NRL v AFL.. are people serious?

[Beckers]

Important crowds:

2107 was soccers lowest (in Auckland)
4850 was leagues lowest (in Auckland)
7899 was the Storm's lowest, 15,690 was the storm's highest
9541 was AFL's lowest (in Canberra)
32,578 was leagues highest crowd in sydney (6th overall in NRL)
39,730 was soccer's highest crowd (in Melbourne)
50,387 was league's highest overall (in Brisbane)
60,307 was AFL's highest crowd in Sydney (9th overall)
38,947 was unions highest crowd (in Brisbane)

Of the 100 crowds above 35,000

Melb had 58
Perth had 20
Adelaide had 13
Brisbane had 5
Sydney had 4

Maybe Sydney and Auckland people just don't care about sport while everyone else does

Those stats are class

 

[1908]

So if Sydney's league crowds are sooooooo bad why don't the AFL save them and put another 2 or 3 teams there, after all isn't that what everyone wants? Or does the AFL need to spend millions more brainwashing people because given choice they just don't want another team up there?

 

[Timbothecat]

1908 My friend... I said I didn't know MUCH about RL. If I didn't say that then that's what I meant but you'll have to excuse me as it was about 3 in the morning when I typed that from memory. My point however was that while I didn't know much about the game I WAS OPEN MINDED about it, unlike the majority of Sydneysiders that I came into contact with. One of them actually said in a moment of weakness that "AFL is probably the better game but you've got what you've been brought up with so we have League".

Personally, I love the game. I was living in Penrith when they won their first flag and it was amazing. I was also there when Ben Alexander was killed and you got a glimps of how much the sport does mean to people up there. The sad thing was that it took something like that for them to show just how passionate they were.

BTW Beckers... I happen to know a guy who discovered cricket in his mid 20's and absolutely loves it. In fact, it is the thing he's been missing all these years (his words or a paraphrase thereof).

 

[Aucklander]

Should it ?

The AFL finals were all shown live against the gate !

.

Are you sure about that?

 

[Timbothecat]

Sunday's wasn't. I know that for sure.

 

[1908]

Tom cat my friend, let's look at what city is open minded. Sydney has 4 major football codes and always has, until the last 15 years Melbourne had one , now you tell me who is more open minded?

 

[Aucklander]

Sunday's wasn't. I know that for sure.

I tuned in to the Saints v Demons game and it was well behind the live scores on afl.com

 

[Kenny Hunter]

Tom cat my friend, let's look at what city is open minded. Sydney has 4 major football codes and always has, until the last 15 years Melbourne had one , now you tell me who is more open minded?

Melbourne has a powerful and a popular code , with Syd they have 3 codes which are a rabble and another code with growth

 

[Timbothecat]

1908... I have lived in both Sydney and Melbourne, the majority of people down here are willing to accept RL, the majority of people up there are not prepared to give AFL a chance. We didn't have RL down here because it was never promoted down here, not because we saw it as some sort of threat to our game.

As far as the soccer is concerned you're full of it. We have had a national comp of any sort of substance for about 2 years now. Major code??? seriously! And for the record, my uncle played state league soccer right here in Melbourne 25 years ago which must have been some sort of miracle as according to your misguided stats we only had one code.

The thing is mate that neither side has anything to fear from the other as far as I can see. Both RL and AFL have their pro's and con's. I love the fact the League is still a physically tough game whereas ours is looking more like netball every day. With teams flooding Aussie Rules is starting to take on some semblence of Union as well but as a code we'll work past that too. When you see the sublime skills of someone like Chris Judd or Scott West or Adam Goodes you can't help but be amazed at what AFL has to offer. Like I said, I don't think we have anything to fear from each other but I do believe that in the AFL we have something to fear from our administrators. We should be uniting against a common enemy! (No, not the Judean Peoples Front!!!)

