Why code wars is the big talking point in Australian sports

how is soccer the number one code in this country?

one year on and it still seems a stupid thing to say considering Americans love sports that no one else cares about. Technically 'soccer' is already the alternative to the 2 football codes.

Evan Askew - you do realise that the FFA was pushing for Etihad Stadium, so much so in fact, that in March of 2010 then Vic Premier John Brumby spoke to radio SEN in Melb about trying to 'sell' Skilled Stadium at Geelong to the FFA, but, that the FFA was still determined to get Etihad. Take it as a given - the FFA assumed they would get greater Govt support, which would include the MCG and Etihad by hook or by crook. The FFA probably also assumed that the host city embargo would be played out such that they may as well have Etihad, else, it sit there idle. The real killer was the loss of the venues not just for the 2-4 weeks as required to host matches - it was the 4 weeks lead in which in many respects was worse. The combined result of those two impacts was not sustainable without.......much robust discussion,.....which took place, and a MOU was signed and seemingly everyone was happy.

I thought it was PSV?

I am a diehard football (soccer) fan and I must respectufully disagree with you. Queen Elizeabeth I said (when speaking of the puritans) that protestantism must be protected from its friends. Well football must be protected from comments like yours. Rather than being the Hare waving our proverbials in everyone's faces we must be the tortoise, slow and steady wins the race.

The AFL and NRL seasons would not have had to move had we got the world cup for football. The thought is ridicculous. At worst case scenario world cup games would have being played at Etihad and the Sydney NRL clubs might have actually had to play at thier home grounds rather than the SFS and the Olympic stadium. The idea that AFL and NRL would have had to have ditched their seasons is just ludicrous and was an attempt to sabotage the world ucp bid.

The points raised are interesting and if you think about it we dont have a National sport that we can hang our hat on. Afl's primaraly from victoria back to perth the rugby codes from canberra to townsville and football all ove the country but in smaller pockets. That one would suggest the only sport that brings everybody together without suspicion and paranoia is cricket.

Really?? You consider AFL a foreign import?? How does it rate as an import compared to Association Football or Rugby?

I think it's a bit arrogant to call AFL "our game". Yes it was founded in Northern England and brought to Australia and has become part of the culture of N.S.W and Qld. As a Queenslander I certainly don't consider AFL as "our game" I think of it as the foreign import.

i agree, but there are still many more school RL players.

rugbyfuture Those rl figures are for 08. I have the official figures courtesy of the NRL for 09,which they stated the were awaiting school competiton figures"and as yet I haven't sighted them" Participation for 09 Club registrations are up 6.8% to 162,095,the largest in the games history" Almost 4,000 new juniors age 6-18 years registered with clubs to create a new junior participation record of 124,319. senior numbers increased significantly ,with an increase of almost 10% Masters rugby league continues to grow with the national championships on teh GC and more than 10 regional events throughout the country. More than 2,500 girls competed in australia in the new Harvey Norman Girl's Tackle comps for 14-16 year olds" They ad "while school registrations are still to be finalised,2009 figures are set to break new records. Not being a Catholic,i am therefore unaware of the internal structure system of their school system. But I played agaiinst these schools and they had many ru teams . Anycase regardless of what are the final figures,it doesn't alter my view that all schools should offer all mainstream sports,provided the governing bodies of those sports can in fact service them.I therefore have no qualms about ru going into any school ,provided ( in my case0 the rl option is open to all schools vice versa. BTW there is nothing wrong in being steadfast in your beliefs,as long as we all are prepared at times to admit we are not always right.It is better to be steadfast than go with the flow,that shows a sign of weakness as to being easily led.I have learnt in the past to my missfortune. Yes you can affect the lives of others by leading by example and remaining steadfast and make an influence,but conversions are no guarantee,more so when it comes to sport.

