Have a cry Demetriou - seriously..

[Rub]

From The Age



World Cup threat for AFL


An entire AFL season could be abandoned and some clubs would "cease to exist" if the MCG was unavailable for 16 weeks during a soccer World Cup in Australia, AFL boss Andrew Demetriou says.

Demetriou said abandoning a season would be "disastrous" but may be unavoidable if the sport's most important stadium was unavailable for up to four months.

"If . . . the MCG was decommissioned for 16 weeks because a lower bowl would have to be put in for soccer . . . it would probably mean we would have to cancel the season," he told radio 3AW.

"You can't move the season to January because it's out of ratings period, you've got cricket, it's hot, it just doesn't work."

"We've even toyed with the possibility of actually suspending the season for four weeks . . . That can work. It's not easy, but it can work.

"We're trying to find ways to accommodate the World Cup but the sorts of questions we've been asking the FFA we haven't had much come back the other way."

Demetriou said mothballing the competition for a year was an "extreme situation" but the detail of the World Cup bid - and how it affected the AFL - was still unclear.

"The simple questions for the FFA which we can't get an answer on are, will we be able to play our season during the World Cup? And if so, how? And how many weeks will it be disrupted? We'll work around that. We're pretty accommodating."

But Mr Demetriou was clear on what a year without football would mean for the League: "Cancelling the season is a disaster," he said.

"It affects revenues. For a start we've got broadcast agreements, we've got agreements with members, we've got agreements with corporate partners.

"The cost is a monumental cost, and I'm talking hundreds of millions of dollars.

"And secondly, it would probably mean some clubs which rely on the seven or eight million dollar distribution from the AFL, there's no way they could be sustained.

Mr Demetriou said he thought a solution could be found for the AFL and other codes - including the NRL and the ARU - which were likely to be affected.



As if the world cup wouldn't bring more money to Austrlia than the AFL

[Wayne@GM Motorsport]

From The Age

As if the world cup wouldn't bring more money to Austrlia than the AFL

Seriously, work the world cup around our AFL season thanks.. When soccer is big enough in this country it can build its own stadiums..

[HSV Manta]

He is definitely over-reacting.

It will place pressure on etihad but to abandon the season is ridiculous.

His media minders must have had the day off...

[XLR8 V8]

"You can't move the season to January because it's out of ratings period, you've got cricket, it's hot, it just doesn't work."

Whoever heard of such a wild crazy idea of playing sport when it's hot! Oh the horror! :doh:

[HSV Manta]

Seriously, work the world cup around our AFL season thanks.. When soccer is big enough in this country it can build its own stadiums..

Tend to agree but most stadiums around australia were tax payer funded (at least in part) so AFL/NRL can't claim complete ownership..

[Rub]

Seriously, work the world cup around our AFL season thanks.. When soccer is big enough in this country it can build its own stadiums..

What a narrow minded statement.. It's the largest sporting event in the world other than the Olympics..

Surely the AFL could relocate games to older grounds, Western Oval, Victoria Park.

The AFL decided to get rid of Waverly Park back in the day.. Maybe they should have kept it based on something like this happening?

[vyc4b]

that'd be right, Essendon is destined to win the flag and there is talk of cancelling the season.....

[SteveK]

Seriously, work the world cup around our AFL season thanks.. When soccer is big enough in this country it can build its own stadiums..

Seriously? The sport is big enough over across the entire world to bring in hundreds of thousands of fans/tourists and millions of dollars into the local economy. It doesn't need to be big locally.

Set up a portable kebab shop outside of the MCG and you'll be raking it in. You'll soon forget about missing/delaying the AFL season.

[Wayne@GM Motorsport]

Whoever heard of such a wild crazy idea of playing sport when it's hot! Oh the horror! :doh:

Clearly youve never played a game of AFL..




What a narrow minded statement.. It's the largest sporting event in the world other than the Olympics..

Surely the AFL could relocate games to older grounds, Western Oval, Victoria Park.

The AFL decided to get rid of Waverly Park back in the day.. Maybe they should have kept it based on something like this happening?

Play the world cup at the Western Oval & Vic Park then, you'll probably fill them for 10% of the games..

Soccer a soft arse sport full of actors... "get the migic water out" :jester:

They could play the World Cup in Sydney, around madigra time.. perfect

[vyc4b]

I'm a fan of AFL but I have to say, I'd rather watch the world cup final than the grand final.

[Rub]

Riiiiiight.. have a look at some of the australian attendance records champ.. I think most of them will be held by "a soft arse sport full of actors"

[Wayne@GM Motorsport]

I'm a fan of AFL but I have to say, I'd rather watch the world cup final than the grand final.

Not if the Bombers were playing




Riiiiiight.. have a look at some of the australian attendance records champ.. I think most of them will be held by "a soft arse sport full of actors"

Hope your going to back that statement up with some facts....

[Wayne@GM Motorsport]

Here we go, just for a chuckle


YouTube- World Cup Soccer/Crash Trailer

and you don't want to miss this one

YouTube- The Worst Football Dives Ever -- Ham Actors

oh they just keep coming

YouTube- Football dives and fake injuries

[HSV Manta]

Unfortunatley alot of that sort of soccer diving is making its way into AFL.

[XLR8 V8]

Clearly youve never played a game of AFL..
Millions of people across Australia play sport, including AFL, when it's hot. I'm sure these professional players with their high levels of fitness can handle a hot day. Slip slop slap and get to it.

[toey]

swaping one fairies league for another fairies league that will make a shiteload more money, sounds fair enough to me.

i thought melbourne claimed to be the sporting capital of australia. if they want to keep that crown then they will need to suck it up and make some sacrifices for it. if that is to modify the season then so be it, a shorter season, mid season break, moving to smaller venues.

dont think that it will only affect the afl either. the wc will use stadiums all over the country. so it will effect the nrl, afl, aru, aswell as the a league. so just because the mcg (alf's premier ground) is out there is no need to have a hissy fit and sook that they may have to cancel a season.

lets face it the world cup is far bigger of an event then afl will ever be. just because soccer isnt huge in oz dont mean its a bad thing to have here. its almost as big as the olympics and that was great for the whole country

[Rub]

ANZ Stadium: 104,098 Spain vs Cameroon (Sydney 2000 Olympics) 30 September 2000
ANZ Stadium: 82,698 Australia v Uruguay 16 November 2005
ANZ Stadium: 72,393 Sydney v Collingwood 23 August 2003
ANZ Stadium: 71,019 Sydney v Brisbane 20 September 2003
Telstra Dome: 18 February 2007 Melbourne Victory vs Adelaide United 55,436
Telstra Dome: Round 14, 5 July 2009 St Kilda Saints vs Geelong Cats 54,444

[benniemc]

What dates are they talking?

August/September you can understand the G and other grounds wanting to be available, but during the season when attendance numbers are down, I don't see why the AFL can't play games at other stadiums, like Skilled in Gellong, or Aurora in TAS.

Surely there are more than 2 grounds in Melbourne AFL can be played at (MCG and Etihad)? I spose it's the same whinge Demetriou had about AC/DC at Etihad in Feb.

[SHANESVZSS]

ANZ Stadium: 104,098 Spain vs Cameroon (Sydney 2000 Olympics) 30 September 2000
ANZ Stadium: 82,698 Australia v Uruguay 16 November 2005
ANZ Stadium: 72,393 Sydney v Collingwood 23 August 2003
ANZ Stadium: 71,019 Sydney v Brisbane 20 September 2003
Telstra Dome: 18 February 2007 Melbourne Victory vs Adelaide United 55,436
Telstra Dome: Round 14, 5 July 2009 St Kilda Saints vs Geelong Cats 54,444


forgot NRL 1999 grand final (sydney) 107999 attendance :)

i for one would love to see the world cup , it would be something special.. im not even a fan of soccer , but would pay to see it in oz!

