soccer soars, rugby disapearing

[sydneyfc]

not having a go at union, just thought it was interesting overall that less australians are playing competitive sports in favour of going to the gym or jogging because apparently doing competitive sports where there is a winner and loser can be offensive to some people hahaa.....fuck this PC culture

https://www.businessinsider.com.au/socc ... ort-2017-3

Rugby union is in danger of dying out in Australia.

Participation in the sport has been collapsing — thousands of players reportedly left clubs last year — but new research now puts the number of active players at just 55,000, making it the 26th most popular sport in the country, far behind activities widely considered much more marginal including lawn bowls, darts, and ten pin bowling.

Rugby participation has fallen an enormous 63% from 148,000 in 2001, according to research firm Roy Morgan. Cricket participation has fallen by a comparatively small 10% in the same period, and still boasts around 377,000 players.

The company’s research confirms soccer as the nation’s No.1 participation sport, with 623,000 Australians regularly playing the beautiful game.

Despite its TV deals, significant marketing support, and high profile players, rugby union has never been a leading sport in Australia. The professional game is in turmoil at the moment, with reports that one of the country’s Super Rugby sides – most likely the Western Force, the ACT Brumbies or the Melbourne Rebels – will need to be axed. The Super Rugby competition has become complex and spread too thin, disappointing fans and seeing crowd attendance levels falling.

The Roy Morgan research also notes participation in competitive sports has been falling across the country, with people turning to non-competitive forms of exercise like jogging and going to the gym rather than activities where there is a winner and a loser.

Here’s the full list. Find your favourite sport below (you’ll have to scroll a long way to find rugby):


Read more at https://www.businessinsider.com.au/socc ... dLrAg0h.99

[Fred]

Wow 63 percent for union. Rl also down a fair bit too but baseball, which I am likely returning to this year, is up. Would be good to have a break down across states.

[AFLcrap1]

I usually laugh at Roy Morgan polls

A few yrs ago I read somewhere that the questions are laughable .
They are slanted so that you mention a team or sports you don't follow

I think it was when the swans were supposed to have Over 1 million supporters .
Also the Storm were supposed to have some astronomical following
The questions are something like this to a Syd resident
What sport do you follow ...Rl .
Do you follow AFl ....no
Which team do you hear about the most about in SYd....um prob the Swans
So if you followed afl you'd follow the swans ...I guess ..but I don't follow afl

Reverse the questions for an afl fan who doesn't follow Rl but has heard of the storm .





What they do with answers to loaded questions is any bodies guess .

[NlolRL]

I can attest to the fall in golf and tennis numbers. The golf club I play at recently merged with another club in the area due to falling memberships. If they hadnt merged both would have closed within a year. The local tennis club has barely any competition players now, where as 5 years ago it was packed.

[Swans4ever]

IMO has more to do with increasingly busy lifestyle, I wonder if soccer continues to grow off back of programs like futsal which is not club sport but more individual sport e.g. get 4 mates and you have a team. Even cricket has fallen where you need 8 players for indoor.

[rugby365]

Doesn't surprise me at all we live in a nanny state so soccer is the safest option for most parents. Rugby wise it's the ARU's fault for their inability to connect with the general public and grass roots, I mean it cost over $200 just to register to play. Most family's can't afford that. But lucky for us, Australia doesn't control rugby.

[Fred]

Costs a lot more than that for afl. It's ridiculous. At least in soccer they give you a ball.

[sydneyfc]

Costs a lot more than that for afl. It's ridiculous. At least in soccer they give you a ball.

you can buy a soccer ball from rebel for about $50, join a local futsal league(and when i mean local, i mean something not officially registered as competitive competition in the eyes of futsal nsw for instance) , find 5 or 6 buddies and it might cost you like $50 a year per head to play once a week on a thursday night....

but if we're talking about junior and rep soccer...you can be looking at anywhere from $300 a year to over $1,000 depending on the level of soccer and the club. the rates of registration at this level has grown every year (especially for females)

so i dont think its a financial issue personally, more a cultural one

[Swans4ever]

My local soccer clubs junior fees is around $800 which seems excessively high.

[NRL&NFLweLaughATafl]

Wow 63 percent for union. Rl also down a fair bit too but baseball, which I am likely returning to this year, is up. Would be good to have a break down across states.

Yeah all oval ball codes seem to be down. Good to see baseball up. Always preferred playing it to cricket.
Why bowl when you can pitch.

[Fred]

First training today for baseball. Quite enjoyed it.

[post_hoc]

First training today for baseball. Quite enjoyed it.

Glad you could get on to train, my kids and I haven't been able to get on the fields to train for football so far, still closed due to the rain. The three of us have started our own futsal comp in our hall way, so far no broken vases.

[Fred]

Yes ... dried out a little but still a puddle or two.