AFL wanna grind RL into the ground

[Brutus]

We keep hearing how there's room for all codes in Sydney and that they can co-exist peacefully. Why is it then we continually read stories of how the AFL are going to fight rugby league in its heartland areas and that it's 'battle'.

There was another article on page 90 of the DT today spruiking the same thing.

$100m investment the key for AFL
The AFL has given rugby league 100 million reasons why they are in a huge fight for the battle of the codes.

That is the opening par of the article written by Tim Morrissey. It's one of many articles they trot out on the same subject just about every week. It's boring I know, but it's the AFL telling us in no uncertain terms that they want our turf.

Anyone who thinks they want to co-exist with RL in a peaceful manner needs to think again. Whether they are successful or not is another matter. Methinks they are pissing into the wind.

 

[phonetic]

If they're pushing for a second side in Sydney I think they are banging their head against the wall.

I guess it will be mainly aimed at getting the kids involved. In any event, RL isn't going anywhere. I'm happy to give them the fight they want. Forget the co existing rubbish.. a bit of hostility please.

 

[Choppies]

As with all their previous attempts.
money>>>>>>drain.

 

[t-ba]

As with all their previous attempts.
money>>>>>>drain.

Much Like the Gold Coast, which is, According to its mayor, good Aussie Rules Territory now, the entire Golden West of Sydney will be won over by the Marn Grook Hordes...

...I give it six months before Benji Marshall is forgotten by the people of Rozelle and Leumeah and the Hordes of Children that rocked up for Nathan Buckleys last skills session will be double of the one that came before them.

 

[International RL]

If they're pushing for a second side in Sydney I think they are banging their head against the wall.

I guess it will be mainly aimed at getting the kids involved. In any event, RL isn't going anywhere. I'm happy to give them the fight they want. Forget the co existing rubbish.. a bit of hostility please.

Damn right. Lets take them on and make sure that every last one of those dollars they pour in goes into a black hole. Send them back in boxes I say.

Make no mistake, they want Sydney BAD. Too bad they won't get it and they've lost sth east qld too.

 

[ouwet]

When 2 Sydney teams can't sell out a stadium for a knock out semi final that holds 40,000... Rugby League isn't exactly going gang busters...

 

[Bluebag]

What about when the roos played the swans in Sydney as a Roos home game about 9,000 people you would have thought that Swans fans would have turned up but no they would not support any other team except their own.

It will have a small effect but not a major one.

 

[Ice777]

I'm sure the Swans aren't complaining judging by this. Like it or not AFL in Sydney is there to stay and it'll only get bigger. I can only hope the Storm will be as successful down here as the Swans are up there when we've been around as long as they have.

Sydney on track for 6m gate.

15 September 2006 Herald-Sun
Tim Morrissey

SYDNEY'S preliminary final at Telstra Stadium is poised to become the highest grossing AFL game outside Victoria.

With early ticket sales indicating a record 80,000-plus sellout crowd, next Friday night's game stands to generate more than $6 million at the gate.

And the AFL's massive windfall could increase by another $1million as a result of merchandising sales on the night.

By yesterday afternoon, after two days of sales, there were 38,000 tickets left for the Swans' final against the winner of tonight's semi-final between Fremantle and Melbourne.

That figure is well ahead of early sales for the Swans' 2003 preliminary final against Brisbane at Telstra Stadium, which drew a crowd of 71,019.

Sydney's love affair with the Swans should see a record crowd for an AFL game outside Victoria, surpassing the 72,393 who watched Sydney play Collingwood at Telstra Stadium in Round 21, 2003.

The AFL's potential multi-million dollar bank from the preliminary final underlines why the Swans and the Sydney market are so crucial to the AFL's success.

It should also silence those who say the AFL is spending too much money on its northern markets.

If the Swans' preliminary final sells out, it will be the second-biggest football game in Sydney for 2006 behind the NRL grand final at Telstra Stadium on October 1, which is expected to draw 83,000 people.

Swans coach Paul Roos said a record crowd would not only help to create a hostile environment for their opponents, but would be huge for the AFL.

``It's important to get a 70,000-plus crowd with the atmosphere and the hype,'' he said. ``There's the importance of winning because it gets you through to the Grand Final, but there is the added importance of the development of the game.''


http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,20413773%5E19742,00.html

 

[El Diablo]

No matter how much you spend on sh*t, it's still sh*t.

The way these morons try and force their sh*t code down peoples throats just makes you hate it even more.

 

[t-ba]

I'm sure the Swans aren't complaining judging by this. Like it or not AFL in Sydney is there to stay and it'll only get bigger. I can only hope the Storm will be as successful down here as the Swans are up there when we've been around as long as they have.

Remember when you couldn't, for love or for money get a ticket to a lions match becuase they were sold out without fail every weekend?

That was a year ago...

 

[Ice777]

Remember when you couldn't, for love or for money get a ticket to a lions match becuase they were sold out without fail every weekend?

That was a year ago...

We're talking about the Swans here not Brisbane. The good thing about the Swans is that in the last 10 years they've been able to maintain IMO a very respectable home crowd average of around 30,500 people. It's not just since they won the flag last year, even during the leaner years of the last 10 their average never dropped under 25,000 which is excellent for 2 reasons. Number one because it's in the NRL heartland and number 2 because it's harder to get your average Sydneysider to go to a game of whatever code it may be. Personally i love seeing the Swans succeed in NRL territory just like i want the Storm to succeed down here more than anything in the AFL heartland.

