Aussie Rules participation vs the other 5 football codes globally.

[Bachars Beard]

The figure of 100k has been around for nearly a decade.
You're obviously a novice but even in the UK football has gone from basically a London league in Britain to an English, Welsh and Scottish league.
The playing standard has risen dramatically but I don't think they've beaten arch enemy Denmark as of yet.
And they cannot compete with countries with large playing numbers.
PNG has mature leagues and always at the top.
RSA has maturing leagues and continues to rise through the ranks.
NZ benefits from being so close to Australia and also at the top.
Ireland deserves mention because it's successful with only a small league.
The best way to look at AR is to break it down into the southern hemisphere, North America, Europe and Asia
because its impossible to make blanket statements.

So no links? Just speculation.
I wouldn't consider myself a novice, but you clearly think you're an expert. I have played in the UK and I have friends who have played in Denmark and across the US. It's park football played by expats with a small handfull of locals thrown in with reduced players on the field. There is absolutely no way there are 100k players outside Australia playing Aussie Rules Football.

Is there a link to that figure available? Or was it made up a decade ago and it's now taken as gospel.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

I was originally replying to another poster who said "no way rugby union has more players than gridiron ". It makes sense that union would have more players .

American football is the biggest sport in pretty much the whole USA, population 321 million. The countries rugby union is popular in (United Kingdom, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, France, Italy) total 275 million, however outside New Zealand and South Africa it is nowhere near the most popular sport.

inb4 "Americans are fat and lazy and don't play the game".

 

[cos789]

I have played in the UK .

When and where for what team?

 

[cos789]

American football is the biggest sport in pretty much the whole USA, population 321 million. The countries rugby union is popular in (United Kingdom, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, France, Italy) total 275 million, however outside New Zealand and South Africa it is nowhere near the most popular sport.

Too lazy to do the maths myself. The distinction is greater than that.
RU is dominant in NZ, a popular minority popular in the UK, popular minority in two Australian states, popular with the white minority in RSA, popular minority in France and not popular in Italy. So a lot of the 275 million figure has to be discounted.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Cricket is the most popular sport in Australia

Cricket Australia would love people to believe this.

 

[cos789]

I wouldn't consider myself a novice,.

I would. The significant particpant numbers are in the Southern Hemisphere.
Whilst Australian Football is growing all around the world countries close to Australia are the important ones as RU and rl well know.

 

[Aussie in exile]

I would. The significant particpant numbers are in the Southern Hemisphere.
Whilst Australian Football is growing all around the world countries close to Australia are the important ones as RU and rl well know.

Come on cos where is the link to show that 100,000 people play AR overseas?

 

[cos789]

Come on cos where is the link to show that 100,000 people play AR overseas?

So whilst we're waiting for london to regale us with his AR exploits maybe you could do the same mr exile.

 

[melbournemartin]

I thought it was interesting to compare Aussie Rules to Gridiron where Gridiron has only about 3 times the amount of players as Aussie rules despite the U.S having a population about 14 times the size of Australia.

Rough sports that isn't for all kids. Not at all surprising that both have relatively low numbers.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if stats showed that more kids in America played soccer than gridiron, yet no one would be stupid there to say that soccer is more popular overall.

 

[Aussie in exile]

So whilst we're waiting for london to regale us with his AR exploits maybe you could do the same mr exile.

I can't find any link to back up your claims.
If you could perhaps guide me to the link to back up your claims i would be very grateful.
Of course if you can't i would say your talking rubbish.
Balls in your court cos. Either you have the link to those figures or your talking BS

 

[cos789]

Not at all surprising that both have relatively low numbers.

I don't know about the USA but AR are definitely NOT low in Australia especially considering AR is not dominant in NSW or Qld.

yet no one would be stupid there to say that soccer is more popular overall.

Or Australia? The ABS records participants as being at least 15 years of age. So while soccer is loaded with youngsters it is more meaningful to to look at the numbers playing meaningful football.

 

[melbournemartin]

I don't know about the USA but AR are definitely NOT low in Australia especially considering AR is not dominant in NSW or Qld.



Or Australia? The ABS records participants as being at least 15 years of age. So while soccer is loaded with youngsters it is more meaningful to to look at the numbers playing meaningful football.

This would be interesting. Do they include indoor soccer? This is very popular for older people who can't be bothered to play for a proper club.

 

[cos789]

I can't find any link to back up your claims.

You don't seem to find any evidence of your playing career either.

 

[cos789]

This would be interesting. Do they include indoor soccer? This is very popular for older people who can't be bothered to play for a proper club.

The ABS has changed from census to survey mentallity and also it's methodology .
They used to have comprehensive breakdowns but alas for code war fans there has been no useful data for years.
Some people would challenge indoor soccer as skewing the figures so to speak.

 

[Aussie in exile]

You don't seem to find any evidence of your playing career either.

So the conclusion is that there is no link and the 100,000 is a BS figure.

