Hyundai A-League Crowds 2016-17 | Australian soccer attendances 2016-2017 season

The Australian A-League concluded recently, with Sydney FC being crowned champions following a victory on penalties over Melbourne Victory in the Grand Final.

Sydney, coached by Graham Arnold (and the only team in the 16/17 A-League to wear Puma), were virtually untouchable during regular round robin play, losing just once in 27 games and finishing a whopping 17 points above their nearest rivals. They also scored the most goals (55) and let in the least (12) during the regular season.

Here is a look at the clubs’ attendances during the 2016/17 A-League season (including finals fixtures). The league started in October and ended in May.

Winners Sydney benefited by hosting the finals- their average attendance went up from 16,001 (round robin) to 18,099- primarily due to the 41,546 who turned up at Allianz Park for the Grand Final.

Team	Games Hosted	Average Attendance	Highest	Total
Melbourne Victory	14+1	21888	43188	328317
Sydney FC	13+2	18099	41546	271492
Western Sydney Wanderers	14	17746	61880	248442
Brisbane Roar	13+1	14152	20198	198131
Melbourne City	13+1	10547	24706	147653
Perth Glory	14	10533	13290	147459
Adelaide United	14	9565	14908	133,905
Newcastle Jets	13	8645	11873	112380
CC Mariners	13	7395	11398	96141
Wellington Phoenix	14	6211	10034	86949

What was the highest attendance in the A-League during 2016/17?

The highest attendance was 61,880 at the ANZ Stadium for the Sydney derby between Western Sydney Wanderers and Sydney FC.

This is also the highest attendance for any game in the history of the A-League (including finals)

What was the lowest attendance during 2016/17?

It was the 4,828 who trooped in to watch Wellington Phoenix beat the Newcastle Jets 5-0. The Phoenix, the only A-League franchise from outside Australia (they’re NZ based) also had the lowest average crowds in regular round robin play.

How is the A-League faring against rugby union’s Super 18 tournament and cricket’s Big Bash League?

Super Rugby is struggling to attract crowds in Australia. The best attended match so far featuring the two biggest Australian franchises, the Reds and the Waratahs, only pulled in 18,781 (figures courtesy SH Rugby)

Perth Glory are drawing better attendances than the Western Force; Melbourne Victory have outperformed the Melbourne Rebels, and even Melbourne City are drawing better crowds at AAMI Park. The NSW Waratahs, champions in 2014, are yet to beat Sydney FC’s best attendance this season.

The Tahs played the Auckland Blues on 6 May at the Allianz Stadium and drew a crowd of 18,381. The A-League grand final, played at the same venue a day later, got an attendance of 41,546.

It would therefore seem that soccer is definitely holding its weight against rugby union, which is a positive sign for the game Down Under.

It would perhaps be unfair to compare the A-League to the Big Bash, given the latter takes place during the holiday period. However a look at the BBL 2016-17 crowds shows that Adelaide loves its T20 cricket- the Strikers drew in an average attendance of 41,275, in comparison to Adelaide United, who only had 9,565 as an average crowd (source). It’s not just T20- South Australians have turned up in more than decent numbers for test matches as well. Perth and Brisbane also had better crowds for their cricket sides- the Scorchers pulled in 20,679 while the Heat were able to attract an average attendance of 34,375.

The Sydney cricket derby between the Thunders and the Sixers drew 39,756 while Sydney’s football derby, as mentioned above, saw 61,880 fans in attendance.

Given the head injury worries surrounding both rugby union and league, we might see soccer rise to No.2 in the footy code standings soon, behind the AFL.