It’s a well known fact that the Australian media hasn’t fully embraced football. There are still plenty of columnists and pundits who only have something to say about “soccer” when an incident occurs that can be seen in a negative light.
Therefore, it’s even more disappointing that the quality of the “positive” coverage that football is currently receiving is so low. However, football isn’t alone.
I awoke at 5:30am on Saturday to go to a mates place to watch the AFL grand final.
That was pretty tough after a big Friday night but having to sit through the mindless, pointless drivel or what Channel 10 calls “commentary”, well that bordered on impossible for a sane person.
Having read through various articles from “experts” in the lead up to the grand final, I was already disappointed in the one-dimensional views they expressed.
AFL is an extremely complex, tactical and highly skilled sport.
The smallest things can have the biggest influence, and there is an endless amount that experts could talk or write about. Yet all the coverage was on WAG’s at the Brownlow, Fevola’s drinking habits, Geelong seeking redemption and St. Kilda trying to break a drought.
I noticed the same narrow-minded coverage during Australia’s recent friendly against Ireland. I watched the Fox broadcast and at times I struggled to pay attention.
Slater in particular is genuinely boring, has an annoying voice and rarely has anything intelligent to say.
At least some of the printed media in Australia on the issue of football is of a high standard, it’s just a pity there isn’t more.
However, the articles found here on The Roar are often very intelligent and insightful (if sometimes a little insular for my taste) and probably make up the best collection of football journalism found in Australia’s media.
What many don’t realise though, is how the current TV and print media is holding back the development of the game in Australia.
It’s easy to see how coverage of incidents such as the “riots” at the Adelaide vs. Melbourne game have a negative impact on the sport, but what of the commentary, the expert opinions, the column space and news coverage?
This is hugely important for the growth of the game, and we’re neglecting it.
One could look at Europe as an example of how it can be done right, but Europe is a different kettle of fish. Football is the dominant sport there, so let’s use cricket as our role-model.
For decades, Australia’s cricket coverage has been top notch. Richie Benaud is the undisputed king of Australian commentary but he’s only part of a team of international commentators.
Every summer Channel 9 gives us West Indians, South Africans, Englishmen, Kiwis and Indians who provide insight and encapsulate the mood of the game, making it absorbing and interesting for both the uninformed and the life-long fan.
AFL certainly has a disadvantage here, in that they can’t bring in that international mix, but why can’t we with football? What stops us tapping the European market and getting some genuine experts?
Indeed who even said we need “experts”? I’d prefer elevator music over Slater’s comments. And if we do need experts, why do they have to be Australian?
We have already come to the belated conclusion that Australian coaches aren’t as good as foreigners.
Two Dutchmen have bought us more success in four years than the rest of our history combined. Why shouldn’t it be the same for those presenting the game to the people?
At the end of the day what matters is how the “product is packaged”, not who does it.
Cricket is genuinely boring. While I’m a fan I can see how people find it a good cure for insomnia and hence the commentators have an even harder job making it interesting.
Whereas football is action packed; a sport that ebbs and flows, where momentum changes within seconds and controversial incidents occur regularly, and yet Australian commentators are still failing to package the product properly.
Australians need to be shown that there is more to football than Hooligans and Lucas Neill’s contract sagas.
The A-League will benefit from being presented alongside established leagues in the long term. So now the administrators must take responsibility and come up with a plan how to best place their product and display it to the public.
Freud of Football
Roar Guru
Gweeds already shared the picture with us thanks keeper11
keeper11
Guest
Just to demonstrate how some media treat football have a look at this page from the Herald Sun covering the Gold Coast – Melbourne match. http://i939.photobucket.com/albums/ad237/johnnycomelately/HUN.jpg Actually this is reality for much print coverage ...'new football. it might now be with Socceroos in succesive WC's and this nations probaly premier national team after the cricketers, A-league, ACL, Asian cup and woemnns league etc.. but the same ignorant, cluless cretins and dinausaurs ex 'footy' types from the 70's still reign the sports rooms of the australian media.... and their attitudes to the 'foreign' game and threat hasn't changes one iota from the 70's when Johnny wrote his SW&P ... i.e hate filled Phil Rothfield at the excerable 'Tele' .. whos motto is a a good front page sockah story must be a bad sockah story... can't wait for these ignoramuses to be let loose next year to put their spin on 'tha Sockah world cup..... NOT !!
