- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
The AFL’s approach to selling the game in New South Wales, in my eyes, is wrong. The bright lights, big names and bells and whistles approach that we have seen in the development of the 18th franchise, Greater Western Sydney Giants, is not the correct way to sell the code in the long-term.
Instead, work should be done to grow the game from the grassroots and develop an AFL culture.
There is an old Chinese proverb that says: “Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach him how to fish, he eats for a life time.”
The approach the AFL has taken relies heavily on glitz, glam and clever marketing. The signings of NRL superstars, Israel Folau and Karmichael Hunt, are designed to attract NRL fans over to the AFL to have a look, with the hope that they may enjoy the experience and return for more.
However, the AFL should be working to instill an AFL culture, by building the game from the grassroots. The Sydney AFL competition is ignored by the AFL, and its presence is miniscule on the sporting radar in Sydney.
As a former player in this competition, I have seen firsthand its effectiveness in showcasing the game to those unfamiliar. I have heard of instances where people have stumbled upon their local park to find a game taking place, and having watched on, they have become intrigued and returned for more, as either a player or spectator.
At the same time I have witnessed the backhanded approach given to the competition by the AFL. Newspaper space is only given by way of results listed in the logjam that is Monday’s sports results, whilst television coverage is on the Main Event channel (Foxtel). But its lack of advertising ensures only those who feature in the league are aware of its presence.
If the AFL put more emphasis into the Sydney AFL competition, the casual fan may be more likely to give the game a go, given it is played in various Sydney suburbs, in close proximity to all, and is at no cost to the spectator. But they need to know it’s there.
It was only last week that I had a conversation with a colleague who had been sent a membership form for GWS. His reply: “Why would I go to a game when I don’t even understand it.”
He is not going to part with his $20-$30, regardless what names grace the field. But it’s more likely he will give the game a go if it’s a short stroll from home and doesn’t cost a cent.
If a casual AFL fan is exposed to the game regularly, they will come to appreciate the skills, speed and the nuances of the game, and then not only do you have fans watching Swans and GWS games, but every game of the round.
I liken the AFL’s method of selling GWS to that of Sydney FC. When Sydney FC was created they were attributed the tag of “Bling FC” – the team had the stars, the bright lights and the bells and whistles. And fans came in their thousands.
But what happens when the bright lights fade? Sydney FC now finds themselves with regular poor crowd attendances, as casual fans have deserted them once the “glam marketing” approach has been lost.
I fear a similar thing will happen to GWS. If casual fans attend a game and GWS get badly beaten, I fear many fans will be burnt.
As the Sydney Swans and Sydney FC have found, Sydney sporting fans can be quite fickle, and are happy to jump on the bandwagon when things are rosy. But where are they when the results aren’t there?
I continue to attend Sydney FC games, not because I am a fan of Sydney FC but because I am a “football fan” and a lover of the game, and it’s the same reason my family and I would trek to the SCG in the years that the Swans couldn’t even win a quarter.
The most important currency the AFL has to sell is the game itself, not the players, not the names, not the glitz and the glam. The Swans tried that once and failed miserably.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.