Expansion Why AFL fails miserably in Queensland

[Experimental]

Gold Coast Suns are a disaster and were never going to be anything else but a disaster! The Gold Coast population isn't big enough to sustain an AFL team, fact. From the get go it had fail naming themselves the Suns as opposed to the Sharks. Then marinating themselves in this orange snotty looking training guernsey is horrendous. Yes I know, if the guernsey was another colour it wouldn't get anymore bums on seats. Even when Collingwood, Essendon etc play there, the crowd is still a disgrace.

The only players the Suns will ever attract are either totally burnt out or just can't get on another list. Utter waste of money and the AFL should be ashamed! Brisbane Lions were on the decline when the Suns entered the AFL, time and resources should've been aimed at them. You're trying to promote a brand that little Jonny looks up to and wants to be part of. Suns entering the AFL has just sent the Lions into an even bigger downward spiral.

Putting a NEAFL team in Cairns would be another waste of cash, time and resources. The old 'oh but there is plenty of ex pats up this way' just doesn't fly. I mean cmon, enough ex pats to fill a stadium on the GC or in Cairns, give me a break it is not feasible. So what's the solution. Well it's difficult now that the AFL have brought the Suns into the comp. AFL should've made the Lions the jewel in the crown of Queensland AFL and them alone. You just have to look at all the comps North of the GC, all made up of 5-6 team comps. The interest just isn't there.

Are the AFL having a go at trying to make AFL enticing in Queensland, yes they are. But, they need to keep focused on these leagues before thinking about a NEAFL team. Perfect world you would fold the Suns like it never happened, but I understand this won't happen, the AFL has already screwed that up, epically. And what is all this bullshit going hard at promoting women's football in Queensland, yet they haven't got the men's league healthy! They have a real fixation with women's football, and if the AFL keep this as a priority, the code will continue to be stagnant.

So. Forget this NEAFL talk. Stop prioritising women's football. Focus on getting the local league more enticing and healthy. And for the love of god try and get people into these leagues that actually know what they are doing. The money the AFL has spent on the Suns and possibly a NEAFL team, could be used on employing people who actually know the mechanics of the code. You will find that 'most' head honchos employed throughout the Queensland region know diddly squat about the game.

Jeez, someone is bitter.

 

[Colonial]

Gold Coast Suns are a disaster and were never going to be anything else but a disaster! The Gold Coast population isn't big enough to sustain an AFL team, fact. From the get go it had fail naming themselves the Suns as opposed to the Sharks. Then marinating themselves in this orange snotty looking training guernsey is horrendous. Yes I know, if the guernsey was another colour it wouldn't get anymore bums on seats. Even when Collingwood, Essendon etc play there, the crowd is still a disgrace.

The only players the Suns will ever attract are either totally burnt out or just can't get on another list. Utter waste of money and the AFL should be ashamed! Brisbane Lions were on the decline when the Suns entered the AFL, time and resources should've been aimed at them. You're trying to promote a brand that little Jonny looks up to and wants to be part of. Suns entering the AFL has just sent the Lions into an even bigger downward spiral.

Putting a NEAFL team in Cairns would be another waste of cash, time and resources. The old 'oh but there is plenty of ex pats up this way' just doesn't fly. I mean cmon, enough ex pats to fill a stadium on the GC or in Cairns, give me a break it is not feasible. So what's the solution. Well it's difficult now that the AFL have brought the Suns into the comp. AFL should've made the Lions the jewel in the crown of Queensland AFL and them alone. You just have to look at all the comps North of the GC, all made up of 5-6 team comps. The interest just isn't there.

Are the AFL having a go at trying to make AFL enticing in Queensland, yes they are. But, they need to keep focused on these leagues before thinking about a NEAFL team. Perfect world you would fold the Suns like it never happened, but I understand this won't happen, the AFL has already screwed that up, epically. And what is all this bullshit going hard at promoting women's football in Queensland, yet they haven't got the men's league healthy! They have a real fixation with women's football, and if the AFL keep this as a priority, the code will continue to be stagnant.

