AFL into asia?

[RICHO: A GOD AMONGST MEN]

You can't be serious!

Give it another 200 years. The game isn't the biggest football code in Queensland or NSW yet, traditional aussie rules regions - Tasmania and the Northern Territory don't have teams, and the only "international" competition involves a hybrid Mickey Mouse game that few are genuinely interested in.

Scrap the International Rules series, stuff trying to market the game overseas, and bring back State of Origin.

I agree with everything you say except I'd replace the phraseState of Origin with the biff

 

[Warwick]

That is one of the worst logos i have seen. It's just a clip-art picture trying to tell a story.

I bet the club spent all night on that logo.

 

[Beckers]

So that thats what those little geckos look like when chicks first get them tatoo'd on their behinds

A few years down the track, they all look like big goanna's or Komodo dragon's

 

[Snuka]

That is one of the worst logos i have seen. It's just a clip-art picture trying to tell a story.

Gotta disagree there Warwick...It's funny and cool!

 

[DyerBolical]

NZ & SA are great sporting nations? Yanks are not so crash hot at team sport either, on a world scale I mean.

I think it's a great idea. Why not try to look to expand the sport to our neighbours. It's as good a place to start as anywhere.

Learn how to read, I never said NZ and South Africa are great sporting nations and last time i looked NZ is one of our closest neighbours. Back to the bath houses for some more backdoor action, Tosser.

 

[Snuka]

Learn how to read, I never said NZ and South Africa are great sporting nations and last time i looked NZ is one of our closest neighbours. Back to the bath houses for some more backdoor action, Tosser.

Whoa! Harsh. I've got feelings you know!

I thought that you saying that 'there were no great sporting nations in asia' was a reason that AFL shouldn't be looking into marketing the sport there. But then you said they should start with NZ & SA. Sorry if I misunderstood.

I'm not sure what your point is saying NZ is 'one of our closest neighbours'. Who are the others ones? I would suggest that a lot of our neighbours are in asia.

 

[DyerBolical]

Whoa! Harsh. I've got feelings you know!

I thought that you saying that 'there were no great sporting nations in asia' was a reason that AFL shouldn't be looking into marketing the sport there. But then you said they should start with NZ & SA. Sorry if I misunderstood.

I'm not sure what your point is saying NZ is 'one of our closest neighbours'. Who are the others ones? I would suggest that a lot of our neighbours are in asia.

You're right, I was saying there are no great asian sporting nations. They're too interested in setting off nukes, making electronics and eating raw fish. Not that i'm against raw fish, it makes a great replacement when the missus is out and the blow up doll is punctured. As you would know, sushi sex is well practised in Tokyo but the wasabi can make it a little hot though.

 

[fishmonger]

If the NBL can expand to include the Singapore Slingers I don't see why it couldn't be done. The flight distances really aren't that far to South East Asia and there are millions upon millions of people living in fast growing economies.

It is a literally massive market.

As has been said before, there are already quite a few teams in Japan - but best of all, all it took was a handful of exhibition matches between Hawthorn and Essendon in the 80s. Why waste time with the London match when a single effectively promoted Aussie Bowl has done more for footy than 20 years of playing expat piss-up events at the Oval. Imagine what is possible if just a little bit of actual effort is invested in these markets.

A league could just as easily start in Vietnam if some of the guys playing it (like the Elgar Park Dragons ie. the Melbourne Vietnam side that played Japan this year) can get connections working over there. The language and cultural barrier makes it hard for ex-pats to get through over there, but if you take some Vietnamese speaking Australians over there to explain what it is all about, I am sure you'd have much better results.

And this year sees the first ever all-Chinese Aussie Rules side line up in Taijin.

The advantage that soccer has is that it has had a toehold in Asia for years, helping it to spread by word of mouth and globalisation ensures that it gets huge exposure.

But things are still promising for Aussie Rules in my opinion. If the game grows in US and Canada, more young asian players in multicultural cities will take up the game. Then there is even more chance to spread the word.

 

[La Vache]

first move into Darwin.

Then upward to PNG and Indonesia.

 

[danielcan]

first move into Darwin.

Then upward to PNG and Indonesia.

err NTFL? Tiwi Bombers, St Marys etc

 

[Portia]

The Javanese might be small, but Sumatrans would be a good fit for footy.

 

[danielcan]

You might be interested in the US comp. Info in the Vegemite thread (seriously).

 

[La Vache]

err NTFL? Tiwi Bombers, St Marys etc

These teams do not play AFL.

 

[danielcan]

These teams do not play AFL.

err, you're confusing me. does the NTFL not play Australian Rules Football? Is NTFL not also known as AFL Northern Territory?

what do you mean?

 

[La Vache]

err, you're confusing me. does the NTFL not play Australian Rules Football? Is NTFL not also known as AFL Northern Territory?

what do you mean?

AFL stands for the Australian Football League.

 

[danielcan]

AFL stands for the Australian Football League.

err, okay. you mean expanding AFL comp itself into Asia. Long flights, but close or same time zones to us.

but first, the local comp needs to develop or be strengthened. NTFL has fed many great players like the Rioli family to Essendon.

 

[goalpie]

Silly idea. They would just cheat.

 

[petszk]

If the NBL can expand to include the Singapore Slingers I don't see why it couldn't be done.

*Because Asia has already been exposed to Basketball (ie got their toehold first)
* From a neutral observers point of view, AFL and basketball are quite similiar - both fast paced and high scoring. But Basketball matches are generally closer (more exciting) than AFL matches - ie a Basketball match that is in the balance with 5 seconds on the clock is not rare, whereas an AFL match that comes down to a kick on/after the siren is very rare (2-3 games per season?)
*The NBA (and the NBL, these days) is beamed across Asia.
*Japan hosted the basketball world championships in August - September this year, and featured teams from Lebanon, Japan, Qatar and China. How many of these nations could put together a real (ie excluding aussie ex-pats) AFL team?


On a participation level, about the best you can hope for with AFL is for two types of players to pick up AFL;
1) Those who are unable to make the grade at soccer or basketball and say "This is too hard, they should give you points for near misses".
and
2) Cowards who find the concept of hitting a player with a hip & shoulder when he is not looking ("distracted by going for the ball" - ironically enough) appealing.

 

[Dave The Man]

Afl In China?

I heard somewhere the Melb Mayor was trying to get AFL in China!

Thoughts?

 

[Murray]

Re: Afl In China?

I heard somewhere the Melb Mayor was trying to get AFL in China!

Thoughts?

Are you sure, I thought it was North Pago Pago?

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

Re: Afl In China?

Let's be clear here, surely he's talking about spreading the game of Australian Football; not having a Chinese based team in the AFL.

 

[crowsarethebest]

Re: Afl In China?

The Chinese simply are not physical enough to succeed. They do have a huge heart however. I'm not sure they would be overly good at it.

 

[Johnson#26]

Re: Afl In China?

Link, Dave?

 

[Warwick]

Re: Afl In China?

Link, Dave?

http://www.worldjournal.com/wj-inst-news.php?nt_seq_id=1434005

 

[likka]

Re: Afl In China?

Can't even conquer West Sydney, what chance China?

Just in, Shangai Dragonboat League hoping to spread their sport into Melbourne.