AFL nears rugby league's popularity in Queensland

[QueenslandISAFL]

Guess that just leaves nsw

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/a ... 2nej9.html

The premiership-winning Brisbane Lions in 2003. Arguably the greatest AFL team in history. Photo: Sebastian Costanzo

Aerial ping pong?

Not anymore. Now it's the sport Queenslanders want to belong to.

Participation in the state grew by 9 per cent between 2011 and 2012 and the AFL expects to have 155,000 participants in Queensland by the end of the year.
Gary Ablett of the Gold Coast Suns - one of the game's most celebrated players.

Gary Ablett of the Gold Coast Suns - one of the game's most celebrated players. Photo: Chris Hyde
The only state with a higher participation rate is Victoria.
Advertisement

Of that 155,000, 93,000 students played the game [for six weeks or more], giving the game its highest school participation rate anywhere in the country.

More than 40,000 of the 135,000 female players nationwide are from Queensland, and 50 Queensland players are listed as AFL professionals.

Meanwhile in Burpengary, a $13 million AFL precinct is being built that, when finished, will have two fields, with room for one more, and could host pre-season games.

The Brisbane Lions are also considering basing their new training and administration centre in Nathan or Springwood.

AFL boss Andrew Demetriou said he was “really excited about what is happening in Queensland for our code”.

“By the end of the year, that [Queensland's] will be the second highest participation rate in Australia, higher than WA or South Australia,” he said.

“To see a facility like Burpengary is really pleasing.

“The Gold Coast Suns are on the up, and I think Brisbane have now shown the potential that they are a team on the rise.

"There is a lot to like about Queensland.”

However, it appears the code traditionally associated with the Sunshine State remains just ahead on the scoreboard.

Queensland Rugby League reported 170,027 active participants in 2012, including 60,099 men and 1752 women.

Just over 48,000 players were involved in regular school competitions, 26,356 participated in formal gala days and 35,477 played in the full five-week Back Yard League Program.

Football Federation Queensland did not provide figures for the round ball game.

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/afl/afl ... z2UmwPYq8Q

[Pete_09]

Plus once the Lions start winning they will get crowds of 30,000 - 35,000 again.

The suns will also be really good in a couple of years, so the future is looking very bright in the Sunshine State for the Footy

[piesman2011]

Personally I feel that all of this participant data is crap (not inaccurate just meaningless). Give me registered club numbers any day of the week over auskick numbers. That shows the real supporters of the code not the 6 week program stuff.

[Stewie]

Wow, just wow! Queensland really is AFL!

[QueenslandISAFL]

Wow, just wow! Queensland really is AFL!

Guess my name was a sign off the future

[King-Eliagh]

Personally I feel that all of this participant data is crap (not inaccurate just meaningless). Give me registered club numbers any day of the week over auskick numbers. That shows the real supporters of the code not the 6 week program stuff.

hear hear pies. hear hear. =D>

It's a blatant gimmick and another thing about the afl which disturbs me and any other human with a brain. Unfortunate they do it, the masses in QLD know the truth. How couldnt they, they see RL dominant every day in the media, in discussions on the street at work etc., on the weekend footy fields, in the schools, in the sheer number of RL fields compared to marngrook fields. It's omnipresent and impossible not to see it.

But alas, our more simple minded ignorant folk like to 'believe'

Go on you lil ignorant fukkers have your pie, marngrook is bigger than RL in QLD and soon will be in NSW

[Drac]

I love that the nRL equivalent of Auskick only goes for 5 weeks. Throwballers now can't discard the 6 week Auskick program without themselves discarding their backyard league program numbers.

[cos789]

Personally I feel that all of this participant data is crap (not inaccurate just meaningless). Give me registered club numbers any day of the week over auskick numbers. That shows the real supporters of the code not the 6 week program stuff.

Participant numbers are certainly not crap but they do need clarification.
Firstly, Auskick means different things to different people.
The term "Auskick" should be restricted to the netball court sized game.
The term "modified football" should be used where currently some people use "Auskick".
To gain an accurate picture of Australian Football then:
Registered club members give a very good picture of current community football.
However in some places school and especially private school competition is the premier rung.
The numbers playing modified football give a good idea of current and future numbers.
Auskick numbers give us some idea of the future.
Just like TV ratings, you're happy if the numbers are going up.

