AFL reigns supreme: Ticketmaster State of Play 2018

Previously focussing on theatre, comedy and dance music, in 2018, Ticketmaster’s State of Play has turned the focus to sport – deep diving into fans’ attitudes towards sport.

View the report

Hearing from over 12,000 respondents and 6,000 sports fans, Ticketmaster’s State of Play 2018has focussed in on sports fans around the globe, particularly lovers of soccer, cricket, and rugby.

On a global scale, the most attended sport in 2017 was soccer – with 14 out of 19 countries all listing it as number one. Unsurprisingly, Australia was one of a few outliers here, with AFL as our most attended sport.

Out of the 1555 people surveyed across Australia, 16% had attended an AFL game in 2017, though cricket (10%), rugby league (9%), and soccer (9%) weren’t far behind.

While 24% of footy fans are aged between 25 and 34, the average age of Australian AFL fans is 41. This is slightly younger than the average age in Australia (45). Men make up the vast majority of fans, representing 63% of spectators.

With ten out of 18 teams based in Victoria, it is also unsurprising that 32% of spectators live there. New South Wales follows closely behind with 28%, and Queensland came in third with 17% of fans.

You can view the full Ticketmaster State of Play 2018 report here.

Find past State of Play reports on Festivals, Dance, Comedy, Theatre, and Grime here.