Sydney's West: NRL heartland it's not, AFL heartland it could be!

[MRryan]

Well they say Western Sydney is "Rugby League heartland" but it looks like Australian Football has plenty of room to move in the region of 2 million people, with less than half the region unable to identify rugby leagues biggest star (Jarryd Hayne of Parramatta) in a survey of 156 people in Blacktown.
Adam Goodes was recognized by 25% of people and Kevin Sheedy by 16% of people. The Sheedy figure is sure to surge in the months and years ahead.

Who is Kevin Sheedy?

The Daily Telegraph yesterday surveyed 156 people at Blacktown, asking them to try to identify five AFL stars and NRL marvel Jarryd Hayne from photos.
The investigation revealed that:
* HAYNE was easily the most identifiable footballer, with almost half the people interviewed naming him as the Eels rugby league star;
* GOODES, who features in a Powerade television advertisement, was the most identified AFL star, with 25.6 per cent of those interviewed correctly naming him; and
* ONLY 16.7 per cent of people could identify Greater Western Sydney coach Kevin Sheedy.
Perhaps AFL is not the only sport that needs to improve its marketing in culturally diverse western Sydney, with more than half of those polled unable to name any of the football identities.
Among those interviewed who classed themselves as keen sports followers, about half were of the opinion the proposed Blacktown AFL team would be able to secure its own territory in western Sydney.

Not a big survey but it is random and still a fairly large sample. But what it says to me is the AFL has plenty of room to move, with lots of families and individuals in Western Sydney willing to give the new team a go.
With a solid marketing strategy, West Sydney FC would end up being one of the biggest clubs in the land.


Also, can you imagine only less than half of Melbourne knowing who Lance Franklin, Chris Judd, Gary Ablett, Nick Riewoldt was? Rugby League is much less popular than I thought even in the so called heart land.
AFL could really be huge in this part of Australia in the coming years, there is so much room for AFL to move and grow there.

 

[goldcoastfc]

Less than 50% of people in Blacktown know the best League player hey? Surprising.

 

[ManUtd]

Yep, 156 people survey is conclusive evidence that rugby league has lost Western Sydney. Get a grip please. 5 of the 6 people in my family would not be able to tell you who Lance, Chris, Gary or Nick are.

Would we conclude from that that Melbourne has no idea who its AFL stars are? And Im only 150 off this magical survey.

 

[MRryan]

Yep, 156 people survey is conclusive evidence that rugby league has lost Western Sydney. Get a grip please. 5 of the 6 people in my family would not be able to tell you who Lance, Chris, Gary or Nick are.

Would we conclude from that that Melbourne has no idea who its AFL stars are? And Im only 150 off this magical survey.

Really, I'm assuming your family just arrived here on the latest BA flight from Heathrow ?

 

[DeadlyAkkuret]

Really, I'm assuming your family just arrived here on the latest BA flight from Heathrow ?

Maybe they're just not big AFL followers. My mum and my sister couldn't tell you who Lance Franklin is, so if you ask them and then ask one person who does know, can you say 2 out of 3 people in Western Australia don't know who Franklin is? The point is 156 is too small a base to make any real conclusions, there's a fair chance a few of them just wont care about rugby at all.

 

[Beaussie]

Interesting to note the following from that article. Rugby league clearly has its own issues in Western Sydney to work on when it comes to marketing:

Perhaps AFL is not the only sport that needs to improve its marketing in culturally diverse western Sydney, with more than half of those polled unable to name any of the football identities.

Among those interviewed who classed themselves as keen sports followers, about half were of the opinion the proposed Blacktown AFL team would be able to secure its own territory in western Sydney.

 

[Redb#]

The Daily Telegraph has just inadvertently increased the profile of Kevin Sheedy and the AFL by publishing these results.

The DT editor is spinning the code war tyres constantly trying to get traction. It actually helps the AFL profile.

 

[willingnable]

I think a poll of kids between the ages of 15-17 would tell us more.
jaryd hayne has really had 1 stand out year so no surprise the average west syd couldnt recognise him. But if they couldnt recognise lockyer given how long he has been in the game and how successful he has been then that would really say something.

