Craig Foster, again....

[Barkly St End]

How does the A-League survive financially?

Horrible crowds and horrible ratings.

Given North are currently the AFL's "problem child" yet their public profile is so much larger than any A-League team, I can't for the life of me work out how soccer in this country is sustainable.

If anyone would care to educate me I'd be most appreciative.

Both the FFA and A-League only exist because of massive Government hand outs that continue to this day.

When the Government restructured soccer in this country, it had to pay out debts of tens of millions of dollars that had been sustained by the former ASF.

Is it a peculiarly Australian problem?

No.

The ARgentinian Government recently bought out the TV rights of Argentinian soccer at twice its market value because they were broke.

 

[PumpyChowdown]

Both the FFA and A-League only exist because of massive Government hand outs that continue to this day.

When the Government restructured soccer in this country, it had to pay out debts of tens of millions of dollars that had been sustained by the former ASF.

Is it a peculiarly Australian problem?

No.

The ARgentinian Government recently bought out the TV rights of Argentinian soccer at twice its market value because they were broke.

Surely FIFA's filthy, dirty fingers are in there somewhere too?

 

[Professor Knowall]

You lose immediately for resorting to personal opinion.

OK - you don't have personal opinions so you win. .

At least you by default you conceded the remainder of my post was factual and accurate. Cool.

BTW - I've lived in China. Ping pong is massive their. And basketball easily the most popular "foreign" (NBA) sport. Soccer is not at all "massive". But still, I'll acknowledge it's the world's most popular sport.
Which is absolutely no good reason whatsoever why we need embrace it here. Like the Americans, Canadians, Chinese, Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshi's. We have our own strong culture and identity without the need to import a "soccer culture" here. Here, it just comes across as a third rate imitation of European culture.

 

[le dominateur]

These soccerinas are all so offended. The whole world is against them - the media, the police, the TV networks, the AFL, NRL, FIFA, even their own governing body the FFA is against them. Oh, the injustice.

 

[SM]

Foster does not support flares on the whole and neither does pretty much all soccer fans in this country. My view of passion is jumping up and down and chanting for my team ther is nothing liking being part of that type of atmosphere ( for me anyway).

Stop making the point were soccer fans get bored and sing that is so ridiculous it is not funny.

Why mention the Liverpool crushing if you have no ****ing idea what happened. That was not revolved around passion at all you ****wit. It was a problem with ground set ups , poor management and to many fans trying to get into a game. They were let in because Police were fearful of the blocking of roads and in general were let in due to a series of poorly handled and unfortunate event. Now sit down and the shut **** and stop talking about thing you have no ****ing clue on you moron.

This. Best sporting atmosphere I've been to was a Championship game between my team and Milwall. I loved the constant chanting and cheering even after we were well behind. A bit of that passion would be a good thing for footy.

 

[dididi]

he whole world is against them - the media, the police, the TV networks, the AFL, NRL, FIFA, even their own governing body the FFA is against them.

true - australian football fans are probably the most hardened supporters of any sport in the world

 

[Stamos]

true - australian football fans are probably the most hardened supporters of any sport in the world

Exactly. And Australian soccer supporters are whingers.

 

[dididi]

Exactly. And Australian soccer supporters are whingers.

thanks for proving my point - even MLS supporters dont have to put up with as much sh!t from NFL supporters as we do with you guys

 

[tonk]

thanks for proving my point - even MLS supporters dont have to put up with as much sh!t from NFL supporters as we do with you guys

Why are you on an Australian football forum?

 

[Stamos]

thanks for proving my point - even MLS supporters dont have to put up with as much sh!t from NFL supporters as we do with you guys

I bet the MLS supporters call is soccer, and don't whinge about the rest of the country calling a different game football. Also be they don't whinge about soccer not being their no.1 sport.

 

[dididi]

Why are you on an Australian football forum?

atm on bigfooty im following the ricky nixon soap opera - i didnt know who he was prior to this ordeal, but this whole story is very interesting, almost unbelievable in fact

 

[mickctiger]

MLS = Major League Soccer Yes ?
So why crack a hissy fit when we call it Soccer here ?

 

[mickctiger]

atm on bigfooty im following the ricky nixon soap opera - i didnt know who he was prior to this ordeal, but this whole story is very interesting, almost unbelievable in fact

Oh look, a voyaristic troll. So why the interest in other peoples love affairs ?

 

[harmesy 37]

Both the FFA and A-League only exist because of massive Government hand outs that continue to this day.

When the Government restructured soccer in this country, it had to pay out debts of tens of millions of dollars that had been sustained by the former ASF.

Is it a peculiarly Australian problem?

No.

The ARgentinian Government recently bought out the TV rights of Argentinian soccer at twice its market value because they were broke.

Who would have thought that the Labor Government would throw money down the toilet in this way?

I would have never guessed...Add it to the 50 million they wasted in the pointless World Cup exercise plus the BER and the Home Insulation and etc etc and you have some idea as to how inept this govt is. Anyone who wants money - now is your time. The Labor Party is giving it away.





But getting back to the point.

Fozzie raves about soccer without ever asking WHY it is popular in Argentina, Germany, Scotland etc....

It ISN'T due to the majesty of soccer.


It is due to England being able to export their culture as it was once a world power.

