Growth of AFL in Rugby League Heartland

mustapha

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How do you explain the differences in A league attendances between the two cities?

Sydney won last year and got fairly good crowds while they dropped off this year (with off field instability and poor onfield performance).

Melbourne was the worst Australian team last year and regularly filled Olympic park. It is hard to know what the crowds would have been if Melbourne played at Telstra Dome in the first season. A 39,000 crowd against Sydney in Round 2 this year (long before any winning bandwagon) indicates that they would have been bigger. This year Victory won the premiership and the championship and the crowds were huge.
 

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Le KooK

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Dan26:

I'm quite interested in this exciting new sports-based research you are conducting into 'Passion Levels'.

Though I assume the majority of your research to be of a qualitative nature, how much time have you invested into quantitative investigations?

What's the scale used on the 'Passion Level'?

Will you be publishing your findings? I'm sure one of the many peer-reviewed scholarly periodicals would be very interested...

I'd love to hear more about your work if you had time, it's certainly fascinating stuff indeed.
 

Dan26

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Hmm? Did I say I was talking about super 14? You assumed wrongly. For any sport you have to look at the highest level of competion, and for Rugby Union they value the International game above all else. Take a look at the crowd figures for that and warp those to your arguement.
Hahahahahahahaha.

We should look at the International game shuld we? So if we look at "International Rules" which averaged about 55,000 per game, does that make that sport bigger than cricker or Union or League? Of course not.

You don't judge a sport by it's internationals. Soccer couldn't gove a rats ass about internationals except fpr the World Cup and Euro Championships. You judge a sport by its success at domestic level. The EPL, NFL, NRL, AFL etc.

They value the international game in Union because it's basically crap to watch below that level and it needs to be international to generate any interest. Bit like cricket. Otherwise no one would care.

Yes my opinion is irrevelant to YOU. Because you don't like what you are hearing. I bet you run off to mommy crying that I am being mean to you on the internet.
No your opinion is irrelevant because you are one person. It's the opinions of the masses in this country which will tell you the passions levels and interest of a sport - not the opinion of YOU .

Hmm, some TV ratings to back up your arguement would be nice.

If your looking for some, here's a link to them

http://forums.leagueunlimited.com/showthread.php?t=104804
Ah yes, the RL defence, "LINKS, LINKS!!!!! Prove it... I'm not believing you unless you supply links! Waaaaa waaaah"

Gotta love the selective statistic provided by RL fans. More people watch the AFL, that's the way it is. You can bend number, be selective with numbers, create your own cut-off points, do whatever you want.... it doens't change the fact that more people watch the AFL and TV networks pay more to have it on their schedule.

You make me laugh. You have no idea what passion is. If that means blindly following one code, then you are the most passionate idiot alive.

Lets see how these passionate Sydneysiders who follow AFL support the team when they go on a losing streak. They may react like those passionate Brisbanites who are loving following a losing team.

Sydney loves winners. Thats all they love. As soon as you start losing, they drop off the bandwagon like no tomorrow.
Are you an idiot? Did you not read my other post? How naive are you to think that Sydney people are less passionate about sport than Melbourne? They are HUMANS the same as people in melbourne, with they are jsut born 1000 kms further away. Their ability to like sport is no different to Melbournians.

I don't see their passion for cricket being any different, for example?

The only difference is their main football code is not as good so it is less passionately followed and supported than Aussie Rules is in Melb, Adel and Perth. You can't use Brisbane as a comparison because the Broncos have a city of 2 million to themselves. If they had a large number of teams like Sydney it would be the same.
 

Dan26

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Dan26:

I'm quite interested in this exciting new sports-based research you are conducting into 'Passion Levels'.

Though I assume the majority of your research to be of a qualitative nature, how much time have you invested into quantitative investigations?

What's the scale used on the 'Passion Level'?

Will you be publishing your findings? I'm sure one of the many peer-reviewed scholarly periodicals would be very interested...

I'd love to hear more about your work if you had time, it's certainly fascinating stuff indeed.
Ah yes, when you don't like the news that Aussie Ruels is bigger bring out the sarcasm and try to be funny. Always a good trick. Might deflect attention away from you "code" and onto me instead. Pity it doesn't work.

If you think RL is as passionately followed in NSW and Qld as the AFL is in Vic, SA and WA, cna you provide any real logic to show this?

It's like me saying can you prove that Rugby League is more passionately followed than Union? We all know it is (and I agree), but can you prove it?

Trying to argue that anything other than Aussie Rules is the most passionately followed sport in the country is ridiculous. It doesn't have to be the most passionate to YOU. It's not about you, rememebr.
 

vinnie

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Is it just me or is this threat going around in circles based on different people's opinion?

