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Welcome to the Tigers Marlion Pickett!
- Thread starter tigersnake
- Start date
Considering that AFL is purely a home grown n local game then money and competition growth should be the first, second and third considerations of AFLHQ because having a strong competition across the entirety of Oz is the one n only way that the game will properly survive and thrive.
Guess what???? That means that them fancy arsed Northern clubs and Taswegieland all need a serious boost up in their initial 20 or 30 years to be consistently competitive and possibly create a history n generational growth. Without it we go back to being a VFL, WAFL n SANFL while Soccer n NRL competely take over as the major footy codes. Aint no player welfare or whatever rights or agendas you want to whinge about if the AFL doesn't remain a strong, robust n financial competition.
Can't see how NRL will ever take over. A totally uninteresting sport. Imo NT and Tas should have been prioritised over second teams in NSW and QLD. At least they are footy states and would have created organic, not manufactured, interest. The plastic teams, even after all this time, average 11k home crowds with their subsidised memberships and how many of the crowd are visiting opposition supporters? Waste of money being spent to prop them up year after year. Also there are too many clubs. It has severely diluted the quality of players in each team and affects the quality and brand of the game. Growth doesn't always equate to success, every business person knows that, it's the return on investment and the NSW/QLD experiment returns nothing on investment and never will. Soccer is already the most played sport in Australia, over double that of AFL, almost 7 times that of rugby league.
Have held a minor interest in NRL for close on 50 years n always followed a *smile* load more Aussie rules even without including my following of the Tigers. Last four or five years n Tigers aside I'd much rather watch an NRL game than Aussie rules.
Totally narrow minded view tigerlove. NSW and QLD combined would carry perhaps 45% of the country's population and have had almost no prior interest or following of AFL. N.T. and Taswegia carry perhaps 5% of the country's population and both areas would have strong pre chosen AFL club followings. So there's virtuall nil future growth factor, nor meedjia / corporate financial input to the game. Pick up 10 / 15 / 20 % plus the compounding future generational growth of the population of NSW. QLD. showing interest in AFL and it's a mega growth, meedjia, corporate n financial factor.
There was a massive boost to the game when S. A. n W. A. got to bring teams into the old VFL comp many years ago and the extra teams going into the Northern states are already just starting to be the next boost for the game. I'm way to old to see the fruition of that northern push but in another fifteen or twenty years it will be totally normal to think of the game as truly national and those two new clubs will be bringing the first F / S kids through their clubs. just as Sydaknee n Brisvegas are doing.
The NSW/QLD experiment is a failure. And no I'm not narrow-minded (poor comment from you), I have considered all scenarios. The only reason Sydney & Brisbane are faring better is because they already had a strong Victorian following being ex-Victorian clubs. GWS and Gold Coast have virtually zero following after all these years, I don't see how that grows the game, honestly it's an embarrassment, as many knew it would be. Richmond vs GWS grand final, GWS tickets were allocated to Tigers due to lack of demand. TAS will fare much better as they will have an organic, real following. As I said growth isn't necessary a good thing if it's being propped up with no return. AFL will never die and will never be overtaken by NFL in the AFL states. It's an uninteresting one-dimensional sport in comparison. Crowds are as strong as ever and it's not coming from NSW/QLD growth. One team in those states was plenty. SA and WA different argument, they are AFL states and can support 2 teams and made sense. Less teams induces a better spectacle, better players on average in each team. Creates growth but not by expansion of the competition. Agree to disagree. It is what it is.
You're wrong. Footy is booming in SE Qld and the Suns are building a following. Go to one of their home games and you'll hear them.
Look no further than the Suns Academy
The 4 local kids they took last year's draft has had a big impact with the youth in SE Qld
South East Qld is full of ex-Victorians, I'm afraid that's what you're hearing. Home crowds in their first year 19k, 2nd year 13. 6k. This year 13.6k. Fair proportion are interstate supporters. I fail to see where this growth is. I am open to any evidence a bit more convincing than you can hear them.
It’s has to be a generational 30 year bet.
I don’t follow it all but what are the junior sport level participation growth rates in these new markets? It’s when those people chose their entertainment and their kids entertainment that we find out if bet paid off. Agree with you there is no latent underlying demand. 40+ year olds aren’t going to change their first sport of preference quickly. Although the afl could be driving some away.
Ah, your namesake is WA I think. Either way, you're a long way from Queensland.
Yep. Runaway Brisbane hating Fitzroy supporters and Covid dashers.
Agree. Swans have been in Sydney for over 40 years. Where's the generational shift? GWS in West Sydney was just a total brain fade imo. I've done many business trips to that area and being VIC, you're just the butt of silly AFL jokes the whole time. That mentality flows onto the kids. I just think the wrong market was chosen. It's not about how many people to tap into, it's how many would realistically follow AFL within the market and what competition there is. TAS is already pro-AFL.
We have to also remember there's a multicultural shift in Australia with population growth driven by immigration . I think soccer is the biggest beneficiary of this shift.
Been to Queensland and Gold Coast many times. But to me the proof is in the numbers. As an example Gold Coast membership and ticketing revenue in 2018 was $7.3 mill. In 2023 $7.7mill. That's negative growth taking into account inflation. I just don't see the growth in financials or crowds. I do see increased losses despite the handouts (their stadium deal is atrocious mind you).
Maybe it's too early to judge but I don't think so, GC is for surfing and moving up from Victoria to retire.
Anyway I've said enough. I'm sure many disagree.
Firstly, I assume that you are not a very tall person, as usual the point of my post has flown straight over your head.
Secondly, to ensure "that the game will properly survive and thrive" the AFL should be pumping multi-millions of dollars into junior and feeder leagues (by the way, just in case you didn't know - they're not). Instead they are pumping millions into the suits at AFL house.
Seriously mate - could you try to read and understand someones post before replying. My point was not a whinge about rights or agendas - it was that the AFL are completely disingenuous when they champion these social causes. They don't give a toss about them. They only care about money. And FFS stop using the word competition. It isn't a competition and hasn't been one for a long, long time.
