Why not a world wide AFL?

[Groove]

Instead of funding the international rules series, why doesnt the AFL start putting money into playing aussie rules against other countries.
can you imagine how absolutely fantastic a world cup in Aussie Rules would be?
plus we would never lose.

 

[Joel]

There is already a World Cup in Aussie Rules, except Australia isn't allowed to compete.

 

[ViperV10]

Yeah but we don't want a situation like Soccer, where players are offered millions upon millions to play in England. We will never have anyone here and the standard would be worse for local footy.

 

[Portmagpies]

Relatively strong leagues already exist in England, Denmark/Sweden and Canada. These leagues already play internationals against one another. And there's also an annual British Bulldogs v All-Australians game, usually played as curtain raiser before London exhibition matches.

There's lot of similarities with them and American football leagues over here.

 

[MarkT]

We are a small country of 20m out in the middle of nowhere and we play a sport that will never be anything but a novelty in a world context. Why can't we live that? For that matter, why can't we be proud of that?

 

[Matty01]

Originally posted by Portmagpies
There's lot of similarities with them and American football leagues over here.

Is there, how so?

 

[theheganboy]

world champions

with Ireland the newly crowned world champions of Aussie Rules (and we know you weren't allowed to enter but thats no excuse) we thought it would be gracious to play you in a new and seperate game rather than beat you at your own sport.

Messing with you- there is a league in Ireland as well and we are the world champs!

 

[bacon buster]

sadly, it's never going to happen. nor will an international 'internal rules' league though. so i think if we are going to blow some money, it may as well be in trying to develop AFL outside australia.

 

[Tommo]

Originally posted by MarkT
We are a small country of 20m out in the middle of nowhere and we play a sport that will never be anything but a novelty in a world context. Why can't we live that? For that matter, why can't we be proud of that?

That is a bit of a poor attitude. think of all the people around the world that are missing out on playing The Game.

 

[LebaneseForces]

Originally posted by Tommo
That is a bit of a poor attitude. think of all the people around the world that are missing out on playing The Game.

I dont think no one cares... ONly Ex-pats play it overseas... Maybe 1 or locals if lucky.

 

[Munga]

If it went world wide, the game's headquarters might move to another country, and they'll manage to f@#k the game up.

 

[Joffaboy]

Originally posted by LebaneseForces
I dont think no one cares... ONly Ex-pats play it overseas... Maybe 1 or locals if lucky.

And what would you know. Stick to the mongralised form of bum sniffing Rugby the underclass and uneducated follow in Sydney. Try turning that into a real international sport. Two states in Aus, a couple of Northern Counties in England, a couple of *****y provinces in South France and a tin pot comp in NZ and Papua New Guinea.

Hypocrit.

 

[scmods]

I'd like to see some sort of scholarship system put in place, where every AFL club takes on (for example) three players from developing AFL countries as part of their list (extra to the current list size and subsidised by the AFL). They spend the season training with the club and playing at whatever level they can handle. If they're good enough to get a game for the AFL team then good, or they play VFL or WAFL or whatever. (Obviously in the early years of such a program not too many will get to play at AFL level!)

If every club had 3 of these, there's a pool of 48 players who can also play games against whatever level they can handle (whether that be a state league side, a state team or the AFL All Australian side!). These games could be in the midseason break or at the end of the season.

It's a long term program, but it would be great to see players from this eventually getting to the level where they can nominate for the draft in their own right, and for other nations to be able to field a reasonable national team.

 

[LebaneseForces]

Originally posted by Joffaboy
And what would you know. Stick to the mongralised form of bum sniffing Rugby the underclass and uneducated follow in Sydney. Try turning that into a real international sport. Two states in Aus, a couple of Northern Counties in England, a couple of *****y provinces in South France and a tin pot comp in NZ and Papua New Guinea.

Hypocrit.

Dont forget Lebanon... Quiet a few hundred players and growing rapidly! Russia has around 20,000 registered players and rising (Backing from a millionaire, casino owner). France are getting a Super League team... And they aint expats. Welsh RL is gaining from the rapid demise of RU there. Auckland is fast being a RL city 9The rest of NZ are aleast open to watching RL now) ... New Caledonia converted to RL from Union, The Pacific countries have RL comps (Union is alot biggert there but still), PNG is a RL country, Morocco has a few thousand registered players. Thats just from the top of my head.

