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This week’s Roar and Against debate is on the controversial comments from former player and coach Leigh Matthews who suggested Queensland is only big enough for one AFL team.
Each week two writers will go head-to-head, and will only have 250 words to get their point across on one of the big sporting issues of the week.
It will be up to you, in the comments section, to decide the winner. That winner will stay on and take on a new challenger and new topic. That challenger can be anyone, including any commenters who throw their hat in the ring.
To debate this week’s topic, Roar guru Riley Pettigrew is the challenger to take on fellow Roar guru Connor Bennett, who won last week’s debate.
AGREE
Connor Bennett (Roar Guru)
Is Queensland big enough to house two teams? Considering it’s the second biggest state in the country in terms of landmass (1.85 million sq km in case you were wondering), you would think so.
But is the sunshine state ‘big’ enough of a market to justify two full sets of banana benders? No.
Despite the triple premiership winning Brisbane Lions of the early naughties, the AFL has always struggled to get a foothold into Queensland, with such a strong rugby league presence in the area.
Already in the first seven rounds of the 2016 season, the Lions and Gold Coast Suns have the second and third lowest average attendance figures in the entire competition.
Could it be their slow starts? Well, not when you consider the two sides have been in the same position the previous three years as well, actually registering lower numbers each year.
Alright then, how about membership? That’s one of the main gauges on a club’s popularity and influence in their respective regions.
These numbers are no more appealing than the attendance figures. The Suns and Lions have had two of the three lowest membership numbers in the last three seasons across the 18 team league.
Compare that to the NRL and two of the Queensland sides, the Broncos and Cowboys, have the highest and fifth-highest membership numbers respectively in the NRL.
Even Gold Coast Suns Chairman Tony Cochrane has admitted the issues at hand.
“We are trying to develop the AFL in rugby league heartland,’’ he said.
“This is not a natural AFL market.”
Queensland simply doesn’t carry enough weight or popularity for the Sherrin to accommodate two teams.
DISAGREE
Riley Pettigrew (Roar Guru)
Off the back of the introduction of the Gold Coast Suns into the AFL back in 2011, participation rates in Queensland Aussie Rules has grown 82 percent.
AFL Queensland now has a record 216,381 participants across the sunshine state, a 20 percent increase on 2014 – a rapid growth rate when compared with the national rate of just eight percent.
What is even more surprising is that the Suns are the best supported professional sporting franchise in the rugby league heartland that is the Gold Coast-Tweed region – home of NRL club the Gold Coast Titans.
The Gold Coast market potential is massive with more than half a million people making it the sixth most populated city in Australia behind the five metropolitan centres.
The AFL franchise boasts 12,243 members in 2016 compared to the Titans’ 9,653 members.
The fans are voting with their feet with the Suns attracting an average of 17,966 fans to games last season with 12,361 a game turning up at their home ground of Metricon Stadium. The AFL’s other expansion team the Giants only managed to attract 10,786 to home games.
Meanwhile, their NRL counterparts have the turnstiles clicking only 11,249 times per game at Cbus Super Stadium.
All teams have their rough patches on the field.
The Swans struggled in the late 80s and early 90s before they eventually became competitive.
It took the Dockers nine years to qualify for the finals for the first time in an AFL city.
Sorry Leigh, the numbers don’t lie. The Suns are here to stay.
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