Australian rules football is our dominant sport, receiving the most media attention and broadcasting of all the major sporting codes. However, since John Aloisi smashed that penalty home against Uruguay in 2005, football has been creeping up.
In fact, in some areas football has clearly overtaken Aussie rules.
So will the World Game one day overtake Australia’s game?
Legendary coach Mick Malthouse and renowned journalist Mike Sheahan are just two of many memebers of the AFL community who have voiced their concerns that the sport is losing touch with rural areas, and struggling at the grassroots level.
For football, the grassroots grow with each passing season. The sport is Australia’s second-most played sport among six to 13-year-olds, just 0.1 per cent behind swimming. Aussie rules comes in fifth.
Furthermore, during the 2014-15 season 650,000 people across Australia took part in some form of organised football, whereas only 224,000 participated in a form of Aussie rules.
Clearly the AFL must invest more time and money into reconnecting with the community, rather than just palming those kinds of tasks off to the state federations.
Furthermore, the inception of the FFA Cup has increased and improved relationships between between the nation’s top football sides and the semi-professional clubs. Would a similar competition being run and funded by the AFL help bridge the gap and bring all levels of the game closer together?
Even after Australia qualified for the 2006 World Cup, many considered the A-League as too small, playing boring football. But a league must be built like a country, from the ground up.
Securing footballing communities’ strengths was a must in the early days of the league, and now that that has been achieved, the A-League and the top areas of football in Australia can be focused on.
By contrast, the AFL established a strong, well-functioning competition, but now is going backwards to sure up its weakest link, which is clearly at grassroots level.
In doing so, the AFL is reluctant to assist the league’s struggling clubs – like the Brisbane Lions – apart from handing out alternative and extra draft-picks, something Malthouse also considers not good enough.
As Australia draws closer to Asia, sport is drawing significant Asian investment. The A-League and FFA recognised the benefits of establishing ties with Asia, and the results are already evident. Since joining the Asian Football Federation the overall quality of football played in the A-League and by the Socceroos has increased drastically.
Furthermore, with each passing season, the A-League attracts more interest from Asian investors.
Some AFL clubs, like Port Adelaide, have also begun to cash in, but what is the AFL doing to further strengthen ties with Asia?
Both sports can coexist, as both play crucial roles in the Australian sporting landscape, but there can only be one top dog. The AFL has enjoyed that spot for decades, but is it under threat?
The passion from local communities truly drives Australia’s sporting endeavours and success, and the chants for football are becoming increasingly louder.
It’s time for the hierarchy of the AFL to leave the boardroom and get down to the local clubs, just like David Gallop does.
Pratley
Guest
The AFL has given lots of money to develop grounds unlike soccer and RL. For example Spotless, ANZ, Suns home ground, Blacktown, other regional centres like Tamworth so Councils will go $ for $ with them. So your free lunch comment dismisses your other comments as cheap rubbish
Pratley
Guest
Cathar - not all of us are Tele or herald Sun subscribers so you will have to copy - so ur admitting Soccer has overtaken RL
Pratley
Guest
You are comparing a derby with a Swans game against? take him to a Melbourne derby for comparison or a Sydney AFL derby
Republican
Guest
I agree with this opinion. The AFL have reacted to this with an impulsively out of character implementation of a womens professional league. I am of the Australian Footy persuasion and have evidenced this through my generation of friends and family, who have kids, all living in Melbourne where I originally hail from, fostering their Soccer allegiance and even following the A League. All my extended family in Melbourne had been tragic Aussie Footy supporters while our support for the game goes back generations but this passion has clearly been diluted for many in recent years. A large part of this disaffection is to do with the AFL's overly commercial focus as well as its tinkering of the game throughout the years. One thing Soccer does not do is compromise its rules much if at all and yet it remains probably the biggest and most loved game globally of any. Some of my die hard footy family tell me that the A League offers more tribalism and atmosphere despite smaller grounds and crowds, while the game itself is more appealing as parents, because it is less physically fraught.
Plato
Guest
I agree - in Sydney it varies between suburbs which is odd that the Fairfax papers in Melbourne Age still call it soccer as against footy is AFL) and the Herald in Sydney its called football (soccer).