 

[Deej]

There's only one true world game and it's football. (I think we should change the name of our game to aerialball or something actually.) Football aka soccer is in my opinion the world's greatest game, if it at all got it's **** together in this country I'd be there waving the flag in an instant.

 

[MarkT]

Originally posted by Tommo
That is a bit of a poor attitude. think of all the people around the world that are missing out on playing The Game.

It's sadder that they kiss out on being part of The Club. They can imigrate if they wish (or should that be if Phillip - or Bronwyn - wishes?).

 

[jeka]

LebaneseForces.

Its not just expats overseas just look at the international forum and you'll soon find a lot of non-aussies playing the game.

And as a Brit I wouldn't crow to much about the sate of Rugby league in wales or any other part of the UK if I were you.

 

[MarkT]

Originally posted by Deej
There's only one true world game and it's football. (I think we should change the name of our game to aerialball or something actually.) Football aka soccer is in my opinion the world's greatest game, if it at all got it's **** together in this country I'd be there waving the flag in an instant.

Deej, what the heck would it take to get you? What does gettimng it's **** together constitute? The administrative incompetancies don't change the sport do they? You can watch the same players play the same game no matter which idiot ****s up thye administration and loses a few million. whatever happens, the drain of quality from Australia cannot turn around because 20m and a minor sport cannot ever compete with Europe or South America and probably not even with Asia.

 

[Mr Q]

Originally posted by LebaneseForces
I dont think no one cares... ONly Ex-pats play it overseas... Maybe 1 or locals if lucky.

Just why do you keep coming back here idiot?

That aside, I think you'll find that most Australian Rules leagues outside of Australia have limits on the number of Australians that are allowed to play to grow the game locally. IIRC the BARFL requires that half the players on the field at any time are British (or at least non-Australian) to allow for growth of the game.

 

[Deej]

Originally posted by MarkT
Deej, what the heck would it take to get you? What does gettimng it's **** together constitute? The administrative incompetancies don't change the sport do they? You can watch the same players play the same game no matter which idiot ****s up thye administration and loses a few million. whatever happens, the drain of quality from Australia cannot turn around because 20m and a minor sport cannot ever compete with Europe or South America and probably not even with Asia.

If Melbourne got a team that was for everyone not aligned to any single ethnic group, say called themselves MelbourneUtd and wore say barcelona type shirts and it had no affiliation to any AFL club or other sporting organisation, I'd sign up as a member for life.

Playing venue would be the only problem, I like bob jane but it's south's home so we'd need to find somewhere else. OlympicPk is like waverly, cold old ugly and not a real exciting place to be. I'd love them to build a decent purpose built soccer stadium in cahoots with the storm, seat about 45000, have loads of standing area for the ruckus times. I'd love it.

 

[LebaneseForces]

Originally posted by Mr Q
Just why do you keep coming back here idiot?

That aside, I think you'll find that most Australian Rules leagues outside of Australia have limits on the number of Australians that are allowed to play to grow the game locally. IIRC the BARFL requires that half the players on the field at any time are British (or at least non-Australian) to allow for growth of the game.

No need for name calling buddy... I like talking up Rugby League as you guys do AFL... Jeka i know that Rugby League in the UK isnt that big, but atleast RFL is making an effort and its getting a little (Very little) bigger presence there and with the European Nations Cup kicking off, thats a good start for the future. Good luck to the AFL with there expansion but i cant see it happening, but u never know.

 

[MarkT]

Originally posted by Deej
If Melbourne got a team that was for everyone not aligned to any single ethnic group, say called themselves MelbourneUtd and wore say barcelona type shirts and it had no affiliation to any AFL club or other sporting organisation, I'd sign up as a member for life.