 

[t-ba]

We're talking about the Swans here not Brisbane. The good thing about the Swans is that in the last 10 years they've been able to maintain IMO a very respectable home crowd average of around 30,500 people. It's not just since they won the flag last year, even during the leaner years of the last 10 their average never dropped under 25,000 which is excellent for 2 reasons. Number one because it's in the NRL heartland and number 2 because it's harder to get your average Sydneysider to go to a game of whatever code it may be. Personally i love seeing the Swans succeed in NRL territory just like i want the Storm to succeeed down here in the AFL heartland.

In that time the Swans have never missed more than one finals series in a row and have suffered only two seasons with a winning % under 50%. They've been consistently up there and their lowest finish was 11th in 2002.

If they go through what the lions are going through now, they'll suffer, and the crowds will head south of 25k...

*Edit*: The AFL does try with the Swans though. Something News limited could learn from with the Storm...

 

[Ice777]

In that time the Swans have never missed more than one finals series in a row and have suffered only two seasons with a winning % under 50%. They've been consistently up there and their lowest finish was 11th in 2002.

If they go through what the lions are going through now, they'll suffer, and the crowds will head south of 25k...

*Edit*: The AFL does try with the Swans though. Something News limited could learn from with the Storm...

I can only go by what has been and not what could be. When they do head south on the ladder then maybe their crowds will. But until that happens it's pure speculation.

It has nothing to do with News when it comes to pumping money into the development of the game down here, that's all on the NRL's shoulders. It's the AFL that's putting the money into Sydney and nobody else and if anyone is responsible for doing that it's the league and not the owners of the club whether that be the Storm or anyone else. It's no different in any sport whether it be AFL, rugby league, union, soccer, basketball or any other sport.

 

[phonetic]

The Swans will never be out of the 8 for too long. The AFL simply won't let it happen. The Swans are absolutely vital to them, and they'll be looked after accordingly. The AFL do a stellar job of ramming it down Sydney's throat.

Doesn't mean that the majority of Sydney cares for them though, regardless of how many go through the gate next Friday night.

Everyone should get out to the Melbourne vs St George/Manly game the following night. Remind them where they stick their war chest. I have no issues with AFL as a sport, or that it is played in Sydney, it's just the constant references to it eating up Rugby League heartlands annoy me. Because a) they are largely unfounded, and b) the people who preach these things to me sh*te me to tears.

 

[t-ba]

I can only go by what has been and not what could be. When they do head south on the ladder then maybe their crowds will. But until that happens it's pure speculation.

Crowds 1986:25k.
Crowds 1990: 9k.
:lol:

It has nothing to do with News when it comes to pumping money into the development of the game down here, that's all on the NRL's shoulders. It's the AFL that's putting the money into Sydney and nobody else and if anyone is responsible for doing that it's the league and not the owners of the club whether that be the Storm or anyone else. It's no different in any sport whether it be AFL, rugby league, union, soccer, basketball or any other sport.

It has everything to do with News...Don't you think the Half owners of the NRL and the complete owners of the Storm should just perhaps take some leadership in getting the game promoted down in Victoria?

 

[Ziggy the God]

Is Gallop going to come out and say what the NRL is doing, or do we all sit here like mushrooms?

 

[magpie_man]

afl is an event in sydney, like the circus or a concert, not a sport.
99% of sportsfans in sydney follow either rugby league, union or soccer.

 

[Ice777]

The Swans will never be out of the 8 for too long. The AFL simply won't let it happen. The Swans are absolutely vital to them, and they'll be looked after accordingly. The AFL do a stellar job of ramming it down Sydney's throat.

Doesn't mean that the majority of Sydney cares for them though, regardless of how many go through the gate next Friday night.

Everyone should get out to the Melbourne vs St George/Manly game the following night. Remind them where they stick their war chest. I have no issues with AFL as a sport, or that it is played in Sydney, it's just the constant references to it eating up Rugby League heartlands annoy me. Because a) they are largely unfounded, and b) the people who preach these things to me sh*te me to tears.

In many ways the it's out of the AFL's hands if the Swans are out of the 8 or not. With the way the draft is set up eventually they'll go down and it's inevitable just as Brisbane have. They do get salary cap concessions but i actually agree with those because of the price of living in Sydney. If they were on an even keep so to speak with every other club they'd have more trouble attracting players because it is more expensive to live there.

I do agree with you that just because they'll get a bumper crowd on Friday night that the majority of Sydney cares for them because the majority of Sydney may not. But in saying that they don't need the majority caring about them just as the Storm don't need the majority caring about us down here. All they do need is their own niche market and i'm sure that's what each league wants for both sides. AFL will never take over up there just the NRL won't take over dowen here but so what, nobody is asking it to or expecting it to. If they are then they're dreaming.

 

[JW]

Vlad releases crap like this every year.

Last year's speech to the Mexican troops was equally as laughable.

I hope the AFL continue to spend up big time, and plant a dying Melbourne club in Western Sydney. Should be a cracker of a comedy. I've got the booze and chips ready.

 

[phonetic]

Ice,

It's good that you can appreciate that a packed stadium next Friday doesn't mean that kids throughout the state are swapping their Steeden's for Sherrins. Many AFL fans I know, especially those in Melbourne, seem to think that League is deteriorating rapidly in Sydney, and AFL is the prime reason. Then they'll look at the crowd posted next Friday and say 'well... League is officially screwed now isn't it?'

Next week is the biggest game of AFL in Sydney this year, I would expect a sellout. 6 million through the gates, 80k in the stadium, great news for AFL in Sydney. But afterwards, the show rolls out of town til next year, where the Swans must perform from the get go or lose the fledgling interest of the Sydney public.

It's exactly the same with the Storm. If they start next year in ordinary fashion, those 15k crowds are going to be back to 7k in no time.