Something just feels different this time. Football has not made war cries, no ‘choose football as your second code’, or ‘we are coming to get you and claim our place’.
The Australian Professional Leagues (APL) have stated they’re not chasing either AFL or NRL fans, saying that those over and many approaching 40 have already made up their mind, so increasing viewership in this demographic is difficult.
Beyond this, APL have also said that media broadcast revenue will not be the main income earner and they don’t see themselves being able to compete with other codes on traditional media platforms.
Given that traditional media, especially free-to-air, brings in sponsors, government and business influence, it’s a big item to tick off your list.
Not that football won’t be on traditional platforms, it’s just APL does not see this as important as other areas.
APL only want football fans and are directing their efforts at engaging them.
(Photo by Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
They want to connect to the player base, their contacts and others who follow football – often overseas leagues.
APL have said it will take at least three years to rebrand and rebuild the A-League after the turmoil of the last four years. CBS have also reportedly accepted that it’s the back end of the current deal is when things will pick up.
Back to it’s different this time, football’s structure is different, SBS – aside from the World Cup they own – ignore football today, whereas before SBS and PFA agendas often became key discussion points.
Most different is APL has clearly identified who they wish to market to and have invested heavily into developing systems to connect to that market.
To date, the wrap song, the new website Keepup and the CBS ad have all been quality. There are plans to keep expanding Keepup, plus a major use of egames using A-League sides.
Essentially, the APL have identified fans and developed systems to connect to them – and there is much more to come.
The decision not to chase fans of other codes seems a sensible way forward. Rather than have a big bang at the start and fall back, this approach is geared for rebranding football with a view to long-term but steady growth.
The elephant in the room will be future change after stabilising the competition.
Sooner rather than later, Danny Townsend’s position needs to be clarified by taking on the APL CEO role full-time and leave Sydney FC or stay at the club and sit on a board. He cannot run both – aside from it being an obvious conflict of interest, it’s simply too large a task to be a part-time job.
In closing, football doesn’t want to become another AFL or NRL. All the plans are yet to materialise, and we can only hope they are well done, but change is in the air.
Finally having the APL solely focused on developing the professional game in Australia should drive clever decision-making.
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
David V that's a fair observation. Much of the world follows one of the big leagues over and above their domestic league. In the Australian context, English football has always been immensely popular, going back decades, and it probably has more cachet today than it has ever had.
c
Roar Rookie
the afl and (to a somewhat lessor extent) the nrl are unique and will continue to be so
Maximus Insight
Guest
The difference is those countries do not have an equivalent to the AFL an (to a somewhat lessor extent) the NRL. This is what is unique. The new dawners here seem to live in this hell where on one hand they want to condemn the so called "euro snob" for their alleged cultural cringe while, when you strip it back, they rely purely on the cultural cringe in their unhinged venting of their eternal frustrations at the Australian national code for being so popular here. How can you possibly reconcile this?
David V
Guest
One erroneous assumption to make is that Australia is in a unique situation when it comes to domestic football. We aren't. We're honestly not in a radically different situation to a good part of the world where much of the football-crazy public directs its energy to watching foreign leagues on TV. EPL, EFL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and a raft of other European and South American competitions. In SE Asia and the Middle East there's wall-to-wall coverage of these leagues. In many cases, it's been the migrants and expats from Europe and South America who are the "tastemakers" and "influences" upon the local population, coupled with the cultural cringe which assumes anything given to you by them has an air of superior authority. That's just a fact. We're nowhere near as unique in this regard as we imagine ourselves to be.
Midfielder
Roar Guru
Strange the AFLers still wanta play the game of look how big we are compared to you... What they don't seem to comprehend or appreciate is APL have agreed ... Lets look at some simple logic... Most white males over 40 either follow sport or they don't follow sport or have a passing interest only..... those that either don't follow sport or only have a passing interest are not going to change and their sports viewing will be small to nil. Most white males over 40 who follow a particular code don't change their mind... they stay with that code... Accordingly APL have said its no use even trying in this part of the market ... Those that follow football in this market will stay ... APL have identified its far easier to get Football fans to the A-League than to convert AFL & NRL fans across... The logic is simple....
Grem
Roar Rookie
Patty Mills starred against the world at the recent Olympic Games and is starring in the NBA - that's a WORLD class competition. The AFL can never match that. And lucky he didn't play AFL as he may have been booed out of the game. The present golden generation of basketball is far greater than anything AFL has. A bit more pigeon shit for you to digest!
Maximus Insight
Guest
Haha, this wins the thread!
Punter
Roar Rookie
Australia is indeed a unique sporting nation. I agree with your assertion that not everyone would know Arnie is the Socceroos coach, but then you could say the same, I doubt many people in Sydney or Brisbane could tell you who won the Brownlow or the Norm Smith medals this year, likewise in Melbourne & definitely Perth & Adelaide would they not know who won the Daily M or the Clive Churchill?
