Sunday’s first SANFL Showdown in Clare was watched by more South Australian TV viewers than the AFL game on Channel 7’s main station.

An average of 63,392 (peak of 81,000 in the last quarter) watched Adelaide’s clash with Port Adelaide on 7mate, a record for an SANFL regular season broadcast since the current TV ratings system was introduced in 2001.

This represented a 30.5% share of the timeslot.

The Geelong and Richmond game at the same time on Channel 7 averaged 50,739 viewers.

SANFL General manager Football Chris Davies said the league was “delighted” with the ratings so far this season.

“Channel Seven’s coverage has certainly provided a fresh and vibrant edge for the league and this is one part of our strategy in attracting new fans to the competition,” he said.

Overall, SANFL matches are attracting an average of 47,841 on Channel 7 this year, a significant increase on the average of 28,000 viewers across the first five rounds of 2013.

Sunday’s game in Clare was the third this year to draw an average audience in excess of 50,000, with the season opener between Norwood and Port (54,884) and the Good Friday contest between South and Glenelg (53,003) also proving popular.