The coverage in Sth Africa just recently was more simply because Collingwood was over there, on a training camp at Potchy.
Supporters of International Aust Footy leagues have been frustrated previously by the lack of recognition, and the lack of promotion even of the first 2 International Cup contests. In a lot of places, it’s largely very early phases. Far enough, the AFL don’t need to jump up and down about it.
It’s actually 41 years now since the first tour of Ireland. It’s not a recent thing. It’s a nice compromise – normally – that gives guys a chance to represent their country, and as valid a representation as many other ‘niche’ sports. Some of which happen to be Olympic sports due to wider participation elsewhere in geography and or time.
I reckon the best marketing element for the AFL only relates to Auskick – great ad. I’ve often thought the NRL had kick-ass ads for their ’senior’ competition. The AFL has been losing PR wars on drugs in sport etc despite seemingly being more deserved of accolades – the AFL has actually played it very straight at times when perhaps they might have gone on the front foot.
All that said though, living in an AFL state, it doesn’t desperately have to market itself. However, in Sydney for example they ensure to get Coll and Ess up there, and then drew 60K plus for the StK game with the field of women/pink game. Is that cynical promotion or vital community partnerships and awareness raising?

Having seen the video of the Chicago Bulls going for the third title in a row, and it was all built around strong DEEEE-Fence…..and having most my life played up back or on the ball in footy, I know only too well that most good attacks are launched from defence, as that’s when your forward line is most likely to be open.

However, AFL wise, the ‘hyped’ big games are usually reasonable scoring affairs because the quality of players dictates that finishing is better – whether up field or in front of goal. That’s generally a given. However, the 2005 and 2006 Syd v WCE GF’s were 2 fine examples of arm wrestle footy, battle of nerves stuff. And, the funny thing about missing goals is that ‘team pressure’ tends to build. It becomes contagious. it shouldn’t, but it can. My Rooboys in ‘98 choked on GF day, leading at half time by 24 pts, alas, it was a 2 goal and 12 behind lead. They’d done their best and didn’t have the reward they deserved – Adelaide knew they were still in the game, came out after 1/2 time, first 2 goals and it’s suddenly game on.

Underdogs need to put the score on the board, as with your example, it’s no good coming out full of energy if you turn it over and make mistakes, my (depleted on the day) Rooboys back in about 2001 were the underdogs one Sunday arvo vs the rampant Essendon. However, about 10 mins before half time the Roos are 12 goals in front – you just don’t lead by that much before 1/2 time!!! Woohoo. Alas, by half time it was back to a 4 goal margin, conceded 8 in 10 mins, all their run gone, half time couldn’t come soon enough, and alas lost by 4 goals with Essendon getting the last 2 in junk time. The thing about a game like that is it just pulsates – - and a little secret is this,
in soccer, scores increment by 1 at a time. Well, okay, that’s no secret. However, for the ‘lead to change’ requires 0-1 to become 2-1, it requires 2 unanswered goals. In AFL for example, often you may have a game or passage of a game where teams go goal for goal, but because of behinds, there might be a 4 pt difference, so, you 4 up, then 2 down, 4 up again, etc etc. That is what we live for – the way that lights up the crowd, so, if ever you’ve attended an AFL game and not managed to get one like that, then you haven’t experienced what it’s all about – - – alas, usually the white maggots (umpires) do something over officious and stuff it up.

Often in soccer its the games where a side has nothing to lose, or where the waters are uncharted, that are better from a spectator point of view. A good example of this kind of ambush was Sydney unexpectedly getting 2-0 up early on Uwara in the ACL last year. While the game ended a draw, it meant that Uwara had to chase it, and had to take some tactical risks in doing so.

As for Hiddink, you got it wrong. That Japan game wasn’t meant to be a 15min ambush mission at all. Hiddink’s tactics relate more to the Dutch ‘Total Football’ game.

