AFL: Australia is not enough
Roar Guru By Forgetmenot, 21 Apr 2008 The Crowd is a Roar Guru
191 Have your say
Within Australian society there is a discussion going on. This discussion is about the future of Australia’s own game, football (AFL). The 2020 Summit in Canberra discussed the future of Australia, and how it can be achieved. The Football Summit, to held later this year, will discuss the future of our great game in Australia and around the world.
There were many arguments back in the 80′s when the VFL went national, with many people saying that it was not worth it. It is a similar thing now when people are saying that international expansion is not worth it.
In Australia, football is the biggest thing going around. In the rest of the world, it is a speck of dust on the wall, noticed by all who know about it; barely noticed by anyone else. The question remains, should we grow this speck of dust in several spots and create an international game, or should we simply remain the vital part of Australian culture that we are today?
The AFL, and indeed the WAFL, have started the ‘education’ of South Africa. There are also many leagues around world, including the BARFL and ARUK in the UK, and US footy in the USA. Football in all of these areas in being developed from the ground up, and in most cases is started by expatriates of Australia. If we grow these areas, should we sacrifice the further development of traditional areas of popularity? Do we want a sport where Americans may beat us one day?
International development is not the only discussion needed for the future of football. We need to consider the states of Australia. While easily maintaining its popularity in WA, SA, VIC and TAS, the game is slowly chipping away at the stronghold heartland of the rugby codes in Australia.
With the advent of 2 new teams, many Victorians are beginning to realise that the game is national and that the long ago days of eating pies on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Arden St are long over. Should football sacrifice some its traditions to bring the game into the globalised 21st century?
Junior participation is one key area for all sports, and indeed all disciplines around the world. Auskick, a program only started in 1998, but already has a huge national outreach and is only just beginning to enter the minds of mums wanting their kids to learn sports in a safe environment. The AFL has addressed the junior participation requirement, and as long as they keep the program up to date and interesting to the kids involved then the game will continue to grow. The future of football is in the hands of the kids.
There are many other ways that football can develop going into the future. These are only a few. What should the AFL, and the various international bodies do in to the future?
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April 22nd 2008 @ 11:44am
Forgetmenot said | April 22nd 2008 @ 11:44am | Report comment
Footy Fan,
I completely agree that the game is greeted with considerable hostilitiy in NSW, and that it would be far easier for the AFL to concentrate on overseas areas more. They are putting small amounts of money into areas like USA, China and Britian, but it needs to be more. The AFL is being way to cautious. We need to be agressive in attacking markets like the USA and China.
It may be in the AFLs interest to expand the game a lot more into Asia. They are our closest neighbours, and if we get places like Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia playing on a large scale then we can gradually move up through Asia.
Another possibility is riding the pigtails of cricket. We need ovals to play on, and cricket is becoming a world sport.
April 22nd 2008 @ 12:39pm
Towser said | April 22nd 2008 @ 12:39pm | Report comment
Redb
” that once the world sees the game they’ll be automatic converts, its not like that. It is far more complicated, with generations/families involved in a code of football they have in built preferences and loyalties and yes, prejudices!”
Never a truer word spoken. As a dyed in the wool Association football fan that is the difficulty this century in trying to sell something new to a market that gathered a following in the middle of the century before last or the beginning of the last century.
Particularly if that sport has only grown locally(for whatever reason). Its the reason Aussie Rules still struggles to penetrate NSW & QLD,they have their local sport Rugby League. Why swop one local sport for another. Also the reason that Association Football has grown around the world. Because it seen as a World game and its threat can be overlooked because their is a bigger picture ie the prestige & benefits to the nation from winning major International tournaments.
Their is another factor that many overlook here re the appeal of the “Local” state sports in Australia(I’ll reach where I;m getting to shortly) . Since World War 2 vast numbers of migrants came here including myself from “Overseas” Football cultures.
It is fact that we have stood by our & the worlds version of football. Despite it being a lot easier and a lot less pain to follow RL or Aussie Rules(depending on the state) In fact so much so that the game is now in a healthy & progressive phase of development. The “Wog” era may have been divisive for many but it provided the catalyst for the sport to grow.
Now if migrants haven’t been won over in this case to “Australias own game”(won over & casual watching are totally different) having lived in a society with wall to wall media coverage of the sport(Southern States) how do you expect to penetrate the markets of the countries they migrated from where Association Football Is THE local sport. Transfer this local sport interest to the USA with its major sports or Canada with Ice Hockey etc and your pushing the proverbial up hill.
Also I dont think I’d be relying on ever increasing numbers of cricket ovals around the world to spread AFL.
