A recent Fairfax article by Dan Silkstone clumsily raises the question of just what the AFL might be able to gain should Australia win the rights to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
It echoes suggestions over the journey that the AFL could use the opportunity to ‘promote’ itself to the world.
And it’s an interesting concept.
In this case, Silkstone uses the example in South Africa currently of a rugby Test (last Saturday) and a recent Super 14’s finals match.
Silkstone has questionable facts, though. He speaks of “80,000 fans packed into Newlands Stadium”, where match reports have stated 46,885.
But, to the principle of the article: Silkstone suggests the AFL can learn from these examples.
I’m not sure what two games are supposed to teach either the AFL or NRL, who would be looking at mid-season interruptions, with 9 and 8 matches a week respectively (17 combined) to reschedule both during the tournament and in the four week stadium lock out leading up to the tournament.
To the key notion though is the focus upon ‘World Cup tourists’.
The reality is that the AFL, with average crowds of high 30,000’s, will struggle to have much available capacity without the MCG.
Certainly in Melbourne, had the AFL NOT have stood up for Docklands. Then any hope of allowing access to World Cup ‘tourists’ within metro Melbourne would not exist.
Certainly matches in Ballarat or Albury would not be very marketable and have zero available capacity.
We need to remember, too, that the FFA was unwilling or unable to guarantee that the AFL and NRL would NOT be excluded from host cities. It wasn’t paranoia about football that drove the AFL and NRL to dig in on this issue.
Perhaps in part, it was the desire, should this occur, to be able to play on in capital cities and potentially attract ‘World Cup tourists’.
You don’t have to be a rhodes scholar.
Had the AFL and NRL lost host city access, and retained no decent venues, then it’s pretty hard to market any sort of credibility to these ‘World Cup tourists’.
Michael C
Guest
didn't care about the Doggies game......we won, who cares after that!!! Although I heard that the last qrtr saw the Doggies run away 7.5.47 to 1.0.6 so a 3/4 time 18 pt deficit blew out to 59 pts. That's part of the appeal - - - - you can be 3 goals down a 3/4 time and depending on how it pans out, anything in the range from a 10 goal loss to a 5 goal win can be achieved. btw - the 'comfortable' came from a Foxsports report of the game.......little did they know!!!!
Farqwar
Guest
No need to explain it to me MC, I'm sure it was a riveting game. I notice the WC v WB game was a nailbiting 59 point thriller also ; )
Michael C
Guest
'comfortable margin',.....today my family and I and some friends that we got with to their kids first ever game - - we saw North win by 36 pts......a 'comfortable margin', In fact, we won every quarter,....on paper it looks like we just kept pulling away and won comfortably,........with about 10 mins to go and Port Adelaide had drawn back within 3 goals it was suddenly anything but comfortable and required a super individual effort by our captain to snag what at that point hopefully would be the sealer.........at the end of the day though, the scoreline on paper looks comfortable,....but, when your opposition gets a run on, and your 35 point lead early in the last quarter had been more than halved by an opposition that has just kicked 4 of the last 5 goals and there's only 18 minutes gone (in about a 30 min qrtr)..........well......anything but comfortable. Earlier in the year as I mentioned, Adelaide came from 3/4 odds of $23 the win vs North $1.01 the win, with a 54 pt lead,.....and we only added 1 behind in the last and just held on by 9 pts with only time saving us,.........and a couple of weeks later a 36 pt half time lead over Brisbane (6 goals) and still had to come from behind to win by a point. So,......if you reckon a 36 point win today can be described as 'comfortable',........then, fine.......but, as a fan involved in it - - I wasn't comfortable until........there were more goals than minutes left separating the teams!!!! anyway - - - a good day at the footy,.......btw I gave up (needed sleep) on the Socceroos v Ghana about 10 mins after the Kewell red card, but, I did watch (in bed) up to then!!! I forgot that Denmark were playing,...they scored a win!!!
Michael C
Guest
Farqwar - 'doing the business' is very much in relation to the percentage boosters (North don't know what they are this year!!) and things like that, i.e. relative to the season as a whole......in soccer 'doing the business' is often to seek only to take a point away from a road trip match........
Michael C
Guest
Last time I had that opportunity was comparison to the Unders 23s (*) Olympic soccer tournament. Again, no comparison ...... AFL was all over it for 'intensity' and crowd interaction with the action.
