AFL to launch 2nd sydney team in 2012

[Lego_Man]

Or we could have a 2nd Super League War on our hands...

 

[NK Arsenal]

A 10k stadium? :lol:

 

[mark123]

they would play mainly at homebush

 

[_Johnsy]

I agree with GFP building a 10k stadium, as a permenant home for the new team shows how much faith the AFL have in the new western sydney experiment.

 

[Y2Eel]

they would play mainly at homebush

Good luck schedulaling who plays when at homebush .. How many NRL teams play out of there now??

May aswell play it at the new stadium doubt they will fill it...

 

[COACH STERLING]

This will be a disaster for the AFL.
The AFL is just splitting the market. A perfect example is the A-League. Only 8 teams, one in each major city and you get maximum crowds. It will interesting to see the scheduling of games at Homebush, especially seeing there is a push for several teams to play there. Perhaps the gov't need to look at building more purpose built stadiums not just for League but other codes aswell.

 

[_Johnsy]

IMO this is a knee jerk reaction to the popularity of RL australia wide by the AFL, and the National TV ratings back this up.

 

[COACH STERLING]

The Sydney clubs had better get their sh*t together - f**k off idiots like Fitzgerald and start taking the lead from Souths and PHAC.

What does Fitzgerald have to do with this thread now? The AFL look at expansion into leagues headquarters and you start going off on a tangent about Fitzy :lol: ... Geez, some people. Besides, no-one really give a f**k about souffs, only ass pumping bunnie jacking souffs supporters.

 

[mark123]

it would be great if Sydney had less teams. i know that will probably never happen. though i honestly think that there could be two mergers in Sydney as about 4 clubs are almost the same.

 

[In-goal]

For those that didn't read the arcticle the WS club wil not play at Blacktown they will be housed at the Olympic Stadium (ANZ).

RL currently is suffering due to the game being run by the following:
NRL
ARL
NSWRL
CRL
QRL

Where as the AFL are the governing body of everything Aussie Rules, even in Victoria they now call themselves AFL/Victoria much to the disgust of many loyal Victorian fans.

Rugby League is about to celebrate it's 100th year in Australia, instead of celebrating it everyone seems obsesed with what the AFL are looking to do. This in fact is what is wrong with RL, it's all about but they have this why can't I. The game needs strenght and vision to truley move forward, one governing body to rule all.

Perhaps with the 100th season the NRL can announce plans of the leagues expansion to new areas over the next decade with a time line as to when new clubs will join i.e.

Perth will join the NRL in 2011 to allow the reds to regrow and allow ample time for the club to get it's house in order. Then in 2013 Wellington will join the fray etc, etc.

We are always waiting for the TV ratings, just to say regional Australia loves it's league well the NRL should approach the government to ensure these figures are counted from the outset instead of complaining after the horse has bolted.

 

[ucantseeme]

Look how well the West Sydney Razorbacks are doing in the NBL.

Oh wait, no, hang on......

 

[Copa]

The AFL will then be able to offer a home TV game every weekend in the major TV markets..

 

[LeagueXIII]

The AFL's national exposure allows it to attract broadcasting and sponsorship revenue double that of the NRL. The turnover of the AFL's top club, Collingwood, is twice that of the NRL's richest franchise, the Brisbane Broncos.

AFL is positioning itself as the national code, thus proving more attractive to sponsors and broadcasters. The NRL on the other hand is quite happy to be just an east coast sport. They have no plan for the future of the game. People who think they have the games best interests at heart are deluded.

Also people can laugh at the AFL as much as they like but at least they have a plan and are on the front foot. They are streets ahead of us.

Why would you want teams out of Sydney it will only disenfranchise the current supporters and give them a reason to go and try AFL. Have we forgotten some of the consequences of the SL war already.

 

[colonel_123]

it would be great if Sydney had less teams. i know that will probably never happen. though i honestly think that there could be two mergers in Sydney as about 4 clubs are almost the same.

The AFL wants to make a major expansion into Sydney and the best defence is cutting NRL clubs?

All that's going to do is piss off a lot of League fans who might end up supporting the new AFL team.

(I don't buy the argument that if you cut a team those supporters will stay with Rugby League. Did all the North Shore supporters who followed the Bears start supporting Manly when the Northern Eagles fell apart or did they give up on League and drift over to soccer, AFL and Union?)

 

[Raider_69]

I live in blacktown and i can say this will flop big time with alot of confidence, ive been living here for nearly 18 months now and i cant recall seeing a single AFL jesrey in my time here... the place at the moment is a sea of RL shirts and jerseys...

10k stadium :lol: too big

 

[eels_fan_01]

You know what, im not going to knock the AFL for doing this because im sure it was said the Sydney Swans would never work.

However i will knock them on the 10 thousand seat stadium, if they are really trying to promote the game in Blacktown than what is 10 thousand seat stadium going to do, with the way that the AFL fans travel and support that team, 80% of the fans their will be away supporters from Victoria etc.

If they are really going for this area, then atleast i mean ATLEAST 15,000 thousand c'mon.

 

[griff]

read the article people, they will play their games at Homebush, not at the 10,000 seat training ground/headquarters

 

[East Coast Tiger]

Surely the 10k stadium is just going to be a training base with games to be played at ANZ.

This really is a major threat to RL even if the new club only gets relatively small crowds, and in its first year at least it won't because of the novelty factor. The AFL will stick with a new club for as long as it takes and it's not as if they don't have the money to do so. Soccer is an even bigger threat.

The NRL will be left even further behind if it doesn't start acting like a genuine governing body of the game. And as long as News Ltd owns the NRL I can't see that happening.

 

[_Johnsy]

"Work is expected to begin soon on a $30 million, 10,000-seat sporting complex at Blacktown - in rugby league's heartland - which will be the home base of the new team"

So we are expected to believe that a 10k seat training ground is being built. The way I read it home base, means home ground, club facilities etc. IMO this will end up being their home ground, once construction is complete.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

It's a home base the way Belmore is for the Bulldogs or Redfern is for Souths. Why would they play in a 10k stadium when there's a massive stadium nearby that AFL has been trying to infiltrate for ages?