AFL needs to go back to the surburban grounds

ac I support your sentiments however - This TV ratings is a furphy mate. Look at the real support of respective codes and by that I mean the GR in establishing the national status of any given sport. The most popular sports in Oz happen to be Swimming and Tennis which is based on a holistic criteria rather than JUST Tele ratings. Many punters for example, who have Aust footy allegiancies but who can only access League on tele at a reasonable time in their demographic, will probably subject themselves to an hours veiwing of the latter as opposed to watching nothing at all. If the ratings are that bad for Aust Footy in Qld and NSW as you put it, then conversely, Leagues and Unions are appauling in the 'real footy' demos of WA, SA, Tassie and Vic. In the ACT where I live AFL does ok as far as tele ratings go but obviously not as well as League which seems to be ahead in the media stakes in this part of the world. If however the ACT were afforded an elite AFL brand, I believe this would influence that dynamic dramatically. The NT is possibly similar in this respect, although it has the highest per cap support for the Indig code in the country I believe. As far as identity goes, it would appear that Soccer is the dominant cultural conrtibutor in that respect, if the numbers playing the game are any indication. Cheers

I get a kick out of these blogs because everyone is so biased for their respective Code. Lets face it the truth is AFL is popular in 4 states and 47% of the population. In the other two states where 53% live it is known but is not as popular. That is the truth. The TV ratings for AFL in NSW and QLD are poor . But, the lions ans swans do get to reasonably good crowds to their respective games. The media in NSW and QLD is far more fairer in its display of affection to the AFL than the media is say in Melbourne to the Storm. Now, the AFL is our home game yes yes and thats a further yes. It is a wonderful game and i feel sorry it is not the number one sport in Sydney for example. Because lets face it until it is that then it cant be really a National game. AFL is a great game to watch live but not soo good on tv. Rugby league looks good on TV. Who do i want to see win and survive. You know what - both. They have both contributed to our National Identity, they are both great games. Stop bagging one another out. Enjoy the experience of both the games.

Bob The WB have not committed alot to Canberra mate. The only team that does is Sydney the rest are mercenary in their pursuits to say the least. WB had a fair deal in Cnberra but are basically greedy in the excess. Why even give NZ consideration when there are local demos with a real footy culture lining up for AFL gigs and who actually contribute in a recruiting sense. The grassroots here are afar cry from what NZ could ever offer, even in the next 100 years I assure you My gripe with all this is that WB, as with others, have held the ACT, NT and yes, even Tassie to ransom, playing hardball in a dollar sense, which is incredibly disappointing when you consider NZ offers diddly in a real way, except the filthy lucre that has come courtesy of CEO Rose's cosy yachting relationship with Kiwi PM Keys, in gleaning a corporate yield by going across the ditch. NZ should not have precedence over our loyal heartlands - ever. I don't see Pt Moresby being touted in the same vain, despite them actually having some affinity for the game as well as producing the real goods in a nursery sense already. Cheers

Jim - this post will do your credibility no good at all !

Fair question. Thanks Darwin, Canberra, Tassie all deserve AFL games, but they don't all have to involve WB. Why can't Carl, Coll, Ess, Rich, Adel, PA, Bris, Syd etc all get of their butts and play some games in these places once a season. Would have thought Syd will have a big incentive soon to promote themselves in the ACT. I'd still like all the Melb teams to play more in Melbourne though- when I was a kid I could watch my team play all 22 games plus finals by jumping on the tram or train. When there is 18 teams surely a conference system will to have to come in. Re: Wellington (and Auckland) why not play a game a season, I they can't draw a crowd or enough interest (or lose money) they can review it or next season. Two games out of 176 (lets face it they are not all blockbusters) isn't a lot.

Thats fine if you think you can get 30K to every game against interstate opposition. After 2012 you are going to half your games against such opposition. If you are not winning nearly all the time (like you are at moment), there is no guarantee that these games will attract a big enough crowd to make any money. NM and WB are in an even worse position than StK. Doesn't do Geel any harm to play a few games at a suburban venue.

