After the astronomical ratings achieved during the Matildas’ run to the semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup and the continued levels of support given to the Socceroos’ stellar efforts on the world stage, the soon-to-be-announced corporate broadcast deal that embraces Australia’s national football teams should be one of the most financially significant ever seen in Australia.
The eyeballs on the Matildas during their World Cup run were unprecedented. The figures blew every sport, event, tournament and/or games into oblivion, much to the chagrin of plenty of supporters of the colonial endeavours that have for too long denied the game the support it deserved.
State of Origin and AFL Grand Final figures were obliterated, not just smashed, and Australia finally stepped into the new world, where the world game teased the nation in terms of exactly just how big it could become in the long term.
Sam Kerr. (Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images)
For many of us, it was no surprise. Yet for the odd knuckle-dragging Neanderthal intent on deriding the sport based on rather primeval and simplistic references to cowardice and simulation, the bigger picture remained beyond them.
Football continues to surge in participation across Australia, with the women’s game leading the way and never before have more young and exciting players been plying their trade in overseas leagues; ever respected thanks to the performances of both the Matildas and the Socceroos.
It does seem that, with the head trauma issues in the collision sport of rugby league ever increasing, the isolationist and protectionist policies stemming from AFL House in Melbourne remaining nothing but bully-boy tactics in a narrow market and the erosion of rugby union from within, as the suits bicker and stab to the point of hilarity, football might finally be positioned to take advantage.
Especially at an international level, with the Matildas and Socceroos at unprecedented levels of popularity. Yet what exactly are Australia’s international football teams worth?
The AFL and NRL both desperately sought billion-dollar deals in the recent past. The southerners managed a $4.5 billion arrangement across seven years, which the code hoped would settle the nerves post-pandemic and continue to provide the cash required to prop up struggling AFL clubs and the AFLW as a whole.
NRL folk were a little underwhelmed when their $2 billion deal was struck across the 2023-2027 seasons, and the AFL appeared to have taken a firm and dominant position, yet both were struck prior to the latest Socceroos efforts at the World Cup and the Women’s team’s gallant run on home soil.
That begs a very simple question.
Considering the near 11 million Aussies that were watching the Matildas do battle in the World Cup semi-final against England, and the somewhere near three million who tuned in to watch the AFL and NRL deciders respectively, are the rights to Australia’s football teams now far more valuable than both?
The domestic codes will always be limited by restricted interest and an insular mindset that disparages football at their own expense, while rugby union appears hell-bent on killing itself at the grassroots thanks to excessive investment in middle management.
Ruggers’ ignorant approach to development and growth appears to hold a fanciful view that top-tier players will appear by magic, as ex-players and administrators continue to pursue self-interest in the game, and the code simply withers on the vine at the community level.
Football Australia CEO James Johnson spoke recently of the undergoing negotiations around the portion of the game governed by the body he leads.
Where the next APL, A-Leagues and Paramount+ deal lands will be an interesting watch, but in terms of Johnson’s hand in negotiations as he looks to lock in the broadcast arrangements for the national terms in the short term, the most significant administrator in the land does appear to hold a hand of aces.
With an Asian Cup on the Horizon for the men’s team, the Matildas heading off to the Olympics in France next year and the Socceroo’s World Cup qualifiers coming on thick and fast across the next 12 months, he should be asking top price and then demanding more.
Football has a broadcast earning capacity like no other national endeavour and if Football Australia have played their cards right, the benefits could be extreme and unparalleled.
If Johnson sells the international game short to the corporates, many will be incredibly disappointed. However, if he has indeed got the basics of a mega deal across the line, as he alluded to last week, the game will benefit greatly and the wave of interest in the domestic game will continue to feed into the well-funded and successful national teams.
Australian football is looking as good as it ever has and the national teams broadcast deal will hopefully reflect that fact, with the other codes ever wary of the yawning giant that is football in Australia.
Grem
Roar Rookie
Who knows if our AFL players would be of a standard that they’d be wanted by overseas clubs if they existed? They may be well below international standard - who would know? And they do come from a participation base that is about half the size of football.