FWIW 1908, I love the fact that you're passionate about RL, and you should be, it's a great game. But at the end of the day I stand by my statement that people in Sydney are more closed minded towards sports of other persuassions than RL. I'm not dealing with statistical facts or dates or anything like that, I'm dealing with personal experience. The people down here who have a closed off mentality when it comes to other codes are the minority of those I speak too. Up there they were the majority of those I spoke to. Simple as that. And btw, when people percieve that their games is being attacked they will normally take a defensive position (which forces them to take a closed stance) and this can be seen on both sides of the debate.

 

[Prince Imperial]

Tom cat my friend, let's look at what city is open minded. Sydney has 4 major football codes and always has, until the last 15 years Melbourne had one , now you tell me who is more open minded?

Rubbish. Australian Football was always a minor sport in Sydney up to the mid 90s and Soccer has always had good support in Melbourne in the last 30 years. When Australia played Scotland to qualify for the '86 World Cup, where did they play it? Olympic Park, Melbourne. South Melbourne Hellas consistently got the biggest crowds in the NSL until Perth Glory came along. The only historical difference between the two cities is that Sydney supported the divided code of Rugby whereas Melbourne supported the undivided game of Australian Football.

 

[Beckers]

BTW Beckers... I happen to know a guy who discovered cricket in his mid 20's and absolutely loves it. In fact, it is the thing he's been missing all these years (his words or a paraphrase thereof).

That dude must be "a one of a kind" because that doesn't happen much!
The reason i mentioned it, was because i do a lot of travel to North America (USA and Canada) and people just love to talk about AFL! Everyone i meet has some idea about the sport from when it used to be on ESPN and love to talk up the athleticism and physicality. These people don't know about Melb/Syd rivalries and what sport is played where etc, and i have never once had anyone who wanted to talk NRL and the only thing people say about cricket is that is the most boring sport they have ever seen. I find that very hypocritical coming from people who love baseball!

That is also not a troll but just my experiences travelling in USA and Canada.

 

[Sir_Adrian84]

Rubbish. Australian Football was always a minor sport in Sydney up to the mid 90s and Soccer has always had good support in Melbourne in the last 30 years. When Australia played Scotland to qualify for the '86 World Cup, where did they play it? Olympic Park, Melbourne. South Melbourne Hellas consistently got the biggest crowds in the NSL until Perth Glory came along. The only historical difference between the two cities is that Sydney supported the divided code of Rugby whereas Melbourne supported the undivided game of Australian Football.

soccer in the 50s in melbourne occasionally got 30,000+ for the big matches between the ethnic teams likes Hellas, Croatia and Juventus

 

[Sir_Adrian84]

That dude must be "a one of a kind" because that doesn't happen much!
The reason i mentioned it, was because i do a lot of travel to North America (USA and Canada) and people just love to talk about AFL! Everyone i meet has some idea about the sport from when it used to be on ESPN and love to talk up the athleticism and physicality. These people don't know about Melb/Syd rivalries and what sport is played where etc, and i have never once had anyone who wanted to talk NRL and the only thing people say about cricket is that is the most boring sport they have ever seen. I find that very hypocritical coming from people who love baseball!

That is also not a troll but just my experiences travelling in USA and Canada.

it is a shame that AFL is not on TV to the same extent as it was back in the 80s and 90s on ESPN

 

[Beckers]

it is a shame that AFL is not on TV to the same extent as it was back in the 80s and 90s on ESPN

You haven't been able to get a thing for about 6 or 7 years there now but everyone still remembers it!

A few years ago, Channel 7 used to do a 1 hour program called AFL wrap that used to get some air time in the middle of the night(can't remember what station). It was about 5 or 10 minutes from each game over the week end and was class. It was very little but better than nix.Now that they have the rights back, maybe they can bring it back as well?

 

[Sir_Adrian84]

You haven't been able to get a thing for about 6 or 7 years there now but everyone still remembers it!