[HSV Manta]

ANZ Stadium: 104,098 Spain vs Cameroon (Sydney 2000 Olympics) 30 September 2000
ANZ Stadium: 82,698 Australia v Uruguay 16 November 2005
ANZ Stadium: 72,393 Sydney v Collingwood 23 August 2003
ANZ Stadium: 71,019 Sydney v Brisbane 20 September 2003
Telstra Dome: 18 February 2007 Melbourne Victory vs Adelaide United 55,436
Telstra Dome: Round 14, 5 July 2009 St Kilda Saints vs Geelong Cats 54,444

What about this years AFL final series??? and the one before that etc etc...pretty sure the GF attracted close to (if not more) than 104k.

EDIT Sorry my bad

THE 2009 Toyota AFL Finals Series has a set a new finals attendance record, with 615,283 fans attending the nine matches played in September.

Saturday's 2009 Toyota AFL Grand Final attendance of 99,251 saw this year’s total attendance for the finals series eclipse the previous mark of 594,919 set in 1995.

Saturday’s match between the Geelong Cats and St Kilda was also a winner on television, with Channel 10 recording the highest-ever grand final ratings in Melbourne. The match drew a peak audience of 3.62 million and an average of 2.88 million viewers, with nearly 90 per cent of viewers watching the game.

[Wayne@GM Motorsport]

Unfortunatley alot of that sort of soccer diving is making its way into AFL.

Nahh: Mathew Lloyd has retired ha-ha


ANZ Stadium: 104,098 Spain vs Cameroon (Sydney 2000 Olympics) 30 September 2000
ANZ Stadium: 82,698 Australia v Uruguay 16 November 2005
ANZ Stadium: 72,393 Sydney v Collingwood 23 August 2003
ANZ Stadium: 71,019 Sydney v Brisbane 20 September 2003
Telstra Dome: 18 February 2007 Melbourne Victory vs Adelaide United 55,436
Telstra Dome: Round 14, 5 July 2009 St Kilda Saints vs Geelong Cats 54,444



That's it? I thought you said most of them...

One in a non AFL state during the Olympics lol

The Edihad Stadium one is wrong it's - 56,605 - 7/8/2001 Union: Australia v British/Irish Lions

You also missed the MCG record crowd of 121,696 for the 1970 Grand Final...

C,mon you can do better than that

Bwahhh soccer... :rofl:

[Rub]

No these are stadiums where soccer has had larger attendance than AFL...

MCG is obvioulsy a winner for the AFL/VFL with the largest attendance back iin 1970 of 121,000

[amckiwi]

One is an international sport that will bring millions into the country and will be watched by billions some of whom might come here one day

The other is pretty much a local sport that is possibly watched by millions

Seems a no brainer if you just use your head

Good publicity though the big D is good at keeping the game in the limelight in the of season

For the record I believe i am unbiased I follow neither game :hide:

Stu

[Wayne@GM Motorsport]

No these are stadiums where soccer has had larger attendance than AFL...

MCG is obvioulsy a winner for the AFL/VFL with the largest attendance back iin 1970 of 121,000


Oh sorry, didn't realise that's what we were compairing - Australia's biggest grounds in each state

Subiaco - Record Crowd: 52,781 - 22/9/1979 WAFL GF: East Fremantle v South Fremantle

WACCA - Record Crowd: 34,317 - 1994 AFL: West Coast v Melbourne

GABBA - Record Crowd: 47,096 - 3/7/1954 Rugby League: Australia Vs Great Britain

AMMI stadium - Record Crowd: 66,897 - 28/9/1976 - SANFL GF Sturt v Port Adelaide

Adelaide Oval - Record Crowd: 62,543 - 1965 SANFL GF: Port Adelaide v Sturt

Aurora Stadium - Record Crowd: 20,971 - 18/06/06 AFL: Hawthorn v Richmond

---------------------------------

Anyway we are getting off track, beck to the youtube funnys..

[Rub]

And which of those stadiums have hosted football matches? Aurora and maybe Subiaco?

[SEN8TOR]

Largest TV audience for sports broadcasts are:
Leading the field is the FIFA World Cup Final, which attracted more than double the global audience of any other sporting event in 2006. The Italy vs.France match was watched by an average live global audience of 260 million people, with more than 600 million people tuning in to watch at least some part of the match.

Sorry AFL the government is backing this with $2 billion..

cheers

[MYVYSS]

One is an international sport that will bring millions into the country and will be watched by billions some of whom might come here one day

The other is pretty much a local sport that is possibly watched by millions

Seems a no brainer if you just use your head

Good publicity though the big D is good at keeping the game in the limelight in the of season

For the record I believe i am unbiased I follow neither game :hide:

Stu


LOL one is a international sport that will be ONLY here for 4 months, the rest is something that the whole country is based on and will be around for a lifetime.....tell the round ball homos, either fit in, or dont come.. sure would be nice to have it here, however I dont see why when the money has been spent for local infastructure and local sport, why the teams that NEED the grounds to make a living in a Business Environment have to make way for overpaid, actors who for 90 minutes can play kick to kick and still not actually get a score or a result......Using you head would mean long term gain is much much better than a short term quick fix...

[BlownLS7]

it will not be till 2018 (earliest), im sure in this time some smart people will be able to set a scheudle that will work,

the WC runs from early June till Mid July,

i think the crowd at the G in 1956 for a Baseball game 132,000,so go figure.
opening of the 2000 Sydney Games Aust played Italy at the G , it was mad , and FOOTBALL at the highest Level will always have Full support, id say final to be played in sydney if Lowey is till kicking.

the WC is an amazing event, and i for one hope australia gets it,

bring it on.

[V-Car]

From The Age
"It affects revenues. For a start we've got broadcast agreements, we've got agreements with members, we've got agreements with corporate partners.


Not to mention revenues for his salary.

And last time i looked, MCG stood for Melbourne CRICKET Ground.

If AFL is so big, go build another AFL stadium.

The knuckle draggers in this thread would have to be collingwood supporters! :jester:

Demetriou, get a life. It does exist outside AFL.

[ova400]

Who would be broadcasting the soccer, if its not 7 that would be great. At least then they may have a chance in getting proper coverage of v8 supercars rather than the half arsed attempt they do between the AFL matches.

But really - who gives a toss








Obvioulsy a couple of people on here do though :xmas:

[NickS]

Soccer a soft arse sport full of actors... "get the migic water out" :jester:

They could play the World Cup in Sydney, around madigra time.. perfect


... tell the round ball homos, either fit in, or dont come ...

Still suffering from that High School small penis complex I see fellas ... most real men have the intelligence to drop this sort of shit when they turn 16 and grow a brain.

:rolleyes:

Never played soccer and have never watched the World Cup, but I know for certain that the sport is a lot bigger than AFL. As others have already pointed out, this is a complete over-reaction and both will fit in.

[VXSS346]

Footy?? :lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:

[Moodles]

I agree soccer has gone to crap, defenders are too scared to commit to tackles because they get carded even when they win the ball

[MYVYSS]

Not to mention revenues for his salary.

And last time i looked, MCG stood for Melbourne CRICKET Ground.

If AFL is so big, go build another AFL stadium.

The knuckle draggers in this thread would have to be collingwood supporters! :jester:

Demetriou, get a life. It does exist outside AFL.

Mate seriously what world do you live in, how many times a year does the MCG get even close to full for cricket.... The AFL if it was to go build its OWN stadium, would almost over night, kill the MCG, the revenue from AFL is what keeps the MCG ticking over. Also in case you didnt know the AFL actually paid for half or more of that last building works as the MCC and or Government didnt have the money, so the AFL has RIGHT to the ownership of the stadium for the next 30 odd years...