Freud of Football
Roar Guru
Very funny - how bumkin is the sports editor?
Pippinu
Roar Guru
That's unbelievable!! (and you have to admit, quite funny).
Gweeds
Guest
Just to demonstrate how some media treat football have a look at this page from the Herald Sun covering the Gold Coast - Melbourne match. http://i939.photobucket.com/albums/ad237/johnnycomelately/HUN.jpg Gold Coast is titled as 'Titans' and the logo for Melbourne Victory is actually the Melbourne Storm one. Melbourne fans had a chuckle, but what would happen if the opposite happened? What about if last week the most read newspaper in Melbourne when talking about the Storm - Broncos game had a headline which said 'Melbourne - Roar' and Storm was given the Melbourne Victory logo? I am sure we would have heard quite a bit about it. But this passed unobserved. I guess in the Sport editor's mind an A-League match is unimportant and can be given to people who are ignorant about it.
Olrac
Guest
I hate it when Cockerall calls the games his voice is so annoying, Trimmers is great as is Bossa and simon hill. Fox should be doing all they can to attract Basheer from SBS he is a great caller of the game, probably Aus's best home grown a shade behind Simon Hill but not much. Isn't Simon Hill an Import? Maybe they should get some ex coaches to call the game as much as I hate Kossie he does have an interesting perspective on the game.
cab711
Guest
He also has a pretty damn good job watching football week-in week-out.
Freud of Football
Roar Guru
I aruged the exact same point on the recent piece by Midfielder. THis is the reality we face, Australia will inevitably lag behind the rest of the world but it will come to pass, the best we can do is prepare now
Freud of Football
Roar Guru
This isn't about the amount of coverage, it's the quality. If you cover every game at a poor level you won't be as successful as covering half the games at a good level, it's quality as much and even moreso than quantity that counts
keeper11
Guest
Reality is...australia has a pathetic 3rd world media setup..where 80% of the print media in australia is in the hands of one company..news-limited.,. One of the most biased , unethical agenda driven media organisations in the world. their ownership/control of the lovechild..rugby league totally distorts media coverage.. in contrast ..their attitude to football in ALL their papers is at best indifferent..but mostly hostile eg ...the Teles hysterical, over the top , saturation coverage of the nrl..daily front page..ffs what a joke ..the 'Courier mail'....well enough said.. and you can't go past ..our so-called one and only 'national paper..' theStrayan' for unashamed bias... where the nrl team ..Mel storm ..average crowd 14000 invariably is lead 'national sports item most days of the week. contrast ..Mel Victory..average crowd 22000 plus...playing in a more national comp ..the A-league compared to the semi-national nrl...can only manage..well bugger all !! Why ??? oh..news-limited 100% ownership have anything to do with it ?...surpise, surprise..
Gweeds
Guest
Mushi, I still think that the level of media coverage does not correspond to the level of interest in the A-League. Of course AFL/NRL/Cricket are the most popular sports and the media coverage reflect that fact. However I still think that the A-League is often under represented. Why it happens that a Melbourne Victory match in Melbourne with 25,000 spectators get a little article in the back while a Sheffield Shield match with 1,000 gets a whole page in the front?
Rellum
Guest
Standard media forms are slowly becoming irrelevant, the internet is becoming the main forum for football fans for news and watching games, especially for the most important demographic(my stomach just crawled typing that word), the under 25's. I would love to see the A-League on FTA, it makes it so much easier to watch a game, but as the next 10 years goes by you may find television becomes more and more of a bit player. Just another angle to consider. I mean, where would a football fan be in this country without the internet, stuck in a barren desolate world of nothing but league, cricket and AFL.
mushi
Roar Guru
But where is the incentive for the media to make that move? Their customer is not the A-league it is the punter, A-league is a supplier of product to the media competing with many other suppliers. Asking the media to lead the charge in creating demand for football is somewhat akin to widget manufacturer asking it’s customers to build a new machine that uses its parts rather than giving them the reason to use it’s parts because it will make a better machine. If I was involved in running HAL I’d be timing my expansions, both in terms of competition and media coverage in four year cycles as the world cup is going to be the only thing in my mind that will get people across from other sports. Get you critical mass and then it becomes worthwhile for the media outlets to spend money on creating a better coverage model. At present it would simply be a gamble where the media companies don’t get the winnings.
