AFL overtaking NRL in QLD

[Aussie in exile]

its a pretty unreasonable request. There are few indeoendent sources for this sort of data. You can only go by what governing bodies provide, and sometimes Ausplay data.

Ok that's fine, but perhaps we shouldn't take it as gospel when it comes from ANY governing body.

 

[GC2015]

There cannot be any direct competition for the Dolphins as the NRL chose a rusted-on r.l. club
but an AFL club representing Nth Brisbane to Sunshine Coast would give a lot of people
another option as many are new to the area and more open to modern options.

That's what I meant. Start an AFL team in the exact area that the Dolphins are based in/focusing on - North Brisbane/Moreton Bay/Sunshine Coast. Brisbane is showing a real appetite for Aussie rules lately and the Sunny Coast has many Victorian ex pats. Plus, the Lions have already established a footprint out west in Ipswich, so it makes sense for another team to focus on the northern corridor.

 

[RedV3x]

Ok that's fine, but perhaps we shouldn't take it as gospel when it comes from ANY governing body.

Well there's plenty of data that sporting bodies have no control over.
AFL attendances for example are highly scrutinized.
It isn't that hard to do your own statistics by doing seasrches.
I, for one try to avoid absolutes but look to changes in data, as in ratings, number of clubs, number of competitions, sponsorship levels.
That's why I can confidently say that the AFL is going from strength to strength.

 

[RedV3x]

That's what I meant. Start an AFL team in the exact area that the Dolphins are based

The point I was trying to imply is that the Dolphins are Redcliffe.
They are not the Moreton Bay or any other area in the title.
Thus any club with a wider title has the potential to gather from a wider area.
This may be an irrelevant point or a valid point.

 

[GC2015]

The point I was trying to imply is that the Dolphins are Redcliffe.
They are not the Moreton Bay or any other area in the title.
Thus any club with a wider title has the potential to gather from a wider area.
This may be an irrelevant point or a valid point.

I see what you're saying, but I'd actually take a different approach to the one we've seen with the Dolphins. They were unwilling to let go of their history and rename themselves Brisbane (fair enough) but I think it also means Brisbane people don't necessarily look at them as their own. The Lions and Broncos are unapologetically Brisbane and will let people know it. 'We are the pride of Brisbane town' is something residents of Brisbane can sing proudly. Could you imagine if Manchester City called themselves something else that didn't include the word 'Manchester'? They'd never have any hope of competing with Manchester United. Now you've got two massive clubs based in Manchester.

As for the Sunshine Coast/Moreton Bay areas, I lived on the Gold Coast before the Suns existed and I can tell you there were plenty of Lions fans living here back then. Gold Coasters knew that was our best bet to support a local team and they went with it. I think you'd find the same thing would happen on the Sunshine Coast/Moreton Bay if a North Brisbane team entered the AFL. Particularly if they play a home game or two on the Sunny Coast like the Lions used to on the GC.

 

[RedV3x]

I see what you're saying, but I'd actually take a different approach to the one we've seen with the Dolphins. They were unwilling to let go of their history and rename themselves Brisbane (fair enough) but I think it also means Brisbane people don't necessarily look at them as their own.

That is the problem with a "promoted" club, fans remember the state rivalries.
Port Adelaide are the most successful Australian Football in the SANFL and as such they created a huge following but unlike the Crows that represent all of Adelaide, it's hard for the AFL Port Adelaide to get past these SANFL prejudices and grow.
The Dolphins have a good initial following but will they grow ? Will they represent Brisbane North ?

 

[Bjo187]

Is North Brisbane the name you'd go for GC2015 ? I think having Brisbane in the title is important, but do people that high up consider themselves as still a part of 'Brisbane'? And let's not go with another acronym like gws ffs, arguably the dumbest marketing move in history.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

Dr Fujak actually says in his book that it's more to do with the fact nrl clubs were never motivated to widen their fanbase, as they had an over reliance on pokies and the money that brought in, so were lazy in trying to draw in more football revenue. Still today the gap in football based revenue between afl and nrl clubs is huge, as they (nrl clubs) bring in most of their revenue from their pokies/league clubs, which most afl clubs have gotten rid of.

It's also probably to do with the fact that teams were developed and established in the 20th century, and were more spread out. On the other hand, the top Aussie Rules teams even across Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide were essentially neighbouring suburbs, creating a culture of away attendance back to the 19th century probably unmatched in world sport.

