Resource 2017 AFL and AFLW Crowds and Ratings

[VFL13]

The discussion is that making the WC does absolutely nothing for the local league. What evidence have you given that the local league benefits? Have you seen the crowds and ratings since Wednesday night's qualifier? They are nothing short of dire - in the best part of the year for the league!

I mean deadset, the gaelic football got better ratings in Sydney than the reigning champ SFC playing in a top of the table clash! Seriously mate, you can't sugar coat that in any way, shape or form.

Its the long term benefit of exposure to kids who may turn into stars for the socceroos. I really dont see how you can miss that as a benefit to soccer?
If we never played in the world cup, kids would not see what the potential is from playing soccer. Then theres the financial gain as i pointed out. Tens of millions of dollars to the ffa. Corporate sponsorship goes up. The ratings of a game a week after qualifying is a stupid way to see if there is benefit to the a league mate.

 

[jatz14]

Its the long term benefit of exposure to kids who may turn into stars for the socceroos. I really dont see how you can miss that as a benefit to soccer?
If we never played in the world cup, kids would not see what the potential is from playing soccer. Then theres the financial gain as i pointed out. Tens of millions of dollars to the ffa. Corporate sponsorship goes up. The ratings of a game a week after qualifying is a stupid way to see if there is benefit to the a league mate.

We have gone to how many word cups in a row? That would make where we are now the benefit of those world cups?

It might not seem like a very long run of world cup success, but Australia has been going to consecutive world cups longer than my youngest son has been alive.

He has played soccer his whole life. Know what he did when the last qualifying game was on? he went and did homework, and not because he was made to.

Have you considered that what we have now is what post world cup soccer looks like in this country?


Sent from my Lenovo TB3-710F using Tapatalk

 

[BringBackTorps]

Its the long term benefit of exposure to kids who may turn into stars for the socceroos. I really dont see how you can miss that as a benefit to soccer?
If we never played in the world cup, kids would not see what the potential is from playing soccer. Then theres the financial gain as i pointed out. Tens of millions of dollars to the ffa. Corporate sponsorship goes up. The ratings of a game a week after qualifying is a stupid way to see if there is benefit to the a league mate.

The current facts don't fit your theory. Aust. soccer standards are going BACKWARDS, despite being in 4 WC's.
We were rated c.20 in the world perhaps 10 years ago -but the Golden Generation of players has not been replaced by similar quality.
Aust. dropped to c. 50th in the world-why?

As for jnr. representitive teams, who have been embarassed at some tournaments, the fall is worse -even soccer fans & experts are bemoaning the very poor junior results/coaching methods.
Why are the jnrs. so inept & uncompetitive?

It is, obviously, too early to make long term predictions about A League attendances & ratings -but, if the alarming declines in both continue over the next 3 years, do you agree the A League will almost certainly contract? Private owners are unlikely to continue their investments if big financial losses occur.
Do you think Foxtel will slash its rights payments to the A League if these dire ratings continue to deteriorate for the next 3 years?

Since the late 1880's, local British Association football (as soccer was then called here) supporters have appealed to Australians to switch to soccer -so they could represent Australia against England. This "international benefits "argument has constantly been raised since.
Why has this argument failed to raise the profile of soccer over AF, RU, & RL?

 

[Our Game]

Since the late 1880's, local British Association football (as soccer was then called here) supporters have appealed to Australians to switch to soccer -so they could represent Australia against England. This "international benefits "argument has constantly been raised since.
Why has this argument failed to raise the profile of soccer over AF, RU, & RL?

You left out the over 3 million migrants that have come to Australia after WW2 mostly from soccer football only backgrounds
Why hasent this massive boost in soccer loving fans translate into soccer being at least #2 code by now?

 

[BobbyMorri]

Couple of points:
1. Soccer =\=(does not equal) A league. The sport of soccer is much larger than just that. It is all the kids who play it as a child sport, all those who shun watching the local game for the bright lights of Europe or even go to the NPL local leagues.

A couple of years ago, The Socceroos were the bad fish and the local league was on fire. It swings about.

2. Does anyone remember what soccer was like in 2002(etc: the last failed WCQ)
- dead league
- In the words of Jeff Kennett, Soccer Australia was so inept, they couldn't order a cut lunch correctly
- a national team not playing
- When it did play, there were more opposition supporters than Aus ones.

