Living in Melbourne is amazing. But if you don’t follow AFL then you just aren’t with the masses. Here is a sample conversation with the average sports goer in Melbourne:
Stranger: Hey mate, how’s it hanging?
Me: Quite well, yourself?
Stranger: All good mate. Who do you go for?
Me: Which sport?
Stranger: AFL, of course. Ya drongo!
Whilst obviously most sports fans aren’t like this, and do not have a broad southern accent/lingo, Victoria is very much an AFL mad state. Like rugby league in NSW, it is No.1. But if you can’t get your head around the game, there are many other alternatives to crave your sport fix.
First of all, rugby league. Melbourne Storm is the name; winning is their game. The trophy cabinet might have been raided by Gallop but their passion is still there, and they came oh so close to what would have been a fourth grand final in five years.
If you need your sport fix now, then perhaps try football (soccer) in the form of the A-League. Choose which corner you are in, either the Victory (blue) or the Heart (red) and support away up until April next year. And with Harry Kewell in town, there’s no better time to jump on the bandwagon.
Perhaps you are scared of seeing no goals scored. Then maybe basketball might be a better fix. The NBL season has just kicked off, and with the Melbourne Tigers have arguably one of Australia’s best players in Patty Mills. The livewire point guard had an outstanding debut and will no doubt put on a show for the masses.
With the Rugby World Cup coming to a conclusion in the next few weeks, an Australian victory would do wonders for the sport down under. The Super Rugby season doesn’t start until late February next season, but with Wallabies starting backs James O’Connor and Kurtley Beale joining the Melbourne Rebels, it will be well worth the wait.
Horse racing, also. It’s spring time, after all, which means fashion, fillies and all round fun. Melbourne is the home of the Spring Racing Carnival, culminating in the Melbourne Cup on the first Tuesday of November. There are, however, many other fantastic days on the calendar which make spring one of the best times of the year. Who knows? Your odds might come up as well.
Tennis, of course, comes in the new year. It isn’t summer without the Australian Open. And the 2012 edition is expected to have extra attention due to the recent success of Samantha Stosur, and the emergence of Bernard Tomic. The men’s draw may have only three players that can win it (sorry Murray) but try picking a winner in the women’s draw.
Cricket is considered to be a part of Aussie culture, and a Boxing Day Test against India will be sure to pack out the ‘G once again. But this summer sees something unprecedented in Australian cricket: a domestic competition which involves cities, not states.
Likewise with Sydney, there will be two Melbourne teams. The Renegades, featuring Shahid Afridi, Brad Hodge and Shaun Tait; and the Stars, featuring Cameron White, David Hussey and Peter Siddle. Choose your favourite Victorian (good luck, Bill Lawry) and from there choose your team and watch the sixes roll.
That isn’t enough sports, I hear you say? Well, I’ll just quickly run off the other options you have in Melbourne.
Netball. Melbourne Vixens compete against other Australian and New Zealand teams. Season doesn’t start until late March next year, but there is a Test match against fierce rivals New Zealand later this month.
Motorsport. Formula One obviously not until March next year, but the MotoGP is on this weekend at Phillip Island. Go down and see if Casey Stoner can dominate the Island once more. If you prefer four wheels to two, then the V8 Supercars hit Sandown in late November.
Cycling. The Herald Sun Tour has just kicked off, and the final stage sees the riders tackle Lygon St for the fast and furious circuit race. Spills will follow the riders along Little Italy and all of its heritage.
Ice hockey. Yes, you heard me. Ice hockey. It exists and It has been developing quite the cult following. Mostly Canadian ex-pats but many Australian faces as well. The Melbourne Ice won the 2011 championship in front of a full crowd at the Icehouse in Docklands – well worth checking out next year if you have a vague interest in the sport.
There, that should keep you going for a while. And who do I go for in the AFL? Well, Brisbane Lions!
trackbianca
Roar Rookie
Quite a few Canadians and Americans come out to play here as a 'working' holiday. But you're right, the teams are majority Australian. AIHL teams are limited to 6 import players.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Richer? Hmmm, the Bundesliga is actually profitable.
Australian Rules
Guest
Kasey: "I just wish sometimes your average Victorian would realize/verbalize that there is more to being a sporting capital than just being the AFL capital of the world." ...I thought that was the point I was making in my reply. I think it is non-Victorians who claim Melb is just AFL...and I say that as a non-Vic.
Kasey
Guest
Whoops, must have completely missed it then:( but you're right, I wonder how much a ticket cost for a pre-season warm up? But Sydney being an event city, I'd not be surprised if quite a few turned up.
Lazza
Guest
The Premier League is much more popular and far richer than the German Bundesliga? What does that tell you about average attendances? Global TV audience is the true test of how big a sport is and that's where most of the money comes from as well.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Kasey, August 7, 1999. Denver 20, San Diego 17, but it was preseason, so who the heck cares ?
Kasey
Guest
Ian, I must have missed that, when was it roughly? I was in East Timor in 99-2000:( We called it the "Muck the Fillennium" tour of Duty:(
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
They did it back in 1999 - a Denver/San Diego practice match in Sydney. Hasnt been done again, as its really not worth the travel.
Kasey
Guest
that was the case in SA too, if you played in the first team at an SANFL club, you were a league footballer, I didn't even know there were two types of rugby until I left SA to join the Navy in the 90s. With no FoxSports , when a local journo used the term rugby, I didn't twig that the Wallabies played a different game to the annual St. George exhibition game at Adelaide Oval.