Just like the USA exported Coke worldwide. Coke isn't the best drink in the world (just like soccer isn't the best sport in the world) but both are the most popular. in their field.

If Australia becomes a world power sometime 100-200 years down the track then we can export our culture as well.

For the time being though we just have to put up with the mindless ramblings of Fozzie.


Anyway with a brain larger than the size of a ant's brain would know that in pure entertainment terms Australian football leaves soccer for dead. One has Alex Jesaulenko, Adelaide's Brett Burton etc taking spectacular marks (soccer has nothing that can match this) and in comparison soccer has the ball being passed around along the ground over and over again.

If you like both games good and well - i have no beef with you, enjoy both games - but people like Fozzie turn me off soccer. Fozzie must be clinically insane. I have no other explanation for his drivel.

 

[Fitzcray]

I would love to send Craig Foster my old Uni essay on why I hate soccer so much.
I might just send it to the dribbler.

 

[MightyIrons]

If having a fat kraut singing in your ear is your thing.

If not it would be incredibly annoying.

You always fall into the trap fo thinking everyone loves the sausage fest sing-a-longs.

Some are quite fun. But a lot of chants end up as embarrasing shithouse attempts at god knows what.

Have we just been transported back 50+ years where racism and homophobia were rife? Or is this the sort of posting that is acceptable on a modern day forum?

 

[TheSaviour]

Doesn't sound like any of you bogan muppets saw the article in Canada yesterday with Hockey Canada admitting for the first time that the Sport was fighting for it's future against soccer with Player registrations slumping in the past 5 years while soccer in Canada has increased greatly.

 

[Dimenhydrinate]

Anyway with a brain larger than the size of a ant's brain would know that in pure entertainment terms Australian football leaves soccer for dead. One has Alex Jesaulenko, Adelaide's Brett Burton etc taking spectacular marks (soccer has nothing that can match this) and in comparison soccer has the ball being passed around along the ground over and over again.

That's your opinion, isn't it? To me, AFL is like really bad soccer. Get the ball, have plenty of time, space and options... boot it into the box to nobody, collected by the opposition, if they're lucky, more likely to devolve into a childish scramble as the ball evades everybody.

For me, nothing is as spectacular as a goal like this.

[youtube]i8n6zUGp4sc[/youtube]

And as far as team brilliance goes...

[youtube]0VSOpeYqgSI[/youtube]

 

[Stamos]

That's your opinion, isn't it? To me, AFL is like really bad soccer.

I've never seen a nil-all draw in the AFL. Or any level of Australian football for that matter. Even the little league gets higher scores than that.

 

[fabulousphil]

That's your opinion, isn't it? To me, AFL is like really bad soccer. Get the ball, have plenty of time, space and options... boot it into the box to nobody, collected by the opposition, if they're lucky, more likely to devolve into a childish scramble as the ball evades everybody.

For me, nothing is spectacular as a goal like this.

[youtube]i8n6zUGp4sc[/youtube]

But you claim to like Australian football ??.

 

[mickctiger]

a draw in football is also much more rivetting than a draw in soccer. Look at last years Grand Final Prt 1 as an example

 

[Joe Mama]

Doesn't sound like any of you bogan muppets saw the article in Canada yesterday with Hockey Canada admitting for the first time that the Sport was fighting for it's future against soccer with Player registrations slumping in the past 5 years while soccer in Canada has increased greatly.

Give me a link and I might actually believe it. and BTW, Ice Hockey is hardly dying in Canada, the only thing that's happened there is that the sporting trends of the USA have gone north of the border (Soccer with strong junior participation but with little to no professional impact).

When soccer teams in Vancouver, Toronto & Montreal start to match the financial clout & drawing power of the Canucks, Maple Leafs & Canadiens in the NHL then you might have a point.

 

[Dimenhydrinate]

I've never seen a nil-all draw in the AFL. Or any level of Australian football for that matter. Even the little league gets higher scores than that.

And you expose your superficiality by claiming that all that matters is goals. I frankly couldn't care if a game ended 0-0 or 4-4, as long as the game was good.

But you claim to like Australian football ??.

It has it's moments. But I'm not going to pretend that it isn't flawed.

 

[harmesy 37]

That's your opinion, isn't it? To me, AFL is like really bad soccer. Get the ball, have plenty of time, space and options... boot it into the box to nobody, collected by the opposition, if they're lucky, more likely to devolve into a childish scramble as the ball evades everybody.

For me, nothing is as spectacular as a goal like this.

[youtube]i8n6zUGp4sc[/youtube]

It isn't an "opinion" - it is a fact.

There isn't anything in soccer that matches the high mark in Australian football.

I have seen Fevola kick goals like this Rooney goal in Aust. football. That is nothing to write home about. Aust. Football allows for full expression of the body- soccer is a kick along the ground game and not much else.

If you enjoy soccer- enjoy it. I won't stand in your way.

 

[Stamos]

For me, nothing is as spectacular as a goal like this.

[youtube]i8n6zUGp4sc[/youtube]

That's it? One of the biggest let-downs ever.
For the last week SEN has been going on about how good Rooney's goal was. I've seen heaps better soccer goals than that, and other than the World Cup, I rarely watch any soccer.

You would see something more spectacular than that in pretty much every game of AFL footy.