Melbourne got exactly what it wanted from the FIFA Women's World Cup

Wow, what a timely article. The sporting capital of the “world” has just reneged on the Commonwealth Games. Should only cost them 2 billion dollars to break the contract. That would have built a nice football stadium or two or three!

no mate - - a defence of Melbourne (a great city) and a defence of the AFL (has nothing to apologise for when the FA and FIFA come riding into town in June/July/August). The NRL has no bargaining power on stadia - - but are thankful of being able to retreat to and share venues used for (including owned by the) AFL. It's interesting when you try to assert just the same 3 cities year in year out......hmm....interesting. Ironic in both NSW and Qld that the AFL is producing in 2023 an average attendance in each state of over 20K (22K+ and 21K+ respectively)......that's inclusive of the GWS and Suns. Swans avg home crowd of 31K and Brisbane of 26K. The interesting thing is - - you're writing those off. Dismissing them. The Swans crowd is better than ALL NSW based NRL clubs and only topped by the Broncos. The Brisbane Lions equals the Roosters home avg. So......your dismissiveness is interesting. And then to the 2022/23 A-League and the best home avg was 17,008 by Sydney FC in the home of Australian Soccer.......a competition average crowd of 7,477.......coming back from Covid and THAT was it?!?!?! So again - - I suggest your dismissiveness is interesting.

#Para+Ten etc etc the $30 dollar option was bought at the up front cost of $30million; plus the guaranteed patronage over 25 years at very, very steep rates. Clubs based at Docklands were struggling to break even on attendances that down the road at Geelong would deliver a $600,000 profit. So...........don't you worry - - the 'canny deal' as you put it; the AFL was paying through the nose for it and THAT's why it was such an imperative to buy out the stadium early - And we get a pretty good idea of the 'cost' to the industry via the price - around $200 million - paid in 2016 to buy it out 8-9 years early. The land the stadium was built on was NOT gifted to the AFL. The AFL was NOT part of the consortium building/owning/operating the venue. The then Kennett Govt didn't have cash to splash; but effectively gifted land to a number of developers to attract them to the Docklands Urban renewal project. A centre piece being.........the stadium.....originally conceived as a rectangular venue but with no Govt cash to splash - it all came down to market interest and that's where the AFL were lured across. This is all common knowledge. Your desire to portray this as a godfather deal to the AFL is well off the mark. The AFL had no active 'ownership' stake in the venue until either 2025 (upon paying $30.00) or buying it out early. Until then - the AFL was a locked in as an indentured tenant. Your ignorance of the situation is somewhat understandable; your desire to argue it despite this; is.....interesting to say the least.

#Grem No mate. It's simply a case of understanding the metrics you reference in an argument. There's a massive, massive difference between paid up registered participants in official competitions and........saying on the phone that you kicked a soccer ball in the backyard after school or played FIFA on a console (extreme examples). About 5 years ago I compared and contrasted the AFL Annual report 'participation' and the FFA participation census. From the specific purpose of establishing just what metrics were actually comparable. Why? Because all codes want to pump themselves up as best they can. That review was one of the last pre covid clean comparisons able to be conducted and post Covid arguably 2023 is the first 'dust settled' year without stringent pretty broad isolation rules etc etc. Back then the FFA reported 1.85 million (haven't yet returned to those numbers based on the 2022 report) and the AFL 1.65 million. Both impressive numbers. The interest to me - is always to dig into the numbers a bit. I never believe something just because I want to and if feels too good to be true then it probably is just that. You on the other hand - - have not grasped this at all. That and you live in Sydney which is the - far and away - the soccer capital of Australia so you only know what you live.

I am sensing a little stress there Mike, have you thought about meditation

Ok, let me remove the cerebral heavy lifting for you. 1. Rugby is a world game. 2. Football is a world game, the biggest and most global of them all. 3. AFL is a pocketed game. It cannot expand beyond the shores of this continent. It has reached its zenith. Its only opportunity for expansion at the moment is a move that would leave the game about as popular Tony Abbott a Me Too convention. 4. Both Football and Rugby can expand, and with the former, we are only seeing the first signs of growth. 5. Unlike AFL with its objectionable stance, its completely overt blocking tactics, its commercial media collaboration to lock football out, Rugby and Football can see the parallels, they can see the opportunities they have, so they are collaborating. AFL has nobody to collaborate with, AFL has no opportunity for expansion. This is not about men, women, north, south east, west, it's all at the strategic level. It's about a code doing what's best for its future. Some can do that, one can't.

