AFL overtaking NRL in QLD

[Walshawk]

This is absolute nonsense

Which part?

 

[The Educator]

Which part?

That Whateley has no interest or knowledge of the NRL.

This goes to what Badger17 was doing earlier in the thread...trying to assert a symmetry that just doesn't exist.

Things like this just don't exist in AFL media world

Fox red-faced after Matthew Johns spruiks AFL

The NRL and Fox Sports have been left embarrassed, with the face of Fox League, Matthew Johns, involved in an advertising campaign to promote the game’s great rival.

www.smh.com.au

 

[Philhawk]

And the SCG is a shyte stadium - a mismatch of stadiums with no complete thoroughfare.
Originally I was against the build-it-and-they-will-come mentality but the WAFL GF
shows that people appreciate a good stadium.
Originally I was against the Olympic excesses of a new stadium but a number of programs have shown just how bad the situation is in Brisbane and building temporary stadiums is simply a waste of money.
The federal government has shown that it has plenty of money by gifting $600 million to NRL PNG.

The new members pavilion is brilliant. Old members is trash for viewing.

 

[RedV3x]

The new members pavilion is brilliant. Old members is trash for viewing.

Still a very bad mismatch of stadiums.
Still with limited thoroughfare.
Still with under-whelming concession stalls.
Still not very well served by public transport.

 

[Bjo187]

Which part?

Try listening to whateley across the divide on sen Sydney in the past few weeks. The bloke sucks up so badly to the NRL and Sydney listeners it's embarrassing. Then talks up storm like they're the biggest thing in Melbourne. On the other hand your mate vossy was calling for a relocation of the giants to Canberra a week or two ago on the alternate segment.

 

[Walshawk]

That Whateley has no interest or knowledge of the NRL.

This goes to what Badger17 was doing earlier in the thread...trying to assert a symmetry that just doesn't exist.

Things like this just don't exist in AFL media world

Fox red-faced after Matthew Johns spruiks AFL

The NRL and Fox Sports have been left embarrassed, with the face of Fox League, Matthew Johns, involved in an advertising campaign to promote the game’s great rival.

www.smh.com.au

Gerard has very little knowledge of NRL. He is a smart guy and will research the issue of the week, but knows little of the players or the game itself. That is obvious.

 

[Bjo187]

Gerard has very little knowledge of NRL. He is a smart guy and will research the issue of the week, but knows little of the players or the game itself. That is obvious.

Have a look at sen Sydney this week. ****ing grand final week, the swans the biggest club in the state and pretty much nothing. Gerrard might not know much, but he talks up the storm, shows interest in the sport when it's discussed and doesn't turn his lip up at any mention of the nrl.

Your mate Vossy is pushing for the giants to relocate to Canberra, you'll hear this a lot outta the Sydney/nrl media, they are truly nervous about having a second version of the swans up there in 20 years time. Come to think of it, your anti giants too, makes sense now.

 

[Walshawk]

Try listening to whateley across the divide on sen Sydney in the past few weeks. The bloke sucks up so badly to the NRL and Sydney listeners it's embarrassing. Then talks up storm like they're the biggest thing in Melbourne. On the other hand your mate vossy was calling for a relocation of the giants to Canberra a week or two ago on the alternate segment.

I listen. It is good to hear from someone in Sydney. His perspective was interesting, his son is playing AFL and 100% of the talk at his son’s club is around the Swans, even though they are west of Sydney (I think). There is close to zero interest or coverage of the Giants - AFL in Sydney is the Swans.

And the Giants are more popular in Canberra than Sydney so that is not such an outrageous suggestion.

 

[Canberra Pear]

And the Giants are more popular in Canberra than Sydney so that is not such an outrageous suggestion.

Please stop peddling this. They're not.

We get larger crowds because we have more AFL fans, not Giants fans.

At the end of the day, Canberra has fewer than a fifth of Giants members, whereas Sydney has roughly 70%.

And a higher percentage of Sydney's members would actually be primarily Giants fans.

They may not have yet built a culture of attendance in Sydney, but the Giants are definitely more popular in Sydney than Canberra.

 

[The Educator]

Please stop peddling this. They're not.

We get larger crowds because we have more AFL fans, not Giants fans.

At the end of the day, Canberra has fewer than a fifth of Giants members, whereas Sydney has roughly 70%.

And a higher percentage of Sydney's members would actually be primarily Giants fans.

They may not have yet built a culture of attendance in Sydney, but the Giants are definitely more popular in Sydney than Canberra.

