Media coverage of country footy

[ringo1]

I have just read the GV site and see that people are sick of reading about AFL players in the local papers. I am frustrated that the Country section of papers such as the H-Sun,Age and Inside Footy only talk about ex-AFL players and ignore the real heroes of local clubs-the country footballer and volunteers,committees etc. What do we think?

 

[Grandale]

I have just read the GV site and see that people are sick of reading about AFL players in the local papers. I am frustrated that the Country section of papers such as the H-Sun,Age and Inside Footy only talk about ex-AFL players and ignore the real heroes of local clubs-the country footballer and volunteers,committees etc. What do we think?

I'll tell you how it is Ringo.
The people that write these country stories for papers like the Herald Sun and The Age have to make the stories appealing to as wide a audience as possible and that is why they generally centre around ex-AFL players.
If the yarns are about ex-AFL players heading to the country - such as Anthony Stevens going to Benalla last year - its likely that people all over the state are going to read them, but it's a lot less likely someone from the Mallee is gunna read a yarn about a bloke from Gippsland they have know idea about and probably have a similar sort of character running around at their own club.
And BTW, I reckon you're being a bit hard on the H/Sun...I reckon their statewide sport pages mainly relate to the local types that keep country footy going.

 

[ilovetogetblind]

I have just read the GV site and see that people are sick of reading about AFL players in the local papers. I am frustrated that the Country section of papers such as the H-Sun,Age and Inside Footy only talk about ex-AFL players and ignore the real heroes of local clubs-the country footballer and volunteers,committees etc. What do we think?

Apparently the Shepp News in the 80's used to send a reporter to every game of the round to do a full review of each game.

Can hardly say they do that now.

But bluntly, I really don't care what the Herald Sun prints on local footy... it is the next best to TV Week with the ********** they print in there.

 

[TuskenRaider]

The Sunday Age has for the last couple of years been running a story on a country club each week in the footy season. It's usually a really good read, gives a bit of history on the club, what's been happening recently, AFL players from the club etc.

Hopefully they keep it going as it's very well written and hopefully gives the broader public a bit of an idea that football does exist beyond the world of AFL.

 

[ringo1]

Fair points there Grandale. My nose was out of joint when I went into the local newsagent to pick up the local rag-"The Standard". Ended up buying the Inside Footy and when I got to the Country Section I thought it was very poor. I'd love to see a country footy rag that sums up country leagues each week. reckon it would sell well.

 

[TuskenRaider]

Apparently the Shepp News in the 80's used to send a reporter to every game of the round to do a full review of each game.

Can hardly say they do that now.

ere.

That is annoying. They used to do it through most of the 90's as well and I'm pretty certain you're right that they don't do it now.

The Monday match reports used to be a lot better back then than they are now, all they do now is do a good report on one or two games at most and then just a little spiel on the rest of the matches.

The "mini reports" are just a combination of quotes from coaches and then just mixes in some best players from the results. Not good enough.

Whatever happened to Bill Ludlow?

 

[Grandale]

Fair points there Grandale. My nose was out of joint when I went into the local newsagent to pick up the local rag-"The Standard". Ended up buying the Inside Footy and when I got to the Country Section I thought it was very poor. I'd love to see a country footy rag that sums up country leagues each week. reckon it would sell well.

Don't be too hard on Inside Footy, it's one of the few outlets where you get to read about country footy on a weekly basis.
I'll let you in on a little secret about a dedicated country footy mag. There were moves afoot to get one off the ground two-to-three years ago and it came very close to fruition but fell at one of the final hurdles.
In the end, I think the reason it didn't get up was because the majority of leagues from across the state didn't really embrace it.

 

[Grandale]

Apparently the Shepp News in the 80's used to send a reporter to every game of the round to do a full review of each game.

Can hardly say they do that now.

That they did.
And they were doing it even more recently than that. I reckon they were doing it in the mid-90s.

