The rising Australian rules football pay packet and the decline of cricket in Australia

[Kyptastic]

I agree to an extent, but in terms of international sporting events that we've traditionally been good at it may just be that other nations have got their acts together. We've had the advantages of climate, free time and money that a lot of other countries have lacked and is only just starting to be overcome.

 

[linda]

Try competing against Football like we do ,although saying that over the next few years all Aus sport will be as well .It creeps in and takes over everything

 

[Doodlesweaver]

Try competing against Football like we do ,although saying that over the next few years all Aus sport will be as well .It creeps in and takes over everything

It is already. I was back in Perth recently and I found it depressing how high profile soccer is. That sport is like a bloody enormous whirlpool sucking up everything in its wake.

 

[linda]

It is already. I was back in Perth recently and I found it depressing how high profile soccer is. That sport is like a bloody enormous whirlpool sucking up everything in its wake.

Just think if Aus had won the world cup bid

 

[BarneyBent]

Cricket pay packets have risen too. Professional cricketers now have the opportunity to earn big bucks playing T20 competitions. The Big Bash is about to undergo an overhaul with the aim of making more money, paying players higher wages, and attracting the best players.

Perhaps in the period between AFL becoming fully professional and T20 cricket arriving there was a tendency for players who are promising in both sports to choose footy, but I reckon we'll see a balancing of that soon.

 

[Beth]

As far as tennis goes its much more a case of other countries, particularly Russia, Spain and now China starting to pump out a lot more quality players.

Not to mention Australian tennis officials couldn't recognise a future champion if he bit them on the arse. We got lucky with kids like Hewitt and Rafter who came up in spite of TA not because of it. They were too busy grooming the likes of Todd Woodbridge (I don't count doubles as a measure of success), Jason Stoltenberg, and then Mark Phillipousos for example.

Don't think footy really explains away our failure at tennis. Yes tennis has probably have lost a few to footy anecdotally, but Im looking at you Tennis Australia as the problem.

 

[amer]

It is already. I was back in Perth recently and I found it depressing how high profile soccer is. That sport is like a bloody enormous whirlpool sucking up everything in its wake.

They've pushed it hard with advertising but it's not made any progress at all. There was a slight rise when Australia got to the last 16 in 2006, as there was for the USA when they secured the WC, but it fell back to previous levels and continues to trend down if anything. You need only look at A-League attendance figures. Take Perth Glory - average attendance rate in the 2005-06 season of 9,734 per game. The average in the completed 2009-10 season? 9,205. Sydney FC's attendance rate has halved from 2005-2010, from 16,669 down to 8,376.

 

[amer]

Try competing against Football like we do ,although saying that over the next few years all Aus sport will be as well .It creeps in and takes over everything

Soccer won't ever take hold here; it fights a unique battle in Australia because its competition is an inherently superior product. The same cannot be said of rugby in the european countries for instance. Though in saying unique, you could draw comparisons to the sporting climate in the USA, where they hosted a world cup and still soccer failed to make any inroads on the established national sporting codes.

 

[Doodlesweaver]

They've pushed it hard with advertising but it's not made any progress at all. There was a slight rise when Australia got to the last 16 in 2006, as there was for the USA when they secured the WC, but it fell back to previous levels and continues to trend down if anything. You need only look at A-League attendance figures. Take Perth Glory - average attendance rate in the 2005-06 season of 9,734 per game. The average in the completed 2009-10 season? 9,205. Sydney FC's attendance rate has halved from 2005-2010, from 16,669 down to 8,376.

That's encouraging. I find it mostly a slow boring sport, I honestly think it needs the big crowd atmosphere to have any real excitement, it can't generate it on its own, its too slow moving a sport.

But then I never played it. I'm an ex-hockey player and the speed and skill in modern hockey is phenomenal, makes soccer look like it's being played by people with zimmers.

 

[Martha D]

AFL football is the biggest sport in Australia by some way.

It is also the most attractive.

5 people make it to bat for Australia at one time.

Very few make it in tennis..

Nearly 400 people make it to play in the AFL at any stage.

If you follow the career path, your chances of playing AFL are a lot higher than batting for Australia.

 

[R00StaR]

This is why T20 will be so important. If we can get a great comp up and running, combined with EPL and of course country representation then more cricketers will out earn footballers. I love both games and have a growing appreciation for soccer in this country (loved Victory V brissy game), but would like to see cricketers rewarded enough to keep the cricketing talent go the cricket path.

 

[big_e]

I reckon Twenty20 will change things a bit. Gives younger kids more of an opportunity at state level at an earlier age, and there can be pretty big pay packets on offer even without playing for your country.

Mitch Marsh was another who has chosen cricket after playing for WA in the Under-18s footy.

