If international Aussie rules ever took off?

[papabear]

Would it cease becoming an Australian experience and just be an experience in its own right.

Or will it always be an australian experience?

I would hazard that it wouldn't be an australian experience then, the game would be just what it is, like league union cricket soccer ping pong.

 

[The_Wookie]

Having talked to the USAFL guys, they believe its critical to have australians involved in the game so that people understand not only the game but the culture it comes from. In Canada, they work with a group called AussieX - literally the Aussie Experience - a program which AFL Europe is now actively looking to replicate.

 

[fabulousphil]

Having talked to the USAFL guys, they believe its critical to have australians involved in the game so that people understand not only the game but the culture it comes from. In Canada, they work with a group called AussieX - literally the Aussie Experience - a program which AFL Europe is now actively looking to replicate.

You would have to think, that the spreading or growing of the game internationally is a growth market economically, instead of importing knowledge and people as other sports do, we would be exporting it through coaching, experienced players etc .

Whilst at the same time it has been documented that many players come to Australia to experience and improve their football skills, am i not talking AFL listed players, but guys playing ammos and suburban and country leagues.

 

[jatz14]

To be an economic growth market, people would need to pay. I do not know of any overseas club that could or would pay to import players or coaches. At the moment, expat Australians with experience in country footy or a good ammo league are more than skilled enough for the task, and they are all volunteers.

As to the original post, Aussie footy is so uniquely identified with Australia that I think it will be an Aussie experience for decades to come. For something like cricket, Australia was first able to match it with the originating country in the 19th century, completely different.

For it to be something other than an Aussie experience, overseas players would need a pantheon of players and coaches from there own country considered to be legends of the game. Then new players could come along without referencing Australian history and primacy. No one posting on these boards will live to see that I expect.

 

[cos789]

To be an economic growth market, people would need to pay.

If you are saying that there is a need to rise to the level of charging for ground admittance I totally agree, but in the mean time there are other revenue streams of lesser value like sponsorships. Also there are significant economies in tournaments as in the USA and Europe.

I do not know of any overseas club that could or would pay to import players or coaches. At the moment, expat Australians with experience in country footy or a good ammo league are more than skilled enough for the task, and they are all volunteers.

That is the situation atm, but there scholarship type schemes in some cases to allow for the importation of talent.

As to the original post, Aussie footy is so uniquely identified with Australia that I think it will be an Aussie experience for decades to come.

In most places AR is identified and promoted positively as being "Australian".
There are many other places where it's another form of football known as "AFL".

For it to be something other than an Aussie experience, overseas players would need a pantheon of players and coaches from there own country considered to be legends of the game. Then new players could come along without referencing Australian history and primacy.

There are plenty of places where the "Australian" in AFL is hardly referenced now without the game reaching national heights as you seem to imply. In some countries they (football people) will rush to meet an Australian to see if they can gain some extra knowledge of the game in other places they are largely indifferent of the Australians.
Most AFCs overseas value the Australian because they assume Australians have an in depth knowledge of the game but that doesn't equate to Australians owning the game, however the developments like AFL Europe probably do go some way in promoting that idea.

 

[cos789]

You would have to think, that the spreading or growing of the game internationally is a growth market economically, instead of importing knowledge and people as other sports do, we would be exporting it through coaching, experienced players etc .

Probably Australia's only chance of an expanding export market these days.

Whilst at the same time it has been documented that many players come to Australia to experience and improve their football skills, am i not talking AFL listed players, but guys playing ammos and suburban and country leagues.

In discussions about the 2014 IC I was staggered at the number of players that have made the effort to come to Australia to widen their football experience.

 

[MortlockWatcher]

First, we need a second country for it to be a standout national sport and play Australia competitively for the game to start being taken seriously. But reality says that will never happen. Mickey mouse rules games against Ireland doesn't cut it for either sport and the time passed years ago for us to make inroads. We lost New Zealand when World War I came around and few countries have enough venues that can host Australian Rules Football matches for it to be more than a small-scale novelty.

 

[Sydney Bloods]

Never happen, not unless we did some plastic micky mouse bullshit and started a team in NZ supposedly representing NZ filled it with Australians and played in empty stadiums for 2 decades.

