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Steve Butler,
The West Australian
May 9, 2013, 6:53 am
Collingwood president Eddie McGuire urges WA football fans to brace for the arrival of the biggest club in world sport when the Magpies play Fremantle at Patersons Stadium on Saturday night.
McGuire said attendance at the Magpies games in the past month had been unrivalled globally by any other sporting club. Collingwood's total crowds of 371,895 came at an average of nearly 75,000 a game.
During the same period, West Coast's five games have drawn 157,929 fans, while Fremantle's matches have had total crowds of 114,709.
Two of the Dockers matches have been played in boutique stadiums at Launceston and the Gold Coast, but even English Premier League giants Manchester United recorded average crowds of just over 58,000 in the same period.
The first six rounds have attracted a record 1,894,715 fans at an average of 35,087 per game.
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America's NFL competition routinely records the biggest crowds in world sport, but is out of season.
The Dallas Cowboys led the competition last season with an average of 80,645 fans a game.
"We're the biggest sporting event in the world in the past month," McGuire told thewest.com.au.
"We underestimate these things and what we tend to do is talk ourselves around in circles about minor things, when what we should be doing is celebrating the great things. We're the biggest on attendances alone and that's not per capita, that's attendances.
"I'm proud of it on behalf of the game because week on week, we have amazing attendances.
"We fill the MCG every week, Essendon are pulling big crowds and so are Carlton and Richmond, it's an enormous compliment to the football-loving nature of people.
"At our club, we are the biggest restaurant in Australia when we play, we're the biggest television production company, we're one of the biggest internet providers and we're certainly the biggest concert, or, sporting event."
McGuire also joined the chorus this week of leading AFL identities expressing frustration at the current interpretations of the game's rules. He said rulings had become complicated and disconnected from the simple traditions of the game.
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley and Geelong counterpart Chris Scott were dismayed by what they claimed to be new interpretations in marking duels.
But umpires boss Jeff Gieschen denied giving any new instructions on how to interpret the rules.
McGuire said: "No one at the AFL should feel embarrassed. The umpires are doing a great job and everyone is trying to do the right thing.
"But sometimes when you extrapolate on an idea or you put band- aid on top of bandaid on top of band- aid, you actually forget what the problem was in the first place.
"Football is a simple game. It was known and loved for years because it was a game with no rules.
"Now it's got more sub-sections than the Australian Tax Office.
"No one is fighting against each other, we all work together and we want the game to be in the best possible situation.
"If the AFL rules committee or the umpiring bosses are saying they know exactly what the rules are, but players, coaches, commentators and supporters don't, then there is a disconnect.
"The answer is just to simplify things."
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/spo...-the-big-deal/
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