Will Soccer ever take over AFL?

[Crosby87]

The fact that football is dominating sports news in December, and yet I can't remember the last soccer story I heard sans the World Cup bid, that pretty much says it all.

 

[hawkers23]

soccer will never replace Aussie rules footy, it is our countries game and always will be (Y)
that being said soccer is a pretty good game in itself, but i dont wnat it replacing my AFL lol

 

[lethal03]

Soccer will never overtake the AFL.

IF aussie rules was never created and we were all brought up on soccer the likes of hird, buckley carey etc would have dominated the game. There would have been more rule changes to the game to quell the dominance by the Aussies.

WE WOULD OWN THE WORLD CUP

 

[The Teacher]

look to the united states: soccer was to take over there after they hosted the world cup, and then beckham was meant to give the sport a shot in the arm. soccer there is still a curiosity.

Kaypee

I was in the States on the opening day of the '94 World Cup and having watched South Korea draw 2 all with Spain at the Dallas Cottonbowl, I raced back to our unit to watch that game's and other's highlights.

Every channel even the 24 hour sports broadcaster ESPN was showing this white Ford bronco on an LA freeway........ the day OJ Simpson was arrested.

He managed to push the second largest sporting event in the world off every front and back page of just about every newspaper in America and did so for the remainder of the event.

FIFA's worst nightmare was a reality and there was nothing they could do about it!!!!

Soccer does have some advantages

1. in that is oft preferred in primary schools to reduce the risk of injury,
2. girls can play (the AFL is slowly but surely emulating this strategy) - and these little girls one day become mothers and have significant influence.
3. stating the obvious agian - near global dominance.

 

[TigersBoy]

What people are forgeting, these two codes shouldnt be bothered about eachothers grow.

AFL=Winter
A-League=Summer

They over lap by a month, maybe 2 in the future.

 

[eldorado]

Generally, a reasonable debate.

Only two strands of extremist idiocy

1) The World game will take over...people will forget AFL...20 years...blah blah blah.

and

2) Sokkah is gay, AFL is ba bestest, and will spread throughout the world.

It will not supplant AFL as the most popular in Vic, WA, SA or Tas, nor League in Gld or NSW...but it will gain a much more solid foothold through exposure to EPL, World Cup qualification, gradually improving A-League seeping into the public consciousness.

 

[kelep]

Never heard of SA, WA or Tassie, mate...

yes because those states are dominated by the sport.

You obviously have never lived there.

 

[mcgarnacle]

Generally, a reasonable debate.

Only two strands of extremist idiocy

1) The World game will take over...people will forget AFL...20 years...blah blah blah.

and

2) Sokkah is gay, AFL is ba bestest, and will spread throughout the world.

It will not supplant AFL as the most popular in Vic, WA, SA or Tas, nor League in Gld or NSW...but it will gain a much more solid foothold through exposure to EPL, World Cup qualification, gradually improving A-League seeping into the public consciousness.

actually, both soccer and AFL are considered gay in NSW and QLD. participants from each sport seem to go down like a sack of shit after minimal contact.

 

[Dont be a lemon]

The fact that football is dominating sports news in December, and yet I can't remember the last soccer story I heard sans the World Cup bid, that pretty much says it all.

I think it says you've been ignoring the media

 

[Tiger666]

Soccer fans are worse than sydney swans fans. Bandwagoners.
When Australia plays in a world cup or whatever, everyone watches, until they lose.
When Beckham is over here playing, everyone watches, until it's over.

Yawn boo hoo whatever

 

[Dont be a lemon]

actually, both soccer and AFL are considered gay in NSW and QLD.

Maybe among bogans.

 

[Chuq]

PS Do you try to show that you are intelligent on here?

Yes. I do this by posting replies to your posts - I could mash the keyboard and it would make me look like a genius in comparison. You resemble the stereotype so much it makes me think you are just someone taking the piss.

 

[Chuq]

The fact that football is dominating sports news in December, and yet I can't remember the last soccer story I heard sans the World Cup bid, that pretty much says it all.