Midfielder
Guest
Alex Sorry I should have been better with my answer .. in print media we are doing reasonably well still well behind cricket / AFL / NRL but OK... that is apaert from the TerrOR... in online media Football leads the way with the various football forums and online sites to use... It is in the eloctronic media that we fall short by a huge way... In radio I cannot think of a single station or program that is a sports show where Football is anything other than a phone in question ... On FTA TV a very small amount ... on government FTA ... SBS a lot (but adgenda driven) and ABC improving off a very low base... My previous post was directed at the eloctronic media...
Freud of Football
Roar Guru
Firstly, the SMH, glad that you mention it. Its called the SYDNEY Morning Herald, you're a bit naive if you think that the other 80% of Australia who don't live in Sydney are going to go out of their way to pick up a Sydney paper for football news. "The media sources will improve the quality when the public interest demands it" - Conversely the public interest will only improve when the coverage is improved, a bit of a catch 22 but in this case, the media has to make the first move. Australian's are still drawn to cricket en masse in part because of the excellent coverage, not everyone has the prvilege of being taken to the MCG to experience it first hand. Channel 9 ensure that their coverage is both entertaining and informative, from (generally) articulate people with a genuine idea about the history, development and tactics of the game. That is exactly what football needs, genuinely interested and interesting people, someone mentioned Martin Tyler, he's exactly the sort, he doesn't bang on about rubbish that no-one cares about, he is enthusiastic and throws in little details that the public want to hear, he's the anti-Robbie Slater
sam.gilbert
Roar Rookie
"the print media is far too “one dimensional”, there is a focus on what players like for breakfast and not on the bigger issues of the game" i totally disagree with this. i have no idea what the print media is like elsewhere, but im from sydney and the way it seems to be in the papers here is that there is so much focus on rugby league that only a small amount of space is allocated to football. that space tends to be filled with match previews, analysis and reports, not the 'small issues' as you put it. again, this could just be sydney papers. as for bringing in foreigners, i think this could be a good idea but its just a means to an end. that is to have engaging and football-smart pundits instead of just journalists. for example, i've found that mark bosnich doesnt talk too much, but the things he has to say are relevant and interesting, providing a good insight into a footballer's and in particular a goalkeeper's perspective in a game. i think he might be the exception rather than the rule when it comes to Australian football commentators, so maybe bringing in europeans with good, analytical football brains can help. maybe commentators dont comment on the tactics or technical side of the game to bring people who don't know much about football to the game by 'dumbing it down' .
Alex
Guest
Oh please. Have you ever read the SMH? The football coverage is pretty comprehensive given the actual support the local side attracts. The fact remains that League, AFL and Cricket still attract greater public attention is general. Football really only attracts the attention on Union and the coverage reflects that. The media sources will improve the quality when the public interest demands it. We are expecting top quality interest for what is still a relatively small product.
Freud of Football
Roar Guru
Yes, I live in Europe and the match started at 6:30am here
Freud of Football
Roar Guru
Second point is that in general, football needs to start looking at some more overseas talent to diversify, we should still afford chances to Aussies but just filling the roster with Aussies is the wrong way to go.
Freud of Football
Roar Guru
Ok agga78, I don't want to say you have no idea but, you have no idea. AFL is extremely tactical, do you think the players just work on their fitness during the week? No, they work on positioning, setplays which have become more-or-less the standard have become highly elaborate over the last 10-15 years in particular, skill levels have improved immensly (even on a wet MCG Grand Final day there were passes hitting their mark from 45 on the run) They have stoppages, kickins, set-shots, throw-ins, ball-ups, switching play and the list goes on and on, it's no longer all about who is fastest and strongest although the physical elements of the game still exist and are ever important, footballers need to think a lot more than they once did.