I understand your points of view, and believe that time will tell equally. i do not agree with the sentences on belief and truth, i do understand im not right 100% of the time, however (and this is something i learnt from a massive leaguey mate of mine who is a member and goes to all the roosters games) you have to be steadfast in most cases, i do not believe i'll sway you or anyone else on this site (heck most of the ruggers hate me for being to progressive) in real life though this is a different case and i do believe in person you can affect people through steadfastness. i was pointing out to you in the case of catholic schools (catholic system) and private catholic (often governed by an order, board or subset of priests) that they are two seperate systems and it is the catholic system which is refferred to as catholic schools. In terms of numbers of regular school RL and RU players considering last years total of rugby juniors was 45,000, there were 192000 rugby players in total, with an extra 66000 people who participated in clinics, and the stated figures of 269000 accompanied with (played competitively in schools) i would actual rely on those figures. and the fact that RL has a much greater footprint in schools than Rugby http://www.australianrugbyleague.com.au/files/11726_ARL_Annrep_2.pdf (page 38 in print, page 6 in specific pdf) http://www.rugby.com.au/news/aru_general/record_rugby_participation_figures_in_2009,136443.html/news/latest/section/21801

Rugby Future Your first para I am sorry really left me cold.it is stating the bleeding obvious .Snobbery never entered the equation. My so called ruthlessness was imbedded at my school,work toward your goal and remain steadfast,and lately learning of the treatment of the code in France in particular. If that happened your code,you maybe would understand. I am sure you have some idea or at least you should know the ARL under Arthurson and Quayle as his 2IC held huge power ,the QRL under Ron McCaulliffe held al large amount of power via SOO and the NSWRL to alesser extent.They in fact took over from the Humphreys era which was far less professional.The game just prior to SL war ,was giving the AFL a nudge and with the Tina Turner ads was the envy of many in this country.You should know the history of the game prio to the mid 80s ,it forms a great base,for how it grew,stalled ,then grew again. Please RF don't go on with the romance re the law.I spent nearly 3 weeks on a jury case for a criminal matter,you can separate the chaff from the wheat.What you can't do is pull the wool over the eyes of the barristers. You are going around in circles. It is quite simply the case of dragging the code into the 21st century.Many rl officials in these rls sections are hard working well meaning people (many ex footballers).The game today is a multi million diollar business and has to be run as such. i repeat and it is still not getting through,tha ARL would not have agreed to teh IC unless they held sway and guarnateed the support of the grassroots. The NSWRL /the ARL agreed to the IC ,the QRL were not enthusiastic but checked on the AFL model and that helped sway the issue. i am not even going to respond to your comments about certain people re the possibility of their inclusion with the IC. I stated quite firmly that no people have been officialy named ,so its all hypothetical,and calling a couple involved in so called "dubious"dealings is fraught with danger.And you should be aware of that fact. I would suggest this ,if you are comparing the pathetic efforts and results of the current state govt with a yet to be named IC elected by 18 people involved in the game and with the game's interest at heart,you are kidding.I still cannot believe you drew the comparison,when you look at the record of the govt over the past half dozen years. In fact peopleare saying (Roy Masters for one) that having News Ltd out of the game,will bring in more sponsorship by companies not wanting to invest in a sport hafl owned by a media group. It says no such thing about Lenton .He openly stated the 2 Reds D/Os came over and told him what they were doing wrong. What it does say that some ru people are not magnanimous and give credit when credit is due..To call someone a liar ,when they weren't there and be involved with him at Keebra with these guys,is ordinary. Have you actually seen the News Ltd headlines over the past 12 months about offfield incidents,then trying to drag the GC tiatns into some 3rd party allegation.News prints good and bad.News ltd is getting out of the game.some of their reporting such as a drunk cronulla playing falling over in a mall,making the front page as way over the top. Have you read the countless posts,letters,talk on radio about News being extremely negative most of the time last year towrds rl,a sport it half owns. Where the hell did I say or disagree with the notion, ru in australia would not bounce back and grow.Mate check a post I made with reference to the 7s in the Olympics .I stated since last year ru has picked up improved and having the 7s in the OPs is a boost.That doesn't mean of course a rush of rl players to union. Exactly my point wars are different so a leader such as Churchill may not have the expertise that Montgomery had in combatting Rommel.That iswhat I stated from post 1.RF there were vast differences between WW1 and WW2.aircraft for starters played a big part compared to WW1.You are not reading posts and it is not sinking in.Tactics therefore must change. You are not taking into account WA and Vic and possibly SA with larger numbers of ru players.Granted the number of rl players in Oz is greater than the number of ru players.That being said the 296,000 may well include figures such as 30,000 odd attending rl short events in Victoria such as a a 3 match try it.BTW I haven't seen the latest rl figures(09)for schools i am repeating a comment made by Carr if my mem0ry serves me correct.If that figure you gave is correct then I bow to you this time and at the same time great. I don't particularly care whether they are Private catholic,basic catholic,Buddhist whatever.They should offer all codes in the curriculum.You attended as did I a school which offered ru only.I dont' care which school does it ,and regardless of the code,it is discrimination. Iternationally.The publications I quoted at thesame time,spell out in cold hard facts where the game has problems.So they are not pat your back publications to make you feel good all the time. eg they spelt it out about the demise of the Crusadersin the South of wales and the pulling out by its benefactor>they have since moved north succesfully.they continually emphasise the problems Quins have in getting crowds in London.They say it as it is,and that is why I subscribe to both>I don't want to be treated as a mug,with only sugary stories. The RLIF looks after the intnls.World cups.Testssuch as the 4 nations proceeds of which will go to overseas development.I have no idea ATM what precisely the new IC will provide. i fully endorse your last line,youths freedom of choice.I was one once and wanted it. BTW if you think by standing fast and that somehow I will come around to agree with you when i have conceded on perhaps one (the schools),based on majority belief ,the truth will be revealed because you are right in all cases. One thing i have learnt during my years,that I am not right all of the time and admit when I am wrong. I defy anyone to say they are correct 100% of the time.You suggest by standing steadfast you are right all the time.I can't believe you said that. Slavery was abolished due to the work of a minority,The majority are not always right,re the vietnam war initially.Truth started with a minority with little substantial backing.The right to vote for women started with a minority.

