Atmosphere at the soccer better?

[realfootball]

I've noticed you're the biggest idiot of all the delusional AFL fans. First, no one said AFL wasnt the number 1 sport. It clearly is number 1. .

Actually, maybe it isn't. More people play the round ball game here, the level of interest in surveys (eg sweeney) rate it similar to afl, it's just that more people attend first class fixtures with aussie rules. It's more like AFL is more popular than the a-league

 

[The Mongrel Punt]

It's more like AFL is more popular than the a-league

And always will be. With AFL you're seeing the best in the world. With the A-League, you're seeing the best that are not good enough to be playing elsewhere.

 

[GoldenSky]

If you don't like it don't read it.

Bye bye.

If you want to talk soccer, this board is not the place.

Bye bye.

 

[dipper86]

If you want to talk soccer, this board is not the place.

Bye bye.

Well since it really annoys the crap out of you I'll give you a nice rundown of the Itay vs Australia match 2006.

Italy had more scoring shots on goal and the better chances to score throughout the match, Italy had control of the first half, Once Matterazzi was booked and sent of for a non red card Australia started to dominate the midfield but elas Australia was playing against the best defence in the world and couldn't find a break through. Not many teams were able to score against Italy right through the world cup. (apart from the penalty in the final and the own goal against USA.)

It took one brain fade from an Australian defender sliding in the box at the feet of an italian player making no contact on the ball and the Italian player diving over the top of the Australain defender.

Any striker in the world that had a defender sliding at there feet without making any contact on the ball will fall over the defender and call for a penalty.

Thats just soccer.

Did you enjoy that. I'm happy you enjoyed reading it

 

[G Train]

For A-League i wouldnt say the atmosphere is as good, but AFL atmosphere is no where near as good as soccer in the EPL, serie a etc. The atmosphere at there cannot matched

 

[Whitebluestripes]

Swannies Rule bahahahahah you saddddddd case. Quashed my argument? What a laugh!!! You have no idea what you're talking about, you're taking an AFL bias, I've been to both codes...idiot! Moronic fool!

 

[Crosby87]

Well since it really annoys the crap out of you I'll give you a nice rundown of the Itay vs Australia match 2006.

Italy had more scoring shots on goal and the better chances to score throughout the match, Italy had control of the first half, Once Matterazzi was booked and sent of for a non red card Australia started to dominate the midfield but elas Australia was playing against the best defence in the world and couldn't find a break through. Not many teams were able to score against Italy right through the world cup. (apart from the penalty in the final and the own goal against USA.)

It took one brain fade from an Australian defender sliding in the box at the feet of an italian player making no contact on the ball and the Italian player diving over the top of the Australain defender.

Any striker in the world that had a defender sliding at there feet without making any contact on the ball will fall over the defender and call for a penalty.

Thats just soccer.

Did you enjoy that. I'm happy you enjoyed reading it

Reading that was probably more exciting than watching the actual match.

And it was still very, very, very boring.

 

[Grunty]

And always will be. With AFL you're seeing the best in the world. With the A-League, you're seeing the best that are not good enough to be playing elsewhere.

I think you'll find that quite a few of the young guys that are running around in the A-League now will be taking Australia to the next World Cup in 2010 in South Africa, or moving on to greener and more lucrative pastures in Europe. Though not all of them will be able to turn down $96,000.00 a week, as Mark Viduka has just done with Middlesbrough.

Fortunately for the future of soccer in Australia there are many thousands more coming up the ranks.

In WA alone, registrations are up from 20,000 just a couple of years ago to over 35,000 now, and WA soccer clubs are struggling to find grounds to play on.

 

[GoldenSky]

In WA alone, registrations are up from 20,000 just a couple of years ago to over 35,000 now, and WA soccer clubs are struggling to find grounds to play on.

Would that be because of the large amount of British immigrants here?

 

[Guus_Hiddink]

Goldensky, what an ignorant statement.

Do you seriously think that Australian people are as bigoted as they are on this forum and refuse to let their kids to play soccer.

Believe it or not, there are anglo-Australians who like soccer and anglo-Australian kids who play it in droves. Out of those 20,000 do you seriously think a majority are of Brittish background? Cmon

Everyone here seems to think that only Poms and migrants watch soccer in Australia, go to an A League match and you will see a melting pot of people from ALL walks of life in the crowd, a healthy mix of white Australians, poms and immigrants.

