Over the past 12 months, we have been accustomed to seeing the Sydney print media making war analogies in describing the arrival of AFL’s 18th club, the GWS Giants to the New South Wales capital.
The Saturday Telegraph was at it again on the weekend, with no fewer than three pages dedicated to the “battleground” of Sydney’s west. In addition, the editorial focused on the issue, along with a separate story on women’s footy in western Sydney in another part of the paper.
That’s some serious coverage of the “war in Sydney’s heartland”.
However, it has to be said that the coverage was not entirely about raising the ire of the natives. Some good data was provided, as were some real stories.
In summary, the data shows that the AFL has made big inroads into Australia’s largest city over the last seven years at a grassroots level. By the same token, as one would expect, the numbers show that Australian Football is well behind rugby league as far as most metrics go.
The middle spread of “Inside Edition” has a map illustrating that 35 AFL grounds have been built in metropolitan Sydney over the past 10 years.
Focusing on western Sydney, Australian Football is now played by 258 schools in formal school competitions, around half as many as you will find playing rugby league.
School participants in Australian Football has grown from a low 1,460 in 2005 to now being 13,682 (compared to 21,137 school participants playing rugby league).
In terms of actual clubs, rugby league is well ahead, with 20 senior clubs and 97 junior clubs while there are only 28 Australian Football clubs in total (counting both senior and junior clubs).
The AFL matches the number development staff that league has in western Sydney, although a large number of the AFL staff are engaged on a casual basis.
Nevertheless, it’s hard not to admire the great strides the AFL has made in getting young people to try Aussie Rules in a region where not too long ago, the game was barely known.
One area where the AFL appears to have stolen a march on the NRL, is with the participation of females in the game. There are 11 women’s clubs in the west compared to four women’s rugby league clubs.
There is a method to the madness here. Females make up 40 to 43 percent of all attendances, memberships and ratings the AFL.
The Telegraph editorial on Saturday makes a reference to the AFL’s willingness to plan for the next two decades, whereas NRL seems to plan season to season.
The editorial’s conclusion is refreshingly optimistic, and difficult to argue with: at the end of the day, it amounts to more footy for western Sydney, “and that can only be a good thing.”
Bob Wilson
Guest
oikee growing rugby leage round the world other than northern England in an area of about 100 k radius it isn't a popular game even crowds there suffer when soccer is up against it. France is a tiny market. Austraia in two states and a token following in NZ thats barely a world game. Actual crowd figures AFL in Australia outnumber the Rugby League world. I was really surprised in England when I was there after hearing from Rugby League teachers as a student how big a sport it was supposed to be ..
mick h
Guest
how many of those memberships of the swans and giants are sydney people
clipper
Guest
The Camelia Grove may have been one of the dodgiest pubs in Sydney, but it has been spruced up and moved in with the gentrification of the area. I can't say that Swans fans always go there, but I have seen them there along with NRL and Rugby fans. I guess the point is that there are 4 Aussie Rules pubs in that small area - how many league pubs would there be in Melbourne?
JVGO
Guest
Well the Camelia Grove as I knew it would easily have been one of the dodgiest pubs in Sydney, but a good place to get something that had come off the back of a truck, 150 AFL balls for instance. interesting to see that the expat Vic and WA fans don't want to hang at the same pub as the Swans fans. Geraldine herself is from WA isn't she?
drama city
Guest
'The Canberra Times' reports that there were 4,222 in attendance at Richmond v GWS Giants at Manuka Oval yesterday.
