MCG ‘HOME’ GAME COSTS CATS
Low MCG crowd could leave Cats $300k short-changed
GEELONG is counting the potentially “dreadful” financial cost of Sunday’s weatheraffected home crowd against Richmond at the MCG.
Cats president Colin Carter believes the low turnout will cost the club about $200,000 to $300,000 in lost revenue after falling short of budget expectations.
A crowd of 46,423 braved the bitter winter conditions for the late afternoon fixture, down on a conservative budget of 50,000 to 60,000 and well short of a possible 80,000 turnout for the stand-alone topfour blockbuster.
“The weather probably cost us a couple of hundred grand, at least, if not more,” Carter told the Geelong Advertiser.
The match was the highest- rating Sunday home-andaway match in Foxtel history, after tens of thousands opted for the comfort of their living rooms.
“It’s (the attendance) a dreadful result for the bottom line, but I thought given how shocking the weather was, I thought we were lucky to get 46,000,” Carter said.
“I think a lot of people would have looked out the window and thought, ‘I’ll watch this on TV’.”
He said a crowd of at least 65,000 on Sunday would have been a “shoo-in” had rain and shivering temperatures not rolled in over the weekend.
“It’s really bad luck. I actually had been hoping we would get 70,000. I think that’s part of the whole idea of playing a couple of those games at the MCG,” Carter said.
“I’m sure if the weather was like other weekends — and Richmond had not been at home for a few weeks having come back from Adelaide — we could have even pushed towards 80,000, but we had shocking weather.
“That’s nobody’s fault. I think given the nature of the day, it’s a pretty extraordinary competition when you’re disappointed that only 46,000 turn up.”
Carter said the financial result at the Tigers game would be off-set by a betterthan-expected turnout from Easter Monday when 73,189 descended on the MCG.
The Cats have also budgeted for a 27,000-strong turnout for the Round 18 match against Melbourne at GMHBA Stadium, and can recoup lost revenues if the crowd swells, as expected beyond 30,000.
It has been a mixed year for the Cats at the gate, with the recent North Melbourne game at GMHBA Stadium coming in about $50,000 above budget, but the Cats lost close to $100,000 against budget for the GWS home clash.