Why is it no surprise to anyone who plays or watches football in Queensland that the sport receives a fraction of the infrastructure funding rugby union gets with far fewer participants?
Hats off to rugby, which has always done well from its vast network of private school old boys, some of whom go on to positions of influence within the Australian business world.
Plenty of those powerbrokers rubbed shoulders with Aussie politicians during their formative years at some of the nation’s most exclusive schools, so it’s no real surprise to see rugby enjoy the largesse of such decision-makers.
But whether the 15-man codes deserve such a disproportionate slice of the infrastructure funding pie compared to a sport like football – which has more players at every level, including the women’s game – should be a matter for debate.
That’s not to disparage rugby – or even the AFL, which receives plenty of government support alongside its lucrative broadcast deals.
But at some point we need to have a frank discussion about whether football gets a fair go from politicians across the country.
The issue came to light on Friday when Football Queensland shared an infographic across its social channels claiming that football in Queensland receives just “$47.97 per participant in infrastructure investment” to support “more than 180,000 participants across the state”.
That figure pales in comparison to the $383.23 Football Queensland says the AFL receives and the whopping $655.27 per participant in infrastructure investment rugby union is said to bring in.
It should be pointed out Football Queensland’s stats seem a little light on details, not least the time period they’re supposed to have occurred in and whether the participation rates for each sport are entirely accurate.
Plenty of observers in the sunshine state might also be wondering whether Football Queensland, of all governing bodies, should be doling out lectures on good governance in the first place.
At any rate, they felt sufficiently aggrieved to tag Stirling Hinchliffe, the Minister for Sport, and Shannon Fentiman, the Minister for Women, and promised to “continue to highlight the critical need for investment in football here in Queensland as we look ahead to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023”.
And the Women’s World Cup undoubtedly offers Queensland its best chance of finally closing the infrastructure gap and building some much-needed facilities.
Yet this would be the same state government, of course, that didn’t bat an eyelid when three-time A-League champions Brisbane Roar – a team that won all three of those championships in front of more than 50,000 fans at Suncorp Stadium – left the state-run facility to move to the considerably cheaper confines of Moreton Daily Stadium in Redcliffe.
I’ve long suspected one of the main reasons Australian politicians pay football such short shrift is because they understand neither the sport nor the people who are passionate about it.
Why risk getting into a debate about infrastructure funding with a typically fired-up football fan when it’s easier to simply pose for a photo opportunity outside BB Print Stadium in Mackay with some grateful locals the next time the NRL moves a couple money-spinning finals games there?
But as much as our politicians appear to go out of their way to avoid engaging with football, it’s not like the game does itself many favours.
Rightly or wrongly, there’s always been a perception among outside observers that football is a chaotically run, factionally riven code at the best of times.
Frank Lowy bridged the political divide for a while, but even he threw in the towel after Australia’s disastrous bid to host the 2022 World Cup.
A co-hosted Women’s World Cup in 2023 is no small consolation, but unlike the 2000 Olympics – which saw the Gabba upgraded for football, only for the AFL to enjoy the gains – this is an opportunity that cannot be squandered.
There are clubs across Queensland that don’t even have women’s changing rooms.
And with the World Cup less than two years away, it only seems fair to ask: is this finally the time our politicians give football a fair go?
Pedro
Guest
Soccer should investigate the corrupt overseas investors in ownership of oz clubs
Justin Mahon
Roar Rookie
Run a few marginal seat campaigns in my time. Football need to rent up to the political fight.
Objective
Guest
Exactly my point.
Objective
Guest
Oh, and by the way, Folau Faingaa went to Matraville High School before his parents moved out west to Blacktown, and began studying at Hills Sports High School. The Faingaa twins, Saia & Anthony, who are no relation to Folau, went to Eddies. No, thank YOU for playing.
Objective
Guest
I mentioned Rodda ya goose. As for he & Cooper, a couple of years equating to "coming through the system" is debatable. And the discussion was about Australian Rugby. Last time I checked, Auckland wasn't in Australia (nor Tokoroa). Point is, and has been all along, this whole rabbiting on about Rugby being a game for the "rich" (whatever that means) is a fallacy. But if you feel better now, I'm really happy for you.