Until they arsed their way into the finals.

After that we could get everyone that's less then 67th generation Aussie to represent some other foreign country and put on a world cup.

 

[MortlockWatcher]

Just like Rugby League LOL

 

[cos789]

First, we need a second country for it to be a standout national sport.

I thought Australian Football was already a standout national sport.

play Australia competitively for the game to start being taken seriously.

I thought Australian Football was already taken seriously.

Mickey mouse rules games against Ireland doesn't cut it for either sport.

And was never meant to be however it has been a little usefull at lower levels.

few countries have enough venues that can host Australian Rules Football matches.

Not much of an issue at all.

 

[cos789]

Having talked to the USAFL guys, they believe its critical to have australians involved in the game so that people understand not only the game but the culture it comes from.

A recent study bore that out, that the USAFL not only desires Australians as mentors but also as advertisers or promoters of the game.
However that is at one end of the scale with European leagues tending to be more independant.

In Canada, they work with a group called AussieX - literally the Aussie Experience - a program which AFL Europe is now actively looking to replicate.

Aussie X came with a bang in Toronto but seems to have faded into the background to a large degree.

 

[Covertackle]

Would it cease becoming an Australian experience and just be an experience in its own right.

Or will it always be an australian experience?

I would hazard that it wouldn't be an australian experience then, the game would be just what it is, like league union cricket soccer ping pong.

Things change in different cultures towards an original concept.

For example, when the runner takes water out to players in the American AFL they always ask "you want fries with that.."..

 

[MortlockWatcher]

cos789 ... I am talking about in other countries

Rugby League gets some traction because it is played in a handful of countries as a major, if not in the top three, sports in the country (but the nationality of some players in some teams are pretty dubious).

Rugby and Cricket have better traction because more than a dozen countries can play ridgey-didge internationals and World Cups with true national players (except the English cricket team LOL).

Australian Rules will struggle to have another nation play Australia competitively which isn't great for international credibility - the same goes for Gridiron and the various Gaelic Games. The sport will just be a novelty overseas unless something amazing happens.

 

[cos789]

I am talking about in other countries

Of course you are.
And you're talking about "traction".
Despite varying degrees of "traction", "traction" doesn't really match against it those sports without "traction" like Australian Football, American Football and Gaelic Football.
They have things like "crowds" and "interest" and a lot of other ticks in boxes.
There is no reason why the WCs of Australian Football, American Football and Gaelic Football cannot get more "traction"over time and become even more popular over time.

Looking from a world perspective that "traction" you mention isn't that impressive.
The major players are still basically a true handful of British Empire expats.
Looking from a world perspective again, Australian Football is played in a large number of countries now(to varying degrees obviously). We don't have a WC of Australian Football because Australia would win. We do have the same thing without Australia and that is the International Cup. This has great potential as it has a good number of countries with similar competitiveness. The problem with the International Cup is that it gets no "traction" because the overwhelming interest in Australia is AFL club football.
If you go the 2014 International Cup this year you will evidence some great football, played with great passion and skill of players from all over the world. Pretty similar to those matches in other WCs with the heavyweights removed.
We have seen a very rapid change in the world status of Australian Football in the last 25 years. In fact we could easily have Australia play an Irish team or world team from those players with AFL experience. Or we could have a WC using some mickey mouse qualifying regulations that other codes use. I don't see the point much at all. We don't need those matches for some sort of validation. I prefer to watch the football in evidence at the 2014 International Cup.

 

[kid_a]

Would it cease becoming an Australian experience and just be an experience in its own right.

Or will it always be an australian experience?

I would hazard that it wouldn't be an australian experience then, the game would be just what it is, like league union cricket soccer ping pong.

It could be both, I mean look at Ice Hockey.
It is played in many countries and each of those nations have imprinted their own sort of culture onto their localised games/leagues/teams etc, but many of the traditions of the sport are still Canadian based, plus many hockey fans from Europe follow/aspire to play in the NHL as well.

 

[cos789]

Aussie X came with a bang in Toronto but seems to have faded into the background to a large degree.

Aussie X will be in Alberta this season.