On Saturday, more than 44,000 people will pack-out Allianz Stadium for the Sydney derby.
It’s another chance to celebrate the rapid rise of football in Australia, and a clear sign that the game is gradually catching up with other codes.
Yet the Football Federation of Australia’s chief executive, David Gallop, has used the momentous occasion to take a petty swipe at the NRL, his former employees, as well as AFL, rugby and cricket.
“In terms of numbers, noise and fan engagement, we believe football’s derby has more to offer than the other match ups, like the Rabbitohs v Roosters, the Swans v GWS, the Waratahs v Brumbies or anything cricket has,” Gallop was quoted in the Daily Telegraph.
Firstly, why is it a momentous occasion? Because the sell-out will beat the NRL’s past five crowds at Allianz Stadium in matches featuring Sydney clubs.
It is indeed something the football community, particularly those hailing from Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers fan-bases, should feel infinitely proud of. The Sydney derby is fast becoming one of the hottest tickets in Australian sport.
Yet it shouldn’t be reason for our governing body’s head to gloat in the face of rivals. In fact, 10 years on from the inception of the A-League, it’s arguable that the NRL, AFL and rugby union are no longer even rivals.
Football has come to a point where it can viewed on a level playing field with the more established codes. No longer is there any need (if there was a need in the first place) to bad-mouth and degrade aspects of their games. It is not conducive to growing football in this country, and will do more harm than good.
When the masses of red, black and sky blue descend on Moore Park, there is no need to even think about rugby league, or any other sport. When fans are bouncing around in the euphoric atmosphere of the Sydney derby, the last thing on their minds should be that this is a massive ‘up yours’ to rugby league. Celebrate football, that’s all you need.
Football fans are better than that, and the game is definitely bigger than that. Gone are the days where you had to fight to be heard in Australia when discussing football. It’s now a staple of this country’s sporting landscape.
There will always be detractors, both in public life and in the media, but that’s part of the banter. What is not part of the banter are chief executives getting in on the act. The actions of our top brass should be respectful and mature.
And that goes for all codes. It was equally disappointing to see NRL head of commercial Paul Kind return fire.
“We aren’t in the business of comparing ourselves to other codes,” Kind said.
“We are confident that we are by far and away the best sport in Sydney by any measure.”
Well, Paul, you just did compare yourself to another code. Hook, line and sinker, you got caught. The NRL should have kept the moral high ground and let Gallop smirk at his own stupidity.
Though perhaps that’s what Gallop believes the fans want to hear. He made similar snipes in his State of the Game speech. Regardless, his viewpoints should be kept private, there is no advantage in bagging out rugby league, or any other sport for that matter. It’s also getting pretty worn out and old.
We don’t compete in similar seasons to the other codes, so there’s no reason to engage in petty arguments with them. As a result we are never going to need to steal fans from other codes, and the best way forward is inclusiveness – Gallop’s buzz word at the moment.
If Gallop is so intent on ensuring the ethnic minorities are not represented in the game, then why is he so intent on alienating fans of rival codes by having a go at their attendance records? It doesn’t make sense, and it’s out of order. We should be looking to share fans with other codes. It’s already happening, but it should continue.
Despite all his deficiencies, Nathan Tinkler’s offer of dual memberships for the Newcastle Knights and Newcastle Jets was a masterstroke. It resulted in the Jets reaching all-time high membership numbers.
Similarly, there are many Melbourne Victory fans out there that also hold memberships with AFL clubs. We’re no longer at the stage where it’s us versus them. We’re on the way to reaching their lofty heights, and are rising rapidly.
Football needs to shake the defensive stance, because it’s no longer necessary. We having a footing in the Australian sporting world, and we’re not going anywhere.
But if we truly want to grow to become the biggest sport in Australia, then vilifying other codes is not the answer. It won’t bring in new fans, and will only infuriate and repel them. We don’t have to act as the inferior brother anymore.
Enough of the petty scraps, each code is sticking around and we might as well get along. Football is at a huge advantage, because we have the summer largely to ourselves, and if anything more solid relationships should be built with the other major footy codes.
Where Newcastle has united, so too should Parramatta. It might be a wild thought, but could Melbourne City target a partnership with an AFL club, to further define their point of difference to Victory, or at least to tap into a large fan-base? That might be going a bit too far, but you get the drift.
We aren’t above partnerships with other codes. And it shouldn’t be seen as a blight on the game when we admit we have much to learn from them. We are able to coexist, and code wars should quickly become a thing of the past. They’re ugly for both sides, and should only be maintained in banter among fans.
We should be proud and we should congratulate ourselves, but we don’t need to tarnish our celebrations with vitriolic public snipes.
