Voice of the South Survey Results - Operations and Engagement
After being officially launched earlier in the year, the Voice of the South has given all SFNL stakeholders the opportunity to provide feedback on all aspects of the league's operations through a series of six monthly fan engagement surveys, with each focusing on a different topic.
The response has so far has been exceptional, and the results are now in for the first two VOTS surveys - Operations and Engagement.
OPERATIONS
The first edition of VOTS was designed to give SFNL stakeholders an opportunity to provide feedback on the operations of the League.
In a very pleasing outcome, an enormous response rate was received with just under 500 individual surveys’ completed.
The high-level results were as follows:
I. 63% want to see the football promotion / relegation system stay the same (one up, one down).
II. 74% believe the current football start times were good (Thirds/Under 19s – 9:30am, Reserve – 12pm, Senior – 2:15pm) with 87% suggesting they wanted it to stay the same.
III. The best 5 ranked venues to play football at were: Hampton, Springvale Districts, Bentleigh, Cheltenham and Dingley, with the reasons being: ground surface, facilities, ground size, atmosphere and parking.
IV. The worst 5 ranked venues to play football at were: South Yarra, St Kilda City, Skye, Moorabbin and Black Rock, with the reasons being: ground surface, facilities, parking, public amenities and atmosphere.
V. 3.75 / 5 was the weighted average response to the football player online re-registration process. 3.63 / 5 was the weighted average to the netball player online re-registration process.
VI. 4.1 / 5 was the weighted average response to the quality of goal umpires. 3.8 / 5 was the weighted average to the quality of boundary umpires. 3.3 / 5 was the weighted average to the quality of field umpires. 3.1 / 5 was the weighted average to the quality of netball umpires.
VII. 44% believe their independent tribunal experience was professional with 48% stating their experience was average.
VIII. 61% did not support having a senior / reserve netball competition that mirrors the football competition. 39% fully supported that proposal and 20% were unsure.
IX. 58% would support a netball promotion / relegation system where the premiers go up and the bottom team go down.
X. 78% would like to see the netball finals structure remain the same (final 4).
XI. 46% believe the minimum amount of teams in each netball division should be 8 and 43% believe it should be 6.
XII. 46% believe the maximum amount of teams in each netball division should be 10 and 40% believe it should be 12.
XIII. 47% would like to see the same number of games (15) across the netball season and 27% would like it increased to 18.
XIV. 46% would like to see netball games played at football grounds in line with the home team (if possible) and 43% would like games played at the current facility (Rowan Road Netball Complex).
XV. 38% believe the current netball start times are OK, with 26% believe they are good and 21% believe they are poor. The main written response stated that the 2:40pm timeslot is too late and does not allow netball to integrate with the football (seniors).
XVI. 37% would like to see the netball fixture stay the same (early Saturday afternoon) and 34% would like to see alternative fixtures on Saturday mornings.
XVII. 70% would like to see netball division default times allocated by accommodating all club and team requests based on availability.
Where to from here?
The Board and Administration of the SFNL are now analysing this data with the view to making improvements as appropriate. Further updates will be communicated in the coming months.
ENGAGEMENT
The second edition of VOTS was designed to give SFNL stakeholders an opportunity to provide feedback on our digital media platforms.
In another very pleasing outcome, an enormous response rate was received with just under 600 individual surveys’ completed.
The high-level results from the survey was as follows:
I. Majority use Facebook (72%), Website (66%) and Emails (52%) as the main platforms to connect with SFNL.
II. Round Reviews (84%) and Round Previews (80%) were the most likeable Facebook content, followed by Feature Stories (72%) and Top 5 Players of the Round (66%). The results indicated that there was plenty of interest for SFNL TV videos (57%) and the Awkward Bounce videos (56%) however more promotion is required.
III. 64% rated the content of the SFNL Website as OK while 33% stated it was Excellent. 73% found the functionality of the SFNL website Easy to Use however the other feedback indicated it wasn’t easy to use on mobile or tablet. Majority use the SFNL website for Fixtures (87%), Ladders (84%) and Results (70%) with lesser interest in News Stories (30%).
IV. 77% read the SFNL Record, where 51% rated the content as OK and 48% as Excellent. Similar to website results, majority enjoy viewing Ladders, Results and Fixtures, with Club Notes and Team Lists also popular.
V. Majority do not listen to SFNL Radio with 44% Never listening and 38% listening a Few Times A Year. The mains reasons for not listening included Not Interested, No Time and Not Knowing About It. Of the listeners, 49% listen live to Match Day and 30% listen live to The 5th Quarter (Sunday Show). Majority enjoy SFNL Radio for the Scores, Game Reviews, Banter and Match Day Commentary.
VI. 59% do not watch SFNL TV, where majority who do watch it will do so Monthly. Majority want to see highlights. Majority would like to watch on a Sunday (29%) with 6-9pm as the preferred time slot (56%).
VII. 55% do not use SFNL Live, with the main reason being they were not aware it existed. Of the users, 65% will use it a Few Times A Year with 20% using it Every Week. Majority use it for Results and Live Scores for their team.
Where to from here?
The SFNL are now analysing this data with the view to making improvements. Some small changes have already been made to the SFNL Website and Record over the last few months and further consideration will be had in the off-season.