THE man in charge of preparing the way for a second AFL team in Sydney says his confidence about meeting the proposed 2012 start-up date has not been shaken by the small attendance at ANZ Stadium for the Sydney-North Melbourne elimination final.

The chief executive of the NSW/ACT AFL, Dale Holmes, claimed there were factors that meant the paltry attendance of 19,127 - the smallest finals crowd for an AFL/VFL final since 1902 - did "not necessarily reflect where the game is in the Sydney marketplace".

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Photos: Swans monster North
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However, Holmes admitted the poor crowd was a "small set-back" for the AFL's plans in Sydney and "might have given us a bit of a wake-up call on a few things we need to do".

Holmes cited the Swans' relatively poor finish to the season, tough economic times (also blamed for the relatively poor crowd of 37,685 for Saturday's Adelaide-Collingwood elimination final at AAMI Stadium) and the difficulties of promoting what was an unexpected home final on short notice as reasons for the low number.

Despite fearing a disappointing attendance all week, Holmes said it had not been plausible to give away tickets in the western suburbs as Sydney coach Paul Roos had suggested - because it would be unfair to those who had already purchased them and it would affect the integrity of the crowd figure.

Those poor pre-sales meant the wet weather did not provide a plausible excuse for the attendance, leaving the AFL vowing to work even more aggressively to push the second team concept. "We had a very poor crowd, we are not walking about from that," said the AFL's chief operating officer, Gillon McLachlan. "What we need is more players [in Sydney], more resources, more teams and a rivalry to hopefully maintain our presence and increase it."

However, with Swans membership dropping slightly this season and crowds for their four home and away games at ANZ Stadium this year sharply down from an average of more than 63,000 last year to 45,480 this year, the code has been left with no illusions about the difficulty of attracting sufficient numbers to sustain two teams.

Under AFL plans, the western Sydney franchise is expected to sign 10,000 members by its debut season and increase that figure to 20,000 over 20 years, a forecast that seemed optimistic with so many seats empty on Saturday night for a final featuring the already established and successful Swans.

At the same time, the Swans, who are facing a significant financial loss this season, are about to begin an aggressive campaign to increase their Sydney membership by 10,000 to about 30,000 over the next three years, before the still optimistic date for the new franchise's debut in 2012.

The question is, if the Swans can not half-fill ANZ Stadium for a sudden death final, then where will the extra 30,000 paid-up members come from? "It certainly is a great challenge, there is no doubt about that," Holmes said.

As for Saturday night, Kangaroos coach Dean Laidley echoed the feeling of many at ANZ Stadium. "I'm just really disappointed for football in this state tonight," he said.