Gallop’s comments are unlikely to take anything away from the sell-out crowd on Saturday night, which will compete with the Adelaide versus Victory blockbuster on Friday, but they do leave a bad taste in the mouth. Let’s celebrate our game and celebrate how far we’ve come, but let’s leave out the unnecessary trash-talking, because code wars will never get us anywhere.
Follow Janek on Twitter @JanekSpeight
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Wrong. Based on participation, the most popular code is football. 2nd place is Netball, but it's not even close. Football (outdoor only) Kids (ages 5-14) = 398k Adults 15+ = 489k Total: 887k Netball Kids (ages 5-14) = 223k Adults (ages 15+) = 450k Total: 673k Source: ABS Sports Participation 2012
Perry Bridge
Guest
Given that the discussion about number 1 seems to focus on the #1 across winter - then the AFL is king on a couple of key criteria. A. minimum of 2 sides per mainland state (thus allowing 1 game to be played 'domestically' within each state each week, and, bar derby weeks - another to be beamed into that 'home market' on tv. (noting that a state such as NSW is larger geographically than France or Germany - let alone the vastness of WA/QLD etc.) B. AFL is more clearly #1 in it's 'home markets' than is the NRL - which is challenged far more closely by RU (both at the top level and through the ranks - inc private schools), and soccer (home base in NSW, and early days the A-League with Gold Coast and Nth QLD was clearly trodding on the toes of the NRL - the NRL withstood in battlefield QLD (noting - however, and this is a key - the AFL via the Suns on the Gold Coast are making pretty good inroads. The AFL is reasonably placed to ensure that both Suns and Giants in West Sydney will last the distance) C. TV wise - this is a complex picture. The statistics can be distorted greatly purely by what metric is used. Average viewers to a broadcast only tells a smidge of the story. We know that an AFL match lasts about 40-50% longer than an NRL match - so, the average viewers will be diluted in part by length of broadcast however the value proposition of audience hold over a longer telecast has it's own value - the NRL in response now has Friday night double headers which creates it's own unique value proposition in the Aust TV landscape. The AFL national coverage is far more convoluted across the platforms and even across the FTA network the breakdown of games broadcast into different state markets varies so it's often necessary to look deeper than just the numbers for Match A. D. the interesting one is code vs league. The AFL is used collectively for both by many. The AFL has removed representative matches. The NRL has 3 annual SoO matches which rate through the roof and draw well. The SoO is a splinter product of the NRL. However - the SoO does weaken the NRL offering across almost a 6 wk period. The AFL along with America's NFL and Irelands GAA football are probably the worlds most pure football leagues - no higher representation to diminish the league (granted NFL has a the Pro Bowl). E. and back to Gallop - well, he's well and truly got his Sydney/NSW blinkers on - and that tells us just as much as anything. The A-League still has a massive Sydney centricity about it. 4 of the 9 Aust teams are from there and were many of it's supporters to have their way we'd see additionally Woollongong and Canberra (effectively NSW). Again though - anywhere else in the world and a league spanning across NSW would be - geographically - a large national league so perhaps who can blame people for having little concern beyond the state borders.
Dean
Guest
THe MCG is owned by the MCG Trust which is basically the MCC. In effect the cricket club allows the AFL to us the stadium (and has long-term contracts with the AFL). Essentially the MCC and MCG would barely exist without the AFL. Unlike NSW stadiums, the AFL and MCC fund almost all development of the MCG and Docklands stadium, the state govt barely funds and therefore has no say. So if the WC wants to use the MCG and Docklands, of course the AFL has the biggest say, and they allowed it though refused to bend over to FIFA's requirements (no games leading up to the Cup games).
me, I like football
Guest
You can still be number one without having majority. this whole 'more than half the country' counter-argument is nonsense. You can divide the country in two by more ways than geographical. But no-one ever says that in more half the country are females and their favourite sport is ...... Aussie Rules has clear plurality and by a good margin. but so what? doesn't lessen anyones enjoyment of their chosen sport or sports
ciudadmarron
Guest
Well mate if that was the case there'd be no-one at A-League games. In fact there'd be no-one at any games anywhere in the world except for the top teams at the top leagues. And fans would change the clubs they support all the time. The fact actually is that there are plenty of fans all around the world who prefer to watch football (or other sports!) live, especially when they represent their local area and they can feel a real attachment beyond "I like them because they are the best".
