Shaun Higgins of the Western Bulldogs marks in front of Nick Riewoldt of St Kilda during the AFL Round 17 match between the St Kilda Saints and the Western Bulldogs at the Docklands Stadium. Slattery Images
There is often speculation as to what sports occupy the hearts and minds of Australians. A recent Sensis (Telstra) survey conducted in September 2009 asked the question of 1,500 Australians throughout the country: who is their favourite sporting team?
The results were interesting to say the least and can be interpreted or spun to suit. But what is undeniable is that the AFL has captured more fans that anyone with 21 percent of the people surveyed nominating Australian Football (AFL) as their favourite sport.
Next was rugby league (NRL) with 12 percent, followed by cricket 11 per cent, football 11 per cent and, worrying for rugby union, they came in well down the list behind tennis and netball at just 3 per cent.
The favourite sporting teams by state were:
NSW – Sydney Swans 7 per cent
VIC – Collingwood 14 per cent
QLD – Brisbane Broncos 21 per cent
SA – Adelaide Crows 44 per cent
WA- West Coast 28 per cent
TAS – St Kilda 10 per cent
NT – Collingwood 9 per cent
ACT – Canberra Raiders 10 per cent
No State or Territory nominated any national sporting team (cricket, soccer, rugby) as their favourite team, although when asked to nominate their favourite national sporting team, the Australian cricket team came out on top.
In NSW, the Swans at 7 per cent were closely followed by the Dragons, Australian cricket team and the Bulldogs. Obviously NRL team loyalties are split.
No-one would suggest AFL is the most popular sport in NSW.
In Victoria, it’s no surprise that Collingwood are leading the pack. The Pies also came out number one in the Northern Territory and surprisingly second behind the Raiders in the ACT.
Only teams that scored above 5 per cent were listed and no non-AFL teams in Victoria made the list, which confirms the suspicion that the Swans have penetrated further into the consciousness in Sydney than, say, the Storm in Melbourne.
Essendon was low at just 7 per cent, behind Carlton, Hawthorn and Geelong in Victoria. We Bomber fans always considered it was Collingwood, then Essendon in popularity.
Luke
Guest
May I ask what sport do you watch?,
bever fever
Guest
I personally do not call it AFL and most people i know call it football or footy, so thats why i stuck with the terms i posted. AFL is a term that is primarily used in the northern states to describe what most people in the southern states call footy/football. Had i put football in many people who follow league and soccer also call their game that.
Redb
Roar Guru
Interesting how the ACT is stronger for AFL that people realise. When the Telstra survey was published, the ACT stats seemed out of kilter. More interesting for the AFL than previously thought and something sure to keep Republican very happy. Redb
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
Why would it be? A-League is the soccer comp, and most would use that over soccer which is not used as much by those actually interested in the sport who prefer to call it football. While most League supporters call the game Rugby League rather than reference the competition name. Same with Union supporters, and I added the Wallabies name for the international dimension (hoping that not too many school children are doing school assignments on that subject). And as I pointed out, AFL has made sure every comp has the AFL name in it now, probably for the reasons that show it to be a huge search term. Thus why limiting it to searches on News stories about the sports in question is probably the fairest comparison. Football as a search term is interesting as well.
bever fever
Guest
Can slant them any way you want, although the initial one i posted AFL, NRL, rugby, soccer would be the most popular terms IMO
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
http://www.google.com/insights/search/#q=NRL%20%2B%20%22rugby%20league%22%2CAFL%20%2B%20%22aussie%20rules%22%2CSoccer%20%2B%20%22A-League%22%2C%22rugby%20union%22%20%2B%20Wallabies&geo=AU&date=1%2F2009%2012m&gprop=news&cmpt=q Another one to split it back into 4 codes so you can compare the results a little better.
