20th AFL Team

[Canberra Pear]

Not sure what your definition is here but there are 36 rugby league clubs listed under CRRL participation (adults and juniors) website. And 27 afl clubs listed under AFL Canberra website (adults and juniors websites combined)

This is about 35% higher for league, which is also in line with the google trends data and other data points to suggest there is a significantly higher impact of rugby league in Canberra though still strong interest in afl.

I've literally gone through their websites and checked the men's teams on the ladders for 2025.

CRRL also stretches pretty far into NSW, but considering this is an ACT conversation, I've stuck to those boundaries.

You've also gone clubs v teams. Aussie Rules teams also have greater depth, field more teams in more divisions.

Eastlake, Belconnen and Ainslie combined field more senior men's teams than all the ACT-based rugby league men's teams combined.

So in the ACT, there are 29 men's Aussie Rules teams, and 12 men's rugby league teams. And that's before even delving into the rugby league teams being smaller, so the player disparity would be even greater.

If you're trying to paint the ACT as an NRL heartland, this isn’t a point in your favour.

 

[hampton]

I've literally gone through their websites and checked the men's teams on the ladders for 2025.

CRRL also stretches pretty far into NSW, but considering this is an ACT conversation, I've stuck to those boundaries.

You've also gone clubs v teams. Aussie Rules teams also have greater depth, field more teams in more divisions.

Eastlake, Belconnen and Ainslie combined field more senior men's teams than all the ACT-based rugby league men's teams combined.

So in the ACT, there are 29 men's Aussie Rules teams, and 12 men's rugby league teams. And that's before even delving into the rugby league teams being smaller, so the player disparity would be even greater.

If you're trying to paint the ACT as an NRL heartland, this isn’t a point in your favour.

I’m literally comparing number of clubs listed in official Canberra region websites of each code.

League is strong in regional areas so no surprise there’s more clubs in the surrounds while afl clubs are more city concentrated which is a trend everywhere.

It’s also a bit rich to say the Canberra league clubs stretch into NSW and that’s a bad thing and shouldn’t be counted, even though theyre in the jurisdiction of CRRL, but in the same conversations talking up about how a Canberra afl team will reach into NSW/riverina areas.

So actually it’s a data point that supports rugby league being bigger in Canberra just like many other data points do. The whole Canberra is 50/50 Nrl and afl is rubbish.

 

[Canberra Pear]

I’m literally comparing number of clubs listed in official Canberra region websites of each code.

Did you deliberately ignore the clubs v teams part?

Aussie Rules clubs field many teams. So there are more Aussie Rules teams than rugby league teams.

League is strong in regional areas so no surprise there’s more clubs in the surrounds while afl clubs are more city concentrated.

It’s also a bit rich to say the Canberra league clubs stretch into NSW and that’s a bad thing and shouldn’t be counted, even though theyre in the jurisdiction of CRRL, but in the same conversations talking about how a Canberra afl team will reach into NSW/riverina areas.

You were claiming that ACT was an NRL heartland, so I confined it to that.

But if you want to count the wider region into NSW, then there are 27 men's teams in the CRRL and 41 men's teams in AFL Canberra.

 

[RedV3x]

What the hell, how are these ‘bagging’ the swans or anything close to how the Kerry Stokes self-interested seven west media is treating the bears?

Your right, there is no comparison the Sydney Swans were attacked and disparaged almost daily by the Sydney media.
It was headlines like "code wars", "invasion" and a lot of questionable language from the Sydney media.

The WA newspaper isn't attacking rugby league, it's attacking the waste of taxpayers money on personal hobbies and
pointing out that the Bad News Bears were very bad in Sydney.
That's why the North Sydney Bears failed - they were simply bad, a real joke.

Why in the world would any sensible revive a failed entity in Sydney to fail again in Perth?

 

[goodolcollingwood]

When I walk down the street and see pretty equal amounts of AFL/NRL merch and bumper stickers, and I see AFL mostly used as the ice-breaker at new work and social introductions, it certainly doesn't feel like NRL heartland.

