Despite the giant strides made in the game from the Socceroos World Cup showing and the development of the A-League, football continues to fight for attention in the mainstream press, on free to air television and in print. It seems an ingrained ignorance still exists, judging by the pitiful coverage in certain sections of the media.
But why is this so?
The A-League is competitive and national, the Socceroos look set for another World Cup tilt and Australian players are starring in leagues around the world. There is no excuse for why the media shouldn’t commit more time and space to football.
Many pundits view the lack of significant football coverage as a barometer of the sports popularity, but this can be inaccurate.
In the main, it works the other way.
The amount of media attention a sport receives dictates how popular it is, especially in enticing the casual fan and raising awareness. In that regard, it is important for the game to break through the stagnation and win over the media.
But it is a very difficult task. The mainstream press have developed a very insular view of sport.
When Aussie sports stars and teams succeed, it’s expected. When they lose, it’s a crisis.
A sport such as swimming, hardly a headliner in other parts of the world, is so popular here because we are so successful at it.
With our football history one of unfulfilled potential, and our record relative to other countries unimpressive, there has been little to entice the media.
There is also the investment the local media have in the other codes, a sense that the AFL, NRL and cricket need to be protected.
There is a larger issue at play here too.
During that remarkable few weeks in 2006 when the Socceroos shone in Germany, the mainstream press jumped on the bandwagon. But there was still ignorance in some quarters, as this clip on a Channel 10 morning show demonstrates, and highlights the fact many still consider football to be an ethnic game.
Many multicultural Australians, myself included, can better connect with the Socceroos as a team that truly reflects our nations cultural heritage.
But you have to wonder how widespread David Reyne’s views on the ethnicity are and what impact that has.
Perhaps editors and journalist share this view; many grew up with soccer firmly in the background, as predominantly an ethnic game, while the likes of cricket, Aussie Rules and rugby were unchallenged.
Do they still see football as an outsider’s game?
Hence, when there is a dip in crowd figures or a setback (such as Adelaide United’s ACL thumping), the media reminds us all of the sports previous failings, no matter how inaccurate the comparisons are.
Rehashing the same old stories of ‘soccer in crisis’ is easier than analysing the sports’ current and future prospects.
There have been giant strides made in some sectors.
Foxtel should be congratulated for its commitment to the game, especially in the early development of the A-League. But the fact the outlet is only seen by approximately 30 percent of Australians also contributes to the lack of media awareness.
Also, the Internet has given football fans an outlet, and the huge number of fans viewing sites like this is no doubt a reaction from the missing mainstream coverage.
Overcoming those decades of ignorance will take time, and it does also require the A-League to sharpen up its product.
But in the main, the mainstream press need to truly wake up to the world game. Not just in time to jump onto the bandwagon when it rolls into town.
Sharminator
Guest
The title of the article is a bit strange. "Why does the mainstream media ignore football?" I think the word mainstream is the point. AFL and NRL are the two major winter codes. They are the mainstream .. that is why the majority of the press focusses on them. Rugby is next .. and Soccer 4th ... perhaps gaining on rugby a bit. Like someone commented ... AFL and NRL sell newspapers .. get tv viewers. If soccer was Australia´s numbr 1 .. or 2 .. or 3 ... sport it would have a lot more mainstream media coverage. But the reality is .. it isnt ... There is no conspiracy against soccer .. its just that the number one topic of conversation in workplaces or famillies isnt if the victory or the jets won .. its cricket .. afl .. nrl .. the wallabies (the super 14 less so). The socceroos do get decent coverage ... at times like the world cup .. not when they lose to Kuwait .. as people dont find that very inspiring .. but the A league isnt really that ingrained in most peoples sporting reality "There is no excuse for why the media shouldn’t commit more time and space to football." Well there is actually .. the excuse is that most australian´s, except for the fanatics like Musolino, arnt that interested in association football .. and won´t bother reading, watching or listening if there is mountains of coverage. If soccer becomes Australia´s number 3 or 2 or 1 sport one day .. and the media dosnt cover it .. you might have a point. Until then you dont.
