MCLACHLAN: The AFL is ready to be the game for all Australians

It really is Aprils fools day

Lots of things have existed that everyone knew about and were completely wrong. A woman's right to vote,slavery etc. A national grand final in one state has to end.

This thread has the potential to break the record for any AFL related topic. It has added significance being penned by the AFL CEO himself. The Roar staff would be pleased to get his open of the 2016 season statement also released on their site. Cheers

Carlton won't play interstate or overseas so why would they be given money for transferring games which is something they won't do?

Securing the game for who Gil? Any vision pertaining to sporting multi nationals today is determined by a mono criteria for growth, i.e. commercial television rights. This is why heartlands of Australian Footy, i.e. Tassie and the ACT to name two, are expedient in respect of the AFL's vision for growth and any ownership of the game has been compromised, creating disenfranchised communities i.e. ours, because a merit criteria for growth is not valued by the likes of the AFL. It will be fascinating to see where the next AFL expansion places subsequent plastic club/s while I expect Gil and his banker mates have already decided where this will be, with a specific focus and attention on broadcasting potential, time difference et el. One thing I can say with confidence is that it sure as hell won't be the Nations Capital or even Tassie truth be told.

Yet the stats speak for themselves GWS junior AFL teams West Sydney 2013 - 71 junior teams 2014 - 95 junior teams 2015 - 86 junior teams 2016 - 125 junior teams

The popularity of McDonalds compared with football is a typical false analogy used by lazy thinkers 1. McDonalds is omnipresent and their food is rubbish. 2. Football is omnipresent. 3. Therefore football must be rubbish. This is a non sequitur.

Plenty happened. The clubs season hinged on almost the very last kick of the game, for one. They dominated and couldn't find a way to win, a classic narrative. Its a game of subtlety. I get its not to everyones taste and that's fine. But it doesn't mean that it is therefore incapable of engendering debate and passion and thrills and spills just because all you can see is a final score. Surely one of the things that attracts people to spectator sport is the community element. The sense of being part of and witnessing something bigger. And that, thanks to growing corporatisation, is disappearing out of many sports as spectators become customers. The drums you mention are in a way a symbol of fans maintaining a hold on the old ideals. I find it ironic that many of the voices that make snide remarks about the atmosphere etc are often the same ones that decry the corporatisation of their own favourite code. As for McDonald's, yet another irony is the way the narrative of the football basher has changed from "they should play the sport that we all play here" to "they should not play the sport that they all play there". Don't be an individual and conform, to be an individual, don't conform. Makes me laugh. And its not Maccas; its bread. The cultures around the world all impact on the styles of play and the way its consumed. The rules may be the same but playing and watching in new places is a different experience no matter where you go.

Sensational post, that should really hit home hard & force those who think Western Sydney is a land of unlimited potential into thinking more realistic.

http://footyindustry.com/files/ffa/media/tvratings/2015-16/2016FFARatings_R25.png thats all the info I have seen.

You are using tinfoil hat logic to try to make up reasons to hate.

Collingwood had total revenues in 2015 of $66,259,649 - $17,107,294 came from pokies - 25.8%

Actually Carlton have the most poker machine licenses. hawthorn make the most revenue. Gaming Revenue - 2015 Hawthorn - $18,358,614 Carlton - $18,098,704 Collingwood - $17,107,294 Brisbane - $15,797,708 Essendon - $13,586,904 Geelong - $10,886,285 Port - $7,600,918 W.Bulldogs - $6,157,257 St Kilda - $2,098,039

1. Thats a matter for legislation not companies - including broadcasters, clubs and sporting organisations needing to make money. 2. If thats the case, its going to be they legacy of every game, not just the AFL. 3. best panel on tv is Marngrook? hundreds of thousands more still prefer to watch other shows - it barely outrates Fox offerings. 4. Nobody is forcing North to Tasmania, the clubs constitution doesnt allow it for one. As long as Tasmania has an open cheque book for clubs to play there, clubs will keep playing there. They'd be mad not to. 5. Some people talk about expansion - and all they do is talk. Others just can their expansion sides when times get tough. The AFL can afford to run both GWS and Gold Coast for some time yet, its better than sitting on your hands and doing nothing. 6. All indications are that the Dees and the Dogs will get teams - not that they can afford them or have the best facilities to develop these sides. A proper tender process would eliminate the dogs and dees out the gate, but hey sentiment right? Im pretty sure nothing he does would prove you wrong.

You could try convincing people to not turn up to Carlton v Essendon games then.

The facts are that the Swans have indeed left ANZ Stadium - but not for the reasons you mention. Ratings has nothing to do with where an AFL club plays its home matches, it was all to do with where Swans fans are located, ease of access and the the fact that for AFL, football is better at the SCG.

Actually club tallies no longer count pets as members, and the AFL has for some years released annual data on actual access members as opposed to those categories you mention. 11 game memberships are a measure of decitation not popularity.

Its not that simple. The Victorian Government would have to agree to let the Final go, and its already said it wont accept compensation for losing as its deemed vital to the states promotion. The NFL and UEFA arent the AFL and werent formed the same way with most of their teams, most of its corpoate support and most of its members, attendees and tv viewers in one city. Every single one of these teams that joined the competition knew what they were getting into - the MCG Grand Final deal has existed since 1988 after all.

Like a cat scam, :)

AFL - good game but has reached its apex in its ability to grow. All existing markets are saturated and new markets compete with strong exiistng and entrenched or growing international sports. There is in new markets, little reason to adopt AFL, which is a sport that has limited attraction to younger generations in those markets who will / are tempted by sports with much larger worlds of experience and opportunity. Why would a young kid in any place beyond Victoria, Tasmania, SA and WA want to limit their opportunities to such a small game when they could be a star on a global stage. Last weekend I heard 3AW AFL commentator Dwayne Russel ask, effectively, during the Hawks v Cats game, "why would you be an Olympian and be famous once every four years, when you could be an AFL player and be famous always". Simple, Dwayne, in AFL you might be famous in a few States of Australia, but there are other sports where fame and fortunes can be had globally and in these days of global communications, TV and Internet, that is far more appealing and realistic. And that is why AFL has already reached its zenith will struggle to grow beyond its current peak, while other sports will eventually overtake it. If I was the AFL, I would look to consolidate its hold on its home states and preserve its history and place in those states, rather than look to waste Australia's limited sporting resources any further.