[Smitty]

Seriously, work the world cup around our AFL season thanks.. When soccer is big enough in this country it can build its own stadiums..


I agree.....

Just why is the Federal govt wanting to spend many billions on hosting a sport that attracts few in this country? Soccer may be big overseas
but do we really need to get on the world stage by hosting a sport that few here care for?

We are happy to have the Olympics (anywhere in Oz) and all its disruptions but to have something that is of little interest that will affect ALL football codes
(its not only the AFL making noises about this) is just grandstanding (Mr Rudd, you listening?)
....and its also a waste of taxpayers money which could be better spent elsewhere.

my 2c

[iloveholden]

I totally agree with Wayne@GMM...either fit OUR home sport or dont come. It's all bullshit about soccer taking over footy, the only time we ever talk about it is when the world cup comes around.

[HazzaHSV]

Don't want to pick fights here but are you guys serious?

Any idea what the biggest sport played in Australia is at a junior level? Oh right its soccer. Yet somehow that makes it a sport that few here care for and that would attract few in this country? Makes sense - NOT! Kids will be begging their parents for years before hand to take them to see the World Cup, they will be even more excited about participating in sport, and being active. And I am not talking about a minority of kids, I am talking about more kids than those who play AFL, Rugby League or Cricket.

Any idea how often the chance of the world cup is to come here? Any idea the number of viewers in total for the world cup vs 4 weeks of the AFL finals series? Any idea of the money in television rights for these two events? Any idea the amount of tax payers dollars going out compared with the dollars coming in? Any idea on the comparison of this ratio vs the Sydney Olympics?

I think you will be humbled once you find these answers. To whinge about one stadium that will interrupt part of one mid season out of a hundred, in one city, for a sport which has less participation in this country, which will gain revenue and exposure to this country not lose it, is kindergarten mentality.

This kind of mentality is the same damn whinging that reduces the number of race circuits and drag strips in this country, is the same type of whinging that stopped the V8 Supercar race in Canberra, and is the same type of whinging which will eventually outlaw all our V8's. Why can't a little sacrifice be put up with, to appease all parts of Australian community, instead of just some. I say bring any and all sports at the highest level here, it will drive our youngsters, help reduce the obesity and laziness problems in this country instead of adding to it, and it might help get the attitudes of Australian's back to where it once was.


I agree.....

Just why is the Federal govt wanting to spend many billions on hosting a sport that attracts few in this country? Soccer may be big overseas
but do we really need to get on the world stage by hosting a sport that few here care for?

We are happy to have the Olympics (anywhere in Oz) and all its disruptions but to have something that is of little interest that will affect ALL football codes ....and its also a waste of taxpayers money which could be better spent elsewhere.

[Rub]

Couldn't have said it better.. Well maybe could have (joking) but couldnt be bothred :)

Seriously though, I agree 100% Hazza..

:goodjob:


Don't want to pick fights here but are you guys serious?

Any idea what the biggest sport played in Australia is at a junior level? Oh right its soccer. Yet somehow that makes it a sport that few here care for and that would attract few in this country? Makes sense - NOT! Kids will be begging their parents for years before hand to take them to see the World Cup, they will be even more excited about participating in sport, and being active. And I am not talking about a minority of kids, I am talking about more kids than those who play AFL, Rugby League or Cricket.

Any idea how often the chance of the world cup is to come here? Any idea the number of viewers in total for the world cup vs 4 weeks of the AFL finals series? Any idea of the money in television rights for these two events? Any idea the amount of tax payers dollars going out compared with the dollars coming in? Any idea on the comparison of this ratio vs the Sydney Olympics?

I think you will be humbled once you find these answers. To whinge about one stadium that will interrupt part of one mid season out of a hundred, in one city, for a sport which has less participation in this country, which will gain revenue and exposure to this country not lose it, is kindergarten mentality.

This kind of mentality is the same damn whinging that reduces the number of race circuits and drag strips in this country, is the same type of whinging that stopped the V8 Supercar race in Canberra, and is the same type of whinging which will eventually outlaw all our V8's. Why can't a little sacrifice be put up with, to appease all parts of Australian community, instead of just some. I say bring any and all sports at the highest level here, it will drive our youngsters, help reduce the obesity and laziness problems in this country instead of adding to it, and it might help get the attitudes of Australian's back to where it once was.

[wyldnyt]

Seriously, work the world cup around our AFL season thanks.. When soccer is big enough in this country it can build its own stadiums..

I second that, AFL all way way. **** the world cup and its pussy players

[VX225]

Don't want to pick fights here but are you guys serious?

Any idea what the biggest sport played in Australia is at a junior level? Oh right its soccer. Yet somehow that makes it a sport that few here care for and that would attract few in this country? Makes sense - NOT! Kids will be begging their parents for years before hand to take them to see the World Cup, they will be even more excited about participating in sport, and being active. And I am not talking about a minority of kids, I am talking about more kids than those who play AFL, Rugby League or Cricket.

Any idea how often the chance of the world cup is to come here? Any idea the number of viewers in total for the world cup vs 4 weeks of the AFL finals series? Any idea of the money in television rights for these two events? Any idea the amount of tax payers dollars going out compared with the dollars coming in? Any idea on the comparison of this ratio vs the Sydney Olympics?

I think you will be humbled once you find these answers. To whinge about one stadium that will interrupt part of one mid season out of a hundred, in one city, for a sport which has less participation in this country, which will gain revenue and exposure to this country not lose it, is kindergarten mentality.

This kind of mentality is the same damn whinging that reduces the number of race circuits and drag strips in this country, is the same type of whinging that stopped the V8 Supercar race in Canberra, and is the same type of whinging which will eventually outlaw all our V8's. Why can't a little sacrifice be put up with, to appease all parts of Australian community, instead of just some. I say bring any and all sports at the highest level here, it will drive our youngsters, help reduce the obesity and laziness problems in this country instead of adding to it, and it might help get the attitudes of Australian's back to where it once was.

Spot on Hazza. A quick search found that there was around 351,000 kids playing soccer in 2006. This compares to 200,000 for AFL, and 111,000 for rugby league. So there is more kids playing soccer than AFL and rugby league combined!

For people to say that no one here cares about soccer must be kidding themselves. Yes the A-league isnt a huge comp in Australia, but there is a hell of a lot of people who follow the various overseas comps.

Sounds like a bit of a childish dummy spit by Demetriou. Worried that another sport might take AFL's limelight.

[rgmast]

ANZ Stadium: 104,098 Spain vs Cameroon (Sydney 2000 Olympics) 30 September 2000
ANZ Stadium: 82,698 Australia v Uruguay 16 November 2005
ANZ Stadium: 72,393 Sydney v Collingwood 23 August 2003
ANZ Stadium: 71,019 Sydney v Brisbane 20 September 2003
Telstra Dome: 18 February 2007 Melbourne Victory vs Adelaide United 55,436
Telstra Dome: Round 14, 5 July 2009 St Kilda Saints vs Geelong Cats 54,444

A league attendances 2009 total 1,023,147

AFL 2009 attendances 6,988,638

Think thats says a lot u pulled figures from 1 international game compared to local games how about much for much

[VX225]

A league attendances 2009 total 1,023,147

AFL 2009 attendances 6,988,638

Think thats says a lot u pulled figures from 1 international game compared to local games how about much for much

We are talking about the soccer world cup, not the a-league.

AFL attendance you said was 6,988,638 over what 350 odd games? (avg around 20,000 per game).

FIFA World Cup 2006 - attendance = 3,353,655 over 64 matches (52,401 per match), estimated viewers = 26.29 billion.

[JimmyXR6T04]

Completely agree Hazza!