I'm sorry - but is this a pisstake? Firstly - you need to learn some basic geography, because you're obviously not a Victorian and have no idea about the place - which is why I find it strange you would be trying to preach to the AFL to return to the suburbs. Sydney is on the East Coast of Australia, and Perth is on the West Coast. FYI - the same geography applies in Melbourne. Geelong is to the West of Melbourne (not to the East as you seem to believe) and Frankston is to the South-East (Not the South-West). The Saints (my team) are moving their home base down to Seaford - which is nowhere near the South-West (Nor is Casey Fields). As a fact, we wouldn't want to play any matches out of a stadium with less than 35,000 seats. Personally, I'd love a 40,000 brand spanking new stadium somewhere in the South-East of Melbourne - near both Eastlink and an existing railway line. Until that happens though - and it may never - I wouldn't want to switch a single match away from Etihad (Usually) or the MCG.

Bob I have already posed this question only to have it vanish into the black hole of Roar rejects. I certainly trust I have not been censored since I do not believe I have transgressed in any way or form and consider the question more than relevant to this thread - thankyou moderators! I shall try again. What are your thoughts on the Doggies taking two home games to an AFL wasteland ( A simple stating of the facts moderators) i.e Wellington NZ, expediently forsaking local demos, Canberra and Darwin, especially in the context of any local and tribal values that are being aired here? Cheers

Gazza i don't think Jim 'hates' Aust Footy necessarily mate, however he is probably showing some signs of fearing it. I firmly believe that if the ACT were to be granted an AFL elite brand the rugby codes would be in serious trouble and they are more than likely aware of this. Sadly, this is unlikely to ever transpire. Soccers equiv, being played in the off season, would have naught to fear however. Cheers

The AFL need a boutique ground to cater for the 20-30K you get when non-Victorian teams play. As a WB supporter I hate it that we have only 9 home games in Melb, so I really can't see why we couldn't play at a local ground or even Kardinia Park or Ballarat.

I remember that thread and your re imagining history their crazy horse their were AFL posters that would start with "no code should have exclusive rights over the name football" (which is fair enough) then blah blah blah ... but you have to call your game Soccer (hypocritical).

Well done MV Dave. You should stand up for your code; although I personally don't share your obvious love of the game. Don't you get bored just watching the ball go up, and then down the field all day with hardly any score. Where the sun don't shine? I guess that must be Etihad Stadium. Personally I rarely go there; my team hardly ever plays there. But I'll keep in mind what you say about stereotypical comments, in case I offend the other soccer supporter.

Why doesn't Australias highest aparticipant football code play in the football season ?., i think we all know the reason why. This thread was bubbling along quite nicely untill the soccerphiles turned up.

True National Sport? What about Queensland, where no one gives a toss about soccer. NQ is broke because no one ever turns up, GCU is gone without Uncle Clive - and no one ever turns up, and even the 'minority' sport of Rugby Union draws bigger crowds than the Roar in Brisbane. Football is just as regional as every other code in the country i.e Melbourne and Sydney, and is certainly not even close to national sport status.

Ahh Richard nothing like bringing out a few old chestnuts to try and drag down Sokkah...unfortunately for you teenagers now do have an option to continue and play sokkah in Oz through HAL...playing numbers at all ages are increasing especially in Victoria where local councils are struggling to provide enough suitable venues to cater for all the games. This game that struggles in Oz will have a new team in Melbourne next season playing out of a brand new $250m stadium! So you can go and watch sokkah every weekend during the season...who would have thought 5 years ago we didnt even have a National League. So keep your stereotypical responses where the sun dont shine.

By "football" do you mean soccer? True that many kids play it until they grow up, largely in the northern states with 53% of the population, and largely because their mums don't like them to play a contact sport. In most cases as soon as they grow a bit older those kids give it away. Lets face it, despite all the international exposure and the razz mattaz of the World Cup, soccer struggles like hell in Australia.