 

[melbournemartin]

The ABS has changed from census to survey mentallity and also it's methodology .
They used to have comprehensive breakdowns but alas for code war fans there has been no useful data for years.
Some people would challenge indoor soccer as skewing the figures so to speak.

Yeah it definitely takes a lot more effort as say an 18 year old to play at a footy club, where you get your body smashed twice a week at training and once a week in a game, than a much more casual indoor soccer game. It's not a true reflection of popularity. It's more a reflection of the fact that AFL doesn't have an easy translation of the sport into a more casual game.

 

[cos789]

It's not a true reflection of popularity.

So you're saying there's a big number of people playing soccer who have no serious interest?

It's more a reflection of the fact that AFL doesn't have an easy translation of the sport into a more casual game.

So you're saying there's a big number of people who'd be playing Australian Football if there was a more casual code available?

 

[melbournemartin]

So you're saying there's a big number of people playing soccer who have no serious interest?



So you're saying there's a big number of people who'd be playing Australian Football if there was a more casual code available?

1: I'd say there are a lot who have a casual interest, yeah. They are keen on having a casual game of indoor soccer with their mates on a Wednesday night, but wouldn't want to play at a proper club with training twice a week and more physical matches. As for a percentage of the different types, I'm not sure. Stats would be interesting.

2: I suppose so, yeah. AFL is tough to make casual, due to the field size in relation to the distance you can kick the ball and also the 360 degree physicality.

 

[cos789]

1: I'd say there are a lot who have a casual interest, yeah. They are keen on having a casual game of indoor soccer with their mates on a Wednesday night, but wouldn't want to play at a proper club with training twice a week and more physical matches. As for a percentage of the different types, I'm not sure. Stats would be interesting.

2: I suppose so, yeah. AFL is tough to make casual, due to the field size in relation to the distance you can kick the ball and also the 360 degree physicality.

1. My son and I played indoor soccer for a while. That's as far as the interest went.
2. With junior football it starts with Auskick, then varying modified rules to full blown football in teens.
Usually AFL aspirants are quickly stream lined into 2nd tier semi-pro leagues the remainder into community amateur leagues.
In Australia we have Masters leagues, indoor leagues and now recreational football and overseas there is flag football
but it would be good to have more options where we aren't playing for sheep stations possibly flag football.

 

[MWPP]

American football is the biggest sport in pretty much the whole USA, population 321 million. The countries rugby union is popular in (United Kingdom, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, France, Italy) total 275 million, however outside New Zealand and South Africa it is nowhere near the most popular sport.

inb4 "Americans are fat and lazy and don't play the game".

No, it's not the most popular American sport in pretty much all of the U.S. . Competes with basketball, baseball and ice hockey

 

[MWPP]

Why? Gridiron is huge nationally and thin internationally. RU is hard to say exactly. Have to add up all the countries.
But the discussion is centred on international representation so RU clearly wins

Yes Union does clearly win

I was talking internationally the interest in cricket seems to be down at least from an Australian perspective.
And good luck if you think that baseball, sorry T20 is good long term.

It's not down from an Australian perspective but is from an English perspective . Definitely not down from an international perspective

You want to revive cricket, then introduce set number of available overs over 4 days with a 5th as spare.
A lot of sports have world cups and their supporters point to participation as to the prominence of their sport.
Cricket may be spreading as in RU, rl, AR, Gridiron and GAA but it's really the top guns that count in the popularity stakes.

Cricket isn't spreading much - there hasn't been a new full member in a long time . The other sports you mentioned aren't spreading much either . Cricket has multiple world cups and events of interest eg the Ashes excluding the World Cup . Other sports tend to have one World Cup (unless they are also Olympic or commonwealth sports like netball and hockey ).

 

[Bachars Beard]

I would. The significant particpant numbers are in the Southern Hemisphere.
Whilst Australian Football is growing all around the world countries close to Australia are the important ones as RU and rl well know.

Hahaha. So what are the numbers in these Southern Hemisphere countries? Remembering you're the one who mentioned half of Europe.

Still waiting for a link to back up you're posts. I'd love to be proved wrong, I love the game but outside of Australia and Nauru it's not even drawing numbers.

 

[Bachars Beard]

So whilst we're waiting for london to regale us with his AR exploits maybe you could do the same mr exile.

Maybe you could do the same. I never claimed to be an expert. I played some games while living in London. It was a social thing and excuse for a bit of that feeling of home

I'm waiting for you to back up your claims. Other than to insult people or say it's a well known fact (which it's clearly not).

 

[DERIBERATE]

It's always an aussie telling you how big aussie rules is overseas.

I've never read an article in the Mail&Guardian talking about how big aussie rules is in South Africa.

 

[Bachars Beard]

When and where for what team?

Putney in 2007 & 08. I tore my ACL in a lunch time soccer game in 09 but still watched a few games and used to drink with my former team mates at the Slug until I moved back in 2012.

So what makes you an expert?