Soccer WC bid aimed at dominating Aussie Rules

[Pj.Rj.Hj]

Some really good points in this thread. Some Red Herrings as well.

The attitude of Soccer over taking Aussie rules and Rugby League in Australia is a fantasy. People who seriously believe this pay no attention to the cultural significance of Australian Football and Rugby League. We're been playing Australian Football longer than the Brits have been playing Association Football. To suggest its just a matter of when rather than if Soccer will over take the other two in Australia is really an Argumentum ad populum. Soccer is huge world wide because of historical circumstance, it doesn't intrinstically result in it being a superior code of Football.

Fantasic point a couple of pages back about Australia (like the USA) has an expectation of watching the highest brand of sport, we don't care for second best. That is why the A-League and the NBL have lukewarm support while many nation wide actively support a European Club or and NBA team.

I personally support the FFA's 2022 bid, the party would be incredible. I can't see it hurting the AFL and NRL too much. Any interrupted season will be budgeted for accordingly. We like the festivities and will support our national team in anything. We aren't just going to abandon Aussie Rules and Rugby League because as our current and historical passion shows, they are just damn good sports. We're all aware of Soccer, we don't need the presence of a World Cup to make us switch allegience. We haven't switched for 140 years of the existance of Association Football, why now?

Winning the bid will actually force the hand of the WA Government to build our f-ing new Stadium. Our bid is one of the more ecconomically sustainable bids with venue infrastructure boosting Aussie Rules and Rugby League along with Soccer. Not only will major stadiums be boosted and / or modernised but 32 training venues will be needed. In Australia it is the AFL and NRL clubs that have the best training facilities, not Soccer and it very well may be judged that it is not feasably sensible to build WC quality training facilities for our Soccer clubs in the A-League or state leagues unless they are utilised by other sports. If any of our clubs lend their facilities to a national team, impovements to the turf will also be made which has to be a good thing.

 

[Admiral Byng]

Winning the bid will actually force the hand of the WA Government to build our f-ing new Stadium.

This has got to be one of the most oft repeated myths on BF. if you actually listen to what Colin has said on the topic, the outcome of the bid is what is holding up the announcement:

If Australia wins the bid, there will be additional Federal funding of $250 million, and the stadium will most likely be made convertible from oval to rectangle configuration. If not, we will more likely get a fixed oval configuration but the State govt would be funding the lot.

It makes sense to hold off a firm decision till the outcome of the bid is known.