People talk all the time about how soccer has a long way to go to overtake Aussie Rules/league in Australia. The task of overhauling soccer on the world stage is a million times harder than that.

DJ OF SYDNEY – Gaelic doesn’t cater for all types of players at all. It only caters for the smaller, running players. Buy Setanta Sports through Foxtel and watch it some time… Widerly played in Aus and the US? You’re having a laugh. I like the sport too, but let’s not kid ourselves about it’s stature.

cheers – for being able to take it in that manner. I’m hardly being entirely serious, but then not entirely fanciful either.

In the short term, I’d just like All Australians to actually get a bit of a buzz from our game slowly doing okay overseas – because, for now, we don’t have to bid govt money to win the hosting rights to the AFL grand Final!!!

btw – I’ve only ever been to 1 soccer match – 50K for MVFC vs SFC at TD in V2 HAL. I headed off to what was billed as the ‘date with hate’. A top of the table clash that I thought must provide for me the best the game has to offer – as, for any visitor from overseas, if you take them to a top of the table AFL clash – you almost can’t lose. Alas, after 90 mins and about 2 out of 4 attempts on goal being valid ‘attempts’, and 0-0 (my worst fear), and the greatest waste of a crowd and pre-game hype I’ve ever seen………I’d learnt a big lesson, learn to appreciate the ‘quality’ of a shut down job on game and opposition home crowd……..I’m not rushing back, but there’s other reasons on that front, but, it was a good lesson, I think. That, and a Guus Hiddink team effectively plays for the last 15 mins – which meant the Japan game in ‘06 went right to plan.

I like this article a lot. We’ve seen amazing generational change in all other aspects of society, so why not something totally new rising up in sport. I’m 35 so not that old. But as a kid if I’d been in a movie theatre and seen the ads like they have now for internet, mobile phones, etc – stuff that has completely changed life but that we just take for granted in 2008 – I’d be like WTF….

So in this day and age, if there is something with a genuine difference in the sporting market place, then why is it so strange to think that it may rise up and prosper. Wierder things have happened.

Oh, and as for a more subjective opinion, if something does have to rival the ‘beautiful game’ globally, then let it be a game with some flair, some skill and some fluidity and movement. In that respect I’ll take AFL/Gaelic anytime over the rugby codes.

Via footynews.com, you can track the slowly growing international presence of Aust footy.
Keep mindful of the following:
AFL only puts any decent money into Sth Africa.
AFL didn’t instigate any of this, and, really, hasn’t known how to handle it, and probably has assumed that none of it would actually last – -

because

traditionally, footy O-S was the domain of groups of ex-pats – the Asian example most obvious.

However, Denmark is an interesting example.
Footy kicked off almost 20 years ago – ad in the paper to meet under a tree in a park for a kick of the footy.
Now there’s a nice little league plus junior development. There are Danish ‘natives’ who’ve played over 200 games. The national team includes 18-21 yr olds who’ve come up through the ranks – playing over 100games.
The DAFL ‘expanded’ to include a Swedish team. And now, there’s a Swedisih association. And on top of that the Germans have consolidated – these 3 nations play an annual tri-series. Suddenly – what happens in Australia doesn’t really matter anymore.
On the back of this, over the last couple of years there’s a couple of teams in Finland.
And what used to be 80% expat is now 80% locals.

Who knows where all that will go, but, what may happen is that a decent little 5 nations or something might get rolling. And then the couple of clubs in Spain, France, Austria, Czech REpublic, Croatia etc – they have something more substantial to ‘latch’ onto.

Let alone, the presence in Great Britain – which is pretty solid, including the Irish. In fact, the Danes used to only be able to play across the Nrth Sea vs the Poms and Irish.

There’s a fair league in the US (check USfooty.com) and Canada – the US Revolution and Canadian Northwind have played each other, including last year a weekend that included games with the juniors and womens teams!!!