Yeah, it says that you get your sports news from places where the only requirement to become a sports journalist is to be an ex-AFL player.

Want some real unbiased news?
http://news.google.com.au/?ned=au&topic=s

 

[STC]

Holy shit. I just found an actual fact in your post! What were the AFLs crowds like in their fourth year?

You want to compare crowds between the A-League 2008 and VFL 1900? I think it's rather obvious that that would be a ridiculous comparison when you consider how much the population, economy, stadium sizes and interest in sport nationally have changed.

 

[STC]

Yeah, it says that you get your sports news from places where the only requirement to become a sports journalist is to be an ex-AFL player.

Want some real unbiased news?
http://news.google.com.au/?ned=au&topic=s

First of all, how many ex AFL players become journalists? Some of them write columns or commentate or talk on the radio, but none of them are actual journalists. Those sources aren't 'biased' by talking about football, they talk about whatever is most important to their reader base.

Google news just sorts it by most recent and post every news article everywhere. Sure it's unbiased but it's not a source, it's a search engine.

 

[davey_magik]

I love both games (AFL more obviously) but soccer will never take over AFL in Australia, like it has never overtaken NFL in America.

There is no reason why both sports can't exist.

 

[realfootball]

succes being about meeting "benchmarks" is ludicrous. the fact is the a-league is sliding this year, and even the most loyal soccer people should see that for what it is: a problem. i disagree that basketball has never held a candle to soccer - basketball was huge with the yoof in the days of jordan and had massive participation rates. it too has been backed by supposedly savvy businessmen (many of whom remind me of clive palmer). we've always lived in a global world, and if globalisation is on the increase, whatever thatg means, that is just as likely to wind up being an AFL strength. Globalisation, is, after all, sometimes about more choice, not less.
as for FTA: that's FFA fault. FTA will show whatever makes them money, that's why they don't show the AFL in Queensland (as much as i would like them to). i reckon the FFA gets a dream run in the media given the interest, and that's because the cynically chose to have their season in the dead early summer months
If the FFA were such a "formidable business outfit" they'd be making money. incidentally, businessmen running clubs in the a-league will always be an achilles heal, as i believe will become obvious over the next couple of years.
the nascent soccer market has been there to be developed for years. the afl has developed there market. could it be because the game, whether it be only in the australian context, is simply a great spectacle that is great to play. i know a bloke who recruits for the afl in queensland who reckons he's never had a convert turn their back on the game once they've been convinced to have a run

Why is it ludicrous? If you have a business plan, and the targets and goals set are being met, I can certianly classify that as a success.
Despite what you say, the FFA are doing OK financially. and expect to turn previous losses now into a net gain this year, and to continue doing so. It's easy to find articles about the games growth, inclusing financial figures on the net.
eg http://www.theage.com.au/news/sport/soccer/brave-new-world/2008/12/02/1227980018039.html

There is also be the 45 million pumped into the world cup bid by the fed.

Basketball has never had anywhere near the participation rates as far as I can recall in the aussport stats to that over soccer. And managment? Can't be serious can you? Few could argue the acumen of Lowy, nor names of on the board. The FFA board run soccer as a business first and foremost.

The FTA thing is, to some degree the FFA's fault. I would have tried to not have a lenghty deal locked into pay TV, but hey what would I know? However, as O'Neill said, they were flogging a product that didn't exist, so they had to do something. From all accounts, fox are very happy with the deal. But the FFA know they have nothing to worry about, the FTA channels are circling, and would do anything to gain the rights to the A-league right now, but they will just have to wait, but it's coming.

I am not arguing that AFL hasn't done well to exploit their markets, but they have still struggled to penetrate NSW and QLD despite a rediculous amount of exposure on FTV and visible marketing like spruiking of memberships by street vendors. Look at my team, the swans, not doing well at all financially,
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,24790389-23211,00.html
AFL may well do OK in the future, and may do ok in a globalised world, but does it have the potential for growth better than soccer? I would argue NO. I accept your friend's comments trhat people, once recrutied stay will AFL, but the simple fact is, more still play soccer, at all levels.

