Bold expansion plans as AFL flexes muscle

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Bold expansion plans as AFL flexes muscle

Authored by: Evan Read
on Friday, February 22 2008 @ 01:44 pm ACDT

Nice write-up. Allow me to ramble for a bit:

I believe that in 30 years, Soccer will be the number one code. Two reasons:

- junior participation - the parents love it, so the kids are doing it. I have been
to a few QLD Roar games and the crowd is almost 50% kids. Those kids are
growing up on Soccer like never before, where once there was no way.

- sheer variety of events - I find Soccer interesting to follow, if for no other
reason, than to find out if the best of Australia are better than say, China, USA,
Niger, whoever. Soccer, is, played 24/7/365 days a year. Also, no one can deny
the true "Worldness" of their World Cup.

So, who will be number 2? I really don't know.

I think AFL needs to expand internationally (i'd, even
as a QLD AFL fan, say at the expense of these rushed moves to Gold Coast and
Western Sydney) if it wants to thrive. Sport is about the spectacle (for me,
anyway). I (and I think most people) don't have "roots" that tie them to a
code. It is entertainment now. It is also marketing (and what's cool). And
given the Internet, Cable TV, sponsors dollars etc, whoever can saturate the
world market will win. If you look around Brisbane at the moment, it seems
99% of bus stops are pimping Adidas football boots. Which code are they using
to sell football boots to Brisbanites these days? Soccer.

If Australian Football wishes to be big long term, they need to be able help sell
football boots to Kuwaitis (for example) :) Puff Daddy needs to count himself
amongst the fans of the code :)

I don't see league dramatically altering the landscape in 30 years. They seem
perfectly happy being a small code.

I'd have wagered that Union was to be the code you mention as losing out in
the war in Australia (but not going anywhere internationally) but with John
O'Neill back, do not underestimate it. He made Australian Soccer (though, of
course, the potential was always there) and I am sure he has plans for
Australian Rugby (beside killing the valuable, but perhaps ill-structured, ARC).

I am probably completely wrong, but it seems to me that there is more interest
in a Rugby (Super 14) franchise for Melbourne, than an AFL franchise for the
Gold Coast.

Evan.

p.s. The Kangaroos should have moved. A game might be pointless without
fans, but the pain would be long forgotten in 30 years. It is amazing that so
many teams from a single city survive in AFL. If the VFL was to become the
AFL today, there is no way it would be so Melbourne based. The world isn't
what it once was.

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