Comments on: Don’t AFL realise that Western Sydney is not a place?

By: Ian Whitchurch

Ian Whitchurch — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 11:43:15 +0000

Quick, someone tell the Wests Tigers their name is meaningless and pointless. Muppets.

By: STRATTS

STRATTS — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:18:57 +0000

With a man like Kevin Sheedy on board this is going to give the AFL a real chance of success .
My mate Hussy & I have been tossing up names for this new franchise for some time & we thought maybe the West Sydney Falcons.
I’m having 2nd thoughts though …..maybe Greater Sydney Falcons would be more acceptable.
With a logo like a Falcon in full attack mode
…….Just a thought ……….

By: peterh_oz

peterh_oz — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:48:18 +0000

Being a born & bred “westie”, brought up on Australian Football, I have said all along that the team’s biggest hurdle is the fact that executives in their ivory towers in Sydney and Melbourne think that Homebush is West. It is west of the harbour, but it is a bloody long way EAST of Blacktown.

The West Sydney Westies is supposed to be a Blacktown club – with backing from Blacktown Council, training in Blacktown and their headquarters in Blacktown.

THEY MUST BE NAMED BLACKTOWN AND THEY MUST PLAY IN BLACKTOWN.

If they don’t, they are doomed to failure.

Unfortunately

By: Michael C

Michael C — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:32:25 +0000

Mushi -

thankyou for the support.

By: MyGeneration

MyGeneration — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:20:09 +0000

And “Football is Football” is a strong argument?

By: mushi

mushi — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:06:55 +0000

Drivel? He’s actually arguing that as a colloquial term and as such the culture is important in terms of its interpretation.

Maybe you just cant grasp such small concepts

By: Pippinu

Pippinu — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:26:43 +0000

Mitch
in 20 years time, the NRL might do that.

If we believe Oikee – the NRL might even do it within a few years!!

By: M1tch

M1tch — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:23:32 +0000

except for the 2nd aleague team (which will fail)

all codes are ‘allowed’ to have 1 team in expansion areas..

afl was in their rights to goto sydhey, league same with storm

but seriously their is not much to justify a west sydney afl team..same if NRL went to melb again

By: Elbusto

Elbusto — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:58:33 +0000

Michael you write a lot of drivel. Its always a sign of a really weak argument. Football is Football. AFL is a small sport played in a small country. Real Football dwarfs it. AFL has no future at all except in the small minds of blinkered people like you.

By: James

James — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:23:31 +0000

Lots of news on Western Sydney today (Mayer, concessions etc)…a new article perhaps someone…

By: Michael C

Michael C — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:59:53 +0000

“you conveniently forget the Billions who refer to Football in reference to only one game.”
Ah, but in hundreds of languages, and as per the general usage of the word, that the local ‘qualifier’ is not required if disambiguation is not an issue. i.e. a single dominant code allows most people to assume what is referred to. Rather like asking for a ‘cola’ at Maccas – you ain’t going to be offered Pepsi. That’s easy enough to understand. That usage doesn’t mean anything about the real meaning of ‘football’. Although, the Rugby folk in the Olympics should grow some balls and ensure that the game is called “Rugby Football”!!!

perhaps the greater truth is that the mono-culture footballing nations need to remove their blinkers and learn that football is a bigger world than just soccer.

At any rate – I still love that the British pulication “World Soccer” magazine claims to be the leading authority on international football.

A bit of a contradiction in terms there ain’t it?? I’ve not seen many AFL, NFL or Rugby stories in there!!!!

Fair enough, Soccer360 comes out of Canada, but, ironically claims to be for fans of “The greatest game”……funny, I thought that was Rugby League (I keep hearing).

At any rate, ‘Football’ is a broader word than a single brand. Just as ‘purple’ is a broader colour than just that used by Cadbury. FIFA can do all it likes to try to convince everyone it’s the one true ‘football’, but, in the English speaking world, they’ve started from behind the 8 ball and the marketing exercise element of it is there for all to see.

By: The Link

The Link — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:36:51 +0000

Grant Mayer is a good operator and a smart acquisition by the AFL team in WS. Given he hasn’t had a job since June or so its hard to see how he’s been poached by anyone.