The only problem is when people try to make cross-code comparisons.
Soccer has a lot of people kicking a round ball around but that doesn't translate to senior interest.
Australian Football picked up on this and started the Auskick thing to snare juniors that were being snared by soccer (at least initially). This produced an obvious boost in numbers in the traditional states, but also produced a smaller real boost in modified numbers later on. Auskick (with modified football incorporated) was found to be the perfect vehicle for introduced new people to Australian Football. Now, these particpants cannot be dissmissed as kids just having a kick around as they are recorded only if they particpate for 6 weeks or more, but also you have to be realistic as to what percentage of these players will continue on. Again, if you are not going to give breakdowns of figures, then really you are limiting your conclusions to "more is better".
I'm not sure about the rugbies but I do understand they do have some introductory programs.
I'd understand their argument that their figures are skewed towards the senior end and in some instances, especially developmental areas, Australian Football figures are skewed towards the junior end.
Then some idiots try to make themselves feel good by including "touch" in rl figures.
You may as well include everybody who's soccered a ball around as a soccer player
and everybody who's had a kick to kick as an Aussie rules player.
The picture gets even cloudier when you include female and recreational participation.

IMO, Qld is doing well and a competitive Lions and Suns will enhance that.

[QueenslandISAFL]

Personally I feel that all of this participant data is crap (not inaccurate just meaningless). Give me registered club numbers any day of the week over auskick numbers. That shows the real supporters of the code not the 6 week program stuff.

I'm a sook, and i cant accept afl's massive growth in Queensland

poor guy

[Raiderdave]

OH good lord


just when you think this bunch of lying fudging half truth telling arseholes couldn't tell any more porkies
they come out with this

& Queerisvfl or whateva his name is laps it up

Vicky kicky is 4TH amongst football codes in QLD
& there are only 4


& its going backward
end of

[Raiderdave]

Wow, just wow! Queensland really is AFL!

Guess my name was a sign off the future

no.....
it shows what a delusional cock you are

[Raiderdave]

I love that the nRL equivalent of Auskick only goes for 5 weeks. Throwballers now can't discard the 6 week Auskick program without themselves discarding their backyard league program numbers.

62,000 registered club players in QLD playing RL

notice how that silly little Victorian game STILL refused to state its number in the same category in QLD

gee I wonder why ?

[Rabbit]

...AFL Queensland community competitions manager Cherie Brockwell said the Brisbane Juniors had surpassed online player registrations for the same period last year, with 7000 participants expected to sign up.

The rugby codes are also looking for growth.

Brisbane Junior Rugby Union competition manager Kim Schuck said it was too early to confirm numbers, but the code was expecting to surpass last year's 8500 registrations in the area.

"It's looking like a really good year and we're looking at our numbers growing again," she said.

She said "very, very few" clubs had raised their fees this year, with most staying the same or even dropping because of better sponsorship deals within the code.

A Queensland Rugby League spokesman said the code was gearing up to beat last year's 46,338 registered players.

"Reports from our people on the ground are that the sign-on days are going really well," he said...

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/quee ... 6574548012

Absolute *********

[Rabbit]

Her twitter feed is pretty revealing. she has blamed the sub editor for the heading. She says the article is based on the figures which were provided to her. One hell of a journalist...

[adamj1300]

...AFL Queensland community competitions manager Cherie Brockwell said the Brisbane Juniors had surpassed online player registrations for the same period last year, with 7000 participants expected to sign up.

The rugby codes are also looking for growth.

Brisbane Junior Rugby Union competition manager Kim Schuck said it was too early to confirm numbers, but the code was expecting to surpass last year's 8500 registrations in the area.

"It's looking like a really good year and we're looking at our numbers growing again," she said.

She said "very, very few" clubs had raised their fees this year, with most staying the same or even dropping because of better sponsorship deals within the code.

A Queensland Rugby League spokesman said the code was gearing up to beat last year's 46,338 registered players.

"Reports from our people on the ground are that the sign-on days are going really well," he said...

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/quee ... 6574548012

Absolute *********

well not really rabbit, if the afl is expected to surpass its total of 7000, the the rugby of 8500k, it would be interesting to see the numbers over the the last 5 years.
considering that the rugby is ment to be buy far the number 1 code in qld there isnt much between 7000k & 8500k
prehaps the compition between the 2 codes is closer than what you nrl fans think?