Australian Football
Roar Guru
"Marconi Oval" EA, if you are going to pretend you are a Football advocate please don't insult our intelligence by calling the Marconi Stadium the 'Marconi Oval' it was never an Oval in the first place---it happens to be rectangle and always was.. ~~~~~~~ AF
Michael C
Roar Guru
" and probably never will be." I guess it's a question of purpose and expectations?? Paying respect to you long sporting heritage - What do you see for the HAL in these respects?
EA
Guest
Actually, my time as a fan of Soccer began in the 1960's with the English Soccer on Match of the day. I went from there to following Marconi (going to games as well) and I went to the Sydney qualfiers and trial matches held in Sydney for the 1974 World Cup side, incuding the infamous game at the SCG v Uruguay that ended the great Ray Baartz's career. I still followed it locally into the late 1970's, early 1980's when it lost me for a time. But I have always followed the English game. I tried again with the A League. The first and second seasons weren't as bad as I thought they would be, but they were still of a low standard. After that though, the standard dropped and it is just plain pitiful now. The few games I've seen over the past few years have been abysmal. Colchester v Northampton is mouth-watering in comparison. I understand the "folllowing under any circumstance thing" I do that with my Rugby League team but if Soccer want me to be a fan of the local stuff, which I am more than prepared to be, it has to give me better quality than the A League. I can watch top quality Soccer on the box, why would I pay money to see rubbish? I am a fan of the game, I just am not prepared to pay large amounts of money to see stuff that I can see at my local ground at Ingleburn. The problem is that people who aren't Soccer fans need to be wooed. And they're not going to be wooed by the A League. People like me need to be convinced that the A League is great, but it isn't and probably never will be. In 1973 if I wanted to see the players in the national team play weekly, I went to Marconi Oval. If I want to see them now, it's a 24 hour plane trip or wait for that once a year game when the national team plays. And by the way, I watch the internationals and when the overseas players are missing, we're bloody awful.
Daniel King
Guest
EA No you're not, it's all relative. The fact is you don't like football, i don't know what sport you like but lets just say AFL, if I loved AFL (like i love football) i would be happy to watch it at any level, in fact i lived in Boston, Lincolnshire. I was a season ticket holder to a non-league club, poor standard but football is what i and many others love, i'll watch it at any level. It seems you don't understand that.
EA
Guest
Soccer is in a permanent fight for 3rd place in Australia that it doesn't deserve to be in. If I had a triple lobotomy and desired to attend on a week-to-week basis, live games of Rugby Union, I would be able to see world class players playing. Who am I going to see if I want to see week-to-week live Soccer games? I'm going to see rubbish aren't I. Stuff that would be embarrassing in the Scottish second division. I'll be ponying up to see 4th, 5th and 6th rate hacks in the A League won't I? Bugger that.
Daniel King
Guest
There is a lack of interest but that doesn't mean that it won't in generations to come. I find Australians a little odd in that they seem (not all) to love one code and show little to no interest in the others. Personally i love Sydney FC, Dragons, Swans and the Waratahs.
Crashy
Guest
Ahh welcome back NOOOOORRRRMMMMM. I wonderered where you had got to With a name like yours, I can see why you don't like rugger!
Michael C
Roar Guru
doing well to find this one... as you rightly point out - - mainstream media does NOT ignore Football.....just depends what type. Soccer does not exist in a football vacuum in this country. That the A-League doesn't sell papers in the AFL and NRL off season suggests a lack of broad interest.
Daniel King
Guest
Come on everyone.. it's not that hard to work it out. Football is ignored because it doesn't sell papers FULL STOP. NRL sells papers in Sydney, AFL in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. Maybe it will one day, lets hope.
Robbo
Guest
One second you are calling it NRL - the next "Rugby". Until you learn the difference between these sports you have no right to call Australian's ignorant!