RT
Roar Rookie
Oh yeah hahaha, it was such a great response. :shocked:
RT
Roar Rookie
Absolute nonsense. So how many people have to play a sport for it to not be stagnant? 20 million? 50 million? 1 billion? Footy continually evolves and moreso than soccer because it has so many more dimensions. That's probably too hard for you to understand though. Teenage boys I hear certainly talk AFL and much much more than soccer. But like I said, no mention of A League. If you think they can't name an AFL player then it is you who lives in an insular world, not me. You must love Australian Football based on all your opinions, or are you just a hypocrite?
Football Fan
Roar Rookie
Hahaha, exactly, any answer to that RT? Do you get our point now?
chris1
Roar Rookie
RT you don’t like the sport much but you are full of opinions on it. You are glad that your game is not international because you get to keep all your “good” players here. Maybe if you actually had a think about that, you might realise that its actually a huge negative. Your sport is stagnant and lacks innovation because frankly there are not enough players, coaches, technology etc pushing you to be better. You are in a vacuum of mediocrity but you are too insular to even realise it. And saying teenage boys are not talking A League is saying what? They discuss Messi and Mbappe no doubt. They may occasionally talk about a worldy in the A League. I doubt they are talking AFL as they wouldn’t be able to name even 1 player.
Grem
Roar Rookie
You are glass half full! Are they at the same time the worst players in the world?
Grem
Roar Rookie
They’re also the worst in the world!
Brepen
Roar Rookie
Hmm That was round 1 this year, not even including free to air numbers or all numbers . NRL ROUND 1 MAKES HISTORY ON FOX SPORTS - Sharks v Rabbitohs over 630k viewers (#1 NRL regular season game all-time for Foxtel) - Dolphins v Roosters over 567k viewers (#1 Sunday arvo NRL regular season game all-time for Foxtel) - Panthers v Broncos over 552k viewers (#1 Friday NRL regular season game all-time for Foxtel) - Eels v Storm over 546k viewers (#1 opening NRL game all-time for Foxtel)
Grem
Roar Rookie
Four x one off results by one team – that’s good analysis Ad Tastic . And the Socceroos have had two extremely close losses to world champions at two real World Cups. I think your opinions (and that’s all they are) are needed more on the rugby union pages. If you are a rugby union follower I can understand your saltiness and jealousy of a team that is performing well in a genuine and large world competition. The Wallabies, unfortunately, are in a world of pain in their little world and perhaps you could give them some more of your “advice” because the Socceroos are going fine without it. 11th best team at the last World Cup (according to FIFA) and the best coach (rated by renowned French publication L’Equipe) – but what would they know – just ask Ad Tastic.
Ad Tastic
Roar Rookie
You can absolutely have 4 shock results. It's called a small sample size. That's why tournaments go for more than 4 games. Usually the cream rises by the end and that's why Argentina have 3 WCs and are perennial contenders and the Socceroos have never won a knockout game, despite a close result in a one off game. And it's not my opinion that the Socceroos are bad. It's the opinion of the biggest clubs and best managers in the game that do things like win important trophies at the highest level and get paid millions to do it. They don't sign Socceroos for their teams. Sorry, but I'm gonna side with the actions of a paid professional with a stack of trophies on his CV over a parochial amateur that lives in a football backwater and spends too much time thinking about AFL and NRL.
Grem
Roar Rookie
I think there were four x one off results! Can you have four x one off results? Ad Tastic can if it relates to football! You only have your opinion, which is worth nothing. You just sprout your opinions and not facts. It wasn’t me who determined that the Socceroos were the 11th best team at the last World Cup. It was the organisers – fact. It’s you who is the troll on the football site denigrating the outstanding performances of the Socceroos. I only discuss rugby league and AFL with the trolls like you who come on this site to be a pest. You won’t see me in other sections unless I have something that I think is useful to say – that isn’t just putting down their sport. I suggest you do the same. And any country that has up to 2 million people playing football, has a women’s team that came 4th at the last World Cup and a men’s team ranked 11th at the last World Cup, hosted the most successful Women’s World Cup ever, and has had all television viewing records (not just sport, but all television shows) smashed by the Matildas – is – guess what Ad Tastic – is a football nation (and that’s also the opinion of the head of FIFA). Now go back to your little sport and enjoy beating no one else in the world or Papua New Guinea and other little nations – wow!