I've though about this before. I think the problem is the people who watch soccer in this country (generalisation) not the structure. they tried to get ethnicity out of it in a lame sort of way by changing the names etc. To do it properly you'd have to disband all thye clubs and start complete new ones up. the problem is that you would lose fans IMO. A big part of the reasons melbourne has the support they do is that they are Croation. Ditto South and the Greek element.

Collingwood and Carlton tried to get non ethnic based team up and they couldn't survive, even with a kick start of a club backing with an existing multicutural support base.

Fundamentally (just my opinion) the game doesn;t cut it. I admit I am somewhat biased but AFL is simply a superior product IMO and you can actually go with mates who are members of the oppostion and sit next to them at the game. This is not just a racial issue in Australia it is a cultural issue for soccer. For thaty reason and for the same reason RL or RU will not threaten our code (ie inferior products) I can't ever see soccer making enough headway. I do think it can be a fair bit more competitive but it is marginal and will never be a force here IMO.

Originally posted by Deej
Playing venue would be the only problem, I like bob jane but it's south's home so we'd need to find somewhere else. OlympicPk is like waverly, cold old ugly and not a real exciting place to be. I'd love them to build a decent purpose built soccer stadium in cahoots with the storm, seat about 45000, have loads of standing area for the ruckus times. I'd love it.

hard to see how they could fill it regularly though. OO is as good a venue as you'll ever get and that would require a closer stand to the action due to the smaller field. At least at OO you have a decent start. Elswhere the build costs would make it unfeasable. You'd have to move Carlton FC first though.

 

[jeka]

That's ok you've got to shout for your side.

its just Rugby League has suffered in Britain since Union went profressional. Rugby has grown in Britian but mainly Union. That said it's not going backwards either, just holding it's own.

 

[Deej]

Originally posted by MarkT
Fundamentally (just my opinion) the game doesn;t cut it. I admit I am somewhat biased but AFL is simply a superior product IMO

Totally disagree, I enjoy soccer far more in nearly every way than i do AFL. I don't enjoy AFL unless carlton is involved, whereas i can watch any team in soccer from overseas and enjoy it. I do enjoy watching aussie soccer but i just don't like the ethnic bit, and i definitely agree that most of the clubs would need to be disbanded before they can genuinely move forward.

The thing about soccer is that people who are conditioned to a high scoring sport pretty much find it boring. That's because in AFL and basketball etc the scoring part is usually what makes it all an exciting experience. Soccer is different, a totally different mindset and frame of mind is needed to watch soccer, it's the game itself that is the exciting bit and there is a certain tension that is created by the difficulty in scoring. Also it's a much more tactical sport with i really find fascinating. I don't need to see high scoring all the time, i can enjoy a nil-all draw more than an aussie rules game, especially a demolition like heaps of the games are these days, too high scoring and one sided. In my opinion to make AFL better they should look at lowering the scoring, not speeding everything up and increasing it. Just my opinion.

 

[MarkT]

Don't get me wrong Deej, I like watching soccer, just not nearly as much as AFL.

I spent a couple of months in London a couple of years back and got into the EPL more while there. I then spent a month in Italy and a month in Germany where soccer is obviously pretty big. I watched the Man.U Newcastle FA cup final from a pub in Heidelberg in Germany and the atmosphere was sensational (except "we" lost). Later that year I watched the European cup final b/n MU & Munich at a relo's flat in Studgard when MU kicked 2 in the last 90 seconds to win the cup. Actually I went to the loo with 2 mins to go and said well that's that to my hosts and while in the loo I heard "goal to Manchester" to which I replied still can't lose or something and then seconds later another goal. Not sure if you recall the match, it was the one where Schmicheal left his post. It was awsome. The point is Deej, I do appreciate soccer and there are some great moments but the average match doesn't cut it comparred to Aust. Rules IMO.

The range of skills and of body types that can play it are unsurpassed IMO. Add to that the range of fitness and strength skills needed for a game so intense and lasting so long and you have something unique. Anyway, all I am saying Deej, all just IMO of course, Australian Football will never be threatened in Australia. It has little to no futrure elsewhere though because it will never get the same chance elsewhere that world sports would get here for exposure and will never have the expat support elsewhere that world sports like soccer enjoy here.