NZ for Expansion Anyone?

[Beaussie]

AFL looks to NZ for expansion
By David Reed
February 25, 2005
http://www.theage.com.au/realfooty/news ... 40390.html


The league hopes New Zealand can become a land of the long, white Australian football goal posts.

The AFL's focus on expansion has shifted to New Zealand, with community camps to be held there next year, as well as a Wizard Cup game, probably between Geelong and Melbourne.

The two clubs have been sounded out about the idea, with the Cats particularly keen as the club is popular among the burgeoning Auskick centres in NZ.

Positive strides have been made in converting predominantly expatriate playing stocks to a 50-50 split with local players.

Last year, the AFL appointed former St Kilda player Rob Malone as general manager of the NZAFL, one of five full-time staff, including three development officers.

Malone found a market, if not quite ripe, certainly revealing buds of fruit. For instance, Friday night football is somewhat of a hit, albeit on Saturday mornings when it appears on NZ television screens.

The main success has been exposing 15,000 Kiwi schoolchildren to the game in the past year. Auskick centres and structured competitions for 13 to 18-year-olds are in place in four regions - Waikato, Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury - aided by $150,000 of AFL funds.

"We need to be realistic and understand that Kiwis have not grown up with the game and it will take time," Malone said. "(But) for AFL to be considered the No. 1 alternative winter sport in NZ outside of rugby and netball in the future is not out of the question."

Malone is putting the finishing touches on his proposal to get the camps and pre-season match and while the top brass at the AFL will have the final say, Malone says it could be the first step towards playing a home-and-away match overseas.

"(A pre-season match) is quite realistic as it is only a three-and-a-half hour trip from Melbourne to Auckland or Wellington - AFL teams are currently travelling from Melbourne to Darwin and so on," he said. "Regarding future official matches, I would think the AFL would like to see more growth in the game, raw numbers. However, I think it certainly could work."

The raw numbers of players Malone refers to are stark - there are only 800 registered senior players - but he said moves to convert school players into weekend participants in a rugby union stronghold was where the battle was being fought.

"It is certainly a different environment than growing up with the code in Australia," Malone said. "The Kiwis love any type of ball sports and as there are certain similarities with rugby, they enjoy it. They certainly enjoy the physical side of the game, particularly the Samoan and Maori players.

"The 360-degree-nature of AFL also appeals to the Kiwis, with no knock-on or forward pass rules as such."

AFL football has strong historical links with NZ dating back to the 1890s, when former VFA and VFL players headed across the Tasman in search of work.

A local league boomed so much that in 1901, there were 115 teams and NZ competed in the 1908 Jubilee Australasian Carnival at the MCG, beating NSW and Queensland. But the interest all but disappeared until it was revived in the 1970s.

The AFL then got involved, scheduling an Ansett Cup match between Melbourne and Sydney at the Basin Reserve in 1998 followed by two more games in Wellington in 2000 and 2001.

Despite last week's glowing annual report, AFL Commission chairman Ron Evans said he wanted the game to grow faster. He cited south-east Queensland and western Sydney as the boom areas but the shift further east won't be easily dismissed.

The NZ investment is due to be reviewed next year.

Wow NZ now hey. Personally I want to see Western Sydney and Gold Coast come in before any team from NZ. Good to hear that Wizard Cup matches and even premiership matches are being discussed for next season though.

[King-Eliagh]

I'm with you beaussie the game is not yet fully australian. They should be looking at Darwin first, then maybe west sydney and goldcoast. It would be in opposition to the true nature of the game to go to nz before expanding here in aus wouldnt it?

[Beaussie]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, sadly without a massive increase population wise in Darwin - an AFL team based there ain't going to happen.

West Sydney, Gold Coast and even NZ would come first I would think. They all have what Darwin lacks, good sized populations and corporate support to draw upon.

[King-Eliagh]

Yet they dont have the interest per capita that the northern territory has. A sport based on money lacks the essence of what sport has been traditionally based on for hundreds of years, and therefore lacks heart and soul. Hmmmmn makes me think the problems you continue bringing up about the swans may well stem from this.

If this is the case I dont see the swans getting a flag for some time unfortunately, maybe this is why the players are lacking as you say? Because where they live has the money to fund a club easily but no heart and soul is lvining and breathing there, which many say is key to winning a premiership. What do you think?

I say bring the N.T in first and start saving the face of sport by looking beyond professionalism while also including it. Much more holistic i think.

[Beaussie]

You are living in the past KE. Sport whether you like it or not is a business these days. Big business with lots of $$$$ I might add when it comes to the footy codes.

[King-Eliagh]

On the contrary I see myself as living in the future dear beaussie. A genius prophet of sorts I guess. There is no reason why tradition cannot be mixed effectivley within todays and the futures sporting environment. Without remembering where it all comes from bad things can happen. For example the mistreatment and sexual abuse of women in afl and other football codes. The players are losing touch with reality as the game loses touch with reality. Especially that micky oloughlin and adam goodes, they're not even trying to win a bloody premiership!!!