 

[madmug]

When setting up the new club they will need to build a massive poker machine empire/social club to match Penrith Panthers, Parra, Wests, Bulldogs etc leagues clubs. that will give the GWS a chance of getting a membership base. Then on saturday afternoon they could open the doors to the ground & force the patrons onto the new grounds outer. That way it give them a crowd at the footy & make it look like they actually had some community support

 

[cos789]

Yep, 156 people survey is conclusive evidence that rugby league has lost Western Sydney.

Not a big survey , but surprising good for AFL .
Not so good for NRL .
What you have to remember is that though the WS have multiple NRL clubs and the WS is say 2 million people those clubs don't draw a lot of people .
There are a lot of immigrants in the WS now . They follow soccer .
It's really about AFL attracting those uncommitted people .
But the "war" is good publicity.
.

 

[Consolaçao]

What is it with these threads?
AFL will never take over Western Sydney, and if you'd spent any time in Sydney you'd realise how laughable it is to suggest otherwise. It's a league area, and it always will be. Stop feeding this 'code war' crap by posting about things you don't really know about.
I hope the Western Sydney team does well, and over time it probably will. However, the best they can hope for IMO is that by, let's say 2020, crowds are averaging 20K, and more kids are playing the game to the point that a few draftees every year come out of that region. They can't expect much more than that, but if they get there, it'll be a success.
Australian football will never take over that region, and those who suggest they will, or even that they're trying to are talking rubbish.

 

[SM]

What is it with these threads?
AFL will never take over Western Sydney, and if you'd spent any time in Sydney you'd realise how laughable it is to suggest otherwise. It's a league area, and it always will be. Stop feeding this 'code war' crap by posting about things you don't really know about.

That's complete crap and you know it. Look at the thirty-something thousand fans who turned out each game of the season to watch Sydney. Thirty years ago, that would be absolutely unheard of in 'League' town.

 

[B_GLassi]

That's complete crap and you know it. Look at the thirty-something thousand fans who turned out each game of the season to watch Sydney. Thirty years ago, that would be absolutely unheard of in 'League' town.

Thats not that surprising when you look at the events of the Last 20 years in Sydney. Majority of North Sydney Bears fans on the North Shore are AFL fans today. Add in the shitfight from the Super League and the immigrantion from other states and countries and I am not suprised at all.

It would surprise me if AFL took over a city like Newcastle which has not changed much in 20 years.

Living in Western Sydney for the past 10 years, I would have to say that they won't be getting 30,000 people through the gates for another 20 years. However, if they manage to then good luck to them.

 

[cos789]

AFL will never take over Western Sydney

Only rl people talk about taking over WS .
AFL people talk about establishing a team in the WS .

It's a league area

Soccer is by far the dominant participation football in the WS .

Stop feeding this 'code war' crap by posting about

You'd be better off stop buying the tele in protest of their continual "war" cries .

.

 

[Consolaçao]

That's complete crap and you know it. Look at the thirty-something thousand fans who turned out each game of the season to watch Sydney. Thirty years ago, that would be absolutely unheard of in 'League' town.

I don't think so... putting aside the Olympic stadium games, at the SCG think they had one crowd of higher than 30K this year.

Back in the early 80s crowds were around the 20K mark, and thirty years on, they've not really moved much higher. I'd guess that it's more popular now with a greater market presence, but it's still barely reported in the Sydney media, whereas league is all over the place.

Be realistic. Thirty years of the Swans, and are we even close to being teh number one football code in NSW? No way... we're number 4 by a distance.

 

[cos789]

Majority of North Sydney Bears fans on the North Shore are AFL fans today.

So you are saying that the AFL is so good it has the ability to attract dyed-in-the-wool rl fans . North sydney fans were known as some of the most passionate around ,(they'd have to be with all those losses) , yet you say the Swans recruited them .

Brave call my man .

.

 

[Consolaçao]

Only rl people talk about taking over WS .
AFL people talk about establishing a team in the WS .