FIL "And thus I return to my point, mature, intelligent collaboration between Rugby and Football is sidestepping the requirement for a stadium to be built." The equivalency fail you have is that you're comparing Ballymore co-hosting Brisbane Roar's womens team as an ongoing business arrangement with........what? This article acknowledges that the lack of a larger rectangular venue is the problem. But then still manages to attack the AFL for.......going about its business at the stadium it 100% owns and at the MCG where it has 40 year leases that underpin the non-govt funding to build the venue. The AFL at Marvel has illustrated how a 'mature/adult' cooperation CAN occur - - Melbourne Storm playing 2 games there, the Matildas played on Friday night before 2 AFL games at the same venue....... ......so what's the issue? What's the single factor that makes FIFA WC matches at Marvel (or the MCG) impossible? It's not the AFL. Not the Vic Govt. It's FIFA. Deal with it......it's FIFA that is incapable of .....and I'll use your phrasing here.....it's FIFA that is incapable of 'mature, intelligent collaboration'.

ahahahahahaahahaa

so you’re admitting that AFL cannot compete with a sport that dwarfs AFL in participation numbers? You’re right there is no equivalency. This is a global sport versus a backyard sport. This is a sport that is growing, where as AFL has peaked, the opportunities for any growth hinge on Tasmania, which would essentially require billions of dollars of expenditure on a stadium, which could be spent on homelessness, food for the needy, protection for sufferers of domestic violence. You have come full circle. And thus I return to my point, mature, intelligent collaboration between Rugby and Football is sidestepping the requirement for a stadium to be built.

again you demonstrate a micro focus mentality vice that of a macro/strategic perspective

I have to question your ability to understand and interpret social skills and proactive collaboration. I guess Chris1 is on the money in his post about the somewhat closed, introspective Victorian attitude. What you are demonstrating is an inability think strategically. It's never too late to upskill, every day is a learning day.

Do you want me to help you? Cant you do the research, is that an admission of knowledge deficiency? Is this an inability to acquire knowledge? I don't have to help you, you're an adult, surely you can help yourself? Where I come from and the way I was trained, if you don't have what you need, if you don't have the knowledge you need, you do what you have to to ensure that you are appropriately prepared. Can I suggest a departure from social media and a venture into geo-political information. You wont find that sort of knowledge on social media

And still I ponder the relevance. The national team with their last game before a home WC……..vs a club competition. You contrast should instead be to the W-League (or A-League Womens?). You again have no idea what so ever of equivalency. It’s like talking to a 10 year old. Seriously.

MM, you can continue to argue, and I am happy to offer sound factual response. If you would like to shift focus to Marvel Stadium, lets talk about the fact that the Matildas just set a record for ticket sales at Marvel. A complete sell out in a matter of minutes. Not seeing the AFLW going there.

Perhaps if rugby league and football had more scrappy and untidy play, with the ball dribbling along the ground and people trying to grab it and quickly pass it or kick it (ever seen seagulls getting chips at a beach - the game is certainly unique) then they’d attract bigger crowds in Melbourne!

“Football continues to power ahead at grassroots in Australia with football’s participation figures hitting 1.95 million thanks in large part to a continuing spike in women and girls’ participation. In the national football census released today by Football Federation Australia (FFA), the number of females playing the most popular club-based participation sport in the country rose by 11%.” I realise there are many different figures out there with different criteria used, but the figures always show FOOTBALL is the most participated in sport in Australia.

oh dear Munro Mike all out attack on the rectangular codes. All those massive AFL crowds happen in the same 3 cities year in year out... NRL a long way behind for crowds but are seeing a huge increase this season, NZ Warriors leading the way! Big FIFA women's world cup underway, all those female AFL participants might have second thoughts about which code they want to play after its finished.

FIL: just answer the question…..

Seriously? Childish false equivalency. What’s Ballymore?? Compared to Marvel Stadium. All that’s happening is Rugby are allowing Roar to play there. Big whoop. This article is attacking the AFL over Marvel stadium not being available for the soccer WC. That’s NOT an equivalency. The equivalency is that Melbourne Storm are playing a couple of games at Marvel as well that the Matildas got a Friday night slot there. Adult - real world……btw - - do you even comprehend the difference in investment into Marvel compared to Ballymore. You probably don’t which again illustrates your ignorance on this.

Why else was Lowy so desperate to secure Docklands stadium. Seriously. He had options. He was desperate for the AFL to be disrupted to the maximum……THAT was the legacy he was after. Either that - or he was just a plain stupid old man following a pie in the sky dream and slightly unhinged from reality. You tell me. Old and dumb or old and strategic.