The AFL is run completely different to the NRL, its chalk and cheese, our admin and marketing is no better than my local junior footy club, they are so amateurish compared to the AFL. Forget the sport for a minute, they have an exceptional administration.
With all the crap that the Eels and the NRL went though last year and maggots like Telecrap and SMH having leaching off our misery, you wont get that in the AFL, they control the media. If you write any negative about the AFL you are blacklisted form all pressers and official medial releases and you get your sources from other media outlets so you get left behind, or you are out of a job. Andrew Demetriou controlled the media hence his nic name Vlad.
GWS are on top of the ladder because the AFL want them there, its one way to get band waggoners to attend games when a team is winning. GWS get 5 out of the top 10 draft pics since they joined about 5 years ago. They are the best 18 year olds in the land. GWS now have about 25 of the best AFL players in the land. Its not something they have done off their own bat, the AFL gave them those players yet they struggled so bad for attendances last year there was talk of relocating them to Canbra. Now they are winning its all aboard the band waggon.
When the Suns started up here, they were all over the media for 6 months before the first game. They had reps at every school within 100 kilometres and gave away fists full of free passes to any game, as well as a AFL ball to kick around, to anyone who wanted one. They get them interested at a young age and I've no doubt they did the same things in western Sydney.
That's exactly what has happened here Twiz.
They sucked money out of state and local govt's for upgrades to Blacktown Sports Centre, and then abandoned it asap and then sucked money out of the state govt again to move to Olympic Park. Why? Because the multicultural demographic of western Sydney wasn't to their liking, and it wasn't going to be where they would gain extra support and members. Truly, no one gives a right royal f**k about GWS in western Sydney. I reckon I've seen a dozen or so stickers on cars or people wearing merchandise in the 6 years they've been in existence. Once, at my son's indoor soccer game, I saw I guy wearing a GWS jacket and on the back it had "GWS Canberra" plastered on it. lol.
The AFL can pour all the f**king money they like into this project. The more the merrier. It's a waste of dollars.
And
@hineyrulz is right. They fudge their crowd numbers massively. I so wish someone would call them out.
I've seen 11000 crowds announced for Wanderers games at Spotless, and then 11000 crowds announced for GWS at Seatless, the difference couldn't be more stark. I know who's telling the truth.
It was even admitted by Rupert himself when they signed the new TV deal for ALF that they would be seeing far more coverage in the northern states print media. Today's article about membership numbers for GWS was such a propaganda article. Trying to raise interest in this weeks home game against the drug cheats.
The fact that Rugby League was prepared to work with the FFA in support of a bid for the Football World Cup, while the ALF did everything possible to undermine it, did it for me.
Their paranoia was loud and clear.
Not to mention the banana throwing, the Adam Goodes saga, anti-mosque protests at games, media covered up violence at games, the "Essendon is Innocent" continual claims, the 1000 drug strike policy, Eddie 3 chins and Kevin Sheedy actually making derogatory comments towards the population demographic of western Sydney......
The ALF is representative of 1950's Australia.
I'd be surprised if they went back to China again for a game.
The sport is an embarrassment to this country.