Soccer is by far the dominant participation football in the WS .



You'd be better off stop buying the tele in protest of their continual "war" cries .

.

1) But is the OP a rl person?

2) TRUE, as it is in Melbourne, but parents want their kids to play non-contact sports so they don't get hurt. Doesn't necessarily mean it's number 1.

3) Gave up buying the DT a long time ago. Actually, I'm not sure i've ever bought one.

 

[cos789]

Thirty years of the Swans, and are we even close to being teh number one football code in NSW?

I repeat only rl types mention being number one .

The AFL is adding a second Sydney AFL team so that Aussie Rules will be played every week in Sydney and that the WS will be represented .

.

 

[cos789]

TRUE, as it is in Melbourne, but parents want their kids to play non-contact sports so they don't get hurt. Doesn't necessarily mean it's number 1.

No that's a fallacy . Soccer is the number participation football in Australia because it is so dominant in NSW and QLD .

The ABS shows quite clearly that Aussies Rules is the dominant football or clearly the dominant football in all but NSW and QLD where in QLD soccer is the dominant football and in NSW it is clearly the dominant football .

.

 

[Consolaçao]

That's complete crap and you know it. Look at the thirty-something thousand fans who turned out each game of the season to watch Sydney. Thirty years ago, that would be absolutely unheard of in 'League' town.

this year:
Sydney15.10 (100)North Melbourne13.7 (85)SCG21,929Sunday, 5 July

23 years ago, same team:

Sydney13.13 (91)North Melbourne14.11 (95)SCG26,58113 June 1986

or how about when we compare the Swans highest SCG crowd of this year?
Sydney12.12 (84)Carlton9.13 (67)SCG30,834Saturday, 18 April

adn in 1986:
Sydney18.12 (120)Carlton13.20 (98)SCG37,8734 May 1986


It's illustrative of the fact Aussie Rules hasn't really come as far as many of us would like to think. Having said all this, I do want a Western Sydney team, and think that Sydney could support it, but we need also to be realistic about the place of footy in Sydney's sporting landscape.

 

[Consolaçao]

I repeat only rl types mention being number one .

The AFL is adding a second Sydney AFL team so that Aussie Rules will be played every week in Sydney and that the WS will be represented .

.

There are douchebags of all persuasions who peddle this rumour. It's not exclusive to NRL fans. Once again, is not the OP implying that AFL could become number 1?

 

[Consolaçao]

No that's a fallacy . Soccer is the number participation football in Australia because it is so dominant in NSW and QLD .

The ABS shows quite clearly that Aussies Rules is the dominant football or clearly the dominant football in all but NSW and QLD where in QLD soccer is the dominant football and in NSW it is clearly the dominant football .

.

you may be right about that, i'm just saying that greater participation rates aren't really a sign of greater popularity. Nobody would say that soccer is a bigger sport overall than league in NSW.

 

[cos789]

It's illustrative of .....

Nothing in particular .

How about showing the average home grounds with ladder positions over the years and include ground disruptions to get a clearer idea .

.

 

[Consolaçao]

Nothing in particular .

How about showing the average home grounds with ladder positions over the years and include ground disruptions to get a clearer idea .

.

Now you're giving me homework? Why don't you do it?

 

[floppinab]

Perhaps AFL is not the only sport that needs to improve its marketing in culturally diverse western Sydney, with more than half of those polled unable to name any of the football identities.

That's the biggest challenge right there. This area (possibly excluding the Hills district) has no traditional links to sport in general and to build them (assuming you won't pull too many across from RL) is going to be a huge task.

That's complete crap and you know it. Look at the thirty-something thousand fans who turned out each game of the season to watch Sydney. Thirty years ago, that would be absolutely unheard of in 'League' town.

There was always plenty of latent support in Sydney for AFL, plenty of Melbourne expats, a local league that had a reasonable level of interest and strength. They harnessed that in the early years then of course lost it for a number of reasons in the early 90's.
This team is starting from nothing, nada, nought. The challenges are two and threefold what was in front of the Swans when they started here. You cannot compare the two.