NRL in trouble, Football has arrived

[simon says]

Tigger must be bored.....

On the issue.....I dont see why we cant have it as we do now,with rugby,soccer,AFL and league all doing well.

We all love sport,and we all love footy.

I dont think we can get enough.....more please.

 

[Parraren]

Paully that's a very narrow minded view you have mate. There are thousands of league fans who support both sports, always have and always will.

You may be a bit isolated over there in Canberra but did you ever stop to think that it takes two very different types of athletes to play the two sports? There is plenty of room for more than one sport in this country you fool.

 

[The Dodger]

i wouldnt be surprised seeing soccer overtake RL in the future...

this years world cup will boost the poularity for the a-league, without a doubt...

 

[ibeme]

lets put it this way, have u seen how many AUSSIES are in GERMANY
i would bet my life league wouldnt get that following ever!

That's because there a loads of Aussies travelling and living in Europe at any given time of the year.

The majority of Aussies there would be travellers, backpackers and ex-pats. Sure, there would be a few who have gone over especially, or who have timed their travels to coincide with the world cup, but it's arguably the biggest sporting event in the world. Of course league isn't going to draw that amount of interest on an international level. AFL would draw even less interest on an international level, which shows that it's a crap guide when determining their real popularity in Australia.

 

[redVgirl]

exactly!! some of the people are there on organised tours but so many have travelled from other european countries to join the party. and i think most of them are there more for the experience and less for the actual game. which is fair enough.

im happy the roos are doing so well and i love the swell of patriotism thats going on but i dont think its gonna change anything in the long term. the A league is nothing like the world cup. once the world cup haze wears off people will remember soccer is actually pretty damn boring. its not gonna cut into league crowd numbers. it cant compete with the history that league has, especially in Sydney.

 

[Green Machine]

lets put it this way, have u seen how many AUSSIES are in GERMANY
i would bet my life league wouldnt get that following ever!

I was in Leeds between the second and third test in 1994. There was an estimated 5,000 Aussies staying in Leeds that week. Might be a bit less than the amount of Aussies in Germany at the moment, but the Socceroos first appearance at a World Cup in 20 years, with a group of soccer tragics fulfilling a life time dream does not it is bad for Rugby League. If you love soccer enjoy the moment, but it does not mean it is bad for Rugby League. English Rugby League and Soccer Clubs have co-existed next to each other for over 100 years.

 

[Weasels Ripped My Flesh]

As much as i love this country, once we get thrashed by Italy, everyone will jump off the bandwagon and things will go back to the way they were. Yay!

 

[sooperdooper]

I was in Leeds between the second and third test in 1994. There was an estimated 5,000 Aussies staying in Leeds that week. Might be a bit less than the amount of Aussies in Germany at the moment, but the Socceroos first appearance at a World Cup in 20 years, with a group of soccer tragics fulfilling a life time dream does not it is bad for Rugby League. If you love soccer enjoy the moment, but it does not mean it is bad for Rugby League. English Rugby League and Soccer Clubs have co-existed next to each other for over 100 years.

oh as english rugby league clubs do so well

 

[sooperdooper]

As much as i love this country, once we get thrashed by Italy, everyone will jump off the bandwagon and things will go back to the way they were. Yay!

maybe you dont realise that Italy are not that great
they are the parra/st george of the soccer world. They CHOKE

 

[sooperdooper]

That's because there a loads of Aussies travelling and living in Europe at any given time of the year.

The majority of Aussies there would be travellers, backpackers and ex-pats. Sure, there would be a few who have gone over especially, or who have timed their travels to coincide with the world cup, but it's arguably the biggest sporting event in the world. Of course league isn't going to draw that amount of interest on an international level. AFL would draw even less interest on an international level, which shows that it's a crap guide when determining their real popularity in Australia.

You deadset have no idea do you?
The 'fanatics' have over 7500 ppl with there group alone. thats not to mention the other 20 or so FFA approved travel groups...fool

 

[whatsdoing1982]

I love Rugby League. Hate Union and appreciate soccer and AFL.
But we must start to realise league needs to watch itself because
A: Idiots like Tim Smith create negativity towards Rugby League and the media are getting on the bandwagon when anyone does anything close to this.
B: Australia is taking on board more and more people from overseas who have a soccer background. This creating more interest in soccer.

League isn't in huge danger but just need to be aware that they cant just do nothing and expect the sport to grow.

 

[sooperdooper]

lets just put it this way.... league is at its pinnacle... its not going to get bigger
soccer is...

 

[Paullyboy]

whoever thinks RL can even be compared to the AFL are kidding themselves they are 100 metres ahead of us in the race of 200 m

Dont use the word 'us', that would imply that you share a common bond/feeling/thought anything to the rest of the group here - you dont. You like soccer, thats great, dont pretend you are one of 'us' though.

 

[redVgirl]

the thing is i dont think soccer is going to 'steal' any fans away from league. all the league fans i know have been fans pretty much since they were born. theres not a huge amount of people who just 'kinda like footy'. whereas alot of the people supporting the socceroos are doing it more out of patriotism and less for love of the GAME of soccer. theres a huge difference.

 

[Mr Saab]

lets just put it this way.... league is at its pinnacle... its not going to get bigger
soccer is...

And it was supposed to get bigger in the United States after they hosted the 1994 World Cup.
12 yrs later they are still 100 lengths behind NFL MLB NBA NHL.
Australia and America are very similar in that they have their niche sports...

 

[Green Machine]

oh as english rugby league clubs do so well

They do OK. Some of them have bigger wage bills than our NRL clubs. The Soccer clubs in the North of England are some of the strongest in the world. With some of the bullsh*t that is spun here, about the rise of soccer Australia, if you took that into consideration, Rugby League would just die in the North of England. But that is not the case is it,

 

[Paullyboy]

Paully that's a very narrow minded view you have mate. There are thousands of league fans who support both sports, always have and always will.

You may be a bit isolated over there in Canberra but did you ever stop to think that it takes two very different types of athletes to play the two sports? There is plenty of room for more than one sport in this country you fool.

Kids that are 5-12 are not different types of athletes. They are all exactly the bloody same, its what sport they play growing up which determines what sort of athlete they will be. If Id grown up playing soccer instead of league Id have a completely different set of skills.

This world cup will make kids want to play soccer, hence affecting the stars of rugby league tomorrow.

You people who 'like everyhing' and sit on the fence with everything dont have enough passion in any one sport to realise how big the problem rugby league faces.

 

[ibeme]

You deadset have no idea do you?
The 'fanatics' have over 7500 ppl with there group alone. thats not to mention the other 20 or so FFA approved travel groups...fool

7500 people, in the fanatics. How many of those have travelled from Oz with the fanatics? I'd say that a lot of those have met up with the fanatics over there. But as I said, this is one of the biggest sporting events in the world. It happens once every four years. The olympics would attract a crap load of Aussie's as well, to sports that carry little to no interest outside of the olympics. Look at Sydney 2000. People payed ridiculous money to watch fencing, just because it was the Olympics.

Australia's interest in soccer should not be measured on the world cup. It should be measured on how much interest they have for the other rest of the four years in between.

 

[Raider Ultra]

Disgraceful post, I have grown up my entire life loving both codes but cant do so because you say so, get f*cked. How dare you question my and others passion, prick.

 

[redVgirl]

exactly. heaps of people like different sports. alot of kids in australia try all different sports until they find one they are good at or like. this country is sport obsessed, theres room for everything. its not some gigantic battle for survival.