There have been reports that the AFL is seeking to prevent the MCG from being used for three matches of the International Champions Cup in winter next year.
If this is true, the AFL needs a serious dose of reality.
The MCG has every right to preclude AFL games being played on three occasions in July 2015, only two of which will affect the scheduling of the AFL home-and-away season.
These dates – Saturday July 25 and Friday July 31 – will not affect finals. The only thing that they will affect is the AFL scheduling across three consecutive days in late July.
But is the AFL really losing out here? Only five rounds this year have seen games played on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the MCG. One more, Round 5, saw the MCG host three consecutive days of play from Saturday to Monday.
Yet, by the time the 2014 home-and-away season is finished, there will have been five rounds in which only one game was played at the MCG.
So what is the great problem? Why can’t the AFL schedule one or two games at the MCG on the two weekends in question? Is the AFL that inflexible? And that territorial over their hallowed turf?
I hazard a guess that the AFL is being territorial. Perhaps not of the MCG per se, but of the game of AFL itself.
On Saturday July 25 and Friday July 31 next year, we won’t be seeing the likes of Gary Ablett, Scott Pendlebury or Joel Selwood at the MCG. No, these names will be playing understudy to another breed of footballer.
Neymar, Luis Suarez, James Rodriguez and co. are set to light up the MCG when they come to Melbourne for the International Champions Cup. These players represent global clubs such as Real Madrid and Barcelona. Their jerseys are omnipresent worldwide; their symbols have no boundaries, and find themselves on the backs of supporters across every continent.
I imagine that this is a scary proposition for the AFL. Their code of football does not have the same global reach or appeal. Yes, the game is huge in Australia. But Australia is a diminutive country, with a population of less than 23 million people.
To put this into perspective, Manchester United claim to have 659 million supporters worldwide.
This estimate may be inflated. But even if it is halved or quartered, it is still far greater than Australia’s entire population. Why? Because football is the world game.
Even in Australia, where AFL reigns supreme, football has a very loyal and loud voice, which is increasing. Last year’s Liverpool versus Melbourne Victory exhibition game, for instance, attracted a crowd of 95,446 to the MCG.
This year, the biggest crowd attendance for an AFL game at the MCG was 91,731 at the Anzac day clash between Collingwood and Essendon. However, the average crowd for an AFL game at the MCG has been a 47,180, almost half that and an amount that can easily fit into Etihad.
If the MCG wants bigger crowds, then they are wise in their decision to host three games of the International Champions Cup in July next year.
Football is growing in popularity in Australia, but we are still yet to catch up to speed with the world. AFL may not always be the most dominant sporting code in Australia, something which the AFL themselves must be all too aware of.
Scheduling three games of football in the middle of the AFL home-and-away season between Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester City will once again shine the spotlight on the world game.
The AFL is being territorial. And I think we know why.
John smith
Guest
There are no rules
morebeer
Guest
It would have gone over the crossbar and the manager would make him clean the teams boots for missing an open goal with no keeper.
Greg
Guest
Perhaps we need to address the small numbers of supporters attending AFL games at the MCG rather than arguing over whether Soccer has a right to use the MCG.
Punter
Guest
You need to learn not to bite. There are those who like to provoke in every sports tab, I know there are a lot in the Soccer tab. The sport of your choice, is the sport of your choice no matter how popular or unpopular it is. Kudos to anyone who can make a living out of doing something they love. Enjoy your night.
Jax
Guest
Cahill's achievements have been monumental I agree. Read up to see what I was replying to. Bondy said Adam Goodes went backwards by switching codes which was the delusional comment IMO
Jax
Guest
Yes I am Punter and I should be working more instead of spending so much time here. I was replying directly to someone else's post but it looks like I posted it in the wrong section. Someone said that Goodes could have potentially played in 3 x WC and that was what my post should have been connected to. I can see that it doesn't look good standing on it lonesome as that's not where it should have been, He was saying that Goodes made a mistake not playing soccer for his country if he could have so that's where the WC connection came from. Coincidentally, I'm catching up with a good mate of mine tonight. A Londoner that is a mad Liverpool fan so I'm sure this topic will come up. He's been living in Oz for 6 years and he has also become a mad AFL fan. We've spoken about it and it did take him 3-4 years to get into the game and understand it but once he did he became hooked. So he loves both sports and I'm sure there are others that do also. As I said above, I hate these code wars but when I see somethings posted here that i think is nonsense I can't myself. I admire any great athlete in any sport. If you can become the best in your chosen sport or career you deserve all the kudos IMO.
fiver
Guest
Cahill just scored the goal of the world cup, seen by millions, maybe billions around the world, will be watched on youtube millions of times for the next 10-20 years. Is one of only a few players to score in 3 different world cups. Soccer might not be important to you but Cahill would have got Australia a lot of respect as a football nation from everywhere around the world with his performances for the socceroos and Everton. you're deluded if you think Cahill's achievements aren't monumental.