Well said. There is also the fact that the "Greater" Western Sydney includes places that are an hour by car and an hour and a half by public transport.

So it is going to be substantially harder to get to games for the average Sydney Giant fan and that is already spread over 9 potential games.

The three Manuka games are also the best opportunity for any Giants fans that have been captured in its riverina academy catchment

 

[GC2015]

Big week for the AFL with the Queensland media. Not a single competitor in sight as all Queensland teams have been eliminated from the NRL Finals and that should shine the brightest possible light on the Brisbane Lions, unlike last year when the Broncos also made the GF in the same week and took most of the spotlight.

Perhaps a bigger factor is that this is the FIRST time the Lions have made a GF in the same year that the Broncos have missed the finals. The Broncos made the prelim in 2001 & 2002 as well as a qualifying final in 2003 and a semi final in 2004. Obviously both played in the GF last year, but 2024 is unique in that the Lions had no competition from other south east Queensland teams.

A Lions flag in 2024 could be huge for the sport up here and may very well kickstart another massive boom like we saw in 2006-08. Plus, if we're lucky, the greatest player of the last decade may very well join a Queensland club a few days later as well. Massive week for Queensland footy!

 

[Walshawk]

Please stop peddling this. They're not.

We get larger crowds because we have more AFL fans, not Giants fans.

At the end of the day, Canberra has fewer than a fifth of Giants members, whereas Sydney has roughly 70%.

And a higher percentage of Sydney's members would actually be primarily Giants fans.

They may not have yet built a culture of attendance in Sydney, but the Giants are definitely more popular in Sydney than Canberra.

It depends on how you define ‘popular’. If they get bigger crowds and more TV eyeballs (likely), then wouldn't that make them more popular? I would suggest that all 18 clubs beside the Swans are more popular in Canberra compared with Sydney. Beside Swans fans, footy is not popular in Sydney compared with Canberra.

 

[The Educator]

It depends on how you define ‘popular’. If they get bigger crowds and more TV eyeballs (likely), then wouldn't that make them more popular? I would suggest that all 18 clubs beside the Swans are more popular in Canberra compared with Sydney. Beside Swans fans, footy is not popular in Sydney compared with Canberra.

I am almost certain they are defining it in absolute numbers (i.e. reflecting also there are ten times the people in Sydney than Canberra)

That is, there are significantly more Giants fans in Sydney than in Canberra

 

[Canberra Pear]

It depends on how you define ‘popular’. If they get bigger crowds

You really can't use crowd size as a sign of a single club's popularity in Canberra. We got similar crowds when North and the Western Bulldogs played here, too.

At any given game at Manuka, less than a quarter would actually be Giants fans. So probably fewer than 3k. Which probably includes a a chunk of travelling Sydney fans (which I imagine the majority behind the goals would be).

I'd say, more often than not, there are more than 3k Giants fans at Engie.

and more TV eyeballs (likely), then wouldn't that make them more popular?

I can't refute that without published Canberra numbers, but once again, we have more AFL fans, and the Giants are one of a few matches on free-to-air.

I would suggest that all 18 clubs beside the Swans are more popular in Canberra compared with Sydney. Beside Swans fans, footy is not popular in Sydney compared with Canberra.

This is actually my point. The higher crowds and (potentially) higher viewership is because AFL is more popular, not the Giants.

When you don't have neutrals boosting the numbers, the Giants are more popular in Sydney than Canberra.

 

[Aussie in exile]

Gerard has very little knowledge of NRL. He is a smart guy and will research the issue of the week, but knows little of the players or the game itself. That is obvious.

He does like horse racing and i would suggest that's hs 2nd sport

 

[Walshawk]

You really can't use crowd size as a sign of a single club's popularity in Canberra. We got similar crowds when North and the Western Bulldogs played here, too.

At any given game at Manuka, less than a quarter would actually be Giants fans. So probably fewer than 3k. Which probably includes a a chunk of travelling Sydney fans (which I imagine the majority behind the goals would be).

I'd say, more often than not, there are more than 3k Giants fans at Engie.



I can't refute that without published Canberra numbers, but once again, we have more AFL fans, and the Giants are one of a few matches on free-to-air.



This is actually my point. The higher crowds and (potentially) higher viewership is because AFL is more popular, not the Giants.

When you don't have neutrals boosting the numbers, the Giants are more popular in Sydney than Canberra.

