INCREASED ATTENDANCE FOR AFF SUZUKI CUP 2008
There was an increased attendance for the recently concluded AFF Suzuki Cup 2008 – up by 19% from the previous edition in 2007.
This was revealed in an event report which was presented by World Sport Group in a post mortem meeting which was held this afternoon.
According to the figures, the qualifying stage of the tournament which was held inPhnom Penh in Cambodia saw a total attendance of 82,000 spectators while the group stage (in Jakarta and Phuket) gives 229,500.
The knockout stage (semi-finals and finals) saw 288,000 fans attending the matches for a total of 599,500.
The total broadcast hours for television also saw a increase of 37% from the previous edition for 670 hours with ‘live’ broadcast at 504 hours.
The official website which was visited by football fans from 134 countries saw 837,645 pages being viewed from 250,696 visits.
The comprehensive report for the Asean Football Federation (AFF) premier event was held as part of efforts to improving the overall organisation of the biennial tournament ahead of the next edition which will be held in 2010.
And following a survey which was conducted during the tournament, the majority of fans want the current format – which is to have a qualifying tournament prior to the main event – to remain unchanged.
For the record, Vietnam won the AFF Suzuki Cup 2008 for the first time ever when they beatThailand in the final.