 

[realfootball]

Goldensky, what an ignorant statement.

Do you seriously think that Australian people are as bigoted as they are on this forum and refuse to let their kids to play soccer.

Believe it or not, there are anglo-Australians who like soccer and anglo-Australian kids who play it in droves. Out of those 20,000 do you seriously think a majority are of Brittish background? Cmon

Everyone here seems to think that only Poms and migrants watch soccer in Australia, go to an A League match and you will see a melting pot of people from ALL walks of life in the crowd, a healthy mix of white Australians, poms and immigrants.

Exactly. I'm fifth gen aussie, grew up plying football (aka soccer) and so did my mates. Here in sydney at least, it's just the norm. Just sheer masses of people playing the game. Go to an A-league game in sydney, central coast or newcastle, and it's mainly anglo-ocker aussies. Newcastle has always been known as the home of soccer in Australia, and you don't get a more working class traditional aussie town than that one.

 

[nintiwirri]

I went to a Chelsea v Everton game at Stamford Bridge London in 2001 expecting great atmosphere but we were tucked away in the very back corner of a grandstand full of Chelsea supporters and I was going for Everton so I could not say a word or I would be bashed and then arrested for inciting a riot I was told.
Great fun indeed and very little atmosphere.

 

[mustapha]

Reading that was probably more exciting than watching the actual match.

And it was still very, very, very boring.

But why is such a large percentage of the worlds population interested in watching these boring games? They wouldn't want to watch something that is boring would they? If you don't understand something, does that make it boring?

 

[fishmonger]

But why is such a large percentage of the worlds population interested in watching these boring games? They wouldn't want to watch something that is boring would they? If you don't understand something, does that make it boring?

Guys, please, this is a pointless argument.

Football games, regardless of their code, are almost universally popular. We all like "football". It just happens that much of the world does not know much about Australian Football or for that matter Gaelic Football or American Football. If they did, then perhaps things would be different. These codes offer a variety of different attributes for both player and spectator.

No one can that soccer has had a huge headstart, but all three of these other codes are growing around the world (Australian rules in the pacific and parts of Africa, American football in northern continental Europe and Gaelic Football in Asia). The game is generic, just like Coca Cola is a generic cola flavoured soft drink and McDonalds is to fast food. So obviously it is tailored for mass consumption.

Many countries in the world know about rugby, but its growth has slowed somewhat. League suffers in the shadow of union, and to some extent so does Aussie Rules, because many people around the world simply assume that they are the same game. Let me ask you, if soccer was so good, and despite the challenge of soccer's domination then how is it that other codes can continue to grow in the face of it ? And why do you guys have the insecurity to constantly beat your chests about it.

Some guys just want to play sports with a bit of physicality, where players don't get rewarded for playing dead and more than a couple of goals are scored in a match. Live with it.

Problem is that the soccer guys, all credit to them, have always been very good at spreading the word with religious fervour, and now globalisation, dollars and sheer weight of numbers are doing the work for them. Whereas most followers of other codes have been too self absorbed (or culturally cringing) to worry about conquering the world with a great crusade. And I feel that it is about time that Aussie Rules fans started telling the world about our great game.

Afterall, from little things big things grow.

 

[mustapha]

Some guys just want to play sports with a bit of physicality, where players don't get rewarded for playing dead and more than a couple of goals are scored in a match. Live with it.

.

Agree. Lots of people also prefer sports that are more based around skills of players rather than physical fitness and sports where goals are hard to score and vital in the outcome of a match.

My point is that a huge part of the world's population do not find the game boring. The fact that soccer has had a head start on other football codes is irrelevant. People would not watch something if it was boring. They would find other hobbies. Would people drink Coke if it tasted like crap?

 

[mustapha]

Football games, regardless of their code, are almost universally popular. We all like "football". It just happens that much of the world does not know much about Australian Football or for that matter Gaelic Football or American Football. If they did, then perhaps things would be different. These codes offer a variety of different attributes for both player and spectator.

.

Is the NFL really unknown to the world outside America? Most of the world has been influenced by American culture. The Superbowl is pretty well known around the world isn't it?

 

[vinnie]

The only reason people sing at soccer games is because they're trying to keep themselves entertained, that game itself just doesn't do the job.

At the footy, people are worried about the game because there is so much happening, there's no time to sing.