And the FFA has a dream run in the media??! C'mon, let's not even go there.

 

[Ice-Wolf]

You want to compare crowds between the A-League 2008 and VFL 1900? I think it's rather obvious that that would be a ridiculous comparison when you consider how much the population, economy, stadium sizes and interest in sport nationally have changed.

I believe the VFL crowds in 1900 might still have been bigger.

 

[maroon and blue]

VFL crowds at the turn of the 20th century far exceeded A League crowds of today. And Melbournes population in 1900 was only 500,000.

 

[nathanfoley]

no way soccer will overtake AFL.
AFL is an Austrailian made sport, soccer will never take over AFL.

 

[A Living God]

The FTA thing is, to some degree the FFA's fault. I would have tried to not have a lenghty deal locked into pay TV, but hey what would I know? However, as O'Neill said, they were flogging a product that didn't exist, so they had to do something. From all accounts, fox are very happy with the deal. But the FFA know they have nothing to worry about, the FTA channels are circling, and would do anything to gain the rights to the A-league right now, but they will just have to wait, but it's coming.

Why would the FTA channels care about the A-league? A-league games get about a third of the ratings or AFL's or NRL's pay TV games. Most A - Leagues game average around 45k in the 5 city metro and 70k nationally. For a FTA to be interested in showing a game on Friday night would need around million viewers in the 5 city metro area. Aside from SBS or ABC2, who don't have the money for it, the A-league would not rate well enough to justify being showed in prime time on FTA.

 

[STC]

Why would they 'do anything' to pick up a league that will screen through the no ratings period, and will not attract them particularly large viewers? Sure they will be decent, but would they be worthy of a serious bid in such a dead period for TV?

 

[SlickAs]

The whole question is rigged.

No one says will Cricket take over AFL, or will Tennis take over the AFL, or will the Melbourne Cup take over the Grand Final. Why the attitude against soccer, as if it is the enemy. I can follow both (and the above and motor racing, and I even like the Ice Hockey).

For me, the only recent change is amongst the juniors and young-uns. They love their footy, but they love their Socceroos also. Us adults can poo-poo the other sport (and we are on a biased forum here), but it is the kids who will decide.

If your kid played both but was good at soccer, like really good, and wanted to play it, would you push him into footy? Hell no. And if you soccer guys had a kid who was really good at footy but so-so at soccer would you force him to play soccer? Don't think so.

Sure Australia has changed in its sporting landscape in the last 3 years (since the Australia - Uruguay game), and yeah, some of the traditional sports feel threatened.

But hey, Gaelic football has not died in a sea of soccer. The language Catalan (in Barcelona) has not died in a sea of Spanish. AFL is here forever. Soccer is here too, like tennis. People who bash soccer are just full of fear and closed-mindedness.

Everyone needs to take a chill pill, and relax. Both sports are beautiful. Neither competes with the other. It is all cool ... there are some good soccer games on tonight ... nice rumours about Ben Cousins ... enjoy ...

 

[bluespooner]

Given the saturation coverage soccer gets on SBS to the exclusion of all other sports, you never know.

Soccer is definitely is helped by the record immigration levels to which the Australian public is excluded from having a say in.

 

[SlickAs]

Soccer is definitely is helped by the record immigration levels to which the Australian public is excluded from having a say in.

Mate, the growth in soccer is not from immigrants (who are mostly like Indians and Chinese who hardly come here with a love for soccer), it is from the anglos.

We are all (since the last world cup) getting into it. That is the growth, and that is why we are even discussing it. How many members of this forum say that they barrack for Essendon and also in the small print Arsenal? Open your eyes, man.

But because people are following the soccer, it does not mean that they stop following the footy. It is not about immigrants. And I note from your post that you would like to have a say about how many immigants come here. But the growth in soccer has nothing to do with that.

I am anglo, and I love both sports.