[Beaussie]

I'd say the AFL mixes tradition with the main objective of making $$$ the best of any footy code or even sporting code in Australia. Themed rounds which are the norm now, such as "Grassroots Week", "Women's Week", "Indigenous Games", "Heritage Round" etc prove that point.

The mistreatment of women is more the domain of the NRL my friend. Just check out the news headlines of the past few weeks. Disgraceful.

[King-Eliagh]

If you ask me its all good and well to have these special weeks but it isnt necessarily keeping tradition 'in' the game is it? Seems like a typical bandaid solution to me beaussie.

As for the nrl well yes it is the nrls domain but i thought i'd be different for a change :D

[Beaussie]

If you ask me its all good and well to have these special weeks but it isnt necessarily keeping tradition 'in' the game is it? Seems like a typical bandaid solution to me beaussie.

Well what else would you suggest Mr Expert? Here's ya big chance to impress us all junior. Just imagine you are the AFL CEO, what would you implement to as you put it keep tradition?

[King-Eliagh]

I would put a team in the only capital that has massive interest per capita but no team for starters. I think the salaries especially for junior players is cause for concern. I've already explained this stuff beaussie.

[Beaussie]

So the funds needed to continually support your Darwin pipe-dream team come at the expense of the most important developing markets of NSW and QLD. Good one junior.

Thank god you are not running AFL HQ.

[King-Eliagh]

"At the expense of the most 'important' developing markets of nsw and qld" These are your words and thoughts not mine. Have you been on the boozer tonight?? My words and thoughts you are not understanding. I think N.T should have had a team looooong ago, the game has been popular in darwin much longer than in sydney. As for the funds, some could be taken from drops in salaries, and some could be taken from the money they have for bloody new zealand.

I'm not claiming to be able to run afl hq and wouldnt want to, alls I've been saying is that tradition is slipping out of the game at the expense of the game itself.

[Beaussie]

"At the expense of the most 'important' developing markets of nsw and qld" These are your words and thoughts not mine.

My words here, but the AFL's elsewhere, for instance:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/Breaking-New ... 38437.html

The AFL will aggressively target the western Sydney market as part of a goal to double the league's operating profit within five years.

AFL Commission chairman Ron Evans believes the league had become too content with steady growth and needed to do more to promote the code north of the Murray.

That will include more games in western Sydney (at Telstra Stadium) and south-east Queensland in coming years, with a long-term view to clubs being based in those areas.

"We should be seeking a far more aggressive growth in what we do," Evans said.

"We should aspire to grow faster, and take advantage of that market leadership position.

"In business, if you are the market leader, your shareholders expect you to grow and we should be expecting to grow."

Evans said the 'northern markets' approach had been abandoned, with the AFL now acknowledging Queensland and New South Wales had to be treated differently.

The success of the Brisbane Lions had vastly increased the AFL's market share in terms of media and participation in the sunshine state, but New South Wales was lagging well behind.

"The NSW market is our biggest challenge," Evans said.

"We have got a job of work to do in the Sydney market in particular.

"We are going to put some dollars into that and some effort into that."

Have you been on the boozer tonight??

No, but I doubt you could resist dashing down the bottlo to replenish the fridge with more.

My words and thoughts you are not understanding. I think N.T should have had a team looooong ago, the game has been popular in darwin much longer than in sydney. As for the funds, some could be taken from drops in salaries, and some could be taken from the money they have for bloody new zealand.

Yes I'm sure the players will accept a paycut just to ensure a Darwin team is made viable with continual financial support.

[King-Eliagh]

I believe the afl to be the best of the codes in promoting their sport. They do a great job. You have read their words in that article and understandably you follow these, as you did when you read a conspiracy case about marty bryant . But seriously though ofcourse you would be all for it, it means your state is going to develop. I think this would be good for nsw too. But I still would love to see some semblance of a plan for a darwin team. Many players come from the territory, and it would be a positive thing for the territory, the players and the game for a team to be funded and supported up there. The population will continually grow. Their avg crowd would be less than the afl avg yes but I'm not sure it would be less than the worst supported team in the afl? Do you have last years lowest crowd avg for a team?

The bottlo closes at nine pm here so i couldnt get out and replenish the fridge as much as I was itching for one.

I'm sure the junior players would have to accept a paycut if they had no other option and were given a talking to as to why by yours truly . Rape is not on in any shape or form and these players need to grow up instead of being spoonfed with the silver spoon between the ages of 17 and 23. I reckon no salaries over 70, 000 till you turn 24. Like an apprenticeship, give them some respect before shoving dollars up their ass. This should be the case for all pro sport in my opinion.