Maximus
Guest
This from Fitzsimons this morning Curse the curs TFF has written several times about how moving it is to be at the Collingwood-Essendon game at the MCG on Anzac Day when, during the minute's silence, the 90,000 attendees fall so silent you can actually hear the flag in the middle flapping. It is always a great Australian moment. The same, alas, cannot be said for those idiots during the Dragons-Bulldogs game at Homebush Bay last Saturday night, who, during the minute's silence for the slain Tamworth policeman who left behind a widow and six kids, kept shouting "Go Bulldogs!" for the entire minute and would not be hushed by the St George Illawarra supporters, nor the decent Bulldogs fans who at least were in the vast majority. And who could forget the ground announcer at the St george v Roosters Anzac game some years ago trying to stop the crowd yelling thru the minutes silence...ee
JVGO
Guest
There's no doubt that you Geraldines have a pretty crazy time of it out there Clipper, so crazy that you don't even remember the names of the pubs you drink at, which I have to say Clipper, if you can, I generally find is a good idea, even just so you can find your way back there some time But I think the fact that the Swan's fan club stick pretty much to the Kurrajong at Erko out of about 50 pubs in the Newtown Alezandria area is pretty indicative of how insular exclusive and outside the mainstream they prefer to be. I wouldn't call Alexandria the eastern suburbs heartland of the Rabbitohs though Clipper which I think you will find is around Souths juniors at Kingsford between Randwick and Maroubra and the areas south which i think are generally referred to by most Sydneysiders as part of the the easten Suburbs and which is the area from which most of Souths juniors and supporters come from, including Bra boys John Sutton, reni matua and braith Anasta. Nevertheless I'm pleassed to see you got out of the house once or twice a while ago Clipper and got to the phoenix or the Lord Dudley or something and from those couple of excursions managed to develop an entire theory of Sydney culture as you've observed it. whenever you get out for your next excursion Clipper I hope not too much has changed.
clipper
Guest
Well, there's the obvious one, plus this one - http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/91037/default.aspx so with the one in Swanson St, which I didn't know about, that makes 3!
yewonk
Guest
a much atmosphere than nrl? what bile.
JVGO
Guest
There is only one AFL pub in Henderson Rd Clipper. The other one you may be referring to is in Swanson St, Eskineville, somewhat vaguely.
Bondy
Guest
For over thirty five years primarily really only three sports Cricket, A.F.L. and N.R.L. have really only been broadcast to most kids through that time frame, and what have the youth been primarily playing, yep you guessed it Soccer,nothings changed for over thirty years and probably never will in the Western Suburbs of Sydney or for most of the Country for that matter . Personally I welcome the G.W.S I don't see them as competition .
TW
Guest
Some very interesting comments above about GWS possibly getting 10,000 members by their season start on March 24. Remembering the split is roughly a third in each category currently ie - Local - ACT - rest of Sydney and Australia. Have just noticed that the Suns are sitting on 10,000 with 2 weeks to go to their season start. IMHO this illustrates the future potential of a much higher m/ship for GWS over the Suns. The current figure for GWS - 7264. Their local component will rise slowly at first but eventually (5 to 10 years) will dominate the membership and this is why we are now in that region. Its all good.
JVGO
Guest
As I have pointed out numerous times this AFL/NRL dchotomy is the preferred rhetoric of probably both PR departments and definitely the Tele itself. Incredibly misleading in reality of course if you are at all familiar with the sporting fabric of Sydney as all the lesser sports will be the ones that will really struggle in terms of sponsors funds and media interest. But this head to head NRL/AFL for the number one spot is the preferred spin of everyone involved apparently. But with regard to the SMH's much improved coverage of the NRL this is a smart move. Although the SMH is generally not as good a paper as it once was I always read the SMH generally but bought the Tele simply for it's NRL coverage. The Herald's policy of providing a better NRL cover than the Tele is smart as their is simply no reason to buy the Tele. The SMH's previously pro RU and AFL policy was a disaster for them and a big part of the difficulties in which they find themselves now.
clipper
Guest
JVGO - I've mentioned nothing about South's geographical boundaries, so I don't know why you're pointing out this information to me. In fact I've often had a drink at at the two AFL pubs down Henderson Road in Alexandria, which is just a stone's throw from the heart of South's support in the Waterloo Housing commission area, and the only reason I restrict my driving down King Street is that it's one of the worst streets in Sydney to drive through and although I have been seen at pubs in Moncur and Jersey Street in Woollahra, I haven't been out there for quite awhile - hope this hasn't been too vague.
JVGO
Guest
I luve you's all too, and I mean every one of you's AR.
Australian Rules
Guest
Never think that I dislike you JV...the entertainment you provide makes you arguably my favourite poster of all.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
JVGO I have not expressed a dislike of anyone and am always willing to share ideas and polite conversation with my Northern brethren, whatever his or her poison may be.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
I've always had a great fondness for Devonshire teas
SportsFanGC
Roar Guru
Cman - Apparently Searle and the GC Titans are going to give away a stadium worth of tickets if they lose to the Storm this weekend, all sports give away tickets not just the AFL. The difference is that a) the AFL are in a better position to do this and therefore expose the game to more people and b) people actually turn up when given free tickets.
SportsFanGC
Roar Guru
IC AR - So if the NRL go to Perth that is ok to make a pre-meditated grab for the Perth sporting market?