A few years ago, Channel 7 used to do a 1 hour program called AFL wrap that used to get some air time in the middle of the night(can't remember what station). It was about 5 or 10 minutes from each game over the week end and was class. It was very little but better than nix.Now that they have the rights back, maybe they can bring it back as well?

I remember AFL wrap, it would be good if it was brought back

 

[Timbothecat]

He certainly is one of a kind Beckers. As far as cricket being the most boring sport in the world... Baseball is definately more boring than cricket. My brother disagrees with me on this topic as he played AAA's for Penrith but let's face it, he's a bonehead . Having played both myself I prefer cricket to BB but I'm probably biased there as I am a lot better at cricket than baseball.

On the topic of soccer, does anyone really consider the NSL to be a national soccer comp in anything other than name? I think A League will become far more dominant the the NSL ever did.

 

[1908]

Tom cat, just like you I have lived in Sydney and Melbourne, when I left Sydney AFL was in the newspapers, on the news and games were shown live on TV when I arrived in Melbourne there was nil coverage not even scores in the newspapers. Now why would every other sportget coverage except one who hapens to be the winter rival?

 

[littleduck]

Swans viewers in Sydney for a Final and Storm viewers in Melbouren for a Final is always an interesting comparison for the reason that AFL have spent squillions in Sydney including saturation coverage whereas the NRL do precisely nothing for the Storm in Melbourne; yet the Swans Final to the Sydney audience was marginally more popular than the Storm Final to the Melbourne audience.

 

[Rob]

Swans viewers in Sydney for a Final and Storm viewers in Melbouren for a Final is always an interesting comparison for the reason that AFL have spent squillions in Sydney including saturation coverage whereas the NRL do precisely nothing for the Storm in Melbourne; yet the Swans Final to the Sydney audience was marginally more popular than the Storm Final to the Melbourne audience.

WTF? It was nearly double the average rating, over triple the peak rating, and over an hour and a half longer period of time.

You're seriously losing it ld.

Collingwood v Bulldogs drew more viewers in Sydney than the Storm did in Melbourne over 50% more time. I reckon your best call would be to shutup about it.

 

[gaelictiogar]

WTF? It was nearly double the average rating, over triple the peak rating, and over an hour and a half longer period of time.

You're seriously losing it ld.

Collingwood v Bulldogs drew more viewers in Sydney than the Storm did in Melbourne over 50% more time. I reckon your best call would be to shutup about it.

AFL > NRL.

Participation
Attendance
Roy Morgan figures
Sweeney figures
GF nationwide viewing
TV deal

How much evidence do people need? It is an non argument. Australian football is a more popular sport nationwide than Rugby League. Period.

 

[Ronin]

Yes, because it is a cr@p sport that you could only possibly like if you were force fed it as a kid............sort of like cricket! You will never find someone in their mid 20's who suddenly see cricket for the first time and decide that it is the sport they have been searching for their entire lives That does seem to happen fairly often with AFL in other countries on a smallish scale!

LMFAO. No one gives a toss about AFL outside of Australia.

 

[Ronin]

WTF? It was nearly double the average rating, over triple the peak rating, and over an hour and a half longer period of time.

You're seriously losing it ld.

Collingwood v Bulldogs drew more viewers in Sydney than the Storm did in Melbourne over 50% more time. I reckon your best call would be to shutup about it.

No one watches AFL in Sydney if the Swans are not playing.

 

[Refried Noodle]

Except for the hundred odd thousand on Sunday arvo.

 

[Refried Noodle]

LMFAO. No one gives a toss about AFL outside of Australia.

And whats wrong with that?

Do you think Americans care about Gridiron not having an international competition?
Do you think the Irish care about Gaelic/Hurling not having an international competition?
and so on.....

 

[Ronin]

Except for the hundred odd thousand on Sunday arvo.

For a finals game, so what. During the seaon they don't rate, get minimal press, minimal TV news exposure and no one talks about them.