WCQ is not as vital as it once was thankfully. (local) Soccer in this country is not just the Socceroos anymore. but to claim that there won't be a boost to Soccer from a successful WCQ/WC is like claiming that the local tiger population wouldn't have increased in size after this year. It just doesn't make sense. How big a boost? you tell me how big of a boost to Richmond this AFL premiership will do for the club and I tell you how big a WCQ will do for Soccer. (etc who knows)

 

[kaypee]

Couple of points:
1. Soccer =\=(does not equal) A league. The sport of soccer is much larger than just that. It is all the kids who play it as a child sport, all those who shun watching the local game for the bright lights of Europe or even go to the NPL local leagues.

A couple of years ago, The Socceroos were the bad fish and the local league was on fire. It swings about.

2. Does anyone remember what soccer was like in 2002(etc: the last failed WCQ)
- dead league
- In the words of Jeff Kennett, Soccer Australia was so inept, they couldn't order a cut lunch correctly
- a national team not playing
- When it did play, there were more opposition supporters than Aus ones.

WCQ is not as vital as it once was thankfully. (local) Soccer in this country is not just the Socceroos anymore. but to claim that there won't be a boost to Soccer from a successful WCQ/WC is like claiming that the local tiger population wouldn't have increased in size after this year. It just doesn't make sense. How big a boost? you tell me how big of a boost to Richmond this AFL premiership will do for the club and I tell you how big a WCQ will do for Soccer. (etc who knows)

I think soccer has really exhausted its goodwill by constantly carrying on about its inevitable rise, dismissiveness of local codes, generally dorky league, and those that shill for its utter dismissal of Australia's culture.They constantly set up a straw man of wogs and ****trs playing soccer - I've never heard anybody say that seriously- while at the same time saying australian football and rugby is played by parochial bogans.
I can watch the odd game of soccer, but the constant big-noting frankly just tires me. Increasingly soccer is just the McDonalds of world sport. Long may parochial games live - to my mind the success of Australian football is something to savour, and long may it prosper.

 

[NoobPie]

I think soccer has really exhausted its goodwill by constantly carrying on about its inevitable rise, dismissiveness of local codes, generally dorky league, and those that shill for its utter dismissal of Australia's culture.They constantly set up a straw man of wogs and ****trs playing soccer - I've never heard anybody say that seriously- while at the same time saying australian football and rugby is played by parochial bogans.
I can watch the odd game of soccer, but the constant big-noting frankly just tires me. Increasingly soccer is just the McDonalds of world sport. Long may parochial games live - to my mind the success of Australian football is something to savour, and long may it prosper.

Fantastic post...you've nailed the bolded bit in particular. The hypocrisy is profound. Essentially bigots and cultural cringers hiding behind an aggressively cultivated sense of victim hood.

This is the stuff of a thesis in group pathology. Other shared delusional techniques include:

-the complete misrepresentation of the past levels of popularity of soccer to create a fantasy of growth. In 2001 for instance the MCG qualifier with Uruguay outrated the NRL grand final and pulled 85K. The ERASS survey in 2001 had soccer participation higher by a proportions consistent with the most recent ausplay survey

-a conviction that there is a conspiracy "keeping soccer down" that results in the hysterical response to the Mike Sheehan comments including the embarrassingly hypocritical intervention by Simon Hill who - with profound lack of self awareness - had launched an unprovoked attack on Australian football and RL just days earlier. Basically any bit of "evidence" that vaguely supports the conspiracy is leapt on. The classic is the the email of the channel 7 exec to another that they should show no loyalty to the AFL because the AFL has shown no appreciation of 7 buying the NSL rights and burying it. More recently it is the AFL having the audacity to ensure it wasn't to be made worst off in exchange for giving up contracts and other concessions in accommodating a world cup bid

-fantasies about the future completely detached from the 135 years of history of failure of similar fantasies

Many Australian soccer fans do not share in these delusions and the resulting insulting and disrespectful behaviours. Too many do though, ironically disproportionately those from "anglo" and recent british backgrounds, which has certainly significantly degraded my support for Australian soccer

 

[Gigantor]

We have gone to how many word cups in a row? That would make where we are now the benefit of those world cups?