Yawn, I suggest the fear of a soccer WC in Australia is rather disturbing news should it eventuate for the AFL.Justifiiable anyway however in the northern states soccer and the rugby codes seem to grow together in some sort of harmony. Fairly appropriate name one would suggest with the comment rugby league has shrunk since the 70s(only from an AFLer). Now lets see.Rugby league in this country has the highest participation levels of any time in its history here.The game has the largest Tv contract in its history,the largest sponsorship,merchandise sales and Tv viewing audiences overall.The SOO last year achieved record levels.The game now has teams in Auckland NZ,Nth Queensland,Canberra,Melbourne and the Gold Coast plus Brisbane and Newcastle since the 70s. New teams will most assuredly be added Central coast and Perth.Gallop on at least 3 occasions in the last week has more than hinted so. Two cities want to throw their hard earned to secure the rl G/F. People have had the opportunity to watch AFL for years on FTA TV in NSW and Qld.There has hardly been a rush to switch over from a Harley Davidson to a Lambretta.The Swans have been here for 28 years,and the same crowds watch it live but the other huge discerning crowds on their lounges prefer the Iron Chef. Even the poor old Storm got 28,000 on the FL G/F day aginst a Broincos who brought no one to Etihad. You had a Super league war to assist your mob in 95/96 and should have made hay while the sun shined.They didn't and have been marking time ever since. If you think money will buy you love.Look at Alan Bond,and Chris Skase(the AFL GC expert) No occasion before has happened before,when two teams like the dogs and the eels could drag in 75,000 to a semi. The test area(internationals) is the only are that has gone backwards,but that is slowly turning around with intnl progarams in place.Internationals a strange word for AFLers. In fact currently there are more countries playing rl (at various levels) than at any time of its history. There are pro teams in Wales,France and even london(although crowds have ben ordinary),and the potential for another French side to come in. There is talk through the media and other areas that rugby league will be getting close if not matching the AFL in the next Tv contracts $1b over 5 years. Kerry Stokes ch 7 wants a slice of it,ch9 will fight tooth and nail to retain it and ch10 wants to buy in.It never happened latst time. You seem to take NSW and Qld for granted.The TV ratings in NSW for AFL are terrible,they are better in Brisbane only because they are winning,but both states are rl states when it comes down to the nitty gritty. if you think the other codes and rugby league in particular are going to just sit back and mark time or wither,you are not only yawning but dreaming.Being brainwashed can do that sometimes.And its goodnight from him.