 

[LordLucifer]

North Brisbane Bandicoots
Sunshine Coast Saints

 

[dave10]

The thread says "AFL overtaking NRL is QLD" continual improvement isn't doing what the thread says.
AFL K.P. I's are not independent, which i was asking about.

I live in SEQ. I don’t need any independent stats to back up what I’ve witnessed over the years. AFL is unquestionably more popular than it was a decade ago. It’s now taking up more space in daily newspapers, featuring often before the NRL story on the nightly FTA news nightly and this is supported by growth in crowds, participation and membership.

I’m not trying to be biased or make stuff up here but the coverage of the Lions GF experience recently opened my eyes to how big the game is up here now. Even the local Brisbane ABC radio went to Melbourne GF week and did their shows via outside broadcast! AFL GF got significantly more coverage across the week than the RL GF. Now, the Lions participating was a key driver but a decade ago the RL GF always got more coverage irrespective of who was playing. That says it all to me.

AFL ovals are appearing around the GC region, the schools are much more involved in offering AFL and the AFLs academies and participation strategies are really gaining traction.

Now, I don’t know what independent stats there are to support any of these real life experiences but tbh, I don’t need any statistical analysis to remind me of what’s becoming pretty obvious. AFL in QLD is no longer that niche ‘other sport’ the media begrudgingly cover on the weekends.. Its a genuine #2 in QLD and closing fast on RL.

 

[Bjo187]

It's also probably to do with the fact that teams were developed and established in the 20th century, and were more spread out. On the other hand, the top Aussie Rules teams even across Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide were essentially neighbouring suburbs, creating a culture of away attendance back to the 19th century probably unmatched in world sport.

There was barely any away support at suburban grounds though in the times that I went. I only caught the end of those grounds coz I was too young, but I went to whiten oval, kardinia park princess park and moorabbin one time each and the crowds were about 99 percent to 1 percent at all of them. It was intimidating for a kid and I'm sure for adults too and that's why there was such limited opposition support at these suburban venues.

I live in SEQ. I don’t need any independent stats to back up what I’ve witnessed over the years. AFL is unquestionably more popular than it was a decade ago. It’s now taking up more space in daily newspapers, featuring often before the NRL story on the nightly FTA news nightly and this is supported by growth in crowds, participation and membership.

I’m not trying to be biased or make stuff up here but the coverage of the Lions GF experience recently opened my eyes to how big the game is up here now. Even the local Brisbane ABC radio went to Melbourne GF week and did their shows via outside broadcast! AFL GF got significantly more coverage across the week than the RL GF. Now, the Lions participating was a key driver but a decade ago the RL GF always got more coverage irrespective of who was playing. That says it all to me.

AFL ovals are appearing around the GC region, the schools are much more involved in offering AFL and the AFLs academies and participation strategies are really gaining traction.

Now, I don’t know what independent stats there are to support any of these real life experiences but tbh, I don’t need any statistical analysis to remind me of what’s becoming pretty obvious. AFL in QLD is no longer that niche ‘other sport’ the media begrudgingly cover on the weekends.. Its a genuine #2 in QLD and closing fast on RL.

Gee this news won't go down well for a lot in here.

Greg Swan said recently that qld is the golden child in AFL hq's eyes at the moment due to how much it has grown in pretty much all metrics. Remember that article that came out a few months back that there are so many kids playing the on the gc, that the afl had to start paying for floodlights to use all the schools ovals. This is the only way they could keep up with the demand and they still didn't have enough.

 

[PhatBoy]

It's also probably to do with the fact that teams were developed and established in the 20th century, and were more spread out. On the other hand, the top Aussie Rules teams even across Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide were essentially neighbouring suburbs, creating a culture of away attendance back to the 19th century probably unmatched in world sport.

Interesting idea.

The three primary ‘local derbies’ in the NRL have always been - Sydney wise - St George and Cronulla, which has only existed since 1967 when Cronulla entered the comp and both sides, especially Cronulla have small grounds. Manly and Norths, manly having entered in the 40s. Brooky is a decent sized ground but north Sydney oval isn’t.

Souths and the roosters has existed since the start and was played at the cricket ground for a long time and during the strongest years of the comp got good crowds but that dropped off by the 80s as one or both sides began to struggle. It’s surged again to some degree in the last 15 years in relative terms but still not what I’d call huge crowds

 

[The_Wookie]

Ok that's fine, but perhaps we shouldn't take it as gospel when it comes from ANY governing body.

