http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,86 ... 11,00.html
Can someone please send this idiot an email to say that this is article is about as factual as Goldilocks and the three bears...).THE expansion of Australian rules football is my favourite hobby horse.
And all the talk about the Kangaroos relocating to the Gold Coast has given me a chance to push my barrow again.
I've been saying for ages now the AFL needs to look beyond our shores.
History has shown that teams on the Gold Coast never go anywhere. The Rollers, Giants, Seagulls and Chargers all came and went.
The people there aren't that passionate about attending sport and because of that, previous attempts to build franchises on the Coast have failed.
We have to think bigger.
Now I know at first this might sound crazy, but we need to have a team located somewhere in Asia. ( What do you mean "might" sound crazy??
Forget one team one town, imagine one team one country. ( Tell him he's dreaming!!!)
Aussie rules is Australia's best sporting product, no doubt. But there's only so much growth a nation of 20 million can sustain.
The opportunities for growth in Asia are endless. ( I think Aker has been talking with John Ribot
I'm thinking in China or Japan, my preference would be Japan.
Last week, Adelaide and Melbourne drew a bit over 8000 people through the gates at Carrara while about 9000 spectators went to Manuka to watch the Kangaroos. ( Yes - pathetic isn't it?? Write off these two areas for possible AFL expansion....)
But put them in Japan in the next 10 years and watch the sport and their club explode. ( Explode?? Will the club be a terrorist target??)
The secret is to start the push now with an Auskick type program in the schools. Say the AFL committed $20 million, a scattergun approach wouldn't work but that sort of money directed in one area could make a huge impact. ( Oh yes .. Auskick... which struggles in Sydney let alone Tokyo...
I even have an idea for which city to eventually base the team. It's Hamamatsu where Suzuki and Yamaha's main operations are based.
Japan has enough stadiums, if it can host a football World Cup it can host one AFL team. (
The game is already growing over there. ( Yes.. this explains why Japan can;t even beat NZ in Aussie Rules...)
Two Japanese players attended pre-season training with Essendon this year and made a lasting impression on coach Kevin Sheedy. And their national team, the Kamikazes, has impressed in their two visits to Australia for the AFL's international carnival. ( Gee two players?? And you are only talking about putting ONE team over there??
There's even a competition over there. I get regular correspondence from AFL fans in Japan and China and I've been invited to speak to the Tokyo Goannas. ( invited, but obviously you couldn't be bothered going over there...)
Critics are going to point to the travel aspect. (It's not insurmountable and a direct flight is only about eight hours. Follow the lead from the Super 14s with fixturing. And if the Gold Coast is desperate for a team, why not give the Japanese team an Australian base there where they could stay for their away trips?
Ask Japan Airlines to sponsor the club, it's a perfect fit. ( this guy is a genius!!...)
Think about the corporate dollars in Japan, one country one team, the support would be huge and imagine future TV broadcast deals if there's an international presence.
It's the logical next step. ( Its about as logical as trying to sell bacon to Al- Qaida...
To think the merkin is actually getting paid to write this rubbish...