April 22nd 2008 @ 3:18pm
Redb said | April 22nd 2008 @ 3:18pm | Report comment
The Link,
Its interesting that many RL folk attribute superleague as the sole reason AFL got going in Sydney. Superleague was circa mid 1990s, the Swans made the Grand Final in 1996 after being competitive for 1-2 years before that.
What is more likely is that Superleague dislodged a few RL fans, but the Swans real success in making the finals and then the Grand Final in 1996 (still the highest rating event for a football code nationally) had a lot to do with it. A bloke called Barassi also helped, the Swans were a joke, a party play thing before that. They became a football club under Barassi. That established the base and then in 2005 they consolidated. A long haul for sure.
The problem for the Storm in Melbourne is that they play in the footy season and there is no reason for AFL supporters to shake loose from thei team. If anything support has increased with record club memberships..
Redb
April 22nd 2008 @ 3:56pm
The Link said | April 22nd 2008 @ 3:56pm | Report comment
Redb, it was the allignment of them both no doubt. The Swans would’ve received a boost from SL regardless in my view. It was just bigger due to Plugger and the strong team. The Storm have a much more successful side now than the Swans in the mid 90′s, yet no shakeup of the dominant code to assist.
Cheers
The Link
April 22nd 2008 @ 7:40pm
Adrian Stoop said | April 22nd 2008 @ 7:40pm | Report comment
Laughable if anyone thinks AFL can spread elsewhere in the world. Sure, play games overseas. It’ll be looked at alright, but in the same way the bearded woman is looked at by patrons at a freak show. Good luck!
April 22nd 2008 @ 7:53pm
Forgetmenot said | April 22nd 2008 @ 7:53pm | Report comment
Thanks for the good wishes Adrian Stoop.
April 22nd 2008 @ 11:33pm
hawawa said | April 22nd 2008 @ 11:33pm | Report comment
im bored. AFL should just be kept in australia honestly. and those ads saying that it is the game that made australia. excuse me while i choke. IT IS THE GAME THAT MADE VICTORIA for goodness sake
April 22nd 2008 @ 11:53pm
John Ryan said | April 22nd 2008 @ 11:53pm | Report comment
Yes poor old Adrian he may actually be able to think for himself,unlike the group think in AFL land
April 23rd 2008 @ 8:46am
Redb said | April 23rd 2008 @ 8:46am | Report comment
There are now kids playing AFL footy in Canada via a junior competition, thus its more then just expats.
Here’s an article from World Footy news.
“The Canadian Wolfpack, the U18 Canadian National Team, are touring Australia in August to take on some of Australia’s best youth teams. The Wolfpack dominated the U18 US Revolution team when they played in August 2007, and they are using this tour to measure themselves against the best young talent in Australia.
A touring party of between 80 and 100 people including players and families will be heading to Melbourne in August where they will play at least four games including games against the Port Melbourne Colts and Kew High School. While the tour will coincide with the International Cup and organizers are hoping to be involved in some way, the tour is not officially part of the Cup.
Most of the Wolfpack team is derived from graduates of the North Delta Junior Footy program. The premier junior footy program in North America and possibly one of the best outside Australia, the North Delta program includes boys and girls playing in U12, U14, U16 and U18 footy. The program also provides pathways into the British Colombia footy teams and the Canadian Northwind.
AFL Canada President and founder of the North Delta program, Mike McFarlane hopes that this team makes an impression in Australia. “We also hope to make an impression on the footy community while there and open up the door to the fact that there are other nations beside SA and PNG that are starting to produce quality players and especially with the new international list now available to AFL clubs that they may be willing to start looking in our direction.” Another product of the North Delta league, Canadian Scott Fleming, has relocated to Queensland to play for the Broadbeach Cats. According to afl.com.au journalist Chelsea Roffey, Fleming is working to make it to the AFL.”
April 23rd 2008 @ 10:15am
Michael C said | April 23rd 2008 @ 10:15am | Report comment
Norm -
you said : “The overseas participation in AFL is in direct correlation to the overseas interest in AFL.”
One might suggest, in the main, that that is also a function of the overseas exposure. And, where interest is generated – the other function is over availability of appropriate venues and capacity to establish and sustain clubs – - which, in the pre-internet/satellite tv generation was severely limited.
It’s a new world now. And, the AFL has to a large degree been caught out by the growth – - and certainly by such standards – in some places, it’s been rapid growth (let’s forget more international game standards – as, by the standards relating to Aust Footy – obviously, there is only, thus far, one ‘supporting’ nation, one ‘supporting’ elite competition – - that makes the standards relating to Aust Footy rather different to most other codes – - RL for example has a NH and SH elite competition – - that’s a great advantage in supporting disparate growth around the globe).