Mike
Guest
Towser, Not forgetting it as such - obviously there are very good and rational rasons why soccer is an established sport in Australia today. And I am certainly not saying that it will ever disappear or even go backward. But I was really responding to those who are dumbfounded that Association Football isn't already the No 1 sport in Australia. To them I would say, that achieving it might be harder than they think. Not from any partisan point of view, but just bearing in mind that neither Australian Football nor the two rugby variants have succeeded in displacing each other since 1857! Best regards
Towser
Guest
Forgetting one factor Mike post war migration. Admittedly later than the other sports mentioned,but we brought our love of football with us & spread it down 3 maybe 4 generations. Also followed the traditional Australian sports but still followed football. Cant be underestimated & the main reason that football remained latently strong in this country just waiting for the right catalysts to be put in place. Its never been easy, I should know & its never been quick,but it will be decisely quicker(growth,progress) now where in Asia. That was the major catalyst for moving the game forward. Gave the game a steady revenue stream from World/Asian Cup qualifiers,plus qualifying twice in succession for the World Cup & an admirable performance at the 2006 WC has given the Socceroos the profile to attract "Turnstile" teams like Argentina & later this year Holland. Next year a big team(Italy maybe England)will be in a send off match in Melbourne prior to the World Cup. All much needed revenue that didnt exist before Frank Lowy(Succesful football loving migrant)took over.
Mike
Guest
One of the problems for soccer is the weight of history. Since the mid-19th century, the southern states have tended to follow Australian football, and the northern states rugby football (the split in 1908 between union and league didn't change the basic paradigm) . In other words, for most of our recorded history, most Australians have followed a code of football where the player carries the ball in his hand, passes by hand, takes marks and gets tackled. Can this change? Sure, but it won't be either easy or quick.
Redb
Guest
Hey Pip, I know this is off topic but i have a confession, I hate Carlton more. Redb
Pippinu
Roar Guru
Robbos my comment about the current relationship between fans and the FFA is a general one. I honestly think the relationship will settle down to a more "normal" one over time, not because they will do anything out of the ordinary, on the contrary, because running a competition that incites plenty of passion by definition means having most people off side most of the time!
Redb
Guest
Pip, 'I hate Collingwood' or 'I support any team playing Collingwood' use to be badges of honour, literally. :-) Redb
Norm
Guest
Robbos most of us have no idea what Michael C's comments are about.
Robbos
Guest
Now, now Pip, you know my last comment was tongue in cheek. I know you are a very knowledgeable football fan & your criticism of the FFA are well thought out & articulated in a way to encourage discussion. But calling me Anti-AFL but accepting Michael C's comments on football as acceptable sort of showed your true colours. Michael C, like I've said before I have no issues about football being the most popular worldwide & you prefer the local brand. You then should have no issues about AFL (the local brand) being the most popular sport in Australia, but other Australians preferring other sports like Football. But people like you & Allblack needs to make negative comments about other sports to make your sport better. I love football & think it's the best game but I don't need to make a comment like 'I think Rugby is boring' or 'I can appreciate a good game of AFL- - but, very rarely have I stumbled across one.' to make my game better. I have totally no idea what this comment was all about; "my main point generally is that the AFL ain’t perfect, but, it’s not far of worlds best practice either!!! (i.e. the AFL ain’t that bad really, and a healthy recognition of the world outside of the AFL makes that blatantly obvious),"
Pippinu
Roar Guru
MC To be an AFL fan is to criticise umps on match day, the AFL every other day, and to hate Collingwood. Quite straightforward really. Amongst the A-League, the FFA remains in a honeymoon period, especially with Saint Frank heavily involved, but with the inevitable change in the ensuring years, clubs waxing and waning, the NT having mixed fortunes, coaching crises and the like (as one might expect over a period of a couple of decades), I'm sure we will all be able to treat the FFA with the same disdain currently reserved for the AFL and an equilabrium may be restored.