No I am repeating the same old correct story which you can’t get through your head. Luckily for rugby private school growth is 800 times that of public schools because of a lack of both educational and social reinforcement and encouragement. A snob I said you are not, I do admire who adamant you are with your code and inspires some of my ruthlessness and stubbornness in me, I also don’t care much for the old school brigade, although I do like to show pride in my school. One does realise you have experienced both games, no matter I still hold firm that a person’s decisions on such things is down to experiences, much of which happen within school (even when older). There is still greater power being given to the professional clubs which can affect the outcomes in favour of the professional code rather than the recreational one. The ARL, QRL and NSWRL would have more or les in the end been forced into this decision anyway. News ltd whether you guys like to admit it, gives an extreme amount of positive and saturated NRL media coverage because of its ownership stake, once this goes one might consider this will change. I agree with you in terms of past performance, however I do think this may evolve to have an effect not only on a single club anymore but the whole sport, as the NRL is the top competition in the world. Whilst Don Argus, Gary Pemberton and Katie Page are good mentions Dixon and Bouris have had some dubious dealings over the years. I hold my argument that this may have a replication of the lousy administration held by the NSW state government and that whether they are wealthy from it has no consequence on how peoples personalities or crashes of said personalities effect something. I have no idea what happened in the eighties you are right, as this was way before my time, although I am aware that this was a progressive period for the game when corruption was gotten rid of in some cases and rules where heavily changed. I say such things on the media because as of late these have only been rumours. Although may I add that channel nine are broadcasting the RWC and are being pushed (even if it is a compromise and we only just get past the line) to get the rights for SANZAR games. Whether this ends up fruitful is another question too, for both games. One might be considered arrogant for a time, but I have learnt even in my little years that as long as you stand fast, you can convince those through considerable backing that you are right in all cases, and truth is a human invention based on majority belief. The AFL model is very successful for their game, I do not contest that, but whether this translates to a game supposedly looking towards international expansion and development, with their internal one matters the most to me (I know what you’re going to say about international presence, but League is pushing for a greater one). I also agree that the Flowers administration wasn’t successful at all and knocked backa time in which Rugby could have become the dominant code, fortunately that era, and the era of recovery should be coming to a close soon. I did admit the fact of the Keebra park boys, however whether said by you or inferred by the coach is a different matter. Still it says that Lenton is either a pathological liar or not very connected with his team. I also hold my thoughts in my reference to the romance languages and solicitors and barristers, there is still a common and base knowledge and method set there between the variants. I think you will find many who can speak one romance language can have a large enough understanding of other romance languages to communicate. If you disagree with the notion that rugby in Australia will bounce back or grow, why do you suddenly believe that the same idea will be a positive in Russia? Of course publication with an interest in positive reinforcement for their readers is going to publish a story as such, just as they do for rugby union. I’m aware of the difference involved in the Vietnam War to other wars, but this situation is quite different to the two great wars and the changes that occurred between them. Much the same with the various examples cited, which were outstanding occurrences rather than set tactics, again, the differences between ww1 and ww2 in Europe and the differences between them and the Vietnam war and the war in the pacific are quite different. Considering supposedly there are more school competition players in RL than the total number of Rugby players in Australia this contradicts your statement. I would bring you to attention when talking about catholic schools, theres a difference between a catholic school and a private catholic school, none of the catholic schools you have stated are catholic schools, they are private catholic schools. There is greater traffic towards RL from rugby than the other way around in terms of scouts. That may be an interesting point re the number of teams at a school, but it seems the presented number of 269,000 RL school players contradicts your point. I would suggest as to not appear as bias and possibly reinforce your argument regarding sports in schools then, to present it not only as rugby league in private schools but also rugby union in public and catholic schools. It’s not freedom of choice I’m talking about as such, it’s the youths freedom of choice which I am.

Lucky I don't live in Sydney then aye.

If you live in NSW and in particular Sydney, chances are you are 'camp'.

Just saw this - very good!!

I hear them drums Fernando!!

One has to admire such unbridled optimism!! It's usually the pro-soccer crowd that shows that much extreme optimism!! He may have got his log on name from sitting through one too many Melbourne versus Richmond games.