Giants are blamed for MCG crowd falls Ben Reid of the Collingwood Magpies is tackled during the round 18 match against AFL match the Greater Western Sydney Giants at the MCG on July 27. Greater Western Sydney have been accused of eating into the profits of Australia's oldest sporting club. The earnings of the Melbourne Cricket Club, the manager of the AFL's premier venue the MCG, eroded after football crowd numbers fell 10 per cent to 2.7 million last season. The MCC partly attributed the decline to the AFL's expansion program, which included the emergence of Greater Western Sydney last year and Gold Coast Suns in 2011. Its net profit fell more than 27 per cent to $17.86 million in the 12 months to March 31. The MCC's committee said that as well as introducing the Giants and Suns to the MCG fixture, fewer games being played at the ground also fuelled the plunge. "Two fewer finals, one less home and away match and the introduction of expansion clubs to the football fixture at the MCG were major contributors to a fall in attendances," MCC president Paul Sheahan and treasurer Michael Happell wrote in the MCC annual report released on Friday. A total of 20,070 people passed through the MCG's turnstiles to watch Greater Western Sydney take on Melbourne in round 13 last year, well below the ground's average football crowd of almost 50,000 a game. But it wasn't all a one-way traffic. MCC chief executive Stephen Gough said the Sydney Swans helped to attract a near capacity crowd of 99,683 in last year's grand final, in which they defied the odds to beat Hawthorn. The MCC committee said the profit decline was "enhanced" by Victorian government grant income falling by $2.2 million to $11.8 million. Still, event-related revenue dropped $5.2 million to $28.25 million, with the crowd slump being responsible for most of the decrease. Mr Gough could not be contacted for comment on Friday, but said in March the MCG and Etihad Stadium did not cover the needs of Victorian AFL clubs. "Technically, you may be able to play at the two stadiums," he said. A 20,000 crowd at the MCG isn't ideal. Spokesman Patrick Keane said the AFL hoped to overtake the 2012 attendances this season.