TELL US: What's the most important indicator of success for a sport?

It's got to be more than merely numbers. It's got to be the strength/quality of that domestic competition. Otherwise basketball would be considered a success in Australia because it has so much grassroots support. It's not because it is such a relatively poor standard. Rugby in the US has more participants than NZ. Soccer in the US has more participation than the entire population of Iceland. Meanwhile, in NZ..,

You’re talking about the success of the top tier competition, not the sport. No surprises this definition fits snugly with one particular competition.

The sole true measure - whether it's on my list of lifelong dreams.

I would put another angle on this. An important measure of success is whether a sport is growing or declining across the metrics. Rugby and league are declining attendance wise, participation wise and viewing wise. AFL increased in attendance last year, not sure about participation, viewing figures increased. Soccer is increasing in participation.

No. Attacks anybody who states speculation as fact, to criticize people who are doing a job. Do you not see the irony in what you say, in that my comments are in contrast to the people that proclaim to know better how to run these industries?

Sheek Some folk seem to think they have knowledge and understandings well beyond the rest of us and proclaim there ideas as facts not predictions .... then attack anyone who dares doubt what they proclaim as absolute wisdom .... they can see the future and fully understand the past... Sheek tis sad .... but I guess thats just who he is...

No. 700k players play it because it's a popular sport. The AFL is full of leagues and teams with no actual connections to AFL level teams. If I play in the VAFA for a team like the Albert Park Falcons what team am I connected to through this? Likewise Powerhouse, etc? Rugby's professionalism has much greater connection to the amateur game - but nobody cares about that. It's really not a huge appeal.

Competitiveness

A honest governing body that knows where their finances are going and doesn't make poor decisions.

bums on seats on game day, fan loyalty and belief in the national team, a sense that those at the top appreciate the fans, inclusion of young people and women as players and fans, community standards modelled by those in charge.....winning is down the list but still very imprtant

Very true! As previous comment, strong participation in Australia has not strengthened our mediocre national team or driven larger attendances. Football at the moment is in a delicate state, lets stop the old defense " oh but it is the most played sport so therefore all is rosy across the board".

Excellent comment Stirling.

TWAS........your comment shows no understanding of the AFL system, it's pathways and the connections with grassroots participants. It is extremely structured such that it aligns with every stage of development. That's why almost 700k players play it. Rugby had this and blew it!

Grassroots participation is incredibly overrated as a measure of a sport's success or popularity, for the simple reason that ease of participation is completely overlooked in this assessment. While it is true football/soccer has the greatest junior participation rate of any sport in Australia, the argument that this will somehow, someday turn into supreme popularity at the professional level falls apart when you realise soccer is also the most participated-in junior sport in other countries where it is not the most popular professional sport - and has been for some time. Soccer has more junior participants than rugby in New Zealand, more junior participants than both American football and baseball in the USA, while in Canada soccer has almost double the junior participation of ice hockey. In all of those countries, soccer is a simpler, safer and more adaptable sport than their premier sport of choice yet, in almost all of those countries, there is very little to suggest any dominant sport or code is under threat from the round ball game.

i think the culture and preferences of the masses is what matters. take India for eg. despite the numbers , it has been very hard to introduce rugger , becoz everyone just loves cricket - although only a minuscule go onto play for country. take USA for eg. NFL NBA and MLB just dominate everything else. those who look at other games or sport are those who fail at BB Baseball and american footy. take Brazil for eg. its footy or nothing. a good example is China , where despite the money pumped in , it is said that their footy league is failing to grow or improve. i think the television has played a major role in what game / sport is preferred by nations - with economics a close second. becoz of tv a lot of people are able to see superstars they want to emulate. and economic reasons dictate what game most likely takeup seriosly at one point. for eg. it is said most West Indian boys are now turning to basketball and hope for better money and better lives.

No, IB, we played the Grand Finals and other minor rep games at the old Sports Ground, which is where the carpark for Allianz Stadium is now located.

The AFL is a complete closed shop with no connection to the amateur game. Rugby for all its flaws has one of the greatest connections (similar to NRL) where levels feed into each other, represent each other and offer progression along the ranks.

Gambling sponsorship and advertising revenue

You really have two different sides to the coin, which are not necessarily connected: professionalism and grassroots. Moving away from the code wars, it's worth looking at a traditional Olympic sport like Athletics. At grassroots level, LA is absolutely thriving by whatever measure you care to use. As you creep up the pyramid towards the professional level, it all falls in a heap. There are very few sports completely dependent on government funding as Athletics is (at the elite level that is).

Exactly. And unfortunately I don't see this happening with football. Domestic league attendances? Quality of the national team? More participants is yet to help this cause!