 

[ringo1]

No worries Grandale but I was disappointed in issue 1 of Inside Footy- I acknowledge they have the ladders in each week as does The Weekly Times- a great effort.I agree with Tusken as well. What happened to th old days when there was a comprehensive report about each game in a competition? I just reckon country footy needs a better coverage .

 

[Jock Clark 2]

Ringo and troops: have u guys checked out www.countryfooty.com or www.australianrules.com.au
Both those have a heap of stories about country footy, lots of it historical, it's true, but there are links on www.countryfooty.com to other sources.
The writer from the Sunday Age who does a lot of Victorian and Tassie country yarns has a lot of his stories posted on both those websites listed above. The one tracing the rivalry between Rochie and Echuca is a bottler. Click on the writers' section.
Happy reading. BTW, if your away from home interstate during the footy season www.countryfootyscores.com is the ideal way to check on results right across Victoria.

 

[cfscores]

A fairly important and relevant thread going on here.

This year I am trying to add a section on my site that will host articles and hopefully photos from around country leagues.

This is dependant on me being able to access the info/pics from local media outlets, but as everyone has mentioned, it is an area that is crying out for some attention.

 

[Flat Track Bully]

Border Mail has it pretty right in their reporting of the Ovens and Murray league...

David Johnston (who also wriites for H/S's statewide sport) covers the match of the day, and then they have contributors who get a sling for their yarn, which means you end up with most games being watched and reported on by an independent observer.

Unfortunately, they are among the few who 1/ Have a reporter working Saturday as part of his working week, and 2/ actually look after contributors.

No wonder they've dominated the VCFL media award for the past decade.

 

[FootyFreak69]

Ringo and troops: have u guys checked out www.countryfooty.com or www.australianrules.com.au
Both those have a heap of stories about country footy, lots of it historical, it's true, but there are links on www.countryfooty.com to other sources.
The writer from the Sunday Age who does a lot of Victorian and Tassie country yarns has a lot of his stories posted on both those websites listed above. The one tracing the rivalry between Rochie and Echuca is a bottler. Click on the writers' section.
Happy reading. BTW, if your away from home interstate during the footy season www.countryfootyscores.com is the ideal way to check on results right across Victoria.

thanks for the heads up jock. i regularly go interstate during the year for business and can never seem to find the scores. will post these sites into my favourites. great work!!

 

[TuskenRaider]

Border Mail has it pretty right in their reporting of the Ovens and Murray league...

David Johnston (who also wriites for H/S's statewide sport) covers the match of the day, and then they have contributors who get a sling for their yarn, which means you end up with most games being watched and reported on by an independent observer.

Unfortunately, they are among the few who 1/ Have a reporter working Saturday as part of his working week, and 2/ actually look after contributors.

No wonder they've dominated the VCFL media award for the past decade.

Agree, Border Mail does a lot better job than the Shepp News.

Shepp News needs to get people to actually cover the other 5 games and it'll make for a much better Monday sport. It sells the paper more than anything else, but of late it seems they have tried to keep their costs to absolute minimum.

 

[Jock Clark 2]

The Advertiser in Bendigo will publish a full colour booklet on Fri March 31, the day B4 the 2006 Lightning Premiership for Bendigo League clubs.
The publication, as I understand it, will have a full page, plus pics, on each of the 10 BFL clubs. Then there will be summaries for the Loddon Valley, Heathcote, Maryborough-C'maine and Bendigo Junior Footy leagues, all accompanied by colour pics, most of them action ones.
Plus a big netball wrap of what to expect in the Bendigo league this season.
There will also be full stories on the under-18 Bendigo Pioneers and the Bendigo Bombers under new gen. manager Matt Allen (former Carlton and Ess. ruckman).
It will be modelled on the sensational full colour book called Football 2005 published for the Goulburn Valley last March or early April. So don't sell the GVFL or the Goulburn valley news outlets down the drain, boys.

