Opinion Football Participation

[davesnothere]

I think about it I have no friends whose kids play AFL.

All soccer and basketball.

 

[Doctor Feel]

Helicoper parenting is not helping contact sport participation.

 

[sr36]

Participation in soccer ( football) versus AFL amongst kids in SA would be an interesting read along with the growth of Basketball.

In terms of participation, footy is in danger of going the way of Union as a private school sport.

 

[Powertron]

Participation in soccer ( football) versus AFL amongst kids in SA would be an interesting read along with the growth of Basketball.

I’m shocked at the size of the growth of Basketball in SA.

I played as a junior and it was popular but still clubs struggled to be much deeper than div 1-2. Now my son plays and clubs are fielding 8+ teams in each age group and can’t service the demand for coaches, courts and umpires.

If you’re looking to +200cm KPD types, head to the local basketball gym. They are everywhere!

 

[davesnothere]

I’m shocked at the size of the growth of Basketball in SA.

I played as a junior and it was popular but still clubs struggled to be much deeper than div 1-2. Now my son plays and clubs are fielding 8+ teams in each age group and can’t service the demand for coaches, courts and umpires.

If you’re looking to +200cm KPD types, head to the local basketball gym. They are everywhere!

The AFL wouldn’t want to be going head to head with the NBA or Premier League

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

I’m shocked at the size of the growth of Basketball in SA.

I played as a junior and it was popular but still clubs struggled to be much deeper than div 1-2. Now my son plays and clubs are fielding 8+ teams in each age group and can’t service the demand for coaches, courts and umpires.

If you’re looking to +200cm KPD types, head to the local basketball gym. They are everywhere!

Its part of the reason why basketball courts at the MG High Performance Centre is being used by so many junior teams the West Adelaide Bearcats. When we applied for council approval and federal government funding in 2021, the Bearcats had 90+ junior teams.

 

[malcheski]

Its part of the reason why basketball courts at the MG High Performance Centre is being used by so many junior teams the West Adelaide Bearcats. When we applied for council approval and federal government funding in 2021, the Bearcats had 90+ junior teams.

36ers also using the facilities

 

[Coobk001]

I think about it I have no friends whose kids play AFL.

All soccer and basketball.

I feel like soccer is very tokenistic though for kids. I have my son playing it and all the parents there are avid AFL fans, but are just playing it because its easy and the kids are young and happy playing something easy. AFL is far rougher, more complicated, harder skills with catching, ground balls, kicking, handballing, etc, and harder to get involved in.

Ultimately soccer is a perfect universal sport for its simplicity, but it is just boring compared to AFL. And the pinnacle of the sport is played in our backyard, not in Spain or England. It'll never take off at a higher level than just a bit of shits and giggles here.

Basketball on the other hand is in a gigantic boom. A League was thinking it was going to rise to #2 comp, now its basically dying off and the NBL is rising like the Phoenix. Aussies making it in the NBA in record numbers seems to be the driver. We have like 13 in there this year by the looks, huge numbers! It seems to balance with footy and cricket well too. Will be interesting to see how it progresses.

 

[Rigs]

I feel like soccer is very tokenistic though for kids. I have my son playing it and all the parents there are avid AFL fans, but are just playing it because its easy and the kids are young and happy playing something easy. AFL is far rougher, more complicated, harder skills with catching, ground balls, kicking, handballing, etc, and harder to get involved in.

Ultimately soccer is a perfect universal sport for its simplicity, but it is just boring compared to AFL. And the pinnacle of the sport is played in our backyard, not in Spain or England. It'll never take off at a higher level than just a bit of shits and giggles here.

Basketball on the other hand is in a gigantic boom. A League was thinking it was going to rise to #2 comp, now its basically dying off and the NBL is rising like the Phoenix. Aussies making it in the NBA in record numbers seems to be the driver. We have like 13 in there this year by the looks, huge numbers! It seems to balance with footy and cricket well too. Will be interesting to see how it progresses.

Sounds like you’ve never played soccer before.

Soccer is the world game for a reason.

Harder to make it though of course. If you want to make it pro, you need to head overseas. The talent pool in Australia isn’t good enough because our curriculum isn’t good enough to compete against internationals.

AFL will always be the bigger sport in Australia because the media also doesn’t give a crap about promoting soccer on any scale.

 

[1954]

I’m shocked at the size of the growth of Basketball in SA.

I played as a junior and it was popular but still clubs struggled to be much deeper than div 1-2. Now my son plays and clubs are fielding 8+ teams in each age group and can’t service the demand for coaches, courts and umpires.

If you’re looking to +200cm KPD types, head to the local basketball gym. They are everywhere!

Agreed, a lot of the very tall kids have gravitated to basketball in the last 20 years or so.