And – why is it different now – simply, the internet. Where years ago, these ‘entities’ would spring up for 5 years and then fade away, now, there’s a ‘global’ network. A niche. There’s is the ability to organise and support, information can be shared immediately. Also, Setanta has been carrying a couple of games a week as well as even the entire Brownlow broadcast – just recently Rusty Crowe was bemoaning the lack of RL on Setanta, and quoting that if the AFL can get a couple of games a week, surely they could at least get one NRL game a fortnight. (personally, I don’t care, Rugby[L or U for that matter] is international, it can look after itself).

And, it’s very, very cool that Australia is the ‘mecca’ of that particular ‘community’. Because, Australia isn’t the centre of many universes. It’s very cool then to see these people, given that the International Cup includes absolutely zero ex-pats – so it’s cool to see them in MElbourne playing ‘our game’. I’d hate to think of why soccer or rugby people would think that mad, or worthy of being stamped out and not encourged.

But, if AFL can’t do it, at least the Hybrid International Rules (careful, don’t confuse 100% Aust Footy International Cup with International Rules) would be a reasonable compromise, especially to leverage of pre-existing rectangular stadia.
——

and, for overseas travellers, when you sport behind a wall or through the trees the unmistakeable end to end flight of a sherrin – thus far, you’d know you’ve found a group of Aussies who will welcome you into their kick to kick. The sherrin – almost like the tail fin of a Qantas plane…..

; )

Gaelic football has started to be taught in English and European schools and some want to see it as an exhibition sport at the London Olympics – after all it is very popular in Nrthn Ireland and that is part of Great Britain hosting the Olympics.

Gaelic football is basically soccer with hands and as one of the world’s last remaining truly amateur codes would at least have that going for it in the tarnished Olympic philosophy. Gaelic football has more chance than International Rules of eventually supplanting Soccer as World Game over a century or two, but is mired in Irish nationalism. That is changing however as Ireland modernises and becomes even a multicultural country. International Rules raises the profile of Gaelic football particularly in Britain and Europe.

Soccer is the undisputed World Game now and for decades to come. But a game like Gaelic football could rival it over a couple of life times.

Sorry Eddie (and Sheeds), but don’t give up ya day job.

Anyway, since when did AFL want to be global? All the active ignorance of the “current” world game (and Australia’s participation in it) surely contradicts any genuine desire to be non-insular and embracing of other cultures and ideas.

Oh…it’s about money…gotcha!

MC, nice thought about the International Rules Code. Who knows, i won’t knock it just yet. Just cos the last 200 years has been a Football monopoly on a Global scale, doesn’t mean things won’t change by the next millienium.

DJ …mate…. the best sport in the world………..mate…………but if it helps believe.

Just as an aside to both MC & DJ, you have both on various posts stated many problems football will face in Australia to even approach the shadow of AFL. I accept you view …………but if what you say is true…………then the same arguement must apply to AFL * 1, 000’s in world domination and within 20 years DJ.

It is second on my list of favourite codes, and i think it will be a huge international sport in the next 20 years, as it is already widely played in the US, and Australia and probably many other countries as well.

I will have to see a few more games though to see if i put my support behind international rules or gaelic, but i truly believe that soccer does have a major competitor in waiting.

The same logic then suggests that Soccer is the global beheamoth, at present. What happens from here? Total domination, all the world play one sport only, totally homogeneous. That’s one extreme. The other extreme, is that something else creeps up.

Now – AFL ain’t never going to do it – if, for no other reason, that most of the world don’t have grounds big enough – hmm, although how many cities have polo fields???
But – on those little rectangular pitches – well, the Gaelic/Australian hybrid, as it continues to evolve could actually be a game that catches on more so, first from Ireland and Australia, in America and then out to the world.

Given that I referred to ‘International Rules’ and you replied with “AFL”, I think you might not be fully aware, international rules is more Gaelic than AFL, really, it’s almost only the presence of (limited) tackling that makes it less than Gaelic.