M1tch
Roar Guru
http://www.google.com/insights/search/#q=NRL%20%2B%20Rugby%20League%20%2B%20League%2CAFL%20%2B%20aussie%20rules%20%2B%20australian%20football%2CSoccer&geo=AU&date=1%2F2009%2012m&gprop=news&cmpt=q boom League is number 1 :P
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
http://www.google.com/insights/search/#q=NRL%20%2B%20Rugby%2CAFL%2CSoccer&geo=AU&date=1%2F2009%2012m&gprop=news&cmpt=q Filtering to News only searches (rather than web searches which can include unrelated stuff) show a totally different result again with the Rugbies dominating.
bever fever
Guest
Have said it before but their is an amazing amount of Collingwood spporters in Canberra. But then again it has always been a traditional labour town and this may go part way to explaining it.
Michael C
Roar Guru
very, very interesting those graphs, very, very interesting. More when we think about future media rights and the internet etc etc, either Midfielder or Millster used to assert that soccer would be winning or doing very well in this area......but, gee.......I A. never expected figures like this, and B. am astounded by how close run a thing it is in NSW and QLD. very interesting.
bever fever
Guest
http://www.google.com/insights/search/#q=NRL%20%2B%20Rugby%2CAFL%2CSoccer&geo=AU&date=1%2F2009%2012m&cmpt=q Do what ever you want with stats/graphs, here is combined NRL and rugby (which is only fair)compared to AFL.
Pippinu
Roar Guru
I agree - what we don't know is what this is measuring exactly - Google searches only?
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
Given how AFL rated head to head against the NRL in the ACT on the TV, it's very hard to believe as it wasn't even close.
Pippinu
Roar Guru
That is really interesting - but I can't believe how high the ACT is for aussie rules!! In fact, it's almost hard to believe - maybe Republican is right afterall!!
Dogs Of War
Roar Guru
http://www.google.com/insights/search/#q=NRL%2C%20%22rugby%20League%22%2CAFL%2C%20%22aussie%20rules%22%2CARU%2C%20%22rugby%20union%22%2CSoccer%2C%20A-League&geo=AU&date=1%2F2009%2012m&cmpt=q With a little addition of Rugby League, I think the results would be much closer. Unlike AFL, Rugby League hasn't had a push for the sport to be known by an acronym only.
bever fever
Guest
http://www.google.com/insights/search/#q=NRL%2CAFL%2CRugby%2CSoccer&geo=AU&date=1%2F2009%2012m&cmpt=q Very interesting graphs.
Republican
Guest
Mitch They were briefly however the ARU and Brumby Rugby have only themselves to blame for that, in disenfranchising a loyal and passionate faithful through years of expediently perfidious politicking. To the NRL's credit, they have been loyal to their Canberra faitful despite being under pressure to perform and even relocate the Raiders. Union was always a bigger game in the ACT historically along with Aust Footy, however Unions days are numbered here and throughout the country and eventually in NZ in my humble opinion, where Aust Footy will become their biggest code of choice also! I know that's a big call but lets give it a couple of decades and see what transpires. Cheers
M1tch
Roar Guru
Thought Brumbies would have been more popular than Raiders
Republican
Guest
p.s. Quite alot of Bombers patronage at my Christain Bros School in Canberra also but this pales when compared to Pies support. Imagine my life in a school of 800 plus that only boasted about two Saints supporters. I dont believe there is any specific 'mick' connection to the Saints however the semetic sub culture is well renowned throughout St Kilda. Interesting about the Avondale Heights referance Pippinu, I was not aware of that. Cheers
Republican
Guest
Bever fever. My ma was a convert marrying my 'mick' father. All her side of the family assumed and openly goaded her saying that they would breed like rabbits however I have but one sibling while my ma's sisters went on to produce veritable footy teams. I believe big mobs were par for the course in those days despite the fact that Catholics certainly did breed to excess due to their religious persuasion. My Da's father grew up in Essendon where the Irish Catholic population was also very high however, any footy potential shown by this ethnic group were unable to gain entry into the Essendon team of the day, as it was a fiercely anti Catholic being run by either Methodists or Presy's, I cant't remember which denomination. Most of them ended up playing for the 'Shinboners', good old North where i also have some family roots. I had heard about the 'Brittania' referance and I believe that demographic must have changed dramatically in that case, because Collingwood had long been a club for the Micks to be sure. You are correct about the old ANU gurnsey I believe, but I cannot remember what CCAE's was. That institution is now simply referred to as Canberra Uni.