Phil Gould wrote an article in The Sydney Morning Herald which deals with the what he calls the AFL’s desire to “obliterate the NRL” in western Sydney.
While he makes a lot of good points in the article, he is way off base with one particular point.
I don’t believe the AFL is out to destroy the NRL or A-League in Sydney or the Gold Coast. The AFL will have looked at the western Sydney region and worked out that in a city of five million people and one AFL team, after 30 years and good membership and crowd figures, they could probably put another team in there.
The fact that it’s a burgeoning potential area that every code has talked up since the AFL announcement is something that appears to have been glossed over by many sporting groups over the years. The AFL would know that while league and union converts will be welcomed, they are not the be all and end all for the new clubs.
There are many people who follow no code or barely have an interest in sport who the AFL are trying to reach. There are AFL followers who don’t follow Sydney who will get on board with the new team because they are a new team. This has already been seen in the Gold Coast experience.
It’s a simple matter of it being the right time; we’ve got the right money, and Australia’s largest city cannot have a single team uncontestedly holding the AFL banner, when smaller cities like Adelaide and Perth already have two.
The figures added up in terms of television rights and, so far, in terms of support. The clubs unanimously supported the expansion plans. The league simply took the opportunity because it could afford to.
“The war”, as Gould refers to it, isn’t against the NRL, the FFA, the ARU or countless other interested sporting acronyms. It’s an ongoing battle against the failures of the past.
Both Swans and Lions endured numerous hardships including poor ventures into private ownership, disastrous financial dealings that sent both clubs bankrupt a number of times, all while trying to carve out a niche with little support from a vaguely interested VFL/AFL administration of the day.
No, my friends, the AFL battles to make sure these mistakes are not made again – not just for the good of the new teams, but many AFL initiatives in these areas will also help the older teams in the area.
“The war” appears to be largely a media creation, although a number of league administrators have brought up the issues from time to time. The AFL Commission has had nothing to say on the matter.
This is a commission that weighs in on everything AFL related, that hasn’t even mentioned the apparent war it’s supposedly fighting with the other codes.
The AFL don’t need to win a war to be the number one sporting code in Australia, on almost every benchmark. Besides rural television viewing and total playing numbers, the AFL are already number one. AFL initiatives are being copied or applied to to almost every other football code.
Destroying league and soccer in Sydney and the Gold Coast won’t change that, and these codes are even now some way away from threatening the AFL’s position in the sporting landscape.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Sounds like pretty good advice to me.
clipper
Guest
Cooter - The AFL should never do that. It just makes you look like you're running scared and then the public thinks that you're worried about 'the invasion'. Better to go down the road of indifference.
Redb
Roar Guru
On the contrary, it seems the NRL and its media protagonists such as Gould, Masters, Daily Tele journos are shaking in their boots. if they are not scared why all the BS? The theory that its Gould trying to rev up NRL HQ proves yet again how incompetent the admin of RL is if that is the only way they will respond to the GWS 'invasion'. :roll: In short, just proves again how insular the sport is in Sydney compared to how other expansion teams are treated in other codes/cities.
voodoo people
Guest
LOL look at what has happened today with Gallop and Gould exchanging furious emails. Was I right or was I right? This has nothing to do with AFL (even if AFL types think it does). This is just the same old stuff: Gus Gould vs News Ltd / NRL / Gallop / Anyone else
NRLer
Guest
What does the NRL have to fear anyhow? They have 'the greatest game on earth'. They should just do whatever they are doing now and AFL will disapear sooner or later.
Cooter
Guest
Bit late now isn't it. GWS is in, they have sunk roots. Maybe the AFL should turn favour and destroy the Melb. Storm and make sure a Perth NRL team will collapse. The AFL(used to be VFL) was the enemy in Perth and Adelaide. Now look whats happened there. People, the AFL has too much money. The rugby states are divided by into union and NRL factions. Then you have soccer chipping away. Our own football is going to liberate the north and have a game for everyone, no matter the demographic you come from.
Stabpass
Guest
http://www.theage.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/western-union-club-bosses-meet-to-fight-afl-threat-20110809-1ikzq.html Here we go again !, the 'war' council is meeting.
Ricmond Blue
Guest
Droppa, you're an angry angry man.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
No, not necessarily best, most appropriate athletes.
punter
Guest
So Wookie, we both agree, every sport wants the best athletes, this is where the war exist, getting the best athletes, so you have to understand why Gould wants to defend the greater West from AFL. It would be even better if Gallop got on the front foot.
punter
Guest
Pockman, AFL is not worldwide, yes, Rugby League has 3 countries, so they too are not worldwide, never did I imply they did.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
GWS is making a splash in the most unexpected of places. Only in the last couple of days, a school in Orange greeted players and coaches from GWS wearing orange, which was an even warmer welcome than they had expected. http://www.centralwesterndaily.com.au/news/local/sport/football-australian-rules/gws-has-giant-hopes-for-orange/2247631.aspx Last I heard they were closing in on 10,000 foundation members, which is pretty good, they may even have gone past that by now. They are tipped to be amongst the top 3 in terms of sponsorship value within the next few years (that's top 3 in any sport Australia wide). So they are travelling along quite nicely.
Droppa
Guest
They will fail because they will have no support & no success. Unlike the Jets,Perth,the Beagles or the Gold Coast Chargers who actually made a profit during the Super league war. So you open up your Melbourne newspaper & read your 20 page's of dribble written about AFL & understand this fact,we just dont care about AFL in NSW its an inferior game after all.
Red BS
Guest
So you agree Jaceman, GWS will fail. Good to see you've come to your senses.
Lachlan
Roar Guru
Gould is the biggest half-wit and most the stuff he talks about is incorrect. There is no war. Not once has the AFL said we're at war. WE have settled in Western Sydney to create a team and just because NRL are currently there means squat. We didnt kick up a fuss when The news limited storm settled in Melbourne. AFL and NRL are businesses expanding into new markets. Gould has said we're (NRL) at war, just as a publicity stunt.
Pockman
Guest
Punter, yes AFL is not worldwide, but don't go dribbling that league is the dominant rugby code, everywhere else in the world people like union more plus union is now an Olympic sport, so please, please don't go saying league has a presence worldwide.
Stabpass
Guest
WA footy is about as strong as ever ATM, very strong junior grassroots, very strong WAFL, and around 14,000 adults in the amatuers.
Jaceman
Guest
Like the Adelaide Rams, Perth reds, Gold Coast Chargers/Seagulls, Newtown Jets, CC Bears/Eagles?
Jaceman
Guest
National comps were always going to be the way forward when TV networks went to national broadcasting out of Sydney (mainly) in the mid 80s
Jaceman
Guest
There are 9/10 NRL teams in Sydney and now 2 AFL teams - how can the AFL destroy NRL - bizarre??