It might not seem like a very long run of world cup success, but Australia has been going to consecutive world cups longer than my youngest son has been alive.

He has played soccer his whole life. Know what he did when the last qualifying game was on? he went and did homework, and not because he was made to.

Have you considered that what we have now is what post world cup soccer looks like in this country?


Sent from my Lenovo TB3-710F using Tapatalk

Yep.

Exactly 12 years ago, it would have been very easy to believe the local league was about to explode off the back of making the first WC in 32 years.

But 12 years on, and we know what things look like when we make yet another world cup, well, let's be honest, it's a bit of a yawn fest.

A-League attendances and ratings are as low as they have ever been. Attendances on the weekend following confirmation of a WC spot were nothing short of dire.

 

[Gigantor]

-the complete misrepresentation of the past levels of popularity of soccer to create a fantasy of growth. In 2001 for instance the MCG qualifier with Uruguay outrated the NRL grand final and pulled 85K. The ERASS survey in 2001 had soccer participation higher by a proportions consistent with the most recent ausplay survey

I think there was a pretty big attendance for the game against Iran in the 1997 qualifier as well.

The new comers to soccer don't understand that soccer has been played in Australia since the late 1800s. The ethnic clubs in Melbourne used to get huge attendances in the early 1960s.

We've all been waiting for the inevitable rise of soccer, the so-called sleeping giant, but after 13 years of the A-League, and 4 WC qualifications, we know we're the local scene sits.

It sits about where it sits now: crowds of 12k (as a long term average), and pathetic TV ratings, and neither look like changing in a hurry.

 

[Defabs]

You left out the over 3 million migrants that have come to Australia after WW2 mostly from soccer football only backgrounds
Why hasent this massive boost in soccer loving fans translate into soccer being at least #2 code by now?

The majority of those who migrated here after World War 2 lived in the inner suburbs and felt an immediate connection to Aussie Rules Football. My grandfather very quickly became hardcore Carlton, his brother Fitzroy and sister Collingwood.
At family functions years ago, funny that many of the relatives could barely speak a proper sentence of English but would tell you everything about their club inside out in their native tongue (Italian).

This wouldn't be unique. Many who may have liked soccer back at home quickly adopted Aussie Rules as their preferred code. Some didn't hence the ethnic backed NSL clubs but this was not a large percentage.

 

[BobbyMorri]

I think soccer has really exhausted its goodwill by constantly carrying on about its inevitable rise, dismissiveness of local codes, generally dorky league, and those that shill for its utter dismissal of Australia's culture.They constantly set up a straw man of wogs and ****trs playing soccer - I've never heard anybody say that seriously- while at the same time saying australian football and rugby is played by parochial bogans.
I can watch the odd game of soccer, but the constant big-noting frankly just tires me. Increasingly soccer is just the McDonalds of world sport. Long may parochial games live - to my mind the success of Australian football is something to savour, and long may it prosper.

I find this ironic.

This is an AFL crowd forum and yet again, this thread has been derailed by soccer talk. And there are a couple threads on this forum which were also derailed towards dissing the sport. I love a good comparison but heck, even i am getting tired of, well, Noobpie and his preachings for one. ironic that after his week ban, that this is now the hot topic in a lot of threads.

And this "soccer talk" is rarely started by a "soccer fan". It is never started with any trolling towards AR either

You can love AFL and that's it. your choice. You can love soccer and that's it. But i cant stand people who diss another sport.

 

[Defabs]

Fantastic post...you've nailed the bolded bit in particular. The hypocrisy is profound. Essentially bigots and cultural cringers hiding behind an aggressively cultivated sense of victim hood.

This is the stuff of a thesis in group pathology. Other shared delusional techniques include:

-the complete misrepresentation of the past levels of popularity of soccer to create a fantasy of growth. In 2001 for instance the MCG qualifier with Uruguay outrated the NRL grand final and pulled 85K. The ERASS survey in 2001 had soccer participation higher by a proportions consistent with the most recent ausplay survey

-a conviction that there is a conspiracy "keeping soccer down" that results in the hysterical response to the Mike Sheehan comments including the embarrassingly hypocritical intervention by Simon Hill who - with profound lack of self awareness - had launched an unprovoked attack on Australian football and RL just days earlier. Basically any bit of "evidence" that vaguely supports the conspiracy is leapt on. The classic is the the email of the channel 7 exec to another that they should show no loyalty to the AFL because the AFL has shown no appreciation of 7 buying the NSL rights and burying it. More recently it is the AFL having the audacity to ensure it wasn't to be made worst off in exchange for giving up contracts and other concessions in accommodating a world cup bid