Kasey
Guest
Re: Superbowl...Its just a measure of a sporting event that a lot of the world takes notice of. American football is only taken seriously in one country(sounds familiar) but I would be very surprised if the AFL GF got the same level of coverage in Nth America as the Superbowl gets down here. As for the unbelievable attendances of the AFL, no-one denies the greatness of this accomplishment*, I just wish sometimes your average Victorian would realize/verbalize that there is more to being a sporting capital than just being the AFL capital of the world. I would be stoked and likely travel to Melbourne if they could somehow convince the NFL to hold a decent exhibition game in Australia. Not sure if the MCG would be deemed appropriate in terms of corporate facilities the correct distance from the field, being the wrong shape of course. *so much so that it causes other reasonably attended sports in Australia to question just what they're doing wrong. the answer is not much of course, AFL footy is the exception not the rule.
Justin
Guest
Great reply... had me stumped why someone would point out we havent hosted the Super Bowl too.
Alfred Chan
Expert
Your opening sentence said it all. "Living in Melbourne is amazing." I couldn't agree more :D
Australian Rules
Guest
London or NYC are the only other cities that come close to the Sporting Capital of the World tag...but I believe believe Melb beats New York...and of course Melb hasn't hosted a SuperBowl...L.A hasn't hosted the AFL GF either. Similarly Old Trafford is in Manchester so that doesn't count. As for the MCG not being as famous, maybe so, but certainly as historic...it was built in 1853, hosted the first game of Aust Rules footy in 1858, the first ever game of Test Match cricket in 1877, has had an Olympics, a Comm games, WC Cricket finals etc etc. But in terms of ANNUAL sporting events, meaning they are there every year, crowd numbers also play their part in how BIG a sporting event is: - Tennis - Wimbledon is more prestigious than the Aust Open. But crowds for Wimbledon in 2011 were a tournament record at 494,000 thru the gates...Aust Open had 651,000 and that was down on last year. - Football - The Premier League ranks number 2 in the world (behind Germany's Bundesliga) for average football attendances...AFL sits at No.3 internationally. - Motorsport - Melb has the GP and the MotoGP...Silverstone is well out of London - Golf - the President's Cup at Royal Melb aside, Melb's sandbelt golf course are the envy of the world. Tiger rates Melb as the best golfing precinct in the world. Aust Masters, Aust Open (usually).. - Racing - of course the Queen goes to Ascot...it's her race meet! But again in terms of profile and crowds you can't really compare them. Ascot gets 60,000 tops to its one big meet...Melb Cup/Derby/Oaks/Stakes get 120,000 per day...almost 400,000 people across in one week of racing. In terms of prize money, the 5 days at Ascot has a total purse of about AUD$6M...they give $6M for the Melb Cup race alone! - Cricket - Yes, Lords is the home of cricket but no other Test Match is as immoveable on the calendar as Boxing Day at the MCG. An Ashes Test Match will attract over 300,000 thru the gates. I'm not saying Melb's the Sporting Capital of the World...but there's a certainly an argument to be had!
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Yes, I can remember those days, now there is a deliberate policy of cultural appropriation amongst some.
me, I like football
Guest
Also when I was growing up if you say someone played "League Football", it meant he played in the top League i.e. VFL/AFL. Times were simpler then Soccer meant Soccer Rugby meant Rugby Union or Rugby League, no need to differentiate between the two. And Football meant Football. edit; This was suppose to be a reply to Zachs comment above
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
BTW, Drongo was a racehorse that never won a race in 37 starts - but he did come second in the 1923 Melbourne Derby, and got two seconds in the St Leger as well.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
"Mostly Canadian ex-pats but many Australian faces as well." How many Canadian ex-pats could you possibly have?
Kasey
Guest
Brendan...Victorians, quite possibly Australia's most arrogant people? I once had a pub argument with a Vctorian about his repeatedly calling Melbourne the Sporting Capital of the World... At least in this thread, punter had the hyperbole reigned in enough to go with what I consider to be the more correct ..' of Australia'. I mean has Melbourne ever hosted the Super Bowl(Los Angeles) or the Olympics 3 times(London by 2012), the FIFA World Cup Final (both London and LA again) Does it have a famous stadium? yes, but I would argue that its not exactly as world famous as either Old Trafford(Manchester), Wembley or Lords(London), the Camp Nou(Barcelona) Does it host professional sport teams by the tonne? yes, as long as you are principally talking about Australian Rules football+ 2 HAL teams (1 of which is arguably the biggest in the country) not to mention a RL team and a franchise in the Super Rugby comp. . By way of comparison there are 9 pofessional FA League teams in London and 4 Rugby teams in the Aviva Premiership. Lets not forget their horse racing is pretty famous (Royal Ascot - hey, HRH the Queen even goes.Sure its in Berkshire, but thats as far from LDN as Phillip Island is from Melbs) and their Grand Slam tennis tournament is considered more prestigious than the Grand Slam of Asia. We are lucky that Melbourne is such a short trip away from Adelaide, if something takes our fancy we can pop over for it and a bit of shoppig, wihout the hassle of living in a city 4 times as big as our little paradise. In the interests of fairness, London has twice as many people in it 7.8mil vs 3.8mil.
zach
Guest
Drongo is an anagram of Gordon. This is a handy fact to remember if you are ever in an argument with someone named Gordon.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Yes, it's amazing that Port and Willy, two original VFA clubs, going all the way back to 1877, are still there and battled it out for the premiership this year - great to see.