Bring on a second Sydney team and at least then we can assume one team will be doing better than the other. This would be particularly relevant when one team is going through a rebuilding phase which seems more and more likely for the Swans this season. A second team would also ensure increased media and general public interest in the code as there would be a game in Sydney each week, unlike the current once a fortnight situation. I can't wait to be at Telstra Stadium for a local derby between Sydney and Western Sydney. Comon AFL House, make it happen sooner rather than later. Other codes are expanding whilst we sit back and lose market share.
You're right Croc, Roos and the Swans are killing footy in the harbour city. Time to fix that up.
The Age wrote:Swans off the menu in Sydney
By Caroline Wilson
May 31, 2005
http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/real ... 59086.html
A major play is required to win back the initiative from soccer, and league.
The AFL's push into Sydney has hit a significant hurdle with the Swans' live telecast on Saturday night being outrated at times in Sydney by a repeat of the SBS Japanese cooking show, The Iron Chef.
This latest embarrassing setback for the Australian code came as AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou flew to Sydney today to host a day-long strategy meeting and attempt to rebuild his relationship with the Swans, whose style of play he publicly criticised four weeks ago.
With the Sydney problem a priority for the AFL, the league's commissioners have placed the crucial and competitive market at the top of their agenda for their forthcoming commission strategy meeting, believing that the competition has not made any significant progress over the past two years.
It is believed that the game's governing body is so concerned about the Sydney market and the increasing threat of rival codes that a major play is required to win back the initiative from soccer, rugby and rugby league.
Among the radical proposals which could be put forward over the next 12 months is the re-emerging prospect of a second AFL club based in New South Wales. While the possibility was rejected in the short-term last night by AFL executive Ben Buckley, he conceded that the league was looking at a series of strategic proposals to tackle what has been a multi-million dollar challenge for the game of two decades.
Channel Ten's prime time coverage on Saturday night of the St Kilda-Sydney game easily won its timeslot in Melbourne but finished a distant fourth in Sydney and was accompanied throughout by commentators Robert Walls and Tim Lane criticising the Swans style of play and tactics.
"I don't think the ratings are reflective of the game style," said Buckley. "While we'd like the ratings to be better we always thought we'd be in this for the long haul and we didn't expect to be doing any better than this.
"The second club discussion is not the priority - we've got to build the foundations first and I'm talking about more people playing the game in Sydney, more coverage and a bigger presence. That's obviously what we're looking at in the meetings . . . (today)."
While the ratings continue to be a concern for the finals broadcaster Channel Ten - on Saturday night between 8.45 and 9pm The Iron Chef rated better than St Kilda-Sydney - Buckley said he expected the network to continue to back the Swans on Saturday nights.
The Ten Network, which has joined forced with Channel Seven to bid for the next round of free-to-air rights, has agreed to televise 12 prime time Sydney games on Saturday night this season.
"We have talks from time to time but there has been no pressure for less games next year," said Buckley.
The strategic seminar was postponed from several weeks ago after Swans coach Paul Roos became unavailable for the AFL exercise following Demetriou's comments in an interview with Triple M.
"I think it would be fair to say in the early part of the season we saw some games that weren't attractive, and I think they've been described as ugly," Demetriou said at the time.
"And probably there would be a brand of football being played on the other side of the border which is not particularly attractive. And unless the Swans change that style of play, they won't win many football matches."