Not saying it's AFL heartland either. But calling it NRL heartland goes against what I see on a daily basis.

I think it's pretty easy to see that you have a bias for Canberra because you desperately want to see them have a team. Having visited the joint last year, it came across pretty quickly that it was NRL heartland.

That's not to say an AFL team won't work, but I don't think its going to be as easy as you think it will be. It's going to be an expensive undertaking by the AFL and they still need to back GWS and Gold Coast as both need AFL funding.

 

[goodolcollingwood]

Your right, there is no comparison the Sydney Swans were attacked and disparaged almost daily by the Sydney media.
It was headlines like "code wars", "invasion" and a lot of questionable language from the Sydney media.

The WA newspaper isn't attacking rugby league, it's attacking the waste of taxpayers money on personal hobbies and
pointing out that the Bad News Bears were very bad in Sydney.
That's why the North Sydney Bears failed - they were simply bad, a real joke.

Why in the world would any sensible revive a failed entity in Sydney to fail again in Perth?

If there is one thing about the Sydney NRL media, it's that they love a crisis to sell newspapers. This year it was all about R360 and players leaving the competition. It used to be all about the AFL back in the day. It had nothing really to do with the AFL and more that they needed a boogeyman.

 

[Canberra Pear]

I think it's pretty easy to see that you have a bias for Canberra because you desperately want to see them have a team. Having visited the joint last year, it came across pretty quickly that it was NRL heartland.

That's not to say an AFL team won't work, but I don't think its going to be as easy as you think it will be. It's going to be an expensive undertaking by the AFL and they still need to back GWS and Gold Coast as both need AFL funding.

I definitely have a bias. But you have to be blind to think Canberra is an NRL heartland the same way Hampton's described Queensland and NSW.

I'll also take your bias with a grain of salt coming from a day-old account that's done nothing but like and defenf Hampton's posts.

 

[goodolcollingwood]

I definitely have a bias. But you have to be blind to think Canberra is an NRL heartland the same way Hampton's described Queensland and NSW.

I'll also take your bias with a grain of salt coming from a day-old account that's done nothing but like and defenf Hampton's posts.

From what I gathered when I was there it was pretty clear to me it was an NRL heartland.

I defend his posts because everyone else is treating him terribly because his opinions are different. I expected better from people here but obviously not. Some of you are just as bad as the NRL supporters on other forums.

I came to this thread first because expansion interests me the most at the moment, and I was hoping there might be some good discussion, but all I've seen is AFL = good, NRL = bad.

 

[Canberra Pear]

From what I gathered when I was there it was pretty clear to me it was an NRL heartland.

Well we all have our own perceptions, but if you couldn't see it as a mix-code town with a large AFL presence, you either weren’t looking or were stuck in a small pocket.

I defend his posts because everyone else is treating him terribly because his opinions are different. I expected better from people here but obviously not. Some of you are just as bad as the NRL supporters on other forums.

You created a whole account just to defend him?

I think I've been pretty patient with him, tried to take his argument at face value. But when he simultaneously shits on AFL on LU, his arguments seem a bit disingenuous.

 

[goodolcollingwood]

Well we all have our own perceptions, but if you couldn't see it as a mix-code town with a large AFL presence, you either weren’t looking or were stuck in a small pocket.

I'm just speaking from my experience. Seemed to be a pretty clear NRL town when I was there but if you're correct that the AFL has a good presence that's excellent news.

You created a whole account just to defend him?

I think I've been pretty patient with him, tried to take his argument at face value. But when he simultaneously shits on AFL on LU, his arguments seem a bit disingenuous.

Did you not read what I said? I made an account to talk footy and expansion is the thing that interests me the most atm, hence why I'm here. It's the offseason after all.

If that's true that he's doing that, then I apologise for defending him. From what I gathered when i jumped on here, he seemed to be pretty respectful.

 

[The Educator]

You created a whole account just to defend him?