Swannie,

this Saturady night Sydneysiders will have a clear choice - AFL or Soccer.

Let's see what gets the bigger crowd. THe socceroos game is going to cream the Sydney/Bombers game in attendance.

You will see that when AFL is up against the world game on the same night, Sydney people will drop AFL and go for the world game.

But the dissappointing thing is that guess what game will get the first coverage on the news sports bulletin - the AFL game even though it will get a smaller crowd. The media is biased against soccer.

 

[fishmonger]

Is the NFL really unknown to the world outside America? Most of the world has been influenced by American culture. The Superbowl is pretty well known around the world isn't it?

I guess what is meant by the definition of "known" is both "know of" and "understand".

Most Australians know of basketball, most understand it because the concept is easy. Basketball's heyday here has been and gone.

It is the same way most Australians and Americans know of and understand soccer.

Most Australians know of American Football and NFL, but few understand it.

I think that is the difference.

While most people in First World countries know of American Football, very few have even heard of Australian Football. That is the first hurdle.

Once they know of it, then they have to try and understand it, that is the second hurdle. But it is not impossible, because the game is, like soccer or basketball, actually really quite simple.

 

[fishmonger]

Let's see what gets the bigger crowd. THe socceroos game is going to cream the Sydney/Bombers game in attendance.

The comparison ATM would be meaningless.
The SCG is being re-developed and has a significantly reduced capacity.

 

[vinnie]

The comparison ATM would be meaningless.
The SCG is being re-developed and has a significantly reduced capacity.

Would only be meaningless if the SGC reached capacity and had to turn back supporters.

How about if Melbourne Victory was playing Uruwa Red Diamonds this Saturday night in Melbourne, would it get more people than most other AFL games? (I for one am attending the tigers/BL game but I'd definately go to the Victory game if it was a choice.)

 

[mustapha]

I guess what is meant by the definition of "known" is both "know of" and "understand".

Most Australians know of basketball, most understand it because the concept is easy. Basketball's heyday here has been and gone.

It is the same way most Australians and Americans know of and understand soccer.

Most Australians know of American Football and NFL, but few understand it.

I think that is the difference.

While most people in First World countries know of American Football, very few have even heard of Australian Football. That is the first hurdle.

Once they know of it, then they have to try and understand it, that is the second hurdle. But it is not impossible, because the game is, like soccer or basketball, actually really quite simple.

Could you explain an AFL game to a foreigner in it's current form? I am struggling to comprehend the rules and intepretations now and I have been attending VFL/AFL games since 1986. How could someone who is new to the game possibly understand the holding the ball rule?

 

[SWANNIES RULE]

Swannie,

this Saturady night Sydneysiders will have a clear choice - AFL or Soccer.

Let's see what gets the bigger crowd. THe socceroos game is going to cream the Sydney/Bombers game in attendance.

You will see that when AFL is up against the world game on the same night, Sydney people will drop AFL and go for the world game.

But the dissappointing thing is that guess what game will get the first coverage on the news sports bulletin - the AFL game even though it will get a smaller crowd. The media is biased against soccer.

That's because...

1)The Swans game is sold out.

2)The socceroos play in Australia about once a year.

 

[Grunty]

And I feel that it is about time that Aussie Rules fans started telling the world about our great game.

Afterall, from little things big things grow.

Totally agree. There has to be a niche market in every country for Aussie Rules, just as there is for Lacrosse, Canada's fast moving national game.

But is the AFL doing anything about it?

 

[dipper86]

Reading that was probably more exciting than watching the actual match.

And it was still very, very, very boring.

53 million Italians beg to differ.

 

[vinnie]

That's because...

1)The Swans game is sold out.

2)The socceroos play in Australia about once a year.

Excuses.

The reality is that nearly twice as many people will watch a soccer game in Sydner over AFL, and yet the media will report the AFL game first.

I don't hate AFL as a sport - I hate the media neglect/ignorance and the uneccesary negative attutides towards soccer it makes my stomach churn.

AFL gets such a soft ride with the media. Consider the recent publicity about one muslim player joining the AFL and the stories about how AFL is growing in populatirity with the muslim community. Yet there are teams of young muslim soccer players in both Sydney and Melbourne, that never get mentioned. Its almost like a media are engaged in some kind of brainwashing crusade, and its been like this for decades.