AFL needs more 'razzle dazzle'

New Etihad Stadium chief Paul Sergeant said the AFL should look at offering more entertainment at live footy games. Picture: Stuart Walmsley Source: Herald Sun

THE new boss of Etihad Stadium says the AFL should turn to US and English sport to build better atmosphere at live games.

Paul Sergeant said the AFL should consider sound and light shows, more pre-game and half-time entertainment and better use of scoreboards to find new ways to entertain crowds.

Concerned about a drop in AFL attendance and a surge in TV audiences, the UK-born stadium chief said TV advances threatened to keep fans away from games and spoil the traditional atmosphere of live footy.

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He said the AFL, rival codes and Australia's stadium chiefs should look to the English Premier League and NBA basketball for inspiration.

"The whole experience of going to an NBA game blows your socks off because they make use of the arrival experience, the video boards, the monitors around the venue, the PA system," he said.

"Those sports in different parts of the world are out there. It's about going, 'well what can we look at? What can we learn from them?' then translate it back into what can we do at our venues."

Mr Sergeant said the AFL should look to international sports like the NBA basketball for inspiration for live game entertainment. Picture: Eric Gay Source: AP

Mr Sergeant, who replaced outgoing chief Ian Collins, said Etihad Stadium's future success would rely on a "staple diet" of AFL along with soccer, concerts, international sports and special events such as rugby league's State of Origin.

But the former boss of England's Wembley Stadium and Millennium Stadium in Wales said Australian sports chiefs needed to lift live experiences to a new level just to keep fans coming back.

He said he had raised the matter with AFL chief Andrew Demetriou and chief operating officer Gillon McLachlan, labelling modern TV coverage the "biggest challenge" to live sport.

"The TV has moved on in leaps and bounds with HD, 3D, surround sound, stats, pause live action - all the things you can do. So we've got to compete with that and that's all about the live match day experience.

"We've collectively got our heads together as to what that...means and what we can do to drive that forward."

Last season's AFL crowds fell by more than 360,000 yet home TV audiences were up.

peter.rolfe@news.com.au

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