Football in Australia is slowly growing and hopefully one day it'll have the reputation it does in other countries. If football continues to get those sorts of numbers of kids playing, it's only going to grow bigger and bigger. Consider that in 9yrs time all the current children playing will be young adults/teens and there will be more coming through...

I noticed the sydney A league game this week had 10000 or 11000 at it, some NRL games were struggling to make those numbers last season.

As for the whingers who can't appreciate the game of football, go watch your AFL, but quit whinging about a small sacrifice that a small game needs to make in order to attract the WORLD game! In the grand scheme of things, AFL is nothing, except for maybe here in Australia... Surely that must tell you die hard fans something... Unfortunately no other country wants to play the game...:confused:

[BlownLS7]

and put into greater context, the size of the stadiums they used would have had most at full capacity, i know i went to 5 games in 06, and a good world cup game is equal to any Great AFL game, (if you like the sport.) we cant knock our local game its great, but WC is that x 10
and its at the highest Level you can get,


having the WC in Australia would enhance so many cities, stimulate the building industry again, create so much tourism, why are there so many people on here that dont want progress?maybe even brisbane will get a decent Hotel out of it,

a World Cup is just so awesome, bring it on

cheers



We are talking about the soccer world cup, not the a-league.

AFL attendance you said was 6,988,638 over what 350 odd games? (avg around 20,000 per game).

FIFA World Cup 2006 - attendance = 3,353,655 over 64 matches (52,401 per match), estimated viewers = 26.29 billion.

[justin_d]

Funny how comparing AFL/NRL/soccer will always stir up such a passionate debate. I like any sport bar baseball, basketball and yes... soccer. Can sit down and watch a game with mates but wouldn't go out of my way to. I guess people are missing a few points here:

1/. Aussie rules is the dominant sport in Australia. Simple as that. "The World Game" is enjoyed by many in Australia but Aussie rules and rugby are our bread and butter. You don't neglect them so you can try to get the World Cup here and put everyone else out.

2/. Demetriou has said that he's willing to give up a few weeks in the season but to put the MCG out would be a total farce. Seriously, take a step back, take a deep breath and ask yourself if it is fair to put so much pressure on our native game? David Gallop would do the exact same thing if access to the NRL's main stadium had to be removed for the majority of the year. Sure it may be the most watched event in the world but do you seriously think that the cost to our footy codes and taxpayers are going to be compensated by the tourism generated or FIFA? That's some serious coinage!

3/. After the early successes of the A-League there has been a serious drop in virtually all the crowds bar Melbourne. The public's interest has waned to a certain extent which would surely have to make one QUESTION (not write off!) the decision to go so hard for an event that may end up costing us dearly in the long run with taxpayer's money.

I'm just trying to be a realist here. I'm sure the media beats it up but the way they word it makes it sound as though FIFA are a bunch of bullies that are used to and will get their own way. My own 2c is I don't like soccer because I find it boring to watch and hate the way their players dive for all to see (aka Dida, Rivaldo, etc). It's going to be a very risky, expensive venture that may not pay off and put a lot of other sports/clubs out which form a part of our history/culture. If they get it and they can make it work, sweet.

Go Hawks, Storm, Bushrangers, Tander, SJ Sharks, NE Patriots, Adam Scott etc but I just can't bring myself to say go Victory! :p

[subtle]

Just adding my 2c worth here.
i think brining the world cup here will be good for the game here in oz not to mention the exposure on the world stage.
as far as i know AFL is a national sport so is there any reason why they cant just play more interstate games over that time period im sure the game wont suffer to much from that or even try playing games in some of the places that dont normally get afl games and try to premote the sport that way.
im sure some of the more remote regions might like that.
to me it seems more about losing $$$ than losing matches at the mcg.
cheers.

[wyldnyt]

We are talking about the soccer world cup, not the a-league.

AFL attendance you said was 6,988,638 over what 350 odd games? (avg around 20,000 per game).

FIFA World Cup 2006 - attendance = 3,353,655 over 64 matches (52,401 per match), estimated viewers = 26.29 billion.

Yeah but AFL is not a world wide sport so therefor you cant compare it to the world cup, as far as sport goes in aus it pulls the highest crowds by far

[RARASV8]

my 2 cents!


i would like to see the world cup here in oz!


but do all you people understand that we will have no football, thats all codes during winter for the 10 weeks of the WC.
also no other major sports of any type thru out australia (V8 SUPERCARS + others) to be run 6 weeks before or during the WC. all grounds thru out aus that are of a good enuf venue will be taken over by countries as a home base. thats 32 state of the art grounds and facilities. so we cancel any sport around the WC for the whole country of AUSTRALIA:goodjob:

Garry

[Rub]

A league attendances 2009 total 1,023,147

AFL 2009 attendances 6,988,638

Think thats says a lot u pulled figures from 1 international game compared to local games how about much for much

Think about this though, how many AFL games are played each year?

8 matches per week, 22 weeks, 176 matches per year.. compare that to 4 matches per week over 21 weeks - 84 matches in the season..

average of 12,000 per match for a-league
average of 39,708 per match for AFL..

NOW... what was the average attendance for the VFL/AFL in its 4th year (1901)?

[HazzaHSV]

Not accurate Garry.

The 10 weeks is a stretch, most reports say 6-8 weeks. Oh and they would only need access to the best 12 stadiums in the country not 32. You do not need a 50000+ stadium as a home base for training sessions.

Oh and since all the football codes already showed flexibility in 2000 by shortening their seasons by a month for the Olympics I am sure they can work out arrangements to do the same in 2018 or 2022.

I think 10 years should be enough time for all involved to come up with a workable plan.


my 2 cents!

i would like to see the world cup here in oz!

but do all you people understand that we will have no football, thats all codes during winter for the 10 weeks of the WC.
also no other major sports of any type thru out australia (V8 SUPERCARS + others) to be run 6 weeks before or during the WC. all grounds thru out aus that are of a good enuf venue will be taken over by countries as a home base. thats 32 state of the art grounds and facilities. so we cancel any sport around the WC for the whole country of AUSTRALIA:goodjob:

Garry

[HazzaHSV]

Yeah but AFL is not a world wide sport so therefor you cant compare it to the world cup, as far as sport goes in aus it pulls the highest crowds by far

Sorry but the AFL competition here in Oz is the highest level of the sport, as is the World Cup for Soccer. You want to debate the World Cup vs AFL in regards to stadium use, you must compare them directly, and compare the benefits/crowd numbers of each.

[V8BEER]

Unfortunately no other country wants to play the game...:confused:

I dont mind soccer or the world cup coming here for that matter, but i sure as s#$t dont give a F$%k that (as you put) that no one else wants to play AFL, I like what I like because I like it, not because everyone else likes it.

I think youl'l find that america has a decent auusie rules league over there (nothing like ours) and the game is getting pushed into africa as well, so to say no one else plays it is BULL - but I know not as many countires play AFL as soccer

[JimmyXR6T04]

I dont mind soccer or the world cup coming here for that matter, but i sure as s#$t dont give a F$%k that (as you put) that no one else wants to play AFL, I like what I like because I like it, not because everyone else likes it.

I think youl'l find that america has a decent auusie rules league over there (nothing like ours) and the game is getting pushed into africa as well, so to say no one else plays it is BULL - but I know not as many countires play AFL as soccer

I'm just stirring bud, i was waiting for a bite..

I just think that more people need to be open minded, now the NRL boss has had his say... I guess we'll wait and see what happens down the track.

[V8BEER]

Yeah, no dramas mate.:smilesandbanana: Just heard a lot of people bag AFL, just because the whole world doesnt play it, so its rubbish.

