The Austadiums website continued to evolve in 2024 with a range of enhanced and new features, while traffic continued to be extremely strong and trend upwards. Here’s the annual look at the ‘year that was’.
The number of stadiums listed on the platform hit 600 (and continues to grow), while additional venue details including type, owner, operator, architect and cost were added to venue listings. The stadium map now allows you to filter venues by size and type.
In a significant enhancement, all events are now listed in users’ local time zone, making it easier than ever to see when events kick-off, with the automatically set location able to be manually updated to a range of popular locations. Events can also now be easily added to your calendar via the event page. Video highlights are also now available for a range of events.
We saw the initial launch of the Stadium Supplier Directory which lists suppliers across the industry. This new feature will continue to grow with various features planned, to be fully launched soon!
Stadium Concerts was expanded to also list major Arena Concerts and other performances, while visual improvements were made.
There are big plans for 2025 and CV Media looks forward to bringing these to the large fanbase Austadiums attracts.
Throughout 2024, Austadiums covered a total of 1,691 events at 197 stadiums across 16 sports, with total attendance of more than 22.2 million. Of the 1,372 events with an attendance figure listed, the average crowd was 16,195. Keep reading for more attendance analysis, including the most attended sports and more.
As it was in 2023, Accor Stadium topped the list of most viewed stadiums on Austadiums, with Marvel Stadium overtaking the MCG into second position.
The commercial rebrand of Hobart’s Bellerive Oval attracted the most views in the way of stadium news, while Brisbane Olympic venue related news filled two of the top five spots.
Australia’s largest stadium, the MCG, again attracted the most spectators through its gates, with more than 3.7 million attending 64 events at the Melbourne stadium, also having the highest average crowd of 56,580. There was movement below though, with Adelaide Oval up two spots into 2nd, ahead of Marvel Stadium, Optus Stadium and Suncorp Stadium. Optus attracted the second-highest average crowds, followed by Adelaide Oval and the SCG.
Which stadium was filled the most? Hobart’s MyState Bank Arena tops the list again with the JackJumpers attracting sell-out crowds, followed by the home of Super Netball’s Sunshine Coast Lightning. 4 Pines Park (Brookvale) jumps ahead of Penrith Stadium as the highest outdoor stadium, and the Adelaide Entertainment Centre is 4th on the list with strong NBL and Netball crowds.
The AFL again dominated sports attendance in Australia, with more than 8 million attending matches at an average of more than 38,000 per game, filling 69% of stadium capacity. The gap did close ever so slightly however, with the NRL’s crowds up on 2023. The BBL’s average crowds over the 2024 calendar year put it in second position, while the NBL’s percent of venue capacity was number one, albeit playing in smaller indoor arenas.
As per 2023, days 2-4 of the F1 Grand Prix topped the highest event attendance list, while the biggest stadium crowd was the AFL Grand Final, with the AFL accounting for five of the top events in the top 10. The Rugby League State of Origin match at the MCG came in at #12.
Melbourne was again attracted more spectators to sports events than any other city, well in front with both aggregate and average attendances, while the big mover was Adelaide, from 5th position up to 3rd. In terms of which cities/regions filled their stadiums the most, Sunshine Coast tops the list thanks mainly to strong Super Netball crowds, followed by Cairns and Wollongong. Of the major cities, Adelaide sits 6th on the list (63%).
The 2024 Stadium Awards were also run and won, with Western Australia the big winners, highlighted by Optus Stadium taking out the main prize in the fan-voted awards. See all the results here.
That’s a wrap for 2024, in what was another big year for Austadiums, and there’s plenty more to look forward to in 2025!