AFL V Australian Football: Re-brand the National Competition as the 'Australian Football League'

[A Living God]

AFL is OK except overseas when the term ARFL as in BARFL needs be used.

BAFL works just as well, as in the British "Australian Football" League not the "British AFL."

 

[Professor Knowall]

If the organizing body of Soccer in Australia is so hell-bent on being called Football all the time, why do they condone/promote the national team name of "Socceroos" then?

Double-standard.

The AFL should not be using the term AFL to refer to the sport, at all. I know they have that big long "mission statement" etc, but they can wipe their asses on it imo. Im with anyone who detests that misuse of the term AFL, and the AFL Commission's intent to brand everything including the sport itself as "AFL" as some marketing strategy.

Despite there being 4 codes of football in Australia, they're all still football. People say Rugby and Gridiron arent football because handling of the ball is involved, but the history of all 'football' codes stem from the one original beginning hundreds and hundreds of years ago....so it's just a standard monicker for them all.

Rugby Union and Rugby League are two different sports, yet the U and L in those names are actually in reference to the bodies. So devil's advocate, it's kinda similar to how they're calling Australian Rules Football, AFL now. An analogy would be calling it "FL" instead of "AFL" as being the same as the term "RL".

If one were to be exact. It would follow...

American Football
Australian Football
Association Football (soccer)
... English Rugby Football (for both) ...

Couldn't agree more. It amazes me the AFL is missing out on a major selling point - that it plays OUR game - AUSTRALIAN Football - and not merely a foreign import.

The English are proud of their codes (soccer and rugby). The Americans are very proud of their code (American Football - ). Yet here, too many here suffer from that old cultural cringe.

Surely the AFL can see the wisdom in promoting our sport of Australian Football (and not just the professional level AFL) as OUR very own game - but it seems not.

 

[cos789]

Surely the AFL can see the wisdom in promoting our sport of Australian Football (and not just the professional level AFL) as OUR very own game - but it seems not.

Overseas , the initial curiosity value of a foreign sport is soon seen as a barrier to widespread development .All the "Aussie Rules" clubs are now branded "AFL" clubs .Domestically , you'd think they'd be great merit in advertising the "Australian" part of the game ,but a recent promotion of that fact fell flat in QLD and NSW .Being Australian is seen as a negative in Sydney , something has to be imported to be seen as quality .Unfortunately the rebranding as "AFL" has been very successful so we're stuck with this grammatical absurdity . The good news is we join the club .


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[Power King]

I call it AFL because football can mean so many different things in this country, plus when talking about aussie rules, I'm only ever referring to the AFL.

Plus, I hold the view that the true football is the one that uses the foot the most - 'soccer'.

Using AFL instead of aussie rules is technically erroneous, but if we could give aussie rules a unique name like gridiron for NFL, then I'd rather use that.

 

[CambridgeOxford]

Just to stir the pot even more, yes I dont like the fact that the AFL never refers to football even more, but It also annoys me that suddenly since Les Murray coined the term the 'World Game' people use it generically for soccer. Yes it is played by the majority of the world but it was invented/set up/first comp/rules league etc in England. I think World game is used so the other Europeans can delude themselves that they are not playing an English sport!

 

[cos789]

I call it AFL because football can mean so many different things in this country, plus when talking about aussie rules, I'm only ever referring to the AFL.

Plus, I hold the view that the true football is the one that uses the foot the most - 'soccer'.

Using AFL instead of aussie rules is technically erroneous, but if we could give aussie rules a unique name like gridiron for NFL, then I'd rather use that.

Soccer is a game where most of the time players soccer the ball .
Look it up in the dictionary . Soccer is an apt name for Cambridge rules football or Association Football .

Aussie Rules is the only game in world where the ball is specifically designed for kicking over long distances .Kicking over long distances , short distances and even the occasional soccer .

It is the utmost arrogance that a sport attempts to exclusively call itself a general term . Does Ford claim they own the term "car" just because they did it best in the early days .

