Stop the phoney outrage, and join the 2018 party
Roar Pro By Con Stamocostas, 15 Dec 2008 Con Stamocostas is a Roar Pro
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- Champions League, football, Socceroos, Tim Cahill
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What is it with journalists of the egg ball variety being outraged every time one of our football teams makes an international final (AFC Champions league) or receives government funding ($32m election and $45m World Cup bid)?
Rebecca Wilson you should watch the
It’s called Australia’s historic sporting culture.
Something you probably may not recognise as ever being part of your sporting existence is its joy… pure unadulterated joy. Will it be hard to fathom that in your life your greatest creative achievement; your greatest art will be your inability to love the beautiful game, unable to experience the collective thrill of supporting the Socceroos like the rest of the country does?
Rebecca just stop the hate of the game and join the party.
Don’t be afraid, we are like you; the Australian Football family invites you to the party. C’mon, you know you want to.
Australians are the best party people in the world; it’s what we do best, besides loving sport.
I would say that if you don’t support football in this country then you’re un-Australian. That’s right! If you don’t like to party and don’t like football you are un-Australian.
Us Australians love to follow the party; we will travel for hours to find the best one. But we all know the best parties are the ones in your own back yard. So join us for the biggest party Australia will ever see in 2018 and stop the phoney outrage, the football family welcomes you with open arms.
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December 15th 2008 @ 9:42am
Pippinu said | December 15th 2008 @ 9:42am | Report comment
Jimbo
I can’t speak for other sports, but in the 138 year continuous history of the VFA/VFL/AFL they have not received a cracker from any level of government. It has always paid its own way, It was paying its own way back in 1870, and pays its own way now, plus interest, since it helps build and maintain infrastructure used by other sports.
Anyone who says otherwise is being deliberately dishonest.
When you say “hundreds of millions of dollars of government handouts to AFL clubs”, what do you mean by that?
Also why do people keep pulling out this number of $32 million for the Western Bulldogs? This is a quote from the AusStadiums site:
Today Prime Minister John Howard met with LeasePlan Western Bulldogs President David Smorgon OAM and Chief Executive Campbell Rose to reaffirm the Government’s $8 million commitment to the redevelopment of Whitten Oval.
The Whitten Oval redevelopment is designed to reinvigorate the western region through providing a central community, health and sporting resource that will become a centre for excellence of national significance.
Chief Executive Campbell Rose said:
“We are delighted to be meeting with the Prime Minister today.
“The Federal Government’s commitment to, and approval of, the $8 million towards the redevelopment of Whitten Oval marks a significant milestone.
“We are grateful to the Federal Government, as we are our other partners – the AFL, Victorian Government, the Forever Foundation and local municipal councils, for their continued support in the redevelopment of Whitten Oval.
“The redevelopment will be a major achievement for the Western Bulldogs and the community of western Melbourne. The Whitten Oval will become a hub for all community activity including sport and health, and we look forward to taking the next step in this project,” said Rose.
When completed, the redeveloped Whitten Oval proposes to include:
* Improved road, rail and pedestrian access, as well as car parking
* A 120-place child care centre
* A conference and convention centre
* A state-of-the-art sports, medical and allied health care centre
* Conversion of the Whitten Stand
* Retail development
* ‘Heroes of the West’ hall of fame centre
* WWI and WWII Museum recording the military significance of the precinct
Now I honestly doubt that is any different to the thousands of community infrastructure projects occuring right across Australia at any one time.
December 15th 2008 @ 9:48am
Alan Nicolea said | December 15th 2008 @ 9:48am | Report comment
Best party people – Hahahaha. Don’t turn your nightout into a nightmare mate. Most Aussies need to get drunk before a party begins. Besides, if Australia can’t even make fireworks legal for new year for all citizens, that alone says alot about the party culture here. Sydney might blaze in colour but the rest of NSW is just in the dark. Great party culture.
December 15th 2008 @ 9:51am
Millster said | December 15th 2008 @ 9:51am | Report comment
Pip – I am a football fan and I stand 100% beside you. How can one be critical of government assistance in a community’s soirting infrastructure anyway… surely its a pretty good use of funds.
In this day and age of course its hopeful that facilities built are multi-purpose / multi-configuration and not monopolised by one sport only, but that does not have to be a hard and fast rule. If there is a business case to do something that will really contribute to the community then go for it. I for one refuse to be jealous or to compare to the last dollar what each of the codes get.
December 15th 2008 @ 9:53am
jimbo said | December 15th 2008 @ 9:53am | Report comment
Con you’ve been pipped
and Pip you’ve been conned!
Not a cracker more will I spend on this subject – the brainwashing is far worse than I thought and much much too great to overcome.