Ad Tastic
Roar Rookie
A one off result against a superior team doesn't prove anything. Happens all the time in football. If you actually watched the sport as much as you say you do you could work that out pretty easy. But I doubt you do, considering you dont live in a football country and you spend most of your time talking about NRL and AFL.
Grem
Roar Rookie
No, they are 27th, which places them ahead of Ecuador, Chile, Poland, Wales, Scotland, Serbia, Hungary, Nigeria, Tunisia and all those other CONMEBOL, CAF, and European nations that are the best, according to you. Nothing irrelevant about 27 in this huge sporting world. Why have FIFA world rankings? Just ask Ad Tastic, his opinions mean more than actual facts – just ask him!
Ad Tastic
Roar Rookie
29th actually. Which is still a touch generous. Some may think thats good, but it still makes them one of the worst squads at the WC. I dont think its particularly good. Certainly it doesnt make them in any way relevant to the global conversation.
Grem
Roar Rookie
You really show yourself to have no idea – we had to beat Peru (the next best team) from CONMEBOL to get to the last World Cup and at the World Cup we were unluckily beaten 2-1 in the round of 16 by the best team in CONMEBOL and the best team in the world -Argentina. Lucky for them they had the GOAT – Messi or we would have beaten them, too. At the last World Cup we also beat Tunisia (the best team from CAF) and at two World Cups in a row Denmark (one of the best teams in Europe) have drawn with and lost to the Socceroos. You truly have no idea and no facts – stick to whatever little game you watch and stay there.
Grem
Roar Rookie
I know who is deluded. Because you probably follow a little sport with no or virtually no world game you just don’t want to acknowledge the achievements of our Socceroos. The fact is the Socceroos are close enough to top 10% in the world – ranked 27 out of over 220 countries in a real, actual and very big world and were 11th best team at the last World Cup. They are good – you just can’t admit it and don’t want to! I do agree with you on one point – I would never tell people to go watch NRL or AFL – both just domestic games that have no or virtually no international footprint. I see them as a waste of time, especially when one is played in 2 states only with very few participants – they are deluded if they think the quality is great. Lucky there’s virtually nothing to compare to. The other game is at least played nationally, from more participants, but no one else in the world is interested in playing or watching it (that is definitely being stuck in an Australian bubble)- how good could that game be? And I agree with their judgement (like throwing a chip to seagulls).
Ad Tastic
Roar Rookie
You're entitled to delude yourself about the quality of the Socceroos. Many people do. But telling people to go watch NRL or AFL isnt an argument. It's an admission you're stuck in an Australian bubble.
matth
Roar Guru
So others’ previous bad behavior (not on the Roar) justifies this current bad behavior? Okay then
RT
Roar Rookie
chris1, no I don’t watch A-League because I don’t like the sport very much. It is not about the quality for me. What I am saying is it is seems to be about the quality for a lot of soccer fans who prefer to follow overseas leagues. That is why I am saying it is a shame for the A-League. I can tell you teenage boys love talking about soccer, but they are not talking about A-League players. You are trying to win an argument you can’t win because we have different perspectives. I am writing as someone who loves attending live sport, so that is why I am quite happy that footy is not international. Because otherwise the top players would leave and the games I watch would not be as good. Yes there would be friendlies and World Cups, but I am talking about week in, week out attendance. That’s what I enjoy, not watching matches on TV or occasional internationals. Another story, but I think it is a great shame for Gaelic football that a lot of their best players come here because they want to be a professional sportsman. They should turn professional, financially rewards those who put on the show and keep their players at home.
RT
Roar Rookie
I am just replying to someone's comment about ratings that was way off. I didn't bring it up. Yes, AFL ratings in Sydney and Brisbane are low but I would guess (note I am admitting to guessing, unlike the other person quoting figures) they are better than equivalent A-League ratings. (By equivalent I mean comparing matches between codes that are both feature a local team, or both don't). But so what?