If people insist we call soccer Football then ok but it is to be an even greater absurdity to refer to it as Football football because in most parts of the world "football" is what is the most popular code .

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[Trjn]

Just to stir the pot even more, yes I dont like the fact that the AFL never refers to football even more, but It also annoys me that suddenly since Les Murray coined the term the 'World Game' people use it generically for soccer. Yes it is played by the majority of the world but it was invented/set up/first comp/rules league etc in England. I think World game is used so the other Europeans can delude themselves that they are not playing an English sport!

In fairness, the whole point of the English inventing sports is so that another country can beat them at it.

For those who keep going on about it, "football" does not refer to the main way the ball is moved about, but that it's played on foot. Also, the thing closest to the "original" football is probably Rugby Union, although you could probably get pretty close by attending a lynching.

The fact of the matter is, there are too many leagues of football to be able to refer to our particular brand as Australian Football. There's already complaints whenever a Socceroo player refers to Australian football, because they're using the word "Australian" as a descriptive. So we can either go with "Aussie Rules" or "AFL" and "Aussie Rules" doesn't sound as good in formal situations so AFL gets the nod.

 

[Exe Gesis]

They could use the nickname "Fusbol" if they wanted, which is also close to "futbol".

 

[Power King]

If the organizing body of Soccer in Australia is so hell-bent on being called Football all the time, why do they condone/promote the national team name of "Socceroos" then?

Double-standard.

Yes, it is a double standard, but the nickname has been around for so long and people generally like it, so a dilemma arises - lose a beloved nickname to help get rid of 'soccer', or keep a beloved nickname to uphold the term 'soccer'.

Soccer is a game where most of the time players soccer the ball .
Look it up in the dictionary . Soccer is an apt name for Cambridge rules football or Association Football .

Aussie Rules is the only game in world where the ball is specifically designed for kicking over long distances .Kicking over long distances , short distances and even the occasional soccer .

It is the utmost arrogance that a sport attempts to exclusively call itself a general term . Does Ford claim they own the term "car" just because they did it best in the early days .

If people insist we call soccer Football then ok but it is to be an even greater absurdity to refer to it as Football football because in most parts of the world "football" is what is the most popular code .

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This is actually a very good post, and I openly accept your view.

If we were to go along with this, then the following quote MUST be followed:

So, what would be needed is that Australian Football, Rugby League and Rugby Union, all find their own unique nicknames for their codes. Then they can all use the term 'football' liberally and generically but market their codes by their nicknames without everything getting offended with each other or too proud.

and 'aussie rules' is a shit nickname.

Can't see one forming though because the game has existed for 150 years without one, plus it's going to be very hard to think of the name that will gradually catch on...

 

[eldorado]

How many of us call rugby league NRL?

I do.

And that despite there being a few foreign leagues that play it, I normally just identify the brand NRL; it's a sort of shorthand for Rugby league.

AFL is shorthand for AFL; even moreso because there are NO other leagues to get it confused with.

I used to pick people up on it, now I don't care

 

[Hooligan87]

We have a great nickname for our game.
It is Footy. No other form of football refers to its game as Footy.

That is our term, we should embrace it

 

[Hooligan87]

How many of us call rugby league NRL?

I do.

And that despite there being a few foreign leagues that play it, I normally just identify the brand NRL; it's a sort of shorthand for Rugby league.

AFL is shorthand for AFL; even moreso because there are NO other leagues to get it confused with.

I used to pick people up on it, now I don't care

I refer to Rugby leauge and NRL simply as Rugby, wrong i know

 

[Exe Gesis]

Some possibles for nicknames...

American Football:- Gridiron, Pigskin
Australian Football:- Marngrook, Sherrin
Association Football:- Soccer, Fusbol, Futbol
Rugby Union:- Rugby
Rubgy League:- Dally (after dally messenger)

Something like that, hypothetically, and everyone is happy.
Gridiron Football, Soccer Football, Marngrook Football, Rugby Football, Dally Football.