December 15th 2008 @ 9:59am
Michael C said | December 15th 2008 @ 9:59am | Report comment
$45 million is but the tip of the ice berg,
and, as long as the FFA maintains a position of NOT contributing any of their own funds,
and the $45 million (thus far) is 100% govt (therefore, Australian public) supplied,
then – - it’s a bigger impost than that old cracker of 8 cents a day for my ABC……….because, I actually benefit on a daily basis from my ABC.
- – - – - and the sickest joke is that Soccer in Australia at the ‘highest level’ (the HAL) is the domain of wealthy folk owning clubs. Now, they clearly stand as the major beneficiaries – - and will continue to tell us just why WE should pay for them to benefit…………………so, Frank Lowy, and Clive Palmer etc – - if it’s such a good idea and money so well spent……………..then why are they NOT bankrolling it for the FFA rather than 100% public funding.
————-part of my reasoning here includes, for example, my code, the AFL, establishing in Sth Africa – - is the result of the efforts of private individuals and private business……….then the AFL has started coming to the party……………and the various levels of Government aren’t being hit upon.
Most monies ‘recieved’ by the AFL of late – - whether clubs or to the ‘body’ itself – - are INDIRECT and co-funded……i.e. monies allocated for specific infrastructure works, co-funded by AFL, (often including at least 1 club), and other levels of govt and private stakeholders. This includes projects with real, actual and immediate impacts – - such as drought proofing an oval used by other stakeholders other than a single AFL club. Or opening up a previously enclosed training venue to become a community access venue.
————so, on that basis – - don’t tell us to join this hypothetical party…………..if you yourself (the FFA) aren’t even willing to contribute to holding it!!!! (oh, the FFA doesn’t have any money………..well………..they do, the Feds gave them some……………..and are giving them some more………………………………bit of an expensive party………………..I’m from Melbourne, we have one of those each year…………called the F1 Grand Prix……………expensive parties are over rated).
December 15th 2008 @ 10:11am
Redb said | December 15th 2008 @ 10:11am | Report comment
Jimbo,
You lost me at deep south and rednecks in the north. You’ve tripped over your own arrogance but on your way down remember Sydney has been on a downward trend since the 2000 Olympics.
Redb
December 15th 2008 @ 10:14am
Millster said | December 15th 2008 @ 10:14am | Report comment
MC – on this issue you are being a sour-puss. A World Cup is not something that is normal, regular or routine. It is a generational event, a global event, a showpiece to the nation. You will benefit. I will benefit. AFL will benefit. The women’s auxiliary will benefit. The whole nation will benefit. Stop being so petty.
How much money would it cost to do something else in some other sphere that would so profile our nation, that would write it into the global public consciousness so well, that would instantly become a little piece of recognisable history? A moon landing even in the 1960s cost in the billions. A new globally-notable monument or building (by that I mean one that would gain real worldwide fame and instant recognition) likewise. Even the current Australia film cost over $100m. $45mill is a remarkably small amount of money to spend given the importance of what we are talking about.
PS: as you can see from my response to Pip above, I have no problems whatsoever with government investments in any sport and don’t believe we should be jealous about them anyway. Probably my only caveat is that when govt money is used, some onus should be on the facility to be as openly beneficial (ie to more than one interest group or code) in its design and use as possible.
December 15th 2008 @ 10:20am
Redb said | December 15th 2008 @ 10:20am | Report comment
Millster,
I think you know exactly what I mean. If you don’t ask Midfielder. But just in case you think I’m alone on this and actually posted these similiar comments on the Roar months ago, here is Richard Hinds in the SMH and AGE on the weekend.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/sport/soccer/ffas-tactical-nous-trumps-rival-codes/2008/12/12/1228585121737.html
As I said I think it’s worth a crack and don’t have a problem with the $45M , but it does come with some wider issues about Gov’t support for sport.
Redb
December 15th 2008 @ 10:20am
Millster said | December 15th 2008 @ 10:20am | Report comment
Redb – and to my point above, yes Sydney has been on a downward trend since 2000 and some of the direct Olympic facilities are not as utilised as they could be. But are you suggesting that if we had our time again we should not have bid for nor run those Olympics?
December 15th 2008 @ 10:23am
Redb said | December 15th 2008 @ 10:23am | Report comment
To give Hinds some credit for once, this quote is spot on and fits some posters of the Roar.
“This encapsulates the born-to-conquer mentality of many soccer supporters in Australia for whom the pre-eminence of the “beautiful game” is merely a fait accompli — just a matter of the inevitable light-bulb appearing above the heads of those Neanderthals clinging to their inferior home-made products.”
Redb