Beaver fever
Guest
Sorry, you are to old for auskick i imagine, dont know about terrible and irritating, but quite a lot has been boring. Not one sided boring but nothing happening boring. It is a real pity most of the world has ever only been exposed to one code, we are very lucky here. i would imagine thats why FIFA has this ridiculous major events policy.
Art Sapphire
Guest
Enjoy the weekend BF, hope your team and the Socceroos win :)
Beaver fever
Guest
Yes of course AS, every game ever invented can be exciting, no doubt, soccer of course has exciting periods of play, have no problem saying that.
Beaver fever
Guest
I do not support either team and to be honest did not really think the game would be that good, but Essendon fought back well and as i stated elsewhere, in a comparison with the w/c which to be fair to the indigenous code, is a bit of a unfair comparison it stacks up really well ----- (the best in the world compared to the best in sparsely populated country). I think the key is that Australian football provides the platforms for great athleticism and really exciting "plays"frequently , something that only tends to happen IMO in soccer very infrequently, for all its skill in pushing the ball around. I guess it's fair ATM to compare Australian football to soccer because of the w/c, usually as they play in different seasons its harder and no point comparing.
Art Sapphire
Guest
BF - I agree, the Essendon v Hawthorn game was exciting. But, you can be reasonable in accepting that each code has its fair share of exciting games. Otherwise, they would not be popular. If you don't agree with the above statement, then your predjudice against football is absolute :)
Beaver fever
Guest
Thanks for clearing things up, BTW Buddy Franklins highlights alone from last night easily outshone the w/c. Throw in a couple of speccies and it was a hands down victory to the native game. ; )
Art Sapphire
Guest
Principles, BF. If you are not sure, check the dictionary next time :)
Farqwar
Guest
So good to finally get an unbiased opinion that puts it all into perspective! Thanks B.C
Art Sapphire
Guest
Wasn't difficult to work it out, was it. NY :)
B.C. Queenslander.
Guest
You are spot on Beaver. Soccer is BORING, with a capital Zzzzzzzzzz. Last night I was flicking from the Bombers v Hawks to Germany v Serbia. I don't support either the Bombers or the Hawks, but i had an interest in the Gemany/Serbia game because of the position the Socceroos are in. Well the AFL game was all action, non stop, high skill levels and exeptional athleticism, flick to the soccer and it was like a church service by comparison. AFL has nothing to fear from the comatose giant.
Farqwar
Guest
Ha Ha, fair call MC. I am certainly no expert on the game, and my numbers could be well off. But I do seem to remember that most games are won by a comfortable margin, though I guess keeping in touch does keep the game interesting. But I remember a Nick Davis goal late in the game when you just needed someone to step up and take control. That goal was how I feel with almost every goal my team scores in soccer. As a club man you would know that al ot of games are about doing the business and that as a fan you just want to see your team do the business well, and when they do it with flair, you are on top of the world.
Michael C
Roar Guru
bazza - A. there are stories of people 'discovering' footy and 'switching'.......given the limited opportunities for exposure - - the relatively small number of such stories must be encouraging eg young Bijan Muller from Germany on a 12 month exchange in western Victoria and doing well at Tatyoon - - While he plays soccer in Germany, Muller said he preferred the Australian game. ''Football's better than soccer, being much more intense,'' he said. .....it is possible for people to find that Australian Football is more to their liking. Not everybody - - of course NOT everybody. And nor does a 'switch' need to occur. btw - - a lot of non soccer fans left Australia to enjoy the 'atmosphere' of Germany in 2006........heading off without match tickets and just to soak up the atmosphere...........if the same happened in Australia then, the AFL would be well placed.......although would be better placed with 100,000 capacity at the MCG!!!
Michael C
Roar Guru
Farqwar - absolute ignorant rubbish - - - until minutes remaining is less than goals to be scored, then 4-5 goals these days isn't that much at all. I support North Melbourne.....trust me!!! Although, granted - even whilst we led Adelaide by 9 goals and saw them come right back......we did just hang on by a couple of points, and whilst we led Brisbane by about 7 goals and conceded the lead with minutes to go......we managed to get one back and hit the front with a minute to go, ........at any rate - - - it's far from game over. Don't you dare go claiming to 'know' because you used to watch Swans games - - - because, after all - the Swans SCG comebacks became legendary.
Beaver Fever
Guest
4 or 5 goals is not game over, IMO 8 goals and above is game over, teams can get a run on and reduce the deficit very quickly.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
4 or 5 goals in the middle of a game is nothing. 4 or 5 goals up in time-on and you're probably safe (but not always).