So. Forget this NEAFL talk. Stop prioritising women's football. Focus on getting the local league more enticing and healthy. And for the love of god try and get people into these leagues that actually know what they are doing. The money the AFL has spent on the Suns and possibly a NEAFL team, could be used on employing people who actually know the mechanics of the code. You will find that 'most' head honchos employed throughout the Queensland region know diddly squat about the game.

Wow

Ummm you judge players harshly. Some bloody good burnt out players up there.....

They were doing fine until the lost most of their squad to injuries

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[Smashwood]

Jeez, someone is bitter.

No. It's just a waste of money and you know it.

 

[Smashwood]

Wow

Ummm you judge players harshly. Some bloody good burnt out players up there.....

They were doing fine until the lost most of their squad to injuries

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I'm talking from here on in inregards to burnt out players joining GC. Not a lot of players want to join GC that are in their prime. Gaz is an exception with the dollars that were thrown at him.

 

[Colonial]

I'm talking from here on in inregards to burnt out players joining GC. Not a lot of players want to join GC that are in their prime. Gaz is an exception with the dollars that were thrown at him.

So you're able to tell the future? Lotto numbers please?

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[Smashwood]

So you're able to tell the future? Lotto numbers please?

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So you're telling me a player in his prime finds the GC Football club enticing?

 

[bombersfan4000]

No. It's just a waste of money and you know it.

what do you expect, in expansion territory? create a team out of nothing & expect sell outs to happen each week?
even the NRL's Gold Coast team the Titans, have pretty much failed! crowds and membership numbers smaller than the Suns, in their few year longer existence! racking up debts of $35 million plus and were about to be closed down until the NRL commission took over control.

 

[Colonial]

So you're telling me a player in his prime finds the GC Football club enticing?

No less than carlton or essendon.

Before this year they were good to go with crowds rising

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[Smashwood]

what do you expect, in expansion territory? create a team out of nothing & expect sell outs to happen each week?
even the NRL's Gold Coast team the Titans, have pretty much failed! crowds and membership numbers smaller than the Suns, in their few year longer existence! racking up debts of $35 million plus and were about to be closed down until the NRL commission took over control.

I understand your point. I am saying Suns nor the Titans are a viable proposition on the GC. Total waste of time and money. Expansion territory in Queensland can only handle one team and that's the Lions, for now. Lions haven't been in good shape for a long time now, so the AFL in their wisdom, quarterback for another club to take what limited support there already is in QLD. Nice decision that.

 

[Smashwood]

No less than carlton or essendon.

Before this year they were good to go with crowds rising

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Essendon at this very second wouldn't be enticing to anyone. But once this drug saga vanishes Essendon will go back to being a club you strive to play for. As for comparing Carlton and GC, a big club in Melbourne that plays at the MCG (still in front of sizeable crowds) V's a soulless franchise that will never amount to anything on the GC in a stadium that echoes........we both know what a player in his prime, or an u18 kid being drafted would pick.

 

[Colonial]

Essendon at this very second wouldn't be enticing to anyone. But once this drug saga vanishes Essendon will go back to being a club you strive to play for. As for comparing Carlton and GC, a big club in Melbourne that plays at the MCG (still in front of sizeable crowds) V's a soulless franchise that will never amount to anything on the GC in a stadium that echoes........we both know what a player in his prime, or an u18 kid being drafted would pick.

Hmmm i was willing to have a proper discussion before you resorted to the childish soulless franchise comment.

Your still talking about a future none of us have any idea about.....


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[Smashwood]

Hmmm i was willing to have a proper discussion before you resorted to the childish soulless franchise comment.

Your still talking about a future none of us have any idea about.....