 

[cos789]

Most sports have their own nicknames I think you were trying to say that some sports need unique formal names without "football" being included .
Well that's difficult because they all have "football" in their formal titles .

I don't see the problem except one code insisting that they have exclusivity to the title "football" .If we take for example the sports news the presenter will say ..."in the AFL..WAFL.. S14.. AL" .

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[Exe Gesis]

What i mean is, the nickname can become the marketing device. Rather than codes quarreling over who can and cant also use 'football'.

In Australia, for instance, the american football code is marketed and refered to as Gridiron. And therefore distinguishes itself from all the other codes. But Gridiron is still football, and therefore all codes can freely use the generic term 'football' as well, and stop everyone getting their noses out of joint.

AR doesnt have a definitive nickname, nor RU or RL. Which is why i suggested those names above.

 

[eldorado]

It is Footy. No other form of football refers to its game as Footy.

That is our term, we should embrace it

As opposed to the NRL, who inexplicably also have a show called "The Footy Show"

Your assertion did not require a great deal of research to rebut.

 

[cos789]

What i mean is, the nickname can become the marketing device. Rather than codes quarreling over who can and cant also use 'football'.

In Australia, for instance, the american football code is marketed and refered to as Gridiron. And therefore distinguishes itself from all the other codes. But Gridiron is still football, and therefore all codes can freely use the generic term 'football' with or without their nickname, and stop everyone getting their noses out of joint.

AR doesnt have a definitive nickname, nor RU or RL. Which is why i suggested those names above.

Hello .
Australian football has the nickname "Aussie Rules" and is marketed as "AFL".
RU and rl and contractions of their formal names and there is absolutely no confusion when people talk about Rugby and except for the union or league part .

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[Hooligan87]

As opposed to the NRL, who inexplicably also have a show called "The Footy Show"

Your assertion did not require a great deal of research to rebut.

Rugby leauge is not footy.

 

[Professor Knowall]

The AFL competition badly needs to be re-branded as 'Australian Football League.' ... AFL is the professional Australian national competition in the sport of Australian rules Football....AFL IS NOT THE SPORT!

...My main beef with the use of the term "AFL" to refer to our Australian game is that it actually takes Australia or Australian out of the game. By doing so it puts the sport on a level pegging with foreign games like rubgy league. That shits me. ...

...Or are we all happy to sit back and let the big wigs at AFL House have everyone in the country refering to Australian Football as simply AFL for the rest of our lives?

Just a reminder of the OP. He makes a good point.

 

[clarkoscluster]

Completely agree - look at the FoxSports home page, which has 'AFL' and then 'Football'. So we are not football any more!!!

www.foxsports.com.au

Err... if you wake up from under your rock, you might notice that Australia has more then 1 code of football. There is a code which is equally popular across the nation. It is not the number one code, but it is a code that most of the country support. That code is football, or "soccer". If FoxSports referred to AFL as football, I'm sure the northern states, who religiously refer to League as football, would be very pleased that their sport get's "branded out of football" to AFL... oh, but who care's about NRL, AFL iz da bessstttt!

 

[cos789]

Err... if you wake up from under your rock, you might notice that Australia has more then 1 code of football.

exactly!

So wtf don't they put soccer under soccer !!!!!!!!!!

 

[Dangas]

huh?
AFL = Australian Football League

 

[eldorado]

Rugby leauge is not footy.

Well, here's the thing, you slightly sheltered individual.

There are approximately 10 million people or more in Australia who would disagree with you

 

[Exe Gesis]

The Hackysack League of Australia, which i am a proud member of, also disagrees with that. In our eyes, WE are the real "foot" ball.

That's me in the top hat...

 

[Hooligan87]

Well, here's the thing, you slightly sheltered individual.

There are approximately 10 million people or more in Australia who would disagree with you

No one around here calls NRL footy