Thing is, it’s so much more than a local business to many people.
It’s a reason for people to visit the town,
It’s a source of revenue,
It’s the first chance for many kids to see a real sportsman/athlete
It provides a local kid with an ambition in life
It’s a place where friendships are made and maintained
This, plus the fact that footy teams do lots of youth and community stuffs in their local area, organise social functions and can serve as a social hub. As well as loads of stuffs for charidee, usually. Then you’ve got kids/womens’ teams and that, not just the first team, who’ll use the venue. Loads of things.