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Not sure how many kids would use the words 'soulless franchise'. You not wanting to have a 'proper discussion' won't see me seeking a therapist

 

[Colonial]

Not sure how many kids would use the words 'soulless franchise'. You not wanting to have a 'proper discussion' won't see me seeking a therapist

Going on your earlier rant you already need one

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[Smashwood]

Going on your earlier rant you already need one

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Rant. I'd say my previous post you are eluding to should be labelled disappointed. Your thoughts are now extraneous to me, friend

 

[MacMum]

The Gold Coast Suns will survive and be a legitimate club in the future. There is more of an Aussie rules following on the coast than there is in Brisbane.

The AFL have let down the Brisbane Lions terribly while establishing the Suns.......but we won't go away, the fightback has begun. Hopefully, the 2016 season footy gods will smile upon us for a change, to give us a fair go injury wise...the club has had a review and started sorting things out to give us a fresh start next year.

Both clubs can survive if the AFL recognises the needs of BOTH clubs in a rugby state.

 

[Slax]

No doubt. I dont think anyone seriously thought they were number 1 or two, but the number of kids and women in the system is encouraging.

The numbers though are not better than League and given that Auskick includes the inside school hours program paid for by the AFL it artificially inflates the number massive. I notice that the soccer equivalent is higher than AFL as well (although not sure if they run a schools program).

 

[Slax]

No less than carlton or essendon.

Before this year they were good to go with crowds rising

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Crowds had increased in 2014, but were still 16%(3,077) below the 2011 numbers (19,169), this year is the worst year recorded for the Suns and represent a 21% drop on 2014 and 34% below 2011. These are terrible numbers and a massive concern for the AFL and Suns.

By comparison.
Carlton are down 2.5% on 2014.
Essendon are down 4.7% on 2014.

 

[bombersfan4000]

I understand your point. I am saying Suns nor the Titans are a viable proposition on the GC. Total waste of time and money. Expansion territory in Queensland can only handle one team and that's the Lions, for now. Lions haven't been in good shape for a long time now, so the AFL in their wisdom, quarterback for another club to take what limited support there already is in QLD. Nice decision that.

another expansion team in QLD was always going to be a difficult task one being that the states population is vastly spread out. if it wasn't the NRL would have thrown another team in SE QLD long ago. Brisbane is a bandwagon city. when the Lions were going well they were bigger than the broncos, (bigger crowds and memberships) in the mid 2000s, several years ago when the Brisbane roar was winning grand finals, they were getting impressive numbers through the gates as well.

the main reason that explains the Broncos large following is that they have pretty much always been successful. but it has shown a year or two of being off the pace, their crowds & support does fall away. the biggest problem for the lions is they have been crap for a decade, which has not helped by in house bickering at board level. there is room for another AFL team in SE Qld but it would have helped if the lions where not such a basket case

 

[MacMum]

it would have helped if the lions where not such a basket case

Pot calling kettle black much? I would think your team has been a basket case for the last 3 years.

At least the Lions haven't been involved in the biggest drug scandal of the games history. Wonder who's team was? Oh, silly me, that would be your team.

 

[Smashwood]

Pot calling kettle black much? I would think your team has been a basket case for the last 3 years.

At least the Lions haven't been involved in the biggest drug scandal of the games history. Wonder who's team was? Oh, silly me, that would be your team.

Hence Essendon have an actual reason for the s**t they are in. What is Brisbane's excuse?

 

[bombersfan4000]

Pot calling kettle black much? I would think your team has been a basket case for the last 3 years.

At least the Lions haven't been involved in the biggest drug scandal of the games history. Wonder who's team was? Oh, silly me, that would be your team.

what have they got to do with the state of AFL in Queensland! at least they are one of the clubs that are financially funding himself and not living on life support from the AFL

 

[Sausages]

As the dust settles on our season, I'll reflect again.

At the moment, the club is in some amount of turmoil, trade period yet to start, talks of another exodus, PP lobbying etc etc etc.

In all honesty - nothing has changed. Swann and Matthews bring credibility and/or public relations muscle and a footy profile that helps kick in doors.

In Melbourne.

