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Leichhardt council to allow AFL to be played at Birchgrove Oval

elbusto

Coach
Messages
15,803
Some of the usual suspects at BF seem to think the afl has somehow been vindicated. I'm glad they finally got called on their dodge numbers and aggressive tactics in pushing out other sports.
They are all fanatical disciples of the game played nowhere. As such you cannot expect anything more from them. The Bigpoody mob are the most deluded set of prats in sport.

The fact they believe they have escaped from this debacle with either credibility or honour says a lot about them!
 

elbusto

Coach
Messages
15,803
It really does not matter what our friends at Bigpoody think when you consider it. We have the evidence now their code is full of spin and crap and it is just a matter of producing this as evidence when we need to. The NRL interview on Sport 1017 today was telling as the chap interviewed was pretty clear about this.

Enjoy!!!
 
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Brutus

Referee
Messages
26,174
Tom Harleys - caught red handed pal.

Take your lying deceptive organisation back to Victoria where it belongs.
 

Brutus

Referee
Messages
26,174
Tom Hardy - caught red handed pal.

Take your lying deceptive organisation back to Victoria where it belongs.
 

DIOGENES

Juniors
Messages
1,465
They conveniently included Sydney Uni in their fudge. It is one of their senior clubs and draws its players from all over the state. It has nothing to do with Balmain. Automatically this increases the numbers several times over but is easily "revised" as a "mistake" when questions are asked - the CIA call this deniable plausability.
 

DIOGENES

Juniors
Messages
1,465
I may be wrong but I thought the initial 1644 included Seniors as well as schoolkids. It would be interesting to know how many players SUAFL claim. In my experience first year students sign up during orientation week to all sorts of things but then never show up. I think they may have more than 6x21 players.
 
Messages
3,000
The plaque at birchgrove is missing hopefully the league are repairing it. Otherwise Kelvin sheedy and Andrew demetriou may have stolen it
 

El Diablo

Post Whore
Messages
94,107
Another article today about afl post on birchgrove oval old news... cant post it
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/s...l/news-story/f150309e79ca7b6d3d730af3f6b78aea

Cross-code war as Sydney’s Birchgrove Oval, a historic rugby league ground, invaded by AFL

Phil Rothfield, Sports Editor-at-Large, The Daily Telegraph
March 12, 2018 5:18pm


THIS was once sacred rugby league territory and the home of the first premiership game in 1908.

Not anymore. The AFL installed four goalposts on old Birchgrove Oval on Monday, igniting a cross-code war between Australia’s major footy codes.

Players from Sydney’s two AFL teams the Swans and the Giants will descend on Birchgrove Oval on Thursday to launch the statewide Auskick footy festival to promote the game in inner-west schools.

AFL juniors and the Balmain senior club will now share the ground on weekends with rugby league and soccer.

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AFL goalposts being erected at Birchgrove Park. (Phil Hillyard)

Six years ago Leichhardt Council rejected an AFL request to play on the home of rugby league due to insufficient participation numbers.

The code has since developed to a stage where there is not enough grounds in Sydney to cater for its growth. AFL was originally played on Birchgrove Oval between 1903 and 1926 but has been off limits ever since.

The NRL launched its centenary season in 2008 at the venue because of its significance in the history of the game.

The first ever premiership matches — a double header in 1908 — featured Souths against Norths and Balmain against Wests in front of 3000 fans at Birchgrove.

These days Balmain junior rugby league is no longer the force it once was.

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Birchgrove Oval has a long history of rugby league. (Courtesy Ian Collis)

The demographic has changed dramatically since the 1960s and ‘70s when the Balmain Tigers won a grand final and had one of the biggest junior nurseries in the metropolitan area.

Their participation numbers have been in decline for decades and Balmain Leagues club closed and has sat idle for more than a decade.

Rugby league had only 1800 junior registrations in the inner west last year.

The AFL spent $40 million on national development strategies last year with a huge focus on NSW and Sydney junior participation. They have spent $115 million in the last three years.

Inner Wests Mayor Darcy Byrne told The Daily Telegraph the venue was for all codes.

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The first premiership game of rugby league was played in 1908. (Courtesy Ian Collis)

“With the unprecedented baby boom in our area and the ever increasing demand for sporting fields, the days of valuable grounds like Birchy being used for only one code are over,” he said.

“Rugby league, soccer, AFL and cricket can coexist at Birchgrove Oval and allow the maximum number of local people to play at such a picturesque ground.”

The AFL has four clubs — Leichhardt Cygnets, Drummoyne Power, Glebe Greyhounds and Newtown Swans — and their numbers in the area have increased by eight per cent.

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Rugby league doesn’t rule the local area as it used to. (Danielle Butters)

NRL CEO Todd Greenberg said he expected junior Rugby League numbers to rise as record funding for grassroots reaches junior clubs.

“I like to see young people playing any sport — but naturally I want them playing rugby league,” he said.

“Under the new broadcasting deal we will have record funding for grassroots so we have a chance to really grow the game among our juniors.

“So I would hope it won’t be long before we see more rugby league posts going up around Sydney and NSW generally.
 

no name

Coach
Messages
19,081
The article states Junior league had 1800 registrations in the area.
What was the junior AFL registration numbers?
Actual regos not ‘participation’.
 
Messages
1,973
It's the biggest non story of the year. It's a council owned ground and the council have to look after all residents. It's just the twat Buzz sinking the boot into league at any chance.

When was the last time that league was played there? Last game that I can recall was in 2008 when Wests and Balmain NSW Cup sides played each other as part of the Centenary of RL.
 

gUt

Coach
Messages
16,876
It seems fair enough to me. If there are skinny uncoordinated kids who can't handle the rough and tumble of soccer, they should have a place they go and can disappoint their fathers in public.

Speaking of public embarrassment, apart from the basic grammatical errors, I wonder what number bottle of meth the old soak was chugging down when he vomited this:

The code has since developed to a stage where there is not enough grounds in Sydney to cater for its growth. AFL was originally played on Birchgrove Oval between 1903 and 1926 but has been off limits ever since.
 

juggalo

Juniors
Messages
69
“This was once sacred rugby league territory and the home of the first premiership game in 1908. Not anymore”....

“AFL was originally played on Birchgrove Oval between 1903 and 1926 but has been off limits since”

AFL was played there 5 years BEFORE rugby league was even a game! Don’t know if Rothfield even reads what he writes!
 
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