What is the best game will depend on your own criteria. If its sponsorship, it will be one form of footy. If its participation, it will be another. And becasue there is no aggremment on what criteria is used, different people are going to repeatedly rehash the same old point about why their beloved game is best.

That said, I ask one question - and I am interested in people's honest response please.

The question is this - if you are a young athletic boy, with the choice of any code of footy to play in your future, what sport would offer the biggest dream? To be in a team that wins the AFL grand final or the NRL grand final, NFL or even the team that wins the soccer world cup? What would mean the most?

Any views?
 

mustapha

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Hahahahahahahaha.

We should look at the International game shuld we? So if we look at "International Rules" which averaged about 55,000 per game, does that make that sport bigger than cricker or Union or League? Of course not.

You don't judge a sport by it's internationals. Soccer couldn't gove a rats ass about internationals except fpr the World Cup and Euro Championships. You judge a sport by its success at domestic level. The EPL, NFL, NRL, AFL etc.

QUOTE]

92,000 people saw Australia play Greece at the MCG in a friendly exhibition match last year. This year the MCG will be packed again for Australia vs Argentina and Stadium Australia will be packed for Australia vs Uruguay.

How would you judge Australias passion for cricket. People flock to international matches but very few people give a stuff about the domestic competition.

Do you compare between the top level of a sport in a country (i.e. Australian Cricket to Wallabies to the AFL)? Can domestic sports validly be compared to international sports?
 

Spewing

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Ah yes, when you don't like the news that Aussie Ruels is bigger bring out the sarcasm and try to be funny. Always a good trick. Might deflect attention away from you "code" and onto me instead. Pity it doesn't work.

If you think RL is as passionately followed in NSW and Qld as the AFL is in Vic, SA and WA, cna you provide any real logic to show this?

It's like me saying can you prove that Rugby League is more passionately followed than Union? We all know it is (and I agree), but can you prove it?

Trying to argue that anything other than Aussie Rules is the most passionately followed sport in the country is ridiculous. It doesn't have to be the most passionate to YOU. It's not about you, rememebr.
I believe it's the bigger also,the biggest joke of all!
 

Le KooK

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I've never argued the point that Aussie Rules is bigger then RL in Australia, because this is true. That argument dies in the backside the second you step off Australian soil, however....and that's where RL has it 'over' Aussie Rules.

I did enjoy Dan's attempt to circumvent the comparisions of sports on the international stage, because evidently this international element does not exist in 'Australian Rules Football'.

The arguments pertaining to 'passion' or whatever ludicrous comparative element you can come up with are quite silly. People will always argue over which code is 'better' - and such arguments are quite useless because it's an issue that neither side can win.
 

Dogs Of War

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Trying to argue that anything other than Aussie Rules is the most passionately followed sport in the country is ridiculous. It doesn't have to be the most passionate to YOU. It's not about you, rememebr.
No it's about YOU YOU YOU. I think you should see a doctor about this obession you have. It can't be healthy. It even has you ignoring facts while referring to this "passion". But as you know, never lets facts get in the way of a good arguement.


Personally, I only like to display my passion to my wife.
 

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Spewing

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I've never argued the point that Aussie Rules is bigger then RL in Australia, because this is true. That argument dies in the backside the second you step off Australian soil, however....and that's where RL has it 'over' Aussie Rules.

I did enjoy Dan's attempt to circumvent the comparisions of sports on the international stage, because evidently this international element does not exist in 'Australian Rules Football'.

The arguments pertaining to 'passion' or whatever ludicrous comparative element you can come up with are quite silly. People will always argue over which code is 'better' - and such arguments are quite useless because it's an issue that neither side can win.

No man ,Rugby League has won hands down ,they can't stop talking about our GREAT GAME on this forum.They start up a thread about RL every 3 weeks.Closet RL fans me thinks.;)
 

Le KooK

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No man ,Rugby League has won hands down ,they can't stop talking about our GREAT GAME on this forum.They start up a thread about RL every 3 weeks.Closet RL fans me thinks.;)
I must say the obsession from the AFL hierarchy in 'conquering' QLD and NSW is quite staggering. They throw a lot of time and money at these areas, they even destroy the integrity of the national competition by giving clubs from said 'emerging markets' a clear advantage over the rest of the comp in an effort to build support, and now they sell the rest of the Aussie Rules fanbase down the river with respect to broadcasting rights.

I'd hate to think what they would do if they got their eyes on Asia :eek:.

(That's a fair critique on the powers that run the comp - not a critique on the code itself)
 

TigerCraig

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I agree with Bunsen Burners' assessment.