I attended a country carnival some years back and was amazed at the number of 198 cm plus very athletic 18 and 19 year olds who were playing in that comp, and even at that age some of them already had the size and strength which could have easily translated to a ruck or key position player in Aussie rules.

 

[TeeKray]

Soccer will always have greater participation numbers because it's simply more accessible to more people. Footy is quite limiting if you're not as big or strong whereas soccer can be played by more or less anyone. And most non-African migrant communities tend to be on average smaller in size than anglo Australians so that trend will only accelerate.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

36ers also using the facilities

Why?

 

[malcheski]

Why?

Using recovery & rehab facilities along with courts for practice (no recovery/rehab at Findon Stadium)

No idea if club is being paid for the use, or there is a mutual agreement of shared IP etc.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Using recovery & rehab facilities along with courts for practice (no recovery/rehab at Findon Stadium)

No idea if club is being paid for the use, or there is a mutual agreement of shared IP etc.

Strange the 36ers would have got rid of their rehab facility at Findon when they moved home games to AEC.

 

[Coobk001]

Sounds like you’ve never played soccer before.

Soccer is the world game for a reason.

Yes it is, because it is quite a simple game to understand and play. Soccer's basic skills can be exhibited by 3 year olds without a problem. Of course mastery of the sport is tricky, but the game is fundamentally kick a ball along the ground sport. AFL is undoubtedly a far more complicated game skill wise and technically involves far more moving parts. Dropping an oval shaped ball from hand to foot, is a difficult skill for kids, not to mention catching, picking up ground balls, etc, combine that with the physicality and it takes a lot for kids to even play basic games. This isn't a dig at Soccer, it's highlighting exactly why it is easy to absorb, play and with the lack of physical risk is a popular sporting choice, I've got my son playing it as a 5-6 year old and there's no way he could play an AFL kids game, the soccer game is just a much better easy fit. In another year or so we'll switch to footy.

 

[MrChow]

The very first step has been done by the AFL who published this article 3 days ago.
https://www.afl.com.au/news/1416513
The key quotes:

“Traditional footy heartland in Victoria (245,000), South Australia (69,800) and Western Australia (88,300) continues to drive strong participation numbers across all levels of footy.”

“As the elite game thrives across the Sunshine State, so too does grassroots participation. Queensland leads the nation with a 13 per cent spike in participation, growing to nearly 85,000 participants.”

“Supported by a 10 per cent year-on-year increase in participation in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, with over 73,000 people lacing up their boots”

So SA has the lowest participation of the states I have mentioned, but the issue is probably the highest proportion of the population that actually plays, leaving less room for growth than NSW/ACT and Queensland has. And as we know from our China foray, the AFL points to “growing the game” a lot, even though we as Port fans know we began that venture for financial reasons. But footy is no longer the most played sport in SA, soccer and basketball are both ahead. There’s definitely a case for Port and the Crows to make to the AFL, but the perception of SA being a footy state just because the NRL doesn’t have a team anymore kind of undoes that. Maybe they should bring back the Rams for our sake.

Adding to that;

SE QLD has over 3.6m people vs Adelaide’s 1.47m. Last year Brisbane grew by 73k (2.7%), Adelaide just 22k (1.5%).

The Lions and Suns are in a booming market with draft concessions, Port and the Crows are capped in a city half the size and growing half as fast.

If the AFL wants real equalisation, SA clubs deserve the same advantages handed to the northern states.

Imagine if Port and the Crows got Rankine, Dawson, Luko, JHF, Rozee and so on, with a 10/20% draft discount. Both teams would have much better lists.

 

[Rigs]

Yes it is, because it is quite a simple game to understand and play. Soccer's basic skills can be exhibited by 3 year olds without a problem. Of course mastery of the sport is tricky, but the game is fundamentally kick a ball along the ground sport. AFL is undoubtedly a far more complicated game skill wise and technically involves far more moving parts. Dropping an oval shaped ball from hand to foot, is a difficult skill for kids, not to mention catching, picking up ground balls, etc, combine that with the physicality and it takes a lot for kids to even play basic games. This isn't a dig at Soccer, it's highlighting exactly why it is easy to absorb, play and with the lack of physical risk is a popular sporting choice, I've got my son playing it as a 5-6 year old and there's no way he could play an AFL kids game, the soccer game is just a much better easy fit. In another year or so we'll switch to footy.

This is so far for accurate.

AFL is why we see so many players in both men’s and women’s league able to cross code so easily at the elite level.

Never would happen at elite level soccer.