[JimmyXR6T04]

Yeah, no dramas mate.:smilesandbanana: Just heard a lot of people bag AFL, just because the whole world doesnt play it, so its rubbish.

haha, yeah it's just an easy attack on AFL that's all.. it's the easiest come back to use whenever an AFL supporter bags on football... I used to love stirring my AFL loving mates..

[Wayne@GM Motorsport]

I luv the FIFA's demands


1. All venues must be quarantined for a month beforehand -

so theres 8 to 9 weeks we cant have those staduims.. and construction and removal of the set up they want at the MCG could take up to 4 months, so no footy at the MCG for 4 months :rofl:

2. Major rival sporting events must be halted during the month long tournament -

they are clearly worried any other sport my take some attraction away from there "World Game" -


So this means no AFL at all for 4 weeks in VIC, NSW QLD SA & ACT and maybe WA - now that's a bit rude..


oh and don't forget us the taxpayer have to foot the bill for the MCG modification and removal costing $130 million...

they can't even spare us $20 mil for a drag strip :vpo:

[team illucid]

Instead of having a whinge about the lack of AFL, why not take the opportunity to go and watch a local team match - they could probably do with the financial support, and you might actually enjoy the game at a grass roots level.

Just a thought.

[Rub]

No one has answered this yet...Whats wrong with moving games to suburban grounds like they had back in the day?

Princess Park
Western Oval
Moorabbin
Victoria Park

Play some more games down in Tassie, and up in Canberra and Darwin.

I think not having the MCG available will be a blessing in disguise for the AFL giving them the opportunity to take the game to parts of the country that dont see much AFL action apart from on TV or in pre-season.

[Excellent]

Why can’t the AFL just advance payments to the struggling clubs in the lead up to 2020? That way those clubs can bank their money and accrue interest. Win – win for all parties I would think.

Just a suggestion?

[HazzaHSV]

Not quite.

1. No. Not all stadiums will be out for 8 weeks. Only the stadiums that will be used for the semi-finals and final will be out for 7-8 weeks. The others will be out for less than 6 as they will not host games in the last week(s) of the tournament.

2. Yep just like every other major event. Was already done in Australia for the Olympics. Nothing new here. Were the Olympic movement worried any other sport my take some attraction away from their world event too? Possibly, but its a business decision, nothing more nothing less. If you are going to host a world class event, you maximize your exposure and revenue.

And yes no AFL for 4 weeks, just like in 2000 for the Olympics. Seems the world of AFL went on fine regardless?

Oh and don't forget the TV rights and numerous other revenue that the World Cup will bring in. In taxes alone it will foot most of the bill.

And if the the lack of dragstrip here in ACT is anything to go by, its the same type of selfish whinging that has stopped one being made here, only it came from an opposing groups view on Motor Racing, instead of an opposing groups view on Soccer.


I luv the FIFA's demands

1. All venues must be quarantined for a month beforehand -
so theres 8 to 9 weeks we cant have those staduims.. and construction and removal of the set up they want at the MCG could take up to 4 months, so no footy at the MCG for 4 months :rofl:

2. Major rival sporting events must be halted during the month long tournament -
they are clearly worried any other sport my take some attraction away from there "World Game" -
So this means no AFL at all for 4 weeks in VIC, NSW QLD SA & ACT and maybe WA - now that's a bit rude..
oh and don't forget us the taxpayer have to foot the bill for the MCG modification and removal costing $130 million...
they can't even spare us $20 mil for a drag strip :vpo:

[Rub]

Some interesting comments from the FFA


FOOTBALL Federation Australia boss Ben Buckley yesterday rejected claims that Australia hosting the World Cup could wipe out an entire AFL season, saying they were plain wrong. He also insisted that FFA was not interested in turning the MCG into a rectangular ''soccer stadium'' to host big games - potentially including the World Cup final - should Australia win the rights to host the 2018 or 2022 tournament.

The FFA's chief executive, formerly Andrew Demetriou's No. 2 at the AFL, stopped short of saying the AFL's ratcheting up of the footy codes war could derail the Australian bid. But he admitted that rows over stadiums, infrastructure and the realignment of seasons and fixtures to accommodate the World Cup, while a necessary part of the negotiating process, might not create the best image.

Demetriou claimed yesterday morning that the AFL could be forced to cancel its season and clubs could go under if the MCG was shut down for any more than 10 weeks before and during the World Cup. ''Cancelling a season is a disaster,'' he said.

''The cost is a monumental cost and I'm talking hundreds of millions of dollars. Secondly, it would probably mean that some clubs who rely on the $7.5 to 8 million [annual] distribution from the AFL, there's no way they could be sustained.''

But Buckley, who had just returned from pushing Australia's bid for FFA at the 2010 World Cup draw in Cape Town, moved to allay fears. He said transforming the MCG into a rectangular stadium would be too expensive, and that it would probably only be unavailable to the AFL for eight weeks.

Buckley was adamant that the AFL and the National Rugby League had been kept in the loop over the bidding plans for more than a year, and his organisation had never suggested a season-long lockdown.

''We have never asked the AFL to shut down their season. We have only outlined to them the various requirements under the FIFA regulations to host the World Cup. We have certainly never said to the AFL that they need to shut their whole season down,'' Buckley said in Sydney yesterday.

''The requirements are that we need to get access to the venues four weeks prior to the competition for the preparation for the pitches, some of the stadia overlays that are required by FIFA, and of course we need the venues for the duration of the tournament.

''In our estimation that's somewhere between six to eight weeks, depending on where the finals are played, and depending on what venues we use.

''Based on all the estimates we have done maximum disruption would be around eight weeks.

''If a venue is not playing in the semi-finals or final those venues could come on line sooner.''

Buckley said that the FFA had first talked to the AFL in late 2008.

''We have been speaking to the AFL over the last 12 months … We only received the FIFA bidding guidelines in May of 2009. We met with them as recently as October this year where we went through a very detailed presentation on what the issues are,'' he said.

Buckley said that turning the MCG into a rectangular venue had been canvassed, but the idea had been abandoned on cost and time grounds. FIFA is more concerned that venues hold the appropriate number of fans: several German grounds, including the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, were in a circular or oval configuration in 2006.

''Some of the things that have been reported in the press today just aren't accurate. We have never asked the AFL to shut down their season for the entire season. The report regarding the MCG does look at rectangularisation of the lower bowl, but it's at a very, very significant cost and has a very big impact and it's not something that we are actively pursuing. I think the MCG in its current configuration is a world-class venue … and we certainly think that in its current form it's going to be part of the bid.

''It certainly doesn't have to shut down the entire [AFL] season, which is what I saw reported in some media outlets this morning. We have never proposed it, we have never discussed it, it would be impractical.''

MCC chief executive Stephen Gough said the MCG could only host World Cup games once the AFL and FFA reached agreement. Under current contracts, the MCG is committed to football in winter and cricket in summer.

''I know the AFL support the bid, it's just about resolving how you would combine a disrupted AFL season with the venues around the country, particularly the MCG,'' said Gough.

He compared the situation to when Melbourne hosted the 1956 Olympic Games.

''That was resolved, and I think the same thing's got to happen here,'' Gough said.

''When everyone's in broad agreement that we'd support the bid, let's go and work the detail out how this might come to fruition.''

Buckley adopted a conciliatory tone on how the row would play out.

''I'm confident that there is goodwill,'' he said.

''I think all the other codes understand there are substantial benefits to Australia as a nation to host the World Cup and I am pretty confident we will work through those issues and come to an agreement.''

[breakthelaw]

AFL is a great game as is soccer (football), but you can't say one is better than the other. I prefer rugby union myself and always will. I have preferred it since I was just out of nappies probably because I was exposed to it and not the others. I don't care how many play or watch the game and believe it was probably better to be a supporter of rugby back in the 70's and 80's before the masses discovered it.