Funnily enough there is an article in The West Australian about Stephen Coniglio. Still only 16, about to represent WA in the under-17s cricket championship for the second year, playing second grade for Midland-Guildford, and kicked four goals in Swan Districts's WAFL grand final win this year. Says he will wait until next year's AFL draft before making up his mind between the two

 

[KennyHuntersBlues]

what incentive is their for the young sportsman deciding cricket over afl when they can't see the selectors willing to punt on young talent and have patience with them. all they see is oldies in the test team.

 

[Spearhead]

I reckon Twenty20 will change things a bit. Gives younger kids more of an opportunity at state level at an earlier age, and there can be pretty big pay packets on offer even without playing for your country.

Mitch Marsh was another who has chosen cricket after playing for WA in the Under-18s footy.

Funnily enough there is an article in The West Australian about Stephen Coniglio. Still only 16, about to represent WA in the under-17s cricket championship for the second year, playing second grade for Midland-Guildford, and kicked four goals in Swan Districts's WAFL grand final win this year. Says he will wait until next year's AFL draft before making up his mind between the two

Stevie will eventually choose footy ...he is an absolute gun!!

 

[R00StaR]

what incentive is their for the young sportsman deciding cricket over afl when they can't see the selectors willing to punt on young talent and have patience with them. all they see is oldies in the test team.

You mean they can keep earning at 35+ or be over the hill at 28?

 

[rhaz]

What about the IPL etc now ? Lots of money to be earned even if you aren't an international player. Mitch Marsh had the choice between AFL and cricket and he chose the latter.

 

[nicko99]

Soccer won't ever take hold here; it fights a unique battle in Australia because its competition is an inherently superior product. The same cannot be said of rugby in the european countries for instance. Though in saying unique, you could draw comparisons to the sporting climate in the USA, where they hosted a world cup and still soccer failed to make any inroads on the established national sporting codes.

I Agree that soccer will never be popular here is that you will find that Aussie Rules produces the better sporting athletes compared to soccer, you will find that the development programs are a lot more professional which enhances them to become better athletes, but with soccer its not as they dont have State championships, or representative zone state youth leagues, well they might its that its not popular.

I might be getting a little off topic here but with AFL you have to be quick, strong and run long (which you have to in soccer as well be quick), but there is no contact which there is in Aussie Rules that make it harder.

You will find that AFL is made up of all Anglo Aussies and indigenous people well the majority of it. Coincidence that there arent many ethnic players in the AFL? Well there probaly not good enough, thats why Soccer in Australia is filled up by a lot of ethnic people and thats why AFL takes up all the sporting talent in Oz. How many sporting Role Models or Heores does soccer have compared to AFL for the younger generation to look up to? Not many i think.

The only thing that FFA/soccer have going for them is that you can make heaps load more money to make if your successful in the big leagues in Europe, thats the only thing that soccer has going for it Oz all the FFA have to do is tap into the market.

Now its a similar situation in the US like you said but i dont ever think that soccer will be successful there is that they have over 100 professional sporting teams there in the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL now if your good at one of those sports and soccer, your going to pick the US sports as you will make more money than soccer and you dont have to go overseas, leaving your family similar here with Aussie Rules and cricket. (making more money in AFL)

Its the same situation over there with all the players there being Anglo Americans and Blacks being all the athletes and not many foreigners like Hispanics who make up that big soccer following in the US.

 

[Big John]

I don't think its the money so much as the pathway. As a kid with AFL aspirations there is a pretty clear path to an AFL career. TAC cup, then the draft and your with one of 16 clubs. Roughly 600 fully professional players at any one time.

For cricket, you stick it out, hope to make it to the best 11 in your state, and then best 11 in the country. Probably not a full professional until you in the top 100 players in the country, and even then, people have only heard of the top 20-30.

 

[Hazey1977]

You will find that AFL is made up of all Anglo Aussies and indigenous people well the majority of it. Coincidence that there arent many ethnic players in the AFL? Well there probaly not good enough, thats why Soccer in Australia is filled up by a lot of ethnic people and thats why AFL takes up all the sporting talent in Oz. How many sporting Role Models or Heores does soccer have compared to AFL for the younger generation to look up to? Not many i think.


Its the same situation over there with all the players there being Anglo Americans and Blacks being all the athletes and not many foreigners like Hispanics who make up that big soccer following in the US.

Not sure about this one mate with European/hispanics not being good enough for AFL/American sports and therefore staying with the round ball.

The reason for a higher % participation of people with European/ethnic heritage in soccer is more likely to be due to historical background rather than ability. If you're brought up on a life of Aussie rules, it is most likely you too will follow that path. If all your family has really known is soccer, then you will most likely stick with that.