 

[jakey]

Yes it is, because it is quite a simple game to understand and play. Soccer's basic skills can be exhibited by 3 year olds without a problem. Of course mastery of the sport is tricky, but the game is fundamentally kick a ball along the ground sport. AFL is undoubtedly a far more complicated game skill wise and technically involves far more moving parts. Dropping an oval shaped ball from hand to foot, is a difficult skill for kids, not to mention catching, picking up ground balls, etc, combine that with the physicality and it takes a lot for kids to even play basic games. This isn't a dig at Soccer, it's highlighting exactly why it is easy to absorb, play and with the lack of physical risk is a popular sporting choice, I've got my son playing it as a 5-6 year old and there's no way he could play an AFL kids game, the soccer game is just a much better easy fit. In another year or so we'll switch to footy.

Below pro level and through juniors, having played both, footy strategy is basically peg ball as far toward toward your goal as you can, in the rough direction of whatever chad is wearing the same jumper as you, and stand your man if defending.

In soccer, even at the lowest levels there are formations and tactics to adhere to, zones and defensive lines to observe. And there are actually more ball skills to learn. Toe, instep, outside foot, backheel, knees, chest, head. And learning to head properly is way ****en harder than handballing. A clearance from the opposition keeper coming straight at your scone is a great teacher. And you're learning all this early on, or your coach is doing it wrong.

 

[sr36]

I feel like soccer is very tokenistic though for kids. I have my son playing it and all the parents there are avid AFL fans, but are just playing it because its easy and the kids are young and happy playing something easy. AFL is far rougher, more complicated, harder skills with catching, ground balls, kicking, handballing, etc, and harder to get involved in.

Ultimately soccer is a perfect universal sport for its simplicity, but it is just boring compared to AFL. And the pinnacle of the sport is played in our backyard, not in Spain or England. It'll never take off at a higher level than just a bit of shits and giggles here.

Basketball on the other hand is in a gigantic boom. A League was thinking it was going to rise to #2 comp, now its basically dying off and the NBL is rising like the Phoenix. Aussies making it in the NBA in record numbers seems to be the driver. We have like 13 in there this year by the looks, huge numbers! It seems to balance with footy and cricket well too. Will be interesting to see how it progresses.

The big advantages with soccer and basketball for kids is that they don't have to be part of an organised club to play a competitive game. 6 kids can play a competitive game in a pretty small space. Kick to kick is dead, so at school lunch time it's soccer or basketball - even amongst those who are part of footy clubs. Then add in the internet making them view the world much more internationally and the biggest sports stars don't play footy - it's soccer and basketball.

 

[Shaucob_Burjan]

No better feeling than playing basketball on a public court against randoms after school and on the weekend

Peak childhood

 

[JohnHinckleyJr]

No better feeling than playing basketball on a public court against randoms after school and on the weekend

Peak childhood

Until the ball would role over to the goth kids who would then boot the campaigner away over main nth road

 

[Willsy10]

Soccer is one of the hardest sports I’ve tried to play.

I could kick a drop punt with ease from a young age but I had absolutely no idea how to control a round ball on the ground.

I was embarrassingly bad at it. Despite having the work ethic I had no skills.

Footy seemed much simpler to me.

 

[Waspy79]

Adding to that;

SE QLD has over 3.6m people vs Adelaide’s 1.47m. Last year Brisbane grew by 73k (2.7%), Adelaide just 22k (1.5%).

The Lions and Suns are in a booming market with draft concessions, Port and the Crows are capped in a city half the size and growing half as fast.

If the AFL wants real equalisation, SA clubs deserve the same advantages handed to the northern states.

Imagine if Port and the Crows got Rankine, Dawson, Luko, JHF, Rozee and so on, with a 10/20% draft discount. Both teams would have much better lists.

I’ve been saying this for a while and I think the same principle applies to the WA clubs. Unfortunately whilst the SA and WA clubs maintain decent memberships and viewerships, the league will do nothing to help on field.

 

[Peninsula Boy]

This is so far for accurate.

AFL is why we see so many players in both men’s and women’s league able to cross code so easily at the elite level.

Never would happen at elite level soccer.

I've played both and I think soccer is much more skilful than Aussie Rules Football.

Any sport where you need to dribble the ball makes it so much more difficult than just running with the ball. So I think basketball and soccer are the most skilled sports. I'd put basketball above soccer and soccer above footy. That's my 2 cents worth.

 

[MrChow]

I've played both and I think soccer is much more skilful than Aussie Rules Football.

Any sport where you need to dribble the ball makes it so much more difficult than just running with the ball. So I think basketball and soccer are the most skilled sports. I'd put basketball above soccer and soccer above footy. That's my 2 cents worth.

It’s hard to compare what is more skillful soccer/basketball or AFL as certain body types fit certain sports.

I reckon the increase in basketball and soccer participation are due to global markets, and less head knocks/fights etc. Parents are much more concerned about safety now, so they steer their kids in a certain direction.

I also think soccer and basketball have their rules sorted. Simple, easy to interpret by referees. Where the AFL is a dogs breakfast, with complex interpretations, and constant meddling.