Plato
Guest
In my Sydney days there was CYO RL , Business houses RL , midweek Public service RL but as well Protestant churches RU all of which no longer exist. NSRL had many teams but now only in the outer suburbs due to gentrification. 3 of the footy codes are collision sports so of course less people are playing them but AFL draws 6.5 m customers. Soccer draws 2m at best and was bumped off free to air main channel , the AFL has 4 times the revenue, gets 6 times the TV money etc.etc
Plato
Guest
We should get Cummins/Sutton to umpire AFL to make it more even
Plato
Guest
As I suspected CT you are a Telegraph on-line reader
Plato
Guest
The ARL used to print annual participation figures but the numbers esp at adult level dropped so alarmingly they stopped publishing them. Now any references also mean touch RL to boost numbers. By most metrics the AFL is the biggest game in Oz and soccer is catching up but its not even the biggest game in summer here. Certainly a lot of kids play soccer and follow Europe but how do they follow a local club when the player turnover is so high. BTW what country hold their cup competition in the off season and makes the big clubs travel to the minnows to make it even. Its a faux competition made for Pay TV.
Plato
Guest
Yeah Israel Folau one of the highest skilled players in both Rugbies struggled in AFL - Karmichael Hunt said AFL was the most demanding game he had ever played - seriously who writes your rubbish
Plato
Guest
Cathar, For once tell the truth - they are offering tickets for sale to games - your paranoia and hatred knows no bounds...
Football is the Best
Guest
DB it's time to stop fearing Football and open your eyes. You can drop the anti sokka tactics or remain in denial, either way most of the world calls it football, including an increasing number of Aussies. And as for Aussie Rules, can't we just call it Aussie Handball instead ?
Football is the Best
Guest
The term Aussie Rules isn't confused with any other code is it ? Note: there is only 1 football, any sports that predominantly carry the ball in the hand don't qualify, except perhaps as handball
Football is the Best
Guest
Sorry Me Too, would have to disagree with you there. Aussie Rules is awful to watch, a really clumsy spectacle for much of the time, that's why it can never get off the ground overseas. I also took my son to games this year in both codes. He almost fell asleep at the Swans game we went to and refused to go to another. The atmosphere was so lame as well, despite a fairly large crowd. I then took him to a Sydney Derby, which my son absolutely adored, the atmosphere, colour, passion and noise at this game dwarfs anything I'd seen in Aussie Rules. In fact it set the official record for noise in Decibels for any sporting event at Moore Park, amazing ! Now my boy is addicted and a lifetime Sydney FC fan :-)
Football is the Best
Guest
Not within 10 years, but that 10 years will see a noticeable narrowing of the gap. Within the next 10 years there will be 3 new TV deals for the A League, it will be a much bigger competition by 2025. Aussie Rules HQ has every reason to be concerned.
Football is the Best
Guest
Fadida, I'm afraid those old "it will never happen in my life time", "it's 50 years away" mantras no longer wash. Football is clearly catching Aussie Rules, and when we say catching we are referring to professional league size/scales only. Since football has already surpassed the other codes in amateur participation rates long ago and continues to increase that lead. The budget for the A League is also about to increase substantially once the new TV deal is finalized. Give it another 2 deals after that (8 years) and you will notice a big change in the relative size of the A League to AFL. The catch up will definitely happen well within your lifetime, assuming you are not an old man !
Football is the Best
Guest
How can Aussie Rules ever claim to be a confident of it's future when there is so much fear at it's HQ about the rise and rise of FOOTBALL. I believe Aussie Rules will remain a big sport here for the next decade, but beyond that it's relative size will diminish and FOOTBALL will begin to dominate. Frank Lowy retired from Chairmanship of the Football Federation of Australia in 2015. He has had very limited personal financial involvement in the Football for at least the past 5 years. Are you anti-semetic by any chance ?
Football is the Best
Guest
I'm afraid Bondy is right Harry. Football has become the true representative sport of Australia and it's multicultural diversity. Look at the National teams player names....roughly 50-60% Anglo/Celt and 40-50% other ethnicities pull on he Green and Gold. It bonds the Nation like no other team sport.
We've got a live one
Guest
Got news for you Nicholas, just publishing the name of the article would have generated 2oo+ comments by itself. The fact that you seem to think your writing had anything to do with it is pretty amusing :)
bryan
Guest
The ball really isnt that hard. Besides, I'd rather headbutt a 450gm ball compared to a couple kilo swinging arm.