NSL crowds plummet

The troubled National Soccer League is suffering by the game's lack of exposure on TV with crowds at their lowest level for seven years.

With TV rights holder Channel Seven refusing to air any NSL action this season, thousands of disgruntled fans and sponsors are being left out in the cold.

After five rounds, the average attendance is 4,381 - down 15 per cent on last season's figures. This equates to 66,651 less fans walking through the turnstiles, costing clubs valuable income.

Even the league's marquee club, Perth Glory, has seen its crowd numbers drop while last season's second most supported side Newcastle United has lost up to 20 per cent of its crowd.

Glory chairman Nick Tana was quoted by AAP as saying: "We can't identify the specific reason for the drop in crowds".

"Whether or not it's the lack of visibility of the league and the lack of free-to-air television I don't know.

"But if you look at the rest of the league, theirs (attendances) have dropped off as well. If the league is not visible in the marketplace as a marketable product, there'll be a detrimental effect."

Despite their problems, Perth and Newcastle are still the best supported clubs in the NSL while the champion Olympic Sharks and South Melbourne continue to lose fans at a worrying rate.

sportal.com.au