KalgoorlieRed
Juniors
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Leauge is going to struggle to increase its market share simply because they are not large enough on the international scale and cannot compete with the huge amounts of cash available to union and soccer. And as for AFL, while it will be unlikely to take off internationally it has done an excellent job of building the porfile of the game from the grass roots level and that has had a flow on effect in terms of the number of people watching and playing the game which in turn attracts more money through sponsorship and tv rights e.t.c.
The longer that Leauge fans delude themselves into thinking that their game is in good shape the worse their game will become. Already leauge is losing the battle in NSW primary schools with AFL providing excellent programs in NSW and indeed the rest of the country. The key for a long term future for any sport is getting kids at the grass roots level and this is an area which has long been neglected by both rugby codes it must be said, and with soccer on the rise that battle is only going to get harder.
The simple facts of the matter are that Union is a much bigger game internationally than leauge and therefore has access to more cash, which enables the poaching/recruiting (depending which side of the fence your on) of top line leauge players. When union was still an amatuer sport the defections were the other way around, but the tables have well and truly turned and are now running off into the distance leaving leauge scratching its head trying to figure out how they are going to compete to get the market share they want.
The nature of the professional sports these days is one that is money driven and less driven by the love of the sport (or club). Given the number of high profile leauge players defecting to union for the big money this century, its safe to assume that more and more players are going to seek out oppurtunities elsewhere. Already rumours are surronding Thurston and Ingliss, perhaps the two biggest stars of the game. Gasnier has already signed up for Union in France next year and Tahu has made his debut for the Wally Bs this year, Brad Thorn the yoyo of the rugby world has gone back to union and the list is only going to get longer. No sport can cope with losing its top line players and realistically there is little in the way to stop this player drain that leauge is experiencing.
http://blogs.thewest.com.au/sport/john-townsend-things-not-so-sonny-for-league/?co=1
The longer that Leauge fans delude themselves into thinking that their game is in good shape the worse their game will become. Already leauge is losing the battle in NSW primary schools with AFL providing excellent programs in NSW and indeed the rest of the country. The key for a long term future for any sport is getting kids at the grass roots level and this is an area which has long been neglected by both rugby codes it must be said, and with soccer on the rise that battle is only going to get harder.
The simple facts of the matter are that Union is a much bigger game internationally than leauge and therefore has access to more cash, which enables the poaching/recruiting (depending which side of the fence your on) of top line leauge players. When union was still an amatuer sport the defections were the other way around, but the tables have well and truly turned and are now running off into the distance leaving leauge scratching its head trying to figure out how they are going to compete to get the market share they want.
The nature of the professional sports these days is one that is money driven and less driven by the love of the sport (or club). Given the number of high profile leauge players defecting to union for the big money this century, its safe to assume that more and more players are going to seek out oppurtunities elsewhere. Already rumours are surronding Thurston and Ingliss, perhaps the two biggest stars of the game. Gasnier has already signed up for Union in France next year and Tahu has made his debut for the Wally Bs this year, Brad Thorn the yoyo of the rugby world has gone back to union and the list is only going to get longer. No sport can cope with losing its top line players and realistically there is little in the way to stop this player drain that leauge is experiencing.
http://blogs.thewest.com.au/sport/john-townsend-things-not-so-sonny-for-league/?co=1