How can one city be less passionate about sport "in general"?

It doesn't appear Sydney's interest in cricket is any less? It doesn't appear Sydney's interest in the Socceroos was any less?

In fact, how can you magically cross an imaginary line into the Sydney Metroploitan area and all of a sudden the people there "magically" aren't as interested in sport as Melbourne? That doesn't make sense. After all, they are all human with the same basic make up. Why would people several hundred km's down the highway feel differently about sport?

Bunsen is right. It's ONLY Football they are less passionate about because the form of football they follow is an inferior product. Now some people who love RL may disagree with that, but their individual opinion is irrelevant. It's the opinions of the masses that count not a handful of "RL patriots" on BigFooty, lol
I disagree.

As an example, I play cricket. Sydney born and bred players treat it as a pastime. If a party or something comes up, they will call in unavailable for selection - even for a semi !!!

The guys from Melbourne, England, India or NSW Country will never miss a game - will play Saturday and Sunday if they can and the club needs them.

There just seems to be less of a passion, at least amongst the people I mix with (albeit they are all north shore/northern beaches/eastern suburbs types - I don't think I know any one from the west or south west)
 

bunsen burner

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What is the best game will depend on your own criteria.
Whilst individuals may have an opinion on which sport they personally prefer there is an argument that can't be ignored:

People from Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth are much more into footy than people from Sydney and Brisbane. Most League supporters have no probems acknowledging this.

What's under debate is the reason why.

RL people say it's because Sydney people are different. It's not a very plausible argument. We are all Australians. It's too convenient that people in one city aren't passionate about footy for no other reason that they live in a different city.

It is because these cities follow different codes. One code invokes more interest and passion than the other.
 

bunsen burner

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92,000 people saw Australia play Greece at the MCG in a friendly exhibition match last year. This year the MCG will be packed again for Australia vs Argentina and Stadium Australia will be packed for Australia vs Uruguay.

How would you judge Australias passion for cricket. People flock to international matches but very few people give a stuff about the domestic competition.

Do you compare between the top level of a sport in a country (i.e. Australian Cricket to Wallabies to the AFL)? Can domestic sports validly be compared to international sports?
You compare football codes. Forget cricket. This is about footy. So it's AFL, NRL, Super 12, A-league.

They are the premier comps in each of the 4 footy codes.
 

cos789

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. People will always argue over which code is 'better' - and such arguments are quite useless because it's an issue that neither side can win.
In any debate ,as long as you set the criteria then someone can win .
If people follow the rules of debate then these discussions can be quite entertaining . Unfortunately the most common result is a slanging match .
And in this case I don't think we could even agree on the criteria .

:(
 

bunsen burner

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The arguments pertaining to 'passion' or whatever ludicrous comparative element you can come up with are quite silly.
You're conveniently hiding behind the fact there absolute way of measuring it. But that doesn't mean one sport gets a much more passionate following than the other. Attendance stats, TV stats, Tv rights deals give an indication which sport people are more passionate about.

But forget that, live in Melbourne (or Perth, or Adelaide) and Sydney and you'll know the difference. You can't not notice it.

But for some reason you are denying that a disparity exists?

People will always argue over which code is 'better' - and such arguments are quite useless because it's an issue that neither side can win.
Given that both codes have had similar coverage access, the better code will invariably get more spectators, bigger TV rights deals, more and interest.
 

Gman

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Hey mate watch the replay between St helens and the broncos on at 4pm on fox today, starting soon

And forget about arguing with these idiots mate.
Yeah, watch it boys I recommend it:thumbsu:

Capacity crowd, 23,000 I think:thumbsu:

Only 27 handling errors up to the 50th minute mark:thumbsu:

Greatest game in the world :thumbsu:

I will be watching it again:confused: :eek: :(
 

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Whilst individuals may have an opinion on which sport they personally prefer there is an argument that can't be ignored:

People from Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth are much more into footy than people from Sydney and Brisbane. Most League supporters have no probems acknowledging this.

What's under debate is the reason why.

RL people say it's because Sydney people are different. It's not a very plausible argument. We are all Australians. It's too convenient that people in one city aren't passionate about footy for no other reason that they live in a different city.

It is because these cities follow different codes. One code invokes more interest and passion than the other.

Believe what you want mate. AFL must be great cause every country in the world wants to play it. No other sport has this passion. Thats why in every country it's played in, it's become the dominate code in no time.:rolleyes:

BTW, have you ever checked out the English Super League (Pommie Rugby League). Same as the soccer they love to sing through the games, and pack out their relatively small stadiums most matches. Is that the passion you are talking about?
 
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