The PTA has disbanded
Guest
SO, I did check. You instead wrote a bunch of lies. Quade Cooper went to an elite private school, mate. He's a friggin Churchie. Went there in his final 3 years of school. Eight becomes seven. Rodda went to a private school. Seven becomes six. Faingaa went to St Edmunds for goodness sake. St Edmunds. Literally the best rugby school in Australia. Six becomes five. Tupou went to Sacred Heart in Auckland...on a footy scholarship. Five becomes four. And that means I win. You know NOTHING! Thanks for playing.
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
BC Place can still be converted into a Diamond and used for Baseball as well through it has not been used for Baseball since the 90's
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
Moreton Daily Stadiums Upgrades were funded with Sportsrorts money because the Division of Petrie where the Stadium is Located is a Marginal LNP seat and they need to hold on to it next election
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
QLD, WA, SA and Tas all closed there borders but only QLD and WA cop it in the Media because there States with Labor Governments while SA and Tas are Liberal States
Redondo
Roar Rookie
Pea shelled. Have a good week Max.
Winter
Guest
Maximus jealous your aggressive comments that are not based on anything but your own opinion are not needed.
Winter
Guest
That's a good point. Get one football federation going at the national level instead of each state doing its own thing.
Maximus Insight
Guest
"The popularity of the tabs on this multi-sport forum is inversely proportional to the multi-national reach of the sport each tab represents." Actually, it seems to me that rugby is the most popular sport on the roar which obviously has more "multi-national" reach than RL and Australian football. The key point though is that it is a multi-sport forum where soccer is the clear distance fourth. I wasn't making that point in order to trigger the inferiority complex again - though that is clearly what I've done - I was merely stating the obvious fact that if you are so sensitive to anyone commenting on soccer articles that don't share soccer's persecution complex, surely you would hang out somewhere else. "Put more simply, Football fans can choose from a million forums other than the Roar to read and post on; AFL fans are here because they have no choice." Which was actually my point (apart from the "AFL fans have no choice") that I put simply enough: "If you want to wallow in your own collective victim-hood without anyone challenging you, surely there are safe spaces all over the internet for that given how popular soccer is globally?"
Redondo
Roar Rookie
The popularity of the tabs on this multi-sport forum is inversely proportional to the multi-national reach of the sport each tab represents. Put more simply, Football fans can choose from a million forums other than the Roar to read and post on; AFL fans are here because they have no choice. You really should rename yourself Minimus Outsight. Whatever...why don't you just focus on enjoying this week's lead-up to the last game of pro AFL to be played anywhere in the world until February 2022. That's a cause for celebration no matter which code you support!
Maximus Insight
Guest
"I wonder if I will be on the AFL tab telling them that my sport is better then yours. I doubt it." Hahaha, this is like shelling peas. Nobody, not least my self, has remotely said anything like their "sport is better than yours". This is text book inferiority complex. This a discussion on a multi sport forum where soccer is clearly the fourth code, about how a state soccer body has wilfully misrepresented one-off funding other sports have received. If you want to wallow in your own collective victim-hood without anyone challenging you, surely there are safe spaces all over the internet for that given how popular soccer is globally?
c
Roar Rookie
Chris hopefully this will change in a generation or two
c
Roar Rookie
mike you can extrapolate that gap across every state in the nation
Punter
Roar Rookie
Next time the A-League finals are on, or the World cup, or the Asian cup, or the Euros with 'football coming home' or the champions league finals are on, even during the women's WC or the Olympics where football both me & women has a huge presence, I wonder if I will be on the AFL tab telling them that my sport is better then yours. I doubt it. Yet despite having the Melbourne Suburbian finals (the only AFL competition in the world) and some team from Melbourne called the demons about to win their first competition in a long long time, you & peter spend your time on the football tab telling us your sport bigger then ours. Talk about inferior complexes.
Maximus Insight
Guest
Ironically, when I looked at the list, there were more soccer clubs in the sports rorts than any other sport
Maximus Insight
Guest
"Not advocating to the Argentinean extreme, but now may be the time for football fans to collaborate politically as a bloc. Support from federations needs to be given to clubs teach the volunteers how to lobby council (or assist directly) and to push local government to lobby state parliaments. ." Or, you could lobby your clubs and federations to work out how to put a business case together that demonstrates community benefit for public money? "My local club has over 30 teams on 3 grounds and substandard clubrooms. Volunteers are at the club every night to give every team training time. Meanwhile, the footy club across the road has 3 grounds for 5 teams and their facilities are much better." Which footy club and which grounds? I am happy to look it up but I suspect you a full of it.