 

[ringo1]

Thanks heaps guys-especially for the sites etc.Perhaps things are looking good for 2006.I appreciate the help

 

[Sly Dog]

Ringo and others, there is also a mag coming in the shepp news soon too isnt there. from memory, covers the gv comprehensively and other minor leagues. anyone no the date.

 

[harsh. but fair]

Keep an eye out for The Border Mail's annual pre-season footy supplement coming out early April.
Always a handy guide to not only O and M, but all the district leagues including Hume, Tallangatta, Coreen, Ovens and King, Riverina, Farrer, Upper Murray and Bushies.

 

[Flat Track Bully]

Keep an eye out for The Border Mail's annual pre-season footy supplement coming out early April.
Always a handy guide to not only O and M, but all the district leagues including Hume, Tallangatta, Coreen, Ovens and King, Riverina, Farrer, Upper Murray and Bushies.

I'm led to believe a page on Benalla and the GV might also be in there

 

[bradrowe#32]

Paul Daffy from The Age is a very good journalist. He travels around Victoria writing full page articles on country clubs. Last year he did one on the Rochy/Echuca rivalry and also one on Seymour. He also did other interesting ones about country mergers, etc. The Herald Sun has a writer that does a similar thing now, but I can't remember his name.

I like reading Tom Carey's articles in that free Shepp. newspaper. He knows his stuff.

 

[Jock Clark 2]

BRADLEY: u can read Daff's articles on either www.countryfootyscores.com or www.australianrules.com.au
They both contain a selection of stories from him. Click on "media" to find the stories, particularly on the Echuca v Rochester rivalry.
But I fancy Les Everett from the Freo Herald also has that story on his site www.australianruiles.com.au as well
Are there any on www.theage.com.au/realfooty or don't they carry the country footy yarns ??

 

[joshooaa]

The Gippsland times in Sale does a pretty good job of both WGLFL and NGFL action.

 

[Jock Clark 2]

The Bendigo Addy has done an excellent job over summer keeping readers, who would not normally know what is going on, well informed about matters relating to regional footy.
The team has also delved into the Bendigo Bombers situation, especially with Mattie Allen being appointed gen. manager.
But the coverage on footy clearances, board of management issues, lightning premiership draws etc ... has been excellent. Articles on the Heathcote and Lodden Valley leagues has also been good.
I suppose in the GV, and O and M regions, as well as Horsham and others the local papers and radio have done their jobs, too.
Our forum mates Doona2 and Grimmett have done top jobs on cutting and pasting and posting articles on the various threads on this board.

 

[Jock Clark 2]

DON'T forget guys the Advertiser's color booklet outlining wot's going on in Bendigo, Loddon Valley, Heathcote, Bgo Juniors, Pioneers and the Bendigo Gliders for 2006 comes out next Friday -- March 31.
Will accompany the Advertiser of that date. Be an insert like the weekly TV guide.
As I have been told, there will be a separate page for each of the 10 BFL clubs. Graphic on the club's page will give details of the ins and outs for the player list.
PMOM will have to rush out to the local, district newsagency in the town where he lives to ensure he gets a copy !!! Hehe

 

[localfootyguru]

Have to agree that the Border Mail is terrific in covering Country Footy. If possible, perhaps someone can tell me when their season preview supplement is coming out as I may get in touch with them to see if I can obtain a copy. Articles relating to the Ovens and Murray that are in the Border Mail can be accessed at www.omfl.com.au

Paul Daffey is a great journalist on county footy too. His book, I think it was called "Local Rites" was a very good read and provided great stories about legendary individual players and events that occured in country footy. Always enjoy his irregular appearances on ABC radio, especially late in September when ther are no AFL finals on and he is with John Harms and they spend the afternoon talking about country footy.

The Ballarat Courier and the Wimmera Mail Times are also good in their reporting of country footy. Both of these newspapers can also be accessed via the internet at www.yourguide.com.au

Finally the other newspaper that in my opinion does the best job in reporting on country football is the Pakenham Gazette. How they put together such a comprehensive report week after week covering numerous leagues is a real credit to them and they are to be appluded for their committment.