-fantasies about the future completely detached from the 135 years of history of failure of similar fantasies

Many Australian soccer fans do not share in these delusions and the resulting insulting and disrespectful behaviours. Too many do though, ironically disproportionately those from "anglo" and recent british backgrounds, which has certainly significantly degraded my support for Australian soccer

https://www.ffa.com.au/news/football-continues-dominate-australian-club-sport

This is based on some survey by Ausplay. What irks me is that Gallop makes an exaggerated comparison to AFL in the opening sentence. Mind you the "survey" shows soccer having 479k more participants than football but Gallop says there are almost 500k more participants playing soccer than football! 500k is 4.5% more than 479k. Why not just say 479k more or just under 480k more?

Also it seems their kids soccer program run by Aldi is included, which they claim is the most participated junior initiative of any code. Wouldn't that be the equivalent of Auskick? Was auskick included or is just soccer junior programs that are included?

 

[AstroboyUK]

I find this ironic.

This is an AFL crowd forum and yet again, this thread has been derailed by soccer talk. And there are a couple threads on this forum which were also derailed towards dissing the sport. I love a good comparison but heck, even i am getting tired of, well, Noobpie and his preachings for one. ironic that after his week ban, that this is now the hot topic in a lot of threads.

And this "soccer talk" is rarely started by a "soccer fan". It is never started with any trolling towards AR either

You can love AFL and that's it. your choice. You can love soccer and that's it. But i cant stand people who diss another sport.

no that is baby out with bathwater talk.#
SOME People from both sides engage in the debate just for the rough and tumble and petty point making - but that doesn't mean ALL of us do; and it doesn't mean that any criticism of another sport is either invalid or irrational or troll-esque (new word!). I live in the UK and I have very good reasons to 'dis' Soccer frannkly (though I don't use those particular arguments here).. A-League is very Dis-worthy in Australia, because its a) put its head above the parapet b) talked big c) talked rudely. d) a 'business plan' not a league or true national team. e) NOT DELIVERED WHAT IT CLAIMED.

I enjoy the debate based on facts and reposte: and its nonsensical to suggest that it isn't topical. Its a very public debate and it has socio-economic implications at all kinds of levels; thus a very multifaceted and interesting topic.... and topics of this nature will attract insight and mischief in equal measures. Your individual pleasure in it may well depend on how who is winning the debate or who is making the best jokes... and there is a place for both in a debate.

 

[Our Game]

https://www.ffa.com.au/news/football-continues-dominate-australian-club-sport

This is based on some survey by Ausplay. What irks me is that Gallop makes an exaggerated comparison to AFL in the opening sentence. Mind you the "survey" shows soccer having 479k more participants than football but Gallop says there are almost 500k more participants playing soccer than football! 500k is 4.5% more than 479k. Why not just say 479k more or just under 480k more?

Also it seems their kids soccer program run by Aldi is included, which they claim is the most participated junior initiative of any code. Wouldn't that be the equivalent of Auskick? Was auskick included or is just soccer junior programs that are included?

More interesting for me was the fact that both RL and RU didnt feature in the top ten.

 

[Rob]

I find this ironic.

This is an AFL crowd forum and yet again, this thread has been derailed by soccer talk. And there are a couple threads on this forum which were also derailed towards dissing the sport. I love a good comparison but heck, even i am getting tired of, well, Noobpie and his preachings for one. ironic that after his week ban, that this is now the hot topic in a lot of threads.

It's an AFL TV ratings thread whilst there's no AFL on. Not a huge amount else to talk about. You'll find the cricket ratings will get discussed pretty widely around here too.

 

[jatz14]

I find this ironic.

This is an AFL crowd forum and yet again, this thread has been derailed by soccer talk. And there are a couple threads on this forum which were also derailed towards dissing the sport. I love a good comparison but heck, even i am getting tired of, well, Noobpie and his preachings for one. ironic that after his week ban, that this is now the hot topic in a lot of threads.