Carl
Roar Rookie
I'm always baffled when people bring up the "no history" argument with regards to supporting a team regardless of the code. Are we only allowed to support a team once it reaches a certain age? If no one supports it before then do you really think it will reach that age? And what if there was no team in your location prior to the founding of a new team, why is it somehow diminished that the team is a new enterprise? History is great, and being able to talk about the history of your club is also great but it is in no way a prerequisite for supporting a club. Now I know it won't ever go away but I sincerely wish this is the last time I have to hear/read someone say that a person's choice in sport/team/whatever isn't valid because it has "no history"
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
I completely agree that average ALeague TV ratings decline in the 2nd half of the season. That's been happening since Yr1. If you'd said that, there is no dispute. But, you made some nonsensical allegation that BBL reduced ALeague ratings by 50%, so I pointed out it was factually incorrect.
AR
Guest
Ok Fuss, from Rounds 1-6 last year, the average Aleague tv audience was 177k on SBS and 86k on Fox. Once the BBL had started, the next 3 rounds saw the average Aleague tv audience go to 61k on SBS and 68k on Fox...and it never really recovered to its early season figures. Obviously, a number of things account for that. The summer holidays, Christmas, less interest...but bear in mind, the BBL was having an average tv audience of almost a million per match during the same period. Now, this is not an attack at all on the Aleague - it's a common sense comment, that when there is virtually no other sport on television, there is potential for the ALeague to attract more viewers.
martin english (@martin_english)
Guest
Based on participation, the most popular code in Australia is Netball.
Simoc
Guest
Of course the difference is that AFL, Union, League are played at the top international level with the best players. Soccers A league is B grade at best. Given a choice of watching Manchester United play in EPL or Brisbane Roar play in NFL its Man U every time. That is the main point of difference for sports fans. The soccer skill level here does not compare well with the best viewing available.
ME
Guest
Matt here. On my phone. What metric do you use? I think AFL has a narrow lead and the gap is closing. 50ish% of Australia's population life in a state RL is king. Same for AFL. It is a lot closer than AFL fans make out. No sport has the dominant share of the market in winter. It is like 45% AFL, 40% NRL, 15% Rugby. 4 of the 5 most watched events in australia each year are RL. It really isn't as cut and try as they want it to be.
Napoleon
Guest
I've read some deluded vitriol in my time but some of your remarks are laughable & stink of desperation. Are the 2 million extra people that attend NRL games each year mythical? Is State of Origin Mythical? Is the 80k plus that attend the grabs final for any two teams mythical? Could CCMvWell attract 80k? Could they attract any substantial crowd? Get 16-18 that have mass support & them carry on.
Napoleon
Guest
No, he doesn't. 30 million potential Asian viewers has little to NO impact on the domestic economy of the sport. NRL & AFL have $1.3B TV deals because they get Australian viewers! The only viewers that count towards mass revenue.
Napoleon
Guest
Absolute Rubbish - I find it hilarious that AL fans are happy to claim a mythical "50 million" Asian viewers & then ignore the highly regulated domestic Oztam figures as "unreliable" - what a laugh! Then to post some "independently" (FFA) supplied figures. Fact is: NRL has 4 of the 5 most watched programs this year & A-League TV figures are embarassing.
duecer
Guest
I think you can say that Australia has no winter code that is number one in all states, but you can say that, overall, AFL is the number one winter sport in Australia. Of course this may change in the future.
Napoleon
Guest
The NRL is a 16 team comp that has 9 teams in one City - don't underestimate the mass popularity required to have that many teams in a single market - A-League WILL never achieve that. The NRL had 4 of the 5 most watched programs in 2014. The NRLGF obtained 500k more viewers nationally than the AFLGF. The NRL has a $1.3B TV that will be even bigger next time. I feel you judge success purely on crowd average? The NRL is still easily the second most attended sport. The aggregate average of the 9 NRL teams in Sydney is 150k. So imagine the crowd size if there were only 2 teams like the A-league? Unlike AFL, the NRL still has not put any post Super League effort into expansion. It only occupies 2.5 States yet look how big it is? Plenty of growth in the game...
Flexer
Guest
Gallop is doing his job and that is to sell the A-league, not to the fans but corporate big wigs who are still deciding what to sponsor. If football gets the corporate money behind them, football's rise will continue. follow the money.
ciudadmarron
Guest
AFL don't need to do it. The media do it for them. Last week we had the DT headlining a bloke's attendance at an FC game when what happened to him was 3 hours later he got rolled in Bondi, as if the two things were linked.
ciudadmarron
Guest
Free memberships were given out in UWS showbags and by an electricity company for switching to them. Sheedy said the only reason Wanderers do so well is because the immigration department works for them.
Napoleon
Guest
That's why Rugby League is easily the 2nd most attended sport in the country (well ahead of the A-League)