By: MrE

MrE — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 01:59:41 +0000

‘Food bowl’ would be more appropriate in some of these countries.

By: Redb

Redb — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 10:47:44 +0000

yeah, this ones a ring in.

By: Redb

Redb — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 10:46:11 +0000

no its futbol on the Roar to many of us, sort of a half way house between soccer and football

Depending on what part of the country you come from, football is played with a Sherrin.

By: SideShowBob

SideShowBob — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 09:08:59 +0000

Perhaps so, but that too is changing and we can only move up from here.

Furthermore, last time I checked the sport you call “AFL” was officially called “Australian Football”, “Aussie Rules” or even “Footy”. “AFL” is the correct name for the leading professional league operating out of Australia, and is also but one (albeit the premier) of a growing number of “Australian Football” playing national leagues (amateur) worldwide.

Glad to clear that up for you.

– Semantics police

By: Jeff Baxter

Jeff Baxter — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:49:28 +0000

I’m English and i’ve called it football, soccer, footy – pretty interchangeable in my experience.

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:56:20 +0000

These “billions” don’t actually speak English. It is so easy to get under the skin of a soccer person – just call it soccer. They can’t stand the fact that sporting monoculture is an illusion of theirs rather than reality.

By: Elbusto

Elbusto — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:53:47 +0000

How very Anglo of you Chris – of course you conveniently forget the Billions who refer to Football in reference to only one game.

By the way in Ireland they do not call Gaelic Football ‘Football. And in New Zealand and Australia the media is increasingly referring to Football as Football.

You and your anglo mates are a diminisihing minority.

lol

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:33:36 +0000

ROFL LOL WTF ROFLCOPTER!!!!

Save the LOL’s and LMFAO’s for the Luke Perry fan club boards where they belong.

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:31:57 +0000

I highly doubt Asia calls it football. Instead they would call it whatever its called in their own languages. Remember – 75% of the English speaking world calls it soccer.

By: MrE

MrE — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:27:10 +0000

most sensible thing you’ve said for some time !

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:19:50 +0000

Spot on Pip! There are 6 English speaking countries (as a primary language). In two of them (USA and Canada) Football refers to American and Candadian Football (or Gridiron as we call it). In one of them (Ireland) Football refers to Gaelic football. In Great Britain it refers to soccer. In NZ it refers to Rugby. In Australia (depending on where you are) it refers to Aussie Rules, Rugby League or Soccer. This whole idea of Australia being on its own in calling Soccer “Soccer” is a myth and nothing more.

By: Pippinu

Pippinu — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:04:39 +0000

Here is my attempt to do some education.

This is the wikipedia article on the word “football”:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football

Note that it’s the English language article – not the French article, or some other language, but the English language article.

This point is crucial.

The official language in Australia is English (as it is in the US and most of Canada).

When one looks at the native English speakers who use the word “football” as a shortening for Association Football, those native English speakers are so far in the minority it’s not funny.

That’s why Wikipedia has this particular article on the word “football”.

Because it’s the English language version of Wikipedia (not the French language, or some other language).

By: Elbusto

Elbusto — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:52:11 +0000

Well Bob because I decided to. If it makes you feel better then I will make the USA an exception. It must really hurt you that Football is now being referred to as Football in Australia now as well.

The point is, despite your obsession with semantics, that Football across the world means Football. There may be an exception but if you say Football anywhere in Europe South America or Asia it does not mean AFL.

In fact 99.9% of people in those spaces would not know what AFL was.

By: SideShowBob

SideShowBob — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:26:57 +0000

No doubt Elb, but why say that it is called FOOTBALL everywhere, when clearly it is not?

By: Elbusto

Elbusto — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:17:08 +0000

America makes up about 5% of the worlds population Bob. Go South America Asia and Europe and its football – they are the funny places were 95% of the population of the world exists – and thats where Football is Football.

By: SideShowBob

SideShowBob — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:12:38 +0000

Except in those parts of the world (US?) where it is called S O C C E R.

And to think you actually know your sport…

By: Elbusto

Elbusto — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:00:53 +0000

By: Elbusto

Elbusto — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:56:35 +0000

LMFAO!!!!!