The mass worldwide popularity of soccer is unchallenged but that doesn't mean anything in assessing the quality of the game. If you apply that thinking to say, music, then the mass popularity of Susan Boyle would mean that she is the greatest in the world at the moment. Mass popularity just means that it appeals to the masses - hardly any test of quality.

I can't believe that the Football World Cup would require the cancellation of AFL or any other sporting contest. This reaction is just the reaction of a very unbalanced individual who is saying unbalance statements because he thinks this will somehow benefit his interest group. Yes they may have to consider their scheduling but so what? The Olympics or Rugby World Cup didn't cause any major disruptions.

Gat a grip.

[ILLUSIV1]

in 2005–06, the most popular sports in terms of crowd attendance were Australian rules football, horse racing,rugby league. motorsport, cricket,rugby union and soccer (association football)in descending order

Netball has the highest level of participation of any sport in Australia. It rivals cricket, soccer and Australian football for the highest number of participants of any team sport in the country.
The Australian national netball team, along with traditional rivals New Zealand's Silver Ferns, dominate the game at international level.

I don't care for the piss weak dives they take in soccer. Yes they are starting to do it a bit in AFL and Rugby, but at least they have proper contact before they do it.
At the end of the day, why should one of Australia's number 1 sports be pushed aside or suffer major disruptions for up to 4 months. There is no reason why AFL can not still be played around the world cup games. Doesn't take long to put up goal posts and the boundary line and goal square would not interfere with the soccer ground markings.

[the big fist]

You forgot the rest of your Super Wiki Steal


Research by a marketing company found that those attracting the "most interest" among adults in capital cities during 2006-07 were cricket, swimming, tennis, Australian rules football, soccer, rugby league, rugby union and motor sport.[3] According to official statistics, the most popular forms of "physical recreation activity" among Australians aged 15 years and over, in 2005-06 were walking, aerobics/fitness, swimming, golf, tennis, soccer and Australian rules football.[4] According to some sources, the cultural significance and long history of cricket in Australia means that it is a de facto "national sport".[5][6] Armchair sports fans drive high television ratings for sports programmes. In fact, nine of the top 10 highest rated shows in 2005 were sports programmes.

You might find that the reason afl is so popular spectator wise is that it's our only choice. Personally, think it's a boring as all hell to watch and requires a very small brain to enjoy. :rofl:

[Clubby317]

If soccer is bringing all that money to australia, build a ground to host it. Out in the middle of NT somewhere. Great game Nil all but shit that was exciting.. NOT

[HazzaHSV]

If soccer is bringing all that money to australia, build a ground to host it. Out in the middle of NT somewhere. Great game Nil all but shit that was exciting.. NOT
So if AFL is so popular and bringing in so much money from the biggest crowd numbers in the country, then build a second stadium to host it. Using your suggestion "Out in the middle of NT somewhere". They have 10 years to do it, should be a walk in the park :rofl:. Oh yeah and sorry but the last world cup averaged almost 2 and a half goals per game, so bad luck on your nil all call.

[Alex81]

Don't care for either sport, but would be interesting to see how melbourne handled all the excess traffic, it would create. As it's currently a joke.

Back on topic, FIFA won't give it to us as it's whingers like this Demetrious, that make a scean and make us all look stupid. I think the $$$$ will far exceed what 4 weeks of AFL can only hope to produce and thats all they care about in the end.

[ti0350]

Bringing the world cup to Australia would be very good specially for the economy, I think the afl is just having a b!tch and it's not really as bad as they say it is..
For the record I don't play any sport now basically had to give that because of injuries..
But however I did play soccer for 25 yrs, played 5 years of rugby and rugby league in high school.. I did only play 1 game of AFL at high school half the rugby team got asked to play because they were short of players.. But after the game which we won by heaps we got told not to come back because we didn't play the game properly and were too agressive.. We didn't know any better so we were smashing people like we did at rugby..

[JimmyXR6T04]

If soccer is bringing all that money to australia, build a ground to host it. Out in the middle of NT somewhere. Great game Nil all but shit that was exciting.. NOT

some of the nil all games are the best! Unfortunately simple people don't appreciate good build up play, or missed chances, or excellent saves from the GK... All they ever want is the end product of a goal...

To enjoy football you have to appreciate the game, appreciate the tactics and the subtle runs an attacking player makes etc... Chance creation is just as exciting as the end product!

[Rub]

Demetriou is at it again.. This time getting into bed with Ian Collins who runs Jihad Stadium..


AUSTRALIA'S bid for the soccer World Cup is in danger of being derailed after AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou declared Etihad Stadium off limits for the world's largest sporting event.

In an extraordinary outbreak of war between the codes, Mr Demetriou has lashed out at soccer authorities for ''trumpeting'' their plans to use Etihad Stadium as a World Cup venue without consulting the AFL.

He said the AFL had already offered to give up the MCG for part of a season and could not afford to do without the Docklands stadium as well.

In response, Football Federation Australia has threatened to strip World Cup games from Melbourne and send them interstate.

Soccer needs the Docklands venue as part of its World Cup plans and had already been struggling to meet the requirements of soccer's international body, FIFA, for at least a dozen 40,000-seat stadiums.

But Mr Demetriou signalled yesterday he would not compromise on the Docklands stadium, which is under contract to the AFL for 25 years.

''It's impossible to run a football season without Etihad,'' Mr Demetriou told The Age. ''We have put up a suggestion of the MCG being unavailable for 10 weeks, which would require our agreement, but we need Etihad to have a season,'' he said.

Mr Demetriou accused the World Cup bid team, led by his old friend and former AFL teammate Ben Buckley, of being disrespectful.

He said he was not interested in working out a compromise for the World Cup. ''It's not for the AFL to come up with solutions for FIFA and the FFA. The language has to change,'' he said.

''We've come up with a proposal to be an accommodating, collaborative partner to support the World Cup bid.

''Our solution is (they use) the MCG for 10 weeks, we play our season around it and play in other areas and other grounds, but you need Etihad. It's the only way it works.''

A shocked Mr Buckley said last night the AFL's stance could mean Victorians would miss out on their share of World Cup action. ''Our preferred position, and the one we've worked towards, is to use Etihad Stadium as one of our venues,'' he said. ''It is one of the best stadiums in Australia and in the world.

''If Etihad is not included we would have to relocate a significant amount of games away from Victoria and that would be a real shame for the people of Victoria.''

Mr Buckley, the former AFL No.2, said he still hoped a deal could be reached with the AFL for access to the stadium.

But that prospect seemed remote after it emerged last night that the FFA had yesterday received a letter from Etihad Stadium chief executive Ian Collins saying that he did not wish the stadium to play any part in the World Cup bid. Mr Collins would not comment last night.

The FFA had initially believed it would not need the venue, instead using the MCG and the new rectangular stadium on Swan Street as World Cup venues.

That stadium was supposedly ''future-proofed'' so that it could be enlarged to 40,000. But the FFA turned back to Etihad after it emerged that the distinctive bubble roof of the rectangular venue meant it would cost a prohibitive $150 million to enlarge it.

Etihad Stadium featured in the glossy book and film handed out to FIFA delegates as part of Australia's lobbying effort at the World Cup draw in South Africa last week.

It was also shown off by the FFA to an official party of international journalists brought to Australia by the FFA for a familiarisation tour last month.

Mr Demetriou said he only learnt that Etihad was being targeted for the World Cup when he read in The Age that visiting journalists were being hosted at the venue.

''Suddenly we have them trumpeting Etihad as a stadium for their bid. It's completely disrespectful to us, it's completely misleading to people, because it's completely untrue,'' Mr Demetriou said.

''It's for them to go away and work out solutions. It's not for us to come up with a solution of what to do about Etihad.

''We've got Etihad and we've got the MCG. People forget there are things called agreements in place.''