That is my point as well. We are both are splitting hairs. Like a mad Beatles fan going to a Rolling Stones concert and saying they don’t count because they are Beatles fans first. We all know the Giants don’t really have all those paying members. Many thousands are giveaways via sponsors. Otherwise their Sydney crowds would be significantly higher. Their crowds in Canberra make them popular there, even if those attending have another club as their main team.

 

[Bjo187]

Have a listen to Gerard on vossy and brandy this morning walshawk, which exactly proves my points to tee.

Gerard claiming nobody you walk past on the streets of Melbourne wouldn't know the storm are playing this Friday night and it's gonna be huge .

Then vossy and brandy doing their 'get the giants out of Sydney' campaign which always 100 percent of the time, correlates to the afl getting in the news a lot, the afl smashing the nrl in tv ratings and the swans and giants being on 7 news Sydney literally every night since the bye round. It was more giants than swans on 7 news Sydney till they got beaten, but now it's all swans obviously. Tonight, 3 stories on the afl grand final, 2 in the main news, 1 in sport.

It is staggering you buy into the agenda of the Sydney nrl media that clearly don't want a swans 2.0 occurring with the giants in 20 years time.

These guys freaked out when robbo said an off the cuff comment that he thinks the afl will take over in Sydney by the time he dies... robbo! Can you imagine if some no name nrl journo said that about the afl, it wouldn't even make the news here, where as the leagiues are throwing a tantrum and Peter v'landy's (Donald trump) is having to make up highly fabricated statistics to ease the anxiety of the masses. His exaggeration on the tv ratings difference between nrl and afl in Sydney was actually 10x bigger than the actual truth, as wookie pointed out on his footy industry site.

The nrl media going on the attack, just like when the giants were launched, I correlate with the afl getting some good exposure and the anxiety and inferiority complex kicking into a higher gear, it literally always correlates.

This year:
Giants membership up
Giants average crowds up
Giants social media growth, biggest in the afl by percentage.

They still have a long way to go, but don't be niave to what the intention is behind some Sydney nrl media types trying to push an agenda.

 

[RedV3x]

We are both are splitting hairs.

Definitely agree.

 

[Canberra Pear]

That is my point as well. We are both are splitting hairs. Like a mad Beatles fan going to a Rolling Stones concert and saying they don’t count because they are Beatles fans first.

But we're not saying the same thing.

You said that the Giants are more popular in Canberra, so relocation isn't "an outrageous suggestion".

But in terms of members and actual fans, the Giants are absolutely more popular in Sydney. Which is why relocation is an outrageous suggestion.

We all know the Giants don’t really have all those paying members. Many thousands are giveaways via sponsors. Otherwise their Sydney crowds would be significantly higher.

The Giants have a lot more paying members in Sydney - and that the majority of them are actually Giants fans.

Sure, they're giving away freebies, too. But unless they're giving away 19k memberships in Sydney, they've got more paid up members in Sydney. And importantly, more fans.

Their crowds in Canberra make them popular there, even if those attending have another club as their main team.

You have to know that the larger crowds in Canberra doesn't equal like-for-like popularity for the Giants. We will, and have, rocked up in similar numbers for North and the Bulldogs. The Suns highest home crowd is in Perth. That doesn't make them most popular there.

A crowd of three quarters neutrals and oppositions doesn't make the Giants more popular in Canberra than Sydney, and definitely shouldn't be used as a justification for location.

 

[The Educator]

Have a listen to Gerard on vossy and brandy this morning walshawk, which exactly proves my points to tee.

Gerard claiming nobody you walk past on the streets of Melbourne wouldn't know the storm are playing this Friday night and it's gonna be huge .

Really? He's such a tool! People who listen to SEN religiously and read the Herald Sun Sports section will know. A very large number of people would have no idea

 

[Giant YoYo]

A Giants move out of Sydney would be an absolute dream for the codes that don't want an AFL team encroaching on Western Sydney OR two AFL teams in the same city. Not only that but an absolute PR disaster.

Some codes don't want what's playing out in Eastern Sydney happening in Western Sydney, not by a longshot. So footy fans are playing into other codes hands by some of the commentary. Whether these footy fans realise it or not, perpetuating the commentary actually isn't all that helpful, even if possibly well meaning.

It's also interesting that some of these footy fans were around during the time of other expansion teams and saw the struggles of other clubs and how they have since flourished but all of a sudden, the Giants are in dire straits never to attain any kind of measurable success in the Western part of Sydney. Interesting, I cannot see the region being that much of an outlier but happy to see how that plays out in time rather than comment on it myself now.