Sometimes its the only source for that information.

And media outlets are only as good as the information provided to them

 

[The_Wookie]

“Footy is growing exponentially in New South Wales and Queensland - all four Clubs saw more than 10 per cent growth in membership this past season and we have seen community participation numbers grow a combined 17 per cent this year,” said Mr Dillon.

From todays Opening Round Media Release

 

[Go GWS!]

Let's not forget, footy has been played in Brisbane for much longer than rugby league. It is tempting to think that it only really arrived with the Bears (well, Brisbane adjacent) but it has always been a part of the city's fabric, and before football competitions were nationalised, it was as much a part of the nightly news as the two rugby codes.

Here's an example from the early 80s:

 

[RedV3x]

Let's not forget, footy has been played in Brisbane for much longer than rugby league.

Actually Brisbane's football history is very similar to Sydney's history.
Both Brisbane and Sydney had AFCs in the 1860s.
Both Brisbane and Sydney created city based state leagues in 1903.
Both Brisbane and Sydney experienced periods of great popularity.
Both Brisbane and Sydney AFLs experienced external pressures.
Both Brisbane and Sydney AFLs were reported in the media up until the end of the VFL era.
Both Brisbane and Sydney benefited considerably from ex VFL players.

Australian Football has survived stronger across Queensland than N.S.W.
but the arrival of the Swans kick-started Sydney's aspirations for elite football earlier.

 

[Toucan Soup]

Thanks for posting that video, Go GWS!
As a kid, our family would often go to a local QAFL game (didn't matter which club) - the ground announcer would usually provide quarter-by-quarter scores of the other games - but not always the full-time score.
When we returned home, it was important to check the News to find out the QAFL results for the day. This was commonly reported on the commercial channels too.

It is frequently a source of irritation that Queensland (and specifically Brisbane) is considered to have been virtually "terra nullius" before the Bears. Australian Football has been present for a significant period of time - although the management of the game locally has fluctuated.
This book covers it quite well:

 

[Bjo187]

Who were the scumbags in these states that voted for a pommie sport, over our own Australian game which would have dominated nationally like it should, similar to the NFL, NBA etc. Whoever they were they should have their citizenship posthumously revoked, for treason.

 

[Aussie in exile]

Who were the scumbags in these states that voted for a pommie sport, over our own Australian game which would have dominated nationally like it should, similar to the NFL, NBA etc. Whoever they were they should have their citizenship posthumously revoked, for treason.

Our Aussie game is played on Cricket ovals. The most Pommie game of all.
If it wasn't for Cricket we wouldn't have a game. Think about it.

 

[Bjo187]

Our Aussie game is played on Cricket ovals. The most Pommie game of all.
If it wasn't for Cricket we wouldn't have a game. Think about it.

Cricket wasn't voted for at the expense of Australia football now though was it? They are played in different seasons and compliment each other.

A bit different to ostracizing a local Australian product in preference to a sport invented 10 thousand miles away.

 

[Aussie in exile]

Cricket wasn't voted for at the expense of Australia football now though was it? They are played in different seasons and compliment each other.

A bit different to ostracizing a local Australian product in preference to a sport invented 10 thousand miles away.

Just pointing out facts.
Tom Wills wrote the first laws of Australia football when he was at Rugby school in England where he played Rugby and Cricket. Think about it.

 

[Bjo187]

Just pointing out facts.
Tom Wills wrote the first laws of Australia football when he was at Rugby school in England where he played Rugby and Cricket. Think about it.

What a strange post. I think you're trolling again and should find a board of a sport you actually like.

 

[Aussie in exile]

What a strange post. I think you're trolling again and should find a board of a sport you actually like.

No ust facts.
I'm surprised you are not aware of that part of Australian rules football history
Lets leave it there and move on

 

[Bjo187]

No ust facts.
I'm surprised you are not aware of that part of Australian rules football history
Lets leave it there and move on

'The Melbourne Football Club rules of 1859 are the oldest surviving set of laws for Australian rules football. The ten simple rules were drawn up on 17 May at a meeting chaired by Wills.

The meeting was held at the Parade Hotel, East Melbourne.

 

[Aussie in exile]

'The Melbourne Football Club rules of 1859 are the oldest surviving set of laws for Australian rules football. The ten simple rules were drawn up on 17 May at a meeting chaired by Wills.

The meeting was held at the Parade Hotel, East Melbourne.

I'm fully aware of the history of the game.
Let's move on Dude