Hey Ken. Here's another one of those home truths you like to call "hyperbole". Back in the early '90s when I was living in Beverley Park I became a St George supporter, joined the Leagues Club and the Footy Club and started going to matches. In those days there was great rivalry between the Broncos and the Dragons after they faced off in two grand finals in a row. One season, the opening game on a Saturday afternoon at Kogarah Oval was in fact a "replay" of the previous year's Grand Final, St George v Brisbane, and I took my 10 year old son along to the game. That day 7500 people crammed into Kogarah Oval in Jubilee Avenue to see that great match. It was then that I decided my son had to experience what it is like to be there at a real EVENT. We flew down to Melbourne later that year to visit family and go with them to see an AFL home and away game at the MCG. It turned out to be a very wet Friday night when we walked up to the MCG, with the lights and the hum of the waiting crowd adding to the atmosphere caused by the cold and by the now very heavy rain. It was Essendon v Collingwood, on a cold, wet and windy evening in Melbourne, and there were 86,000 people there to cheer on those two teams. The noise, the atmosphere and the sense of occassion was fantastic. If you've never ever experienced that, you should give yourself a chance to do it. Add it to your bucket list.

Good one Jim, your article is 3 years old, Footy (the AFL) is still on tele in Canberra on friday nights at 9.30. Of course you would expect more people to watch the RL, especially if the Raiders were playing, no suprises there, they have a team in the NRL, the AFL do not have a team there. Wonder what the ratings would be if there ever was a AFL team in Canberra ?, Canberra has quite good support for all football codes. Anyway we get it Jim that you hate AFL. Probably the hardest bit for you to understand is many people in the ACT and surrounding areas follow both and many kids would have played both RL and AR.

Jim I have commented on this one dimensional approach in establishing any one codes patronage before. If you took a look atrespective footy code grassroots participation in the ACT region for example, it would paint a very different picture. A more holistic criteria must be used in addressing patronage I believe and this is what i call '.real support' If, hypothetically speaking, Canberra were afforded an elite AFL brand, I believe you would see the tele ratings change. This has much to do with free to air accessibility and in my experience, League has the wood on Aust Footy by a country mile in this demo, since many of the AFL fixtures are delayed until quite late, when Iold fellas i.e I have lost interest. Cheers

A bit dated but more of the same: http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=sport&subclass=rugby+league&story_id=1051526&category=rugby+league "NRL a clear WIN-ner in ratings battle of the codes David Jean The NRL has posted a major victory over the AFL in Canberra by dominating free-to-air television ratings in the region over the first weekend of the finals. WIN Television won every head-to-head ratings battle between the codes as Canberra's football fans proved rugby league was still No1 in the capital. On Saturday night, WIN's back-to-back coverage of the North Queensland versus Bulldogs and the Manly versus South Sydney qualifying finals captured 36 per cent of viewers in the ACT and southern NSW. More than 117,600 viewers tuned into WIN between 6.30pm and 11pm, compared with Channel Ten's audience of 49,169 for the Sydney Swans versus Collingwood elimination final. WIN also posted big ratings victories over its other major rival Prime, which had the rights to AFL finals on Friday night and Sunday afternoon. WIN's coverage of the qualifying final between the New Zealand Warriors and Parramatta on Friday night attracted nearly 45,400 viewers, while Prime had nearly 42,000 people tuned in at the same time for the Port Adelaide versus West Coast qualifying final. The AFL and Prime took an even bigger beating on Sunday as WIN captured more than 61 per cent of the audience between 3.30pm and 6pm. During that time it was airing Melbourne Storm's big victory over the Brisbane Broncos, while Prime was broadcasting the AFL qualifying final between Geelong and the Kangaroos. WIN (Bulldogs-Parramatta NRL clash) and Ten (Kangaroos-Hawthorn in AFL) will again go head-to-head on Saturday night. ][/quote]