A lot of this has been tried tested with the expansion clubs and it's eventually worked. I'm sure there will be new things having to be done for the Giants due to a change in market and time. Then again, a lot of it isn't supposed to be bear fruit until closer to the generational timeframe.

The discourse around the club membership numbers is an interesting one, it's not some gotcha moment - kids participating in footy programs/the clubs footy programs are allowed (as per the AFLs rules) to nominate a club and be counted in the Giants membership numbers. The fact the club/the AFL is playing the long game in the Western part of Sydney tells you that these participants, will eventually, over time, be reflected in the attendance numbers and become paying members (how many lifelong members cancel their memberships? I'd say the turnover is not a huge number as it'd be a proven strategy).

Kids eventually grow up and become of age, go to games, possibly starting their own families who will include their own kids in footy programs etc and all of a sudden, you'll be seeing the generational growth. It's not a completely new strategy. It's not like we're not seeing any of this happening in Eastern Sydney, right?

No need to take my word for it. The league knows it:

AFL grand final could be the highest rating of all time: Dillon hits back at V’landys

With contestants from Queensland and NSW, and the traditional AFL states all watching, this could be the most-watched grand final ever.

www.smh.com.au

“Our clubs in New South Wales and Queensland have had incredible results this year. Their crowds are up in both states over 10 per cent, memberships up over 10 per cent, viewership [is] up at record levels in New South Wales and Queensland.

“And pleasingly for us, and really important for us, is that our community participation in both states is also at record levels, and we’ll just continue to invest in community.

“We know that boys, girls and men and women who are involved in our game at a community level, are six or seven times more likely to become a fan or watch the game on TV – and that’s what our focus is.”

It's rather unfortunate some footy fans only see the right now and not the longer term, generational strategy, but alas.

 

[Angus Young]

If AFL Grand final was played at Prime Time.... Nothing would come close with ratings.

The fact it is played at 2pm on a Saturday afternoon and rates like it does is phenomenal.

 

[Walshawk]

But we're not saying the same thing.

You said that the Giants are more popular in Canberra, so relocation isn't "an outrageous suggestion".

But in terms of members and actual fans, the Giants are absolutely more popular in Sydney. Which is why relocation is an outrageous suggestion.



The Giants have a lot more paying members in Sydney - and that the majority of them are actually Giants fans.

Sure, they're giving away freebies, too. But unless they're giving away 19k memberships in Sydney, they've got more paid up members in Sydney. And importantly, more fans.



You have to know that the larger crowds in Canberra doesn't equal like-for-like popularity for the Giants. We will, and have, rocked up in similar numbers for North and the Bulldogs. The Suns highest home crowd is in Perth. That doesn't make them most popular there.

A crowd of three quarters neutrals and oppositions doesn't make the Giants more popular in Canberra than Sydney, and definitely shouldn't be used as a justification for location.

The Giants would do much better in a Canberra than they currently do in Western Sydney. It is not an outrageous suggestion.

 

[Giant YoYo]

The Giants would do much better in a Canberra than they currently do in Western Sydney. It is not an outrageous suggestion.

Well, it would certainly be ill-advised, at this stage.

It's ignoring the purpose of the Western Sydney Football club and northern expansion by having Sydney a 2 team city. It also ignores the well-known challenges they would have in Western Sydney and estimated timeframes.

It takes 20-25 years to establish a club in the northern markets. Western Sydney would be by far one of the AFLs toughest expansion markets which they are aware of.

Canberra already has footy history, if the league was going for the low hanging fruit Canberra would've had a team before Western Sydney.

A team in Western Sydney will take longer than Canberra to bear fruit which means you need a longer lead time (particularly when having to build up all the footy infrastructure up from scratch because there's extremely limited footy infrastructure and knowhow in the existing region).

Anyhow, this is going off topic in this thread so I'll leave it at that.

 

[Bjo187]

The Giants would do much better in a Canberra than they currently do in Western Sydney. It is not an outrageous suggestion.

Might not be outrageous, but it is stupid. Canberra already has a footy market, but the potential to be a small niche club like the suns. Also, they should be team 20. The west of Sydney has less of a footy culture, but the growth potential is amazing and in time they could be a massive club like the swans. In fact, they are tracking similarly, if not in front of the swans at the same stage.

It's like you've only started watching footy 10 years ago and never saw the early years of the swans and bears. Even Port and Freo had struggles around that 10 to 15 year mark, before the second generation of fan blossomed. It's like you're begging it to fail coz a leaguie living up in Sydney told you it will, hoping the afl will pull the pin, coz it's a threat to their own favourite sport.