International Journal of Sport Management

Regime Change, Competitive Balance and Attendance in Australian Rules Football

Jonathan Willner

Abstract: Maintaining competitive balance is often seen as crucial to sports leagues. A lack of competition within a league is likely to reduce attendance at matches, resulting in poor revenue streams. This paper examines the relationship in the context of Australian Rules Football, using data from 1946 through 2016. Of particular interest are policy changes that occurred after 1990 with the disbanding of the Victoria Football Association (VFL) and the formation of the Australian Football League (AFL). This change was driven by financial considerations, suggesting a necessary change in league policies to influence revenue streams and, therefore, competitive balance. Results show that the move from VFL to AFL had little effect on competitive balance, but that attendance grew. The results also show that in the VFL, competitive balance was not related to attendance, but that in the AFL greater competitive balance is associated with higher attendance.

Keywords: Australian rules football, competitive balance, sports

Citation: Willner, J. (2019). Regime change, competitive balance and attendance in Australian rules football. International Journal of Sport Management, 20(3), 275-294.

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