I was propelled to write this article in light of AFL legend Dermott Brereton’s recent comments, where he seemingly fired a broadside at the NRL and its fanbase by suggesting GWS will win a premiership in five years, and in so doing would bring about the death of rugby league in Australia.
Of course, in Brereton’s eyes (and perhaps the eyes of the AFL), every code that is not Aussie Rules should be very scared of the AFL war machine that intends to roll itself across Australia, conquering everything in its path – the NBL, the A-League and even the Super Rugby. They should all watch their backs.
Here’s one very amateur journalist that is very indignant and un-phased by such blatant stirring.
It would be the fool that would say the AFL is not the marketing, financial juggernaut that it so obviously is, but just like any traveling sporting team, they are very much out of their depth when they’re playing away from their home ground of Melbourne and its suburbs.
You need only ask the boards of the Lions and Swans to feel the struggle radiating from their exhausted bodies.
The western suburbs of Sydney are not about to turn into a battlefield where the weapons are sponsorships and TV ratings, as the AFL and its spokespeople are hinting at.
To be perfectly frank, they are grossly under estimating not the popularity of league in Sydney, but the limitless amount of vitriol and ridicule Aussie Rules receives in NSW and Queensland.
I’m leaving you with a bit of homework: walk into any pub in the Sydney area, western suburbs or otherwise, and try and gauge not just the reception, but the understanding of the sport of Aussie Rules in the good people of NSW, as reluctant as I am to utter those words.
I would show incredible restraint in suggesting the same thing in Queensland, where the questioner is likely to walk into a barrage of tongue in cheek insults and humiliation, even in the streets of Woollangabba.
In conclusion, the man who puts it on the public record that he believes either football code in Australia will kill the other had better be prepared to look a bit foolish.
Jaceman
Guest
Not according to Bob Brown
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Ted This is the Aust Sports commission sports participation survey for 2010: http://www.ausport.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/436122/ERASS_Report_2010.pdf On page 21 you will note the top 10 regular physical activities for people aged over 15. As is commonely the case with these sorts of surveys, the top 5 are always: 1. walking 2. aerobics 3. running 4. cycling 5. swimming without exception. Interestingly, that survey for 2010 shows outdoor soccer and Australian Football has having a near-identical participation rate at 0.7% of the population (or 128,000 for soccer and 121,000 for Australian Football). Weights training, dancing and basketball round off the top 10. A similar story is shown on 35, although this chart shows soccer and Australian Football in the top 4. Page 41 shows club-based participants (over 15 years of age). Golf is on top with 3% participation or 527,000 regular participants. Soccer is second with 2.6% and 460,000 participants. Netball is thrid with 2.2% and 380.000 particiapnts. Australian Football is fourth with 2.1% and 367,000 participants. Australian Football and soccer had the largest increases in participation of any sport in the decade to 2010: +71% and +56% respectively. The 2010 paticipation rate for Australian Football is an all time high. Page 43 shows regular club-based participation, and Soccer and Australian Football are numbers 1 and 2 respectively. Page 121 shows the figures for Queensland. Australian Football shows a respectable 2.7% participation rate for males, identical to rugby, below league, and well below soccer.
Ted Skinner
Guest
I told you the AFL ha the smallest participation rate of all the codes in Brisbane: PROOF Back in 2009 http://pine-rivers-press.whereilive.com.au/sport/story/sugn-up-for-a-big-year-of-junior-afl/ "...AFL Junior ranks are confidently expecting 6500 smiling faces to queue up next weekend to sign on for the 2009 season. Brisbane’s 40 AFL clubs for under-8 to under-16 players from Caboolture down to Beenleigh and across to Ipswich and Jimboomba will be formally accepting the youngsters for what is tipped to be a big year. AFL Brisbane Juniors is the largest junior AFL League in Australia with up to 300 games played every weekend across Brisbane. AFL Brisbane Juniors manager Cherie Brockwell said the involvement by McDonalds as a sponsor was a coup for the community and would help further increase club memberships. ``To have McDonalds support is a great boost for the long-term development of grass-roots AFL in Queensland,’’ Brockwell said..." If you think areas such as the Sunshine Coast & Gold Coast with less than one-tenth of the Brisbane Region's population can have several thousand AFL juniors when Brisbane probably hasn't got 6,000 you're intelligence has to be questioned.
Jaceman
Guest
Boom Vic Pay TV numbers are low because you can watch 4 AFL games on FTA on a weekend which is enough for most people. NSW/Qld pay TV numbers are higher because to see NRL on Saturday you need Fox and of course all of Super15 (high socio-economic class). So the growth for Fox is in the Southern States and thats why there a Fox Footy channel for AFL only. Their attempt to get Victorians to sign up for NRL on Fox would have plateaued now so AFL is now their main interest. The fact that Storm gets high numbers is ludicrous (less than 300k). There are 1m homes in Victoria and the Storm are top of the comp most years (thanks News and salary cap) so lots of people in NSW would tune in as the Storm rarely get on FTA in Sydney because they prefer all Sydney battles...
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Someday soon all of you poor fools will realise that the only true sport is Ice Hockey which will sweep over this land in an inevitable tide. :)
Nathan of Perth
Guest
The Glory fan march to the ground had two flares get lit along the way, no mention in the papers thankfully. Actually, media response has been pretty good to the last match.