The Ball Bobbled
Roar Rookie
It's a bit like a mouse saying "you have nothing to fear from me" to an elephant
Maximus Insight
Guest
Grem, you are the proverbial pidgeon who shits on the chess board than parades around like it won the match. From that link there were 14 male irish players on lists out of 800 AFL players. Most the irish players are rookies and will not make it as regular players. Two of those players are permanent fixtures in their senior teams and maybe two more are fringe 22 players. They are invariably the best kids from a game with considerably overlap. Compare this with about 20% of the starting 11 at recent WC qualifiers were scottish (presumably with an Australian parent..,..we are talking a very small "talent pool" here). These two have some squeezed out 2 players from the 17 million people playing soccer in australia for a spot on the national team. 2 players from the 800 people scottish children of an Australian parent in Australian national team versus 2 Players from Irelands national sport in 400 "best 22" players in the AFL What was that about "whale oil beef hooked"?
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
#Punter Thanks for your reply - - the comparison to Ireland is of course interesting given the GAA amatuer status. The Australian context of 4 professional football codes in a nation of around 25 million is the basis of my assertion. Given that Australia also runs pro basketball, netball, cricket etc and arguably more semi-pro womens leagues in more sports than other nations - and that's ignoring the resources going into things like Tennis, the F1 GP, the nags.... So - - I'm happy to assert that Australian soccer is working in an environment that is arguably unimaginable by Euro soccer. Here in Australia - (arguably) everyone knows the name of the Australian Cricket captain.....not the coach of the Socceroos or the leader of the Federal opposition.......and before Covid - didn't know the premiers of the other states!!
Punter
Roar Rookie
The same can be said about all the local state leagues pale into insignificant in comparison to the AFL. Croatia, a country of 4 million has a local league that has lower attendances then the A-League, however I was there when this little country qualified for the world cup final in 2018 & you could see what a footballing nation this was. When you look at the attendances around the world in sport, you find most of the 1st world nations US, England, Australia Germany top the list. 1st world nations are very limited these days.
Punter
Roar Rookie
The simple fact is what you don't know, you don't know. Most people in Europe think Australia is a Rugby nation. While no-one else has 4 football codes, the Irish has 3 football codes plus Hurling, the English also has 3 football codes they also have cricket (like us) Snooker, Athletics is huge there too. France has 2 football codes & RL a minor 3rd, but they have cycling, Alpine sports, Handball. Most Northern European teams have football, handball & Ice hockey. Southern Europe have Football, Basketball is huge & Rugby is played there too & motor racing is another level & likewise Cycling
Martyn50
Roar Rookie
The fact of the matter is soccer in Australia is a sport that sports fans will watch in the summer prior to test matches and the BBL start up. Back after the end of WW2 when Australia took many eastern european migrants soccer was expected to take off due to those people wanting to establish themselves in Australia. Didnt happen. The massive influx of 10 pd Poms in the 1960/1970's was expected to create interest in soccer. Didn't happen. Soccer will have it's place in Australian sport. But until it restructures it's will always be a poor cousin to AFL,RL.
Grem
Roar Rookie
I know what you’re thinking Maximus – whale oil beef hooked.
Punter
Roar Rookie
OK I'll play your little game, I mean we play Ice hockey in Australia. There is no professional league outside of Australia. Little old A-League, the one you belittle so often is 100 times bigger then any AFL competition outside of Australia.
Grem
Roar Rookie
Aussie Rules – List of Irish players in the AFL 2021 https://www.sportsnewsireland.com/other_sports/aussie-rules-list-of-irish-players-in-the-afl-2019/ You don't need to worry about Scotland as you're already being swamped by the Irish! Ireland - another elite AFL nation.
Martyn50
Roar Rookie
"AFL no-one else plays" Is played in nearly every country. Plenty of ex Australians that have created their own competition. When there is no competition as such ,plenty of social matches with a BBQ and beers after. Hard to make the voice heard over soccer in Europe, and South America. Same getting a voice in the USA
Maximus Insight
Guest
"And compared to Europe…….Australia is arguably the worlds most competitive domestic ‘Football’ market. And the best parallel for soccer in Australia is basketball……..again…..healthy participation but struggles to cut through re broadcasting and pales in comparison to the top international leagues and tournaments." And yet - despite finishing third in the recent Olympics - you'd be hard up finding an Australian basketball fan anywhere claiming the sporting talent in Oz basketball overall exceeds that of the AFL
Maximus Insight
Guest
Where are you getting that the AFL and NRL draw from the same talent pool? You asserted that, based purely on participation numbers, the AFL and NRL must be a lower standard than Australian soccer. Your total support for this assertion is a link to an international rules game. More kids play Australian football in NSW now than in South Australia. And yet at the recent draft period there were 13 South Australians selected and only 1 NSW player. Does that mean the general athletic talent pool many times better in South Australia than NSW? According to the Ausplay survey, almost as many kids play Aus Football (4.9%) now in NSW than Rugby League (5.6%). Does that mean the NSW players in the AFL are almost equal to the NSW SoO team? You would not find one AFL fan would claim that to be the case. The pool is not the same because of 1. A (very) unequal distribution of talent to start with. The culturally dominant sport gets the lions share of athletic talent 2. The resources available to develop that talent 3. The quality of the identification and development systems Event though most of them never make it, loads of kids in Victoria move out of an NPL youth team (having to pay $2K a year so the club can pay for some pom from the english 7th tier) at 15 to trial with the AFL NAB league. That's the extent they are drawing from the same talent pool. I'll start using the competitiveness of the Socceroos as a reference for the quality of the AFL when the AFL starts getting over run with players from the Scottish "talent pool"