He made an account to pretend he is an AFL fan and then spew league unlimited alt reality talking points

He's fatty vaughton in a groucho marx mask wearing a Collingwood jumper

 

[goodolcollingwood]

He made an account to pretend he is an AFL fan and then spew league unlimited alt reality talking points

He's fatty vaughton in a groucho marx mask wearing a Collingwood jumper

How about I leave then. It's clear to me you lot don't want a proper discussion, just an echo chamber. So enjoy.

 

[The Educator]

How about I leave then. It's clear to me you lot don't want a proper discussion, just an echo chamber. So enjoy.

Happy to have a discussion but also call you out as a troll as at the same time

You haven't actually added anything of substance to this thread but spouting hollow leagueunlimited talking points and concern trolling about league getting picked on

There are heaps of (primarily) NRL fans across big footy - but if you are pretending not to be that is the definition of a troll

 

[RedV3x]

It used to be all about the AFL back in the day. It had nothing really to do with the AFL

Yeah right.

 

[RedV3x]

I think it's pretty easy to see that you have a bias for Canberra because you desperately want to see them have a team. Having visited the joint last year, it came across pretty quickly that it was NRL heartland.

I think it's pretty easy to see that you have a bias for Canberra because you desperately want to see them not have a team.
Having visited the joint sometimes, it came across pretty quickly that it was pretty dam heartless.
Really, no offense to Canberrans, I fail to pick up any real vibe. which isn't unusual in a planned or modern environment.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

I've literally gone through their websites and checked the men's teams on the ladders for 2025.

CRRL also stretches pretty far into NSW, but considering this is an ACT conversation, I've stuck to those boundaries.

You've also gone clubs v teams. Aussie Rules teams also have greater depth, field more teams in more divisions.

Eastlake, Belconnen and Ainslie combined field more senior men's teams than all the ACT-based rugby league men's teams combined.

So in the ACT, there are 29 men's Aussie Rules teams, and 12 men's rugby league teams. And that's before even delving into the rugby league teams being smaller, so the player disparity would be even greater.

If you're trying to paint the ACT as an NRL heartland, this isn’t a point in your favour.

Per Ausplay statistics (and easily verified by your research above) there are 10,000 active competitive Aussie Rules players in the ACT and 6,000 active competitive Rugby League players in the ACT.

 

[Canberra Pear]

I'm just speaking from my experience. Seemed to be a pretty clear NRL town when I was there but if you're correct that the AFL has a good presence that's excellent news.

Did you not read what I said? I made an account to talk footy and expansion is the thing that interests me the most atm, hence why I'm here. It's the offseason after all.

If that's true that he's doing that, then I apologise for defending him. From what I gathered when i jumped on here, he seemed to be pretty respectful.

Well now you know how it looks.

When a whole thread points him out as an NRL troll, then you come along with a brand new account and your activity is exclusively liking his posts and defending him, you're going to be assumed the same.

I've indulged Hampton's posts because I don't mind that it keeps the discussions on the 20th team moving. I'm clearly a sucker for any 20th team discussion.

I think he raises the occasional good point. Or at least close enough to a good point that it creates discussion. He holds himself to a decent enough level on here to not look like a troll to some.

But it's just so disingenuous when he then goes back to the "Fumbleball" thread on LU to laugh about what we say on bigfooty. And then it undermines anything he's actually said.

How about I leave then. It's clear to me you lot don't want a proper discussion, just an echo chamber. So enjoy.

By all means, if you have genuine opinions about the 20th team, this is the place to express them.

This thread has deviated so much into code wars that it would be good to get back on track (to why Canberra should be the 20th team).

 

[threenewpadlocks]

I'm just speaking from my experience. Seemed to be a pretty clear NRL town when I was there but if you're correct that the AFL has a good presence that's excellent news.


Did you not read what I said? I made an account to talk footy and expansion is the thing that interests me the most atm, hence why I'm here. It's the offseason after all.

If that's true that he's doing that, then I apologise for defending him. From what I gathered when i jumped on here, he seemed to be pretty respectful.

Do you honestly think we were all born yesterday?

Ah yes certainly an AFL fan and not a pro NRL fan despite everything you've posted so far. Have any thoughts on Collingwood continuing to rely on an again forward line, given you're such a passionate Pies fan?