On Monday, Mr Demetriou complained about FFA plans to convert the MCG to rectangular seating, which he said would rob the AFL of its home for 16 weeks.

But those plans were always regarded as a long shot by soccer authorities, developed as one among several options. Mr Buckley immediately stressed that it was not a serious proposition for the bid.

[VXSS346]

Sook!!!

:bawl: :bawl: :bawl: :bawl: :bawl: :bawl:

:nopity:

[amckiwi]

We need to remember it is only for one year

Surely AFL who has had its own way for years before and will have for years after could cut some slack for the good of the of the country

[Rub]

We need to remember it is only for one year

Surely AFL who has had its own way for years before and will have for years after could cut some slack for the good of the of the country

The same thing happened when AC/DC had a show planned, as well as when A-League finals were on.

AFL don't want to lose their place in the spotlight.. simple..

[The Griff]

I luv the FIFA's demands

2. Major rival sporting events must be halted during the month long tournament -

they are clearly worried any other sport my take some attraction away from there "World Game" -


So this means no AFL at all for 4 weeks in VIC, NSW QLD SA & ACT and maybe WA - now that's a bit rude..


oh and don't forget us the taxpayer have to foot the bill for the MCG modification and removal costing $130 million...

they can't even spare us $20 mil for a drag strip :vpo:
:rofl: at thinking that FIFA regard AFL as a major sport. AFL is popular for around half the population Australia, with NSW and Qld not really interersted. And you think that FIFA consider this a major sport. In reality, apart from losing access to some ground for up to 8 weeks, there will be no disruption to the AFL and NRL seasons as they are not considered major sports.

Out of interest, when the World Cup was in the USA in 1994, the baseball season continued. Also, the World Cup is by far the largest sporting event in the world, easily outrating the Olympics and drawing many more people to the host country.

Also, you really don't want to start goimg on about how much taxpayer money is being spent on the World Cup as, if you look back over the last few decades, you may be interested to find the AFL has been the receipient of by far the most taxpayer funds out of the four football codes in the Aus.

[mattsetsfire]

Personally I'm not a massive AFL fan, I'm a union/league follower myself but don't mind the odd game of kick and giggle. I think that no other code should have to drastically change their schedule to fit in with a world cup, sure have it in Australia but not at the expense of our home grown competions which have to survive season after season not just blow in for one tournament and then onto the next location.

I don't think I'd go to a soccer match if it was here anyway, I find it dull and boring especially with the prevelance of players taking dives. Thats not on.

A wise man once said "soccer is like having a root where you don't know if you'll actually ever get it in"

[wyldnyt]

So if AFL is so popular and bringing in so much money from the biggest crowd numbers in the country, then build a second stadium to host it. Using your suggestion "Out in the middle of NT somewhere". They have 10 years to do it, should be a walk in the park :rofl:. Oh yeah and sorry but the last world cup averaged almost 2 and a half goals per game, so bad luck on your nil all call.

And afl should be building more stadiums why?? If that soccer pussy sh1t is to be played here then it should be played around our season and they should fund their own stadiums.

LMAO 2 1/2 goals a game, ****1ing edge of your seat excitment that is....

[Clubby317]

So if AFL is so popular and bringing in so much money from the biggest crowd numbers in the country, then build a second stadium to host it. Using your suggestion "Out in the middle of NT somewhere". They have 10 years to do it, should be a walk in the park :rofl:. Oh yeah and sorry but the last world cup averaged almost 2 and a half goals per game, so bad luck on your nil all call.


come in spinner..

[SEMPER FI]

I don't think Aust will get enough votes, for FIFA to host the WC here........simple as that !!

[SteveK]

LMAO 2 1/2 goals a game, ****1ing edge of your seat excitment that is....

So this argument is based on which sport scores the most?

Darts > AFL.

[SteveK]

I don't think Aust will get enough votes, for FIFA to host the WC here........simple as that !!

Agreed. And the time-zone is a big concern for FIFA too.

[HazzaHSV]

And afl should be building more stadiums why?? If that soccer pussy sh1t is to be played here then it should be played around our season and they should fund their own stadiums.

LMAO 2 1/2 goals a game, ****1ing edge of your seat excitment that is....
Wow don't they have the word irony where you come from. I was simply regurgitating your own words back to you to show you how silly they were. I said it in jest (notice the smiley). And then you go and attack them lol. Oh and 'pussy sh1t" = Demetriou crying over losing 4 weeks of one season in one year out of how many?

For someone that dislikes the game you really know your stuff. How did you know that World Cup games were the biggest, most popular, most watched sport in the world and are always edge of your seat stuff?

PS - If you AFL guys stopped whinging for a minute over a storm in a tea cup, you would realise you have already had previous seasons interrupted by 4 weeks numerous times before and have hardly gone extinct!! :rofl:

[HazzaHSV]

Agreed. And the time-zone is a big concern for FIFA too.
True, but Korea/Japan wasn't far off our timezone.

I don't think Aust will get enough votes, for FIFA to host the WC here........simple as that !!
True also. But you would hope it wasn't jealous infighting that was the difference between a bringing a truly world class sport here for the first time and possibly the only for a very long time.

I know I keep saying this, but it parallels the greenie movement, of showing not even a little ounce of good will, towards other people in the community with difference interests. Whinging like its the end of the world, about the inconvenience of a 5 minute detour for 3 days a year during the a V8 super car race weekend. :flipoff:

[vhsle5ltr]

Completely agree Hazza!

Football in Australia is slowly growing and hopefully one day it'll have the reputation it does in other countries. If football continues to get those sorts of numbers of kids playing, it's only going to grow bigger and bigger. Consider that in 9yrs time all the current children playing will be young adults/teens and there will be more coming through...

I noticed the sydney A league game this week had 10000 or 11000 at it, some NRL games were struggling to make those numbers last season.

As for the whingers who can't appreciate the game of football, go watch your AFL, but quit whinging about a small sacrifice that a small game needs to make in order to attract the WORLD game! In the grand scheme of things, AFL is nothing, except for maybe here in Australia... Surely that must tell you die hard fans something... Unfortunately no other country wants to play the game...:confused:

Don't you drive a Ford? Any wonder you like Soccer!

So when the World Cup comes and shits on the AFL season, what happens to the lost revenue from sponsorship, salaries for players and continuity for a sport which will be here for the next 100 years not just for 6 or so weeks that the World Cup is here for?

If the World Cup organisers or the Government are willing to compensate local sport competitions for their lost revenue if any, and pay players for their time when they are not playing, and are willing to make some sacrifices themselves then i'm OK with it.

However, if they think they can barge in here, take over our stadiums, ruin our local competitions and their traditions without any sacrifices or compensation, they can take their round ball, fake injury, non scoring, soft ****, kick it to me, handball is OK for the French, FIFA sucks dick, umpire driven resultant bullshit back to where it came from.

HA!

[HazzaHSV]

So when the World Cup comes and shits on the AFL season, what happens to the lost revenue from sponsorship, salaries for players and continuity for a sport which will be here for the next 100 years not just for 6 or so weeks that the World Cup is here for?
Dunno. Ask the AFL what they did for the Sydney Olympics, Rugby World Cup etc. Its all been done before.

[Nitronic12]

We're gonna need a whole box of tissues for this thread.
This is only going to get more complicated.

[185iboy]

World Cup will be awesome! I didnt hear anyone complain about the sydney olympics...equestrian anyone? Wasn't the afl season shifted around a bit for that??

