year, Brisbane being the most affected (17% drop from 2006).
Participation
The AFL is forecasting a 4% increase in participation rates nationally (there was an 8% rise in 2006).
The report also exposes the growth of the game in non-traditional areas with the AFL being the only sporting code to play games in every state and territory, while crowds on the Gold Coast have averaged nearly 12, 000.
The AFL is forecasting a profit of $22.1 million across all 16 clubs.
Source: AFL Press Release
Article last changed on Wednesday, July 04, 2007 - 2:04 PM EDT
