World Footy News

I was going to simply comment in response to the article Wellington AFL Game Doubt? but decided this issue is so significant it deserves as much focus as possible.

So I repeat the title. Wellington simply must succeed.

If the AFL can successfully host matches in Wellington each year then that will complement the significant work being done in junior development across New Zealand and gradually, if done well, in a generation build support for the country to have its own AFL club. At that point the eyes of Australians will be truly opened to an international future for the sport.

Why is there a problem already in just the second year of this experiment? I think this is almost a case of being too greedy too quickly. The Wellington deal is a golden goose for St Kilda and the AFL but there's a real danger of immediately killing it in a breathtakingly short space of time.

The generous offer put on the table by Wellington council was amazing and gives the AFL an historic opportunity to secure a foothold in New Zealand to back up all the grassroots work being done. That grassroots work may never yield the large outcome many of us desire without having the shiny beacon of regular popular AFL matches to aspire to.

But to respect and nurture such an amazing offer requires a reasonable contribution in return.

The deal hinges upon tourism for Wellington. It requires 3 things - a high profile on TV in Australia, a good travelling supporter group and preferably a reasonable turn up of locals.

St Kilda vs Sydney in 2013 ticked some of those boxes. It had a high profile club in Sydney and both supporter bases provided plenty of travelling fans. However on Foxtel rather than free to air in Australia must surely have seemed like somewhat of a snub to Wellington.

Come 2014 and this arrangement has suddenly been set up to fail. Again on Foxtel, and obviously less Saints fans would travel (not many will go twice in close succession), and unlike alluded to in the referenced article above, there was no bad luck about 2014 offering up Brisbane as a struggling side. Everyone knew Brisbane and St Kilda were likely to be, at best, strugglers this year. And Brisbane can hardly draw a crowd at home let alone convince 5000 fans to travel. And we all know it is a fixture not a draw - the AFL chooses who plays where and when.

It also brings to mind efforts to convince Chinese students in Victoria to go to Melbourne Football Club matches when the MCG was all but empty as the club struggled through its darkest days, and for China itself to embrace the Demons when anyone who did tune in would've been doing so as Melbourne fans were turning off. When it comes to promoting the AFL it seems the League and clubs are putting forward something other than their best foot. Invest now and reap the rewards in 10 or 20 years, don't offer up bottom of the table teams.

Invest. Don't take the money and run.

To lose this opportunity would, in my opinion, be the single biggest blow to Australian football going international in the last 50 years.