The big thing which pisses me off with all these people who crap on about expansion and stuff is that they actually think the big suits at the AFL making more money benefits them.
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USA team in AFL?
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Wonaeamirri33
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Well, he also seems to think that Brisbane are somehow going to beat us at the 'G by 10 goals next year... when they couldn't even beat us in 2008, and even the Cats on their home ground couldn't win by near that much...
- Banned
- #103
Based-around? They're based around playing footy mate. You're telling us that nobody would attend if pies and Coopers weren't available?
Actually, having the likes of Sheedy (and Mark Thompson - 2008, Silvagni - 2007, Dipper and Schwab - 2006 etc.) over is more a benefit to the leagues and clubs in North America than they are to the wider public here, who obviously are clueless about their status. By exposing influential footy personalities to North American footy firsthand, they return to Australia with an expanded view of the game's standing overseas, and often become advocates of supporting international development. I think part of the recent seachange in the AFL's treatment of overseas footy has a lot to do with powerbrokers witnessing firsthand the growth and systems being put in place each year by the clubs outside Australia.
And to support your point Rex, it's probably surprising for some Aussie readers to comprehend that many local footy players overseas watch AFL so infrequently that they can name perhaps no players or officials. Their experience with the game is entirely based upon local participation in games - most care more about who wins the divisions of US Footy Nationals or local leagues than the AFL. I think that's a really healthy situation for our game to be in.
The Arena Football League folded this year.
bretigan
Debutant
Well, in the states, we have 2 arena football leagues.
www.af2.com - the other arena football is not running, which I never knew there were 2 leagues. What I am guessing, is the one was folding and the team owners formed another league.
You are missing the point. It's not about whether people like Sheedy are known or unknown to the average Joe walking down the street in the US.
It's about encouraging and developing the people who are already playing and supporting the game over there. You don't think someone likes Sheeds would be able to impart some knowledge of the game to relatively inexperienced coaches and support staff in a place like the US?
I liken it to an Australian based gridiron team being paid a visit by Bill Belichick. Would mean nothing to most people here in Australia, but to those who play/support the local gridiron leagues it would be a massive boost.
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- #109
im obviously biased in my opinion, i think the whole world should be playing AFL, but do you really think the AFL could get any bigger over there than gridiron is here ?
There are a lot of differences between sporting cultures in North America and Australia, so it's hard to compare the two. A principal difference that comes to mind is the focus on school/college sporting pathways in the USA and on club sport in Australia. A lot of Americans and Canadians don't participate in serious amateur sport after high school, instead opting to enroll in seasonal 'beer leagues'. From speaking to locals playing footy over here, the appeal of playing in a club environment is a positive that Australian football has going for it here.
I would like to offer some solidarity to our American brothers.
Here in the UK we have been working hard to grow the game outside expat heavy London. We set up a National League - www.arukfooty.com - and adopted modified rules to make it easier for the locals to play. It has been a massive success and most our our players are Poms.
When I look across the Pond at the US, I see an enormous future for the game there. The key is to get our game on Pay TV and get a modified version into the colleges. Do that and you will reap the rewards.
See you at the next International Cup!
Here in the UK we have been working hard to grow the game outside expat heavy London. We set up a National League - www.arukfooty.com - and adopted modified rules to make it easier for the locals to play. It has been a massive success and most our our players are Poms.
When I look across the Pond at the US, I see an enormous future for the game there. The key is to get our game on Pay TV and get a modified version into the colleges. Do that and you will reap the rewards.
See you at the next International Cup!
ROFL @ this thread.
kutwg, etc.
kutwg, etc.
bretigan
Debutant
I agree with the TV access. I happen to stumble on a channel showing European Rugby. But, without the TV and news channels, it is hard to follow a team and the "manly" soap opera it plays.
Now, I think the AFL should play a preseason game over in the states to see how the fans react to it.
I think Austria's team, the Magpies, should represent your country.
Now, I think the AFL should play a preseason game over in the states to see how the fans react to it.
I think Austria's team, the Magpies, should represent your country.
ringleader
All Australian
- Banned
- #115
They've already had exhibition games in North America for some time now .
Always been well received . I think 37K in Vancouver (higher than their own GF) and 22k in Toronto several times .
Australian Football took off with it being shown on ESPN .
It's slowly regaining some of it's exposure there again .
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- #116
Exactly . People want to find out about anybody who is big regardless if it is in another country .
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- #117
Apart from watching the superbowl , gridiron isn't on the radar here .
US footy nationals for instance involve over 300 players .
.
Channel 10 is broadcasting NFL on digital FTA. That is HUGE step.
I confidently predict that American Football will grow exponentially over the next few years. In the past few years i have noticed a lot more people throwing their Sherrins like an American Football when their legs get tired from kicking (in a kick to kick).
FTA changes everything in Australia. Pretty much everyone watches it.
Also would you expect a bigger crowd for NFL in Australia, or AFL in America? Who has the bigger population?
Another idea i have. Its a far out idea. Would the AFL consider hosting a pre-season NFL match (ie promoting it on footy show and the AFL website), if they promoted an AFL pre-season match during their regular season? The NFL would be the big decider of whether this happens or not.
Also a huge spark for gridiron in Australia was Sav Rocca, and Ben Graham.
Could it be possible to lure an ex-NFL player down under. They would have to be initially interested in the game rather than the paycheck.
I reckon plenty here at least somewhat follow it. Getting more and more as well. Not many play it though.
Look if we had one or two American teams in the AFL one day we could still call it the AFL with the A standing for American and Australian.
There are some high ranking AFL identities who are in favour of expanding to America.
Ten years ago Homebush, being pre-Olympics that was with the wings on, sold out for an NFL pre-season game. You wouldn't get 90,000 to an AFL Grand Final if it was held in New York, much less an exhibition game.
American Football is far bigger in Australia than Australian Football is in the US. A lot of people here watch a little bit of the NFL from time to time. When SBS had a weekly highlights show it used to rate reasonably well (incredibly well by SBS standards). It was still 4th or 5th in its timeslot but considering how hard was for SBS to do anything other than that, not too bad.
American Football, through the cultural domination of Hollywood, is at least known to be a sport. Australian Football might be known to a few sports nuts in the US as that funny game with the weird flag waving, but that's about it.
That's not belittle the efforts being made, and the advances being made, by those involved in footy in the US; but it is very slow progress coming off a base of almost zero. To pretend that Australian Football has anything like the penetration over there to what American Football has here is just plain wrong.
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The logical first step in the USA is to implement a fully functioning, fully fledged Australian Rules competition that is country wide.
My understanding is that teams at the moment only compete with other teams in their similar region, and that cross country trips are rare.
There will be no AFL team in the USA in my lifetime I believe, but there is a chance to develop the game through a nationwide league in the USA, maybe as soon as over the next decade.
The only way to grow the sport in the US is through TV coverage, and this won't occur on a large scale until a nation wide league is created and supported in the USA.
My understanding is that teams at the moment only compete with other teams in their similar region, and that cross country trips are rare.
There will be no AFL team in the USA in my lifetime I believe, but there is a chance to develop the game through a nationwide league in the USA, maybe as soon as over the next decade.
The only way to grow the sport in the US is through TV coverage, and this won't occur on a large scale until a nation wide league is created and supported in the USA.
Lol ... i think you misread my post.
Thats exactly what im trying to say.
Although you to admit, growing football in America there is lot more to be gained than growing gridiron in Australia.
