Talking Footy

For there are a lot of such signs of the staggering growth of Aussie rules in this state, above and beyond, of course, the arrival of the Greater Western Sydney Giants this season. Just this week a highly accomplished professional rugby coach - let's call him Robbie Deans - mentioned to me in passing that the youngest of his offspring had just played Aussie rules. Apparently, she half-enjoyed it. My daughter goes to the same school, and although she hasn't yet expressed an interest in playing, it would not surprise me. Because everybody else is! My own alma mater, Knox, now has an AFL team - something unthinkable a short time ago. How has it come to this? Well, there was a brilliant article predicting this very outcome in these pages a few years ago - and as a matter of fact, I wrote it. It's because the AFL, of all sports in Australia, puts huge chunks of its vast capital not into the pointy end of the pyramid, the elite and sexy end of the game - for they know that is a mistake. Rather, year after year, decade after relentless decade, they plough enormous resources into the base of the pyramid, with development officers trawling the burbs for new souls even as they fund junior competitions and do all possible to ensure that the base of that pyramid gets progressively bigger, allowing the pointy end to get higher all by itself! While league and, more particularly, union seem to lag on providing funds, AFL has been ramping up the junior development - and we now see the results. All those kids newly playing Aussie rules who come to love the game will be filling the grandstands years from now, will be paying their annual subscriptions to watch it on the tube and the code will get stronger still.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/the-fitz-fi ... z1zLiR10wx

TLPG wrote:

Fitzy'smaking the same mistake the AFL is. I've always said that the Giants is a mistake because the grass roots isn't at the right level yet. I'm not talking about the juniors - I'm talking about local senior level. I would like to see the retention rates. That will tell a bigger story. How many will stay in AFL once they fall of the production line? Precious few.

Granted though - it's more than what thugby is doing to support it's juniors! Much more!

cos789 wrote:

It seems that the AFL has taken over Birchgrove Oval, which is where - as if you didn't know - the first game of dinkum rugby league was played,


A third AFL team from Sydney can only be a matter of time.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/the-fitz-fi ... z1zLc7YIE7

Thresher wrote:

cos789 wrote:

It seems that the AFL has taken over Birchgrove Oval, which is where - as if you didn't know - the first game of dinkum rugby league was played,


A third AFL team from Sydney can only be a matter of time.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/the-fitz-fi ... z1zLc7YIE7

thank you for proving my post in the most delusional fans thread right

Thresher wrote:

cos789 wrote:

It seems that the AFL has taken over Birchgrove Oval, which is where - as if you didn't know - the first game of dinkum rugby league was played,


A third AFL team from Sydney can only be a matter of time.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/the-fitz-fi ... z1zLc7YIE7

thank you for proving my post in the most delusional fans thread right

NRL&NFLweLaughATafl wrote:

I am not so sure. There has been alot of talk about Wollongong Wolves who are already established as a professional football club.

Out of all the big football codes, the A league looks most likely to expand in Australia soonest.

Swans4ever wrote:

It won't happen