Boomshanka
Guest
Goes against the fact that the Melbourne Storm are consistently amongst the top rating PAY TV sports teams watched through the year. Wait until 2013 when the hoarding stops and lets see the comparisons. Until then, Melbourne Storm fans will continue to be shafted. After supporting their team all year only to see them disappear at the finals series is one of the reasons I'll not pay the membership.
Jaceman
Guest
Do I really have to explain this. Fox subsidises Storm otherwise they would fail so there is an NRL presence in Victoria which might attract a few converts who would take out a Pay-TV subscription (Vic numbers are low) to see NRL as Nine coverage is woeful. It hasnt taken off as they had hoped or the NRL people are hooked hence they are getting out of the Storm and NRL it seems...
Boomshanka
Guest
I with you that the NRL are equally as complicit with the raw deal signed with the so called home of Rugby League, but please explain to me why Fox would subsidise the Storm to get pay TV in Vic? Remember Pay TV is no alternative when it comes to seeking rugby league that Nine has the rights to.
Jaceman
Guest
Its called Football seems to know a helluva a lot about AFL yet dislikes it - Interesting
Jaceman
Guest
Its so funny So your experience represents the whole of Qld then..and I wonder how you can see into the minds of (hopefully not your) students - not so funny
Jaceman
Guest
Boom, Sorry in an earlier post you said Eddie sqirrelled the Storm away in Melbourne. Funny Storm players were always on the AFL Footy show and NRL players even turned up at the trapped Tasmanian miners Channel Nine celebration where the beaconsfield Tasmania audience wouldnt have a clue who they were. Channel Nine has often used Storm players in TV reality shows (given the East Coast awareness) and Gyngells mate packer sponsored the Storm (crown) when no-one else would. The hiding of Storm TV relates to the contract where Fox is subsidising the Storm and wants people to get Pay-TV in Vic where subs are low so in fact is the fault of Gallop and his mates rather than Channel 9 for writing a bad contract (as we have said many times)...
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Jaceman yes, sorry, I did mean "football" in that last sentence.
Greg Mac
Guest
I was at uni in Sydney for a couple of years and had a hard time finding anyone remotely interested in AFL (or "g@y".F.L. as they told me). The author has a point that probably less than 10% of NSW has any interest in AFL whatsoever... but he's also missing the point that 10% of the population of NSW (x many million) is more than enough to support 2 AFL teams!
Boomshanka
Guest
Also remember the Storm have yet to appear on regular, family friendly FTA time slots. Even with their "success", Channel Eddie / Browne makes sure they are squirreled away from the Melbourne populous for fear of interfering with his beloved and well established Collingwood FC). Only when fair access to other codes is provided into Melbourne, then and only then can such comparisons can be made. I doubt the Swans, Lions and Suns would have flourished if they'd have been hoarded away as the Storm has for the last 12 years.
Kasey
Guest
Tony I think you should listen to one of your own "The Cattery" who said: "I don’t think you can take Dermie’s comments as being representative of either the AFL or the average AFL fan." Please remove he word Dermie and replace it with Fozzie. Likewise with AFL and the word Soccer /football. If you know any football fans, take the time to ask them who else they support besides their HAL team, I think you'd be surprised at how many also follow quite closely an NRL/AFL team in winter. Would you prefer they didn't split their time and resources? I'm sure we could have a law passed whereby upon reaching adulthood, you have to be formally baptized into one code and one code only. Foz is not taken seriously by football fans, he makes the horrible error of arguing with too much emotion rather than on a facts basis. Believe me we can see the damage he does to the image of our game when he disrespects the other more established codes in Australia(If you want proof, read the comments on the 442 forum under any article he has had published by the SMH in the last 6 months). Do you not see the irony when an AFL zealot disrespects the more established codes north of the Murray, you lot are only too keen to go in to bat in support. Foz is not a classically trained journalist, the man is an ex-Socceroo, You're not asked to agree with him, but perhaps cut the bloke some slack. He's just very passionate. http://au.fourfourtwo.com/forums/
Tony
Guest
Foz is the most arrogant sports journalist in Australia. His attempts to "stick up" for soccer are antagonistic to the major codes, ESP AFL. He is also ignorant of Australia's football history, as in Aussie Rules. He tries to belittle the AFL & NRL, whilst ignoring the elephant in the room - the fact the soccer is not the 1st choice with the majority of Australians.
Jaceman
Guest
Remember in their 12 years - the Storm have "won" 3 premierships and been in the finals heaps of times so they have plateaued as far as on field success..
Jaceman
Guest
You have litle idea. garry Lyon is used by Nine to whiteant the AFL because Nine dont have the rights eg no mention of the signing of karmichael Hunt on the AFL footy show even though it was the story of the week in the rest of Australia.
Kasey
Guest
The hypocrisy is astounding, and lets not forget when Foz has a go at sticking up for football, suddenly all football fans are painted with the same "your sports are crap, the world game should rule all" mantra that many believe Foster peddles. The truth is that many football fans are fans of another sport AND football. MVC has a membership that claims over 50% are ALSO paid up members of an AFL team.