And this "soccer talk" is rarely started by a "soccer fan". It is never started with any trolling towards AR either

You can love AFL and that's it. your choice. You can love soccer and that's it. But i cant stand people who diss another sport.

Try the 'are other sports, especially AFL, really afraid of football', thread on 442, it's a doozy.


Sent from my XT1068 using Tapatalk

 

[NoobPie]

Try the 'are other sports, especially AFL, really afraid of football', thread on 442, it's a doozy.


Sent from my XT1068 using Tapatalk

Good lord! Those people are nuts!

Speaking of irony, do the soccer apologists who come on here preaching tolerance and getting offended at any remotely negative view about Australian soccer, get on to the 442 and contest this paranoid madness?

Anyway, it just supports Kaypee's view above. Australian soccer, by allowing those toxic attitudes to fester, has ensured its growth will continue to be stunted.

 

[jatz14]

Good lord! Those people are nuts!

Speaking of irony, do the soccer apologists who come on here preaching tolerance and getting offended at any remotely negative view about Australian soccer, get on to the 442 and contest this paranoid madness?

Anyway, it just supports Kaypee's view above. Australian soccer, by allowing those toxic attitudes to fester, has ensured its growth will continue to be stunted.

I used to get right behind the Socceroos, however, repeated exposure to hard core A league nuts (it's A league supporters, not general soccer supporters), who constantly advocate that the inevitable rise of soccer will lead to the inevitable decline of AFL (frankly, they seemed to look forward to the death of AFL more than the success of soccer) dampened that right off.

Its hard to passionately support the Socceroos when you are constantly and triumphantly told that you are also supporting the death of footy.



Sent from my XT1068 using Tapatalk

 

[AstroboyUK]

I used to get right behind the Socceroos, however, repeated exposure to hard core A league nuts (it's A league supporters, not general soccer supporters), who constantly advocate that the inevitable rise of soccer will lead to the inevitable decline of AFL (frankly, they seemed to look forward to the death of AFL more than the success of soccer) dampened that right off.

Its hard to passionately support the Socceroos when you are constantly and triumphantly told that you are also supporting the death of footy.
Sent from my XT1068 using Tapatalk

exactly this!.
That's why I often say, after A-League, we lost our national soccer team... I find it almost impossible to support a team that is clearly no longer 'ours'. The Australian Soccer team are just 'point 3' on the FFA's business plan. Its just a franchise, owned by the FFA, used for their profit and marketing. Its got nothing to do with me as an Australian or representing Australia any longer really. Its a FFA vehicle, that is the front end of their vision to diminish and demean Australian football.

 

[Gigantor]

That 442 thread is a ripper.

These soccer nuts are constantly trying to make out that the AFL is paranoid, scared of soccer, etc, and then these soccer nuts create these absurd threads, and the soccer nuts jump on to it with absolute gay abandon!

 

[Demonoid]

Try the 'are other sports, especially AFL, really afraid of football', thread on 442, it's a doozy.


Sent from my XT1068 using Tapatalk

Oh please, can you send me the link? I have searched for it and I can't find it...I am in the mood for a good laugh!

 

[NoobPie]

That 442 thread is a ripper.

These soccer nuts are constantly trying to make out that the AFL is paranoid, scared of soccer, etc, and then these soccer nuts create these absurd threads, and the soccer nuts jump on to it with absolute gay abandon!

It's called projection - inevitable response when fear, jealousy and paranoia exist without self-awareness

Classic example is Simon Hill

...before the Sheehan comments

https://www.foxsports.com.au/footba...e/news-story/bc06cb3c07b230e00831432928a4ac60

and outrage afterwards

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2017/11/14/hill-defends-world-game-from-criticism/


How could you possibly be that breathtakingly hypocritical if you are not off the charts devoid of self-awareness?

 

[NoobPie]

Oh please, can you send me the link? I have searched for it and I can't find it...I am in the mood for a good laugh!

You'll enjoy this then, I suspect...

http://www.theroar.com.au/2017/11/20/forget-afl-can-get-fans-league-games/

"The AFL’s move to play an experimental version of its sport on A-League grounds is nothing more than a blatant land-grab by a strangely insecure code."

 

[Gigantor]

Fear the smell.

 

[Our Game]

Fear the smell.

I know who is shitting their pants and it aint the AFL!