[cross8 pat]

i dont want the damn world cup here at all. There are way too many soccer fans here now! And AFL fans for that matter! Bring back the days when it was socially unacceptable to watch either of these sports. oh... thats right, IT STILL IS!!!
BWAHHAHAHAHAHAHA:moon::1peek:

[SS Enforcer]

Demetriou is just trying it on to get some $$ out of FiFa I think . Surely there no going to use every ground every day. The AFl may have to play a few double headers on a `few weekdays to get some of their games played. The AFL is currently the most successful footie code in this country and if they can't afford to take a bit of hit in the pocket fot a few weeks somethings wrong.

They could shorten the season by a few rounds if they wanted to I mean they seem to start pre season about the same time as the 3rd cricket test is being played.

I am not really a soccer fan but I do enjoy watching the Aussies play and the other teams playing in the world cup every 4 years.

cheers

[Frankster_P]

There are too many afl clubs in melbourne anyway.
If some have to merge or move interstate then good.
Afl rides roughshot over everything, about time it copped some back.

[Wayne@GM Motorsport]

:rofl: at thinking that FIFA regard AFL as a major sport. AFL is popular for around half the population Australia, with NSW and Qld not really interersted. And you think that FIFA consider this a major sport. In reality, apart from losing access to some ground for up to 8 weeks, there will be no disruption to the AFL and NRL seasons as they are not considered major sports.



Ok that's good, if the AFL & NRL are not major sports you won't need to use our stadiums...

Good to see Ian Collins has already told them they can't use Etihad Stadium...

There's going to be so many tears from the soccer guys and they are all going to blame the AFL etc when you miss out.. :bow:

In the end it's all business and I'd be buggered if I'm going to stop my business so a compeditor can come in and do his business at my place for 8 weeks..

Piss off World Cup :jester:

[justin_d]

Sounds to me like the only whinging going on is from the soccer people. Let's face it, for the Olympics the AFL and NRL changed the end of their seasons for 4 weeks, not right in the middle for 8-10 weeks. Also this thread originally started off with Demetriou saying that he wouldn't support the World Cup bid if the MCG was gone for the year. It all boils down to this. Do we pour ridiculous amounts of money into a sporting event that lasts 6 weeks and is not played to any great professional standard in this country (don't anyone deny that the A-League is a mediocre standard), or could we better spend that money on schools, hospitals, R'n'D, etc? The World Cup bid is likely to fail because of the time differences and countries we're up against. Should our national football codes be forced to forgo so much money and be put out for a game that isn't as liked in this country as them? :nopity: :wambulance:

[The Griff]

Ok that's good, if the AFL & NRL are not major sports you won't need to use our stadiums...

Good to see Ian Collins has already told them they can't use Etihad Stadium...

There's going to be so many tears from the soccer guys and they are all going to blame the AFL etc when you miss out.. :bow:

In the end it's all business and I'd be buggered if I'm going to stop my business so a compeditor can come in and do his business at my place for 8 weeks..

Piss off World Cup :jester:
No one who matters really cares what the AFL think or do. No access to Etihad, so what, go somewhere else. It will be Melbourne's loss.

The WC would be a huge opportunity to actually sell the game of Aussie Rules to all the visitors from overseas. You could market the shit out of the games when the WC is on and get a whole new audience for the code and maybe sow some seeds for some overseas interest and potentially expand the market. This point seems to be completely missed by Dimetriou. We keep getting told how great ALF is but the posturing seems to reveal a level of insecurity about its position in the Australian sporting landscape.

[justin_d]

No one who matters really cares what the AFL think or do. No access to Etihad, so what, go somewhere else. It will be Melbourne's loss.

The WC would be a huge opportunity to actually sell the game of Aussie Rules to all the visitors from overseas. You could market the shit out of the games when the WC is on and get a whole new audience for the code and maybe sow some seeds for some overseas interest and potentially expand the market. This point seems to be completely missed by Dimetriou. We keep getting told how great ALF is but the posturing seems to reveal a level of insecurity about its position in the Australian sporting landscape.

But FIFA won't allow any of that marketing to happen.

[SteveK]

But FIFA won't allow any of that marketing to happen.

Correct. It's been that way in every country that the World Cup has been held.

Whilst having the AFL promoted would garner an audience outside of the country, most of those thousands of people coming into the country are coming for one thing, beer and football.

It will be a big loss for the local economy if it doesn't eventuate. I think some people don't realise the magnitude of this competition, or choose to ignore it.

[Rub]

most of those thousands of people coming into the country are coming for one thing, beer and football.


That's two things :stick:

:smilesandbanana:

[SteveK]

That's two things :stick:

:smilesandbanana:

:rofl: Bwahahahahahahaha, I meant BeerBall.

[The Griff]

But FIFA won't allow any of that marketing to happen.
If the games are being played, which I think they will be, then there will be TV advertising and newspaper advertising for them. It wont be hard to expose the games to the the visitors.

The game sheduling for AFL and NRL during the group stages could be an issue though, as there are at least 2 matches per day for two weeks and I would not expect any matches of AFL or NRL to be played concurrently with a WC match.

In any event, there is the time before and after the tournament, when there will still be plenty of people around to come to watch a a game of AFL or NRL, which is an opportunity for both codes.

[HazzaHSV]

Ok that's good, if the AFL & NRL are not major sports you won't need to use our stadiums...

Good to see Ian Collins has already told them they can't use Etihad Stadium...

There's going to be so many tears from the soccer guys and they are all going to blame the AFL etc when you miss out.. :bow:

In the end it's all business and I'd be buggered if I'm going to stop my business so a compeditor can come in and do his business at my place for 8 weeks..
Hmm so when did the MCG become 'your AFL/NRL' stadium? As far as I know it is a partially taxpayer built and run stadium located on Government land and owned by the Victorian Government? Which makes sense since they hold cricket, AFL, olympics, baseball, rugby union, concerts etc there. Shame that another code wants it for 8 weeks out of 100 years and the AFL has to have a cry about it.

Yep in the end its all a business decision for Victoria and for Australia, and I can tell you which would bring more business in, 4 weeks of world cup or 4 weeks of AFL.

[HazzaHSV]

Sounds to me like the only whinging going on is from the soccer people.
Wrong. Our whinging is a justified rebuttal of AFL's initial whinging!! :rofl:

And your other points are way off. MCG out for a year? Wow 8 weeks = a year? Oh and if you think the World Cup is going to cost x amount of dollars and bring nothing in return you are very mistaken. It is likely to generate huge interest and spending of which 10% (not to mention TV rights etc) will inevitably find its way into the budget for as you say 'hospital beds, schools' etc. Go look up how much the Olympics cost, or how much drag racing venue's and National meetings cost, or how much V8 Supercar street races cost, of which could have instead been spent on Hospital beds and Schools. So if as you get older your interest in Motor Racing dwindles, are you going to have that same attitude and side with the greenies to get rid of those other things as well because they are smaller and less popular than AFL?

Oh and a professional league means players get paid, how can a professional league not be professional? Not world class maybe, but that has nothing to do with it being professional. And lastly, why shouldn't some money be spent to bring the World's biggest and most popular game here, given that it is the most played game of Australian kids!!!

[blakout]

that'd be right, essendon is destined to win the flag and there is talk of cancelling the season.....

lol yea in 2022 lol

[The Griff]

And lastly, why shouldn't some money be spent to bring the World's biggest and most popular game here, given that it is the most played game of Australian kids!!!

Well, well, because it is not AFL and it is a poofs game, played by girls and wogs and that is just un-Australian and we don't want that here.;)

[Rub]

And its people (and I use the word people very loosely) like you that are going to keep this country in the dark ages for years to come...

[EXCESSV]

And its people (and I use the word people very loosely) like you that are going to keep this country in the dark ages for years to come...QFT........:goodjob:

[the big fist]

And its people (and I use the word people very loosely) like you that are going to keep this country in the dark ages for years to come...

I think he was being sarcastic..........


i love this thread. shows some great hill billy