Punter
Guest
You on fire today Jax. Doing a fine job if not a little confused on this comment in regards to games biggest prize. The World cup is the biggest prize in the game, but this is at int'l level, there are many prizes at club levels as well. Now you may not know Toni Kroos, well he just won the World cup with Germany, yes a prize every 4 year only, but he has just joined Real Madrid, this year he has the opportunity to win the Champions league, the top prize in at club level, with crowds every big as what you see in the AFL & with a television audience the AFL can only dream about. He also has the opportunity to win the La Liga which is the Spanish championship, which again has crowds that would match the AFLs & again massive TV audience, only behind the EPL in popularity. Then there is also the Copa Del Rey, which the knock out competition, again with massive crowds & TV. These are all annual events & all with massive crowds.Oh Toni can also win the European championship in 2 years time, which is also massive Not degrading Adam's performances, but the comment above is a bit deluded.
Pope Paul VII
Guest
Bondy your first name's not Alan is it?
Jax
Guest
wow, Goodes could have played in a tournament for the games biggest prize once every 4 years instead of playing for the biggest prize in AFL every single year of his career. Silly Goodes. I bet he's kicking himself now.
Jax
Guest
he put the ball where it needed to go and from a tight angle. it looks exactly like a soccer style goal to me - yes there is no goalie but he would adapt accordingly if there was and don't forget that the ball is oval shaped which increases the difficulty significantly. we see soccer like goals in the AFL every week
Jax
Guest
Adam Goodes = Australian of the Year - 2 Premierships - 2 Brownlows + the respect of the general public nationwide. Yeah he really messed up didn't he - have Cahill or Kewell being voted Australian of the Year? Cahill from what I'm told is Aust's greatest soccer export ever! How many Player of the Year and Premiership titles did Cahill win playing for his UK clubs? I don't think he won any - AFL players will all tell you that team success is far more important to them than individual awards. if the same is true in soccer then a strong case can be made that Goodes has had a more successful career than Cahill. If you judge success on money and being recognised by more people in the world then Cahill wins but there are more important things than those two IMO. Once again you have been very assumptive without any intimate knowledge of why Goodes swapped codes. You assume money is the key driver - you assume he wants to live overseas for 10+ years = you assume that in soccer he may have had a better workplace and group of teammates. Give it up Bondy
Jax
Guest
how do you know he's bored? Have you asked him? It's very assumptive and insulting to PAFC to presume that he is bored. He may in fact like it more than his time at Liverpool for all that you would know. The job may even be more exciting and challenging for all you know. You make some very strange comments Bondy.
Bondy
Guest
Jax Thats very basic skill, plus theres no goalkeeper to Aussie Rules which is a flaw to the game leading to massive scorelines no tense drama due to not having proper goal protection.
Bondy
Guest
Pope Adam Goodes went backwards choosing Aussie Rules and decided not to give himself the opportunity of representing this great nation of ours, thats how I see it.
Bondy
Guest
Casper Nonsense an AFL player could not convert ,impossible . You're dreamin.
Bondy
Guest
Peter Baudinette I would've thought the ultimate challenge for an AFL player converting to Football (Soccer) would be to represent this great nation of ours and travel the world, but they cant its a to skillful a game . Darren Burgess use to be a coach " physio " at Liverpool Anfield , gee's he must bored sh**less now back at Adelaide with AFL ....
Peter Baudinette
Roar Guru
He wouldn't have earned 10x because when he started Australian Soccer was a shambles and he would have been a one in a million chance, no matter how good he was, of actually getting picked up by an EPL side. Alternatively, he could be playing A-League on the average $106K.....or he could be a "Bondi Billionaire" at the Sydney Swans. Funny how the argument is now reversed. Instead, he has won 2 AFL premierships, 2 Brownlow Medals, has played for Australia against Ireland at International Rules, has multiple All Australian honours and oh.....he was Australian of the Year. Just remind me the last Soccer player, who decided to leave their country to play the "World Game" that has achieved that one. Over the next 20 years I predict: * The average A-League salary will still be far behind other rival codes. Young kids will see the great divide in getting to the EPL or other European Leagues, where the outrageous dollars are. Not content with mediocre salaries and playing in a league that fails to compete with anything close to what is the "World Game", and also yearning to play a sport which involves high impact contact, they will follow the path of an AFL, League or Union career. * Soccer will experience only minor growth, as the steady flow of kids with recognised outstanding ability to dribble a ball while their ankles are chopped, make their way into the "World Game". On your point about the embarrassing ball kicking along the ground by an AFL player of an OVAL ball.......have you ever tried to kick a bunny rabbit? Just another reason why an AFL player would adapt better than anyone. Fussball, when someone is singing and they sound really bad, you may have heard the expression "don't quit your day job"
Pope Paul VII
Guest
I don't know who you are talking about re the Cattery? Coincidentially some meathead marked what was going to be my best goal as well, the selfish b*stard. You too, have fun.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
From a metre out? Check your eyes mate You could play that out a 100 times, with zero pressure, and I'd be surprised if you split the sticks once