Matthews has some cred on the street up here, granted - but not much. Brisbane is a city of a bogun mentality. What I mean by that is that it is a place in which the uneducated are often happy in their ignorance and see no real desire to upset the status quo. Self education isn't heavily embraced. Perhaps many parts of the world could be labelled thus?

Given that, swaying overall public support shouldn't be the goal. It's just not necessary. Consider a somewhat left field analogy...athletics in the USA. The end product for many of those athletes, the Men's 100m Olympic Final, is what it is because it is ELITE. Yes, at that point, you are proving that even IF everybody else on the world was running at the same time, you'd STILL be first - but it doesn't matter that everybody else on the world ISN'T doing that.

The AFL is a club. At the decision making end, in the boardrooms and on mobiles, there is a method and a protocol. I would guess, without glancing at the resumes of the top end of the Melbourne business community, that the elite private schools would be pretty well represented. Elitism is not about public support, it is about belief (whether justifiable or not) that something is better in some way. That doesn't mean that everybody walking out the doors from private schools is better - I am saying that elitism often takes some imagination and then s**t loads of education and hard work.

The only difference between the two cities? Melbourne's elite rate AFL.

Thus, guys like Matthews and Swann at the Lions.

None of that is a gripe by the way - it's purely an assessment - like all elite activities around the world, there is a coterie which has a membership requirement. That's the pointy end, the Men's 100m, of that elitism in footy.

 

[Sausages]

I'll draw your attention to this image:

https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-27.4862398,153.0401788,3374m/data=!3m1!1e3

Centre the Gabba in your screen. On the right side, Anglican Church Grammar School, Churchie, GPS school, boys only. On the left, Brisbane State High School, the only public school in the elite private school coterie (GPS) and where I went to school, co-ed. Yay, chicks. Just underneath State High, Somerville House. GPS school, girls only. Not notated on the map - St Laurences, the next tier down of elite private schools, the TAS schools, just near Somerville House.

I grew up there and went to school there. There are no public high schools in that picture (aside from State High which did and still does have entrance requirements anyway - you just don't pay the ridiculous fees of all the other elite private schools).

The Brisbane School of Distance Education was Coorparoo State High School when I went to high school - but as the demographic changed, so too the needs of the community.

The Lions need to represent their local community. If the boguns want rugby league, fine.

But the Lions badly need the elite school system on board. And when that happens, a whole lotta s**t changes.

 

[madmug]

I'll draw your attention to this image:

https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-27.4862398,153.0401788,3374m/data=!3m1!1e3

Centre the Gabba in your screen. On the right side, Anglican Church Grammar School, Churchie, GPS school, boys only. On the left, Brisbane State High School, the only public school in the elite private school coterie (GPS) and where I went to school, co-ed. Yay, chicks. Just underneath State High, Somerville House. GPS school, girls only. Not notated on the map - St Laurences, the next tier down of elite private schools, the TAS schools, just near Somerville House.

I grew up there and went to school there. There are no public high schools in that picture (aside from State High which did and still does have entrance requirements anyway - you just don't pay the ridiculous fees of all the other elite private schools).

The Brisbane School of Distance Education was Coorparoo State High School when I went to high school - but as the demographic changed, so too the needs of the community.

The Lions need to represent their local community. If the boguns want rugby league, fine.

But the Lions badly need the elite school system on board. And when that happens, a whole lotta s**t changes.

Well that surely is just part of the situation. The Lions represent Brisbane. They need the community to get on board. If the community, kids, families, blokes, women etc etc, support them, then the business community will more closely align to them & so will the kids in schools & then the schools themselves.

The Lions have a big job to get community support & to be part of the community in the things they do. So they need the AFL & the footy publics support for that big job. They have mine. Except I spend most of my time trying to support footy here.

Creating a 'place' & gaining support in such a tough sports environment against more entrenched sports is a difficult job, more of a challenge than having the 10 clubs in Victoria who just fight each other for turf & want the benefits of the national competition, but not the 'sharing' bit!

 

[Kwality]

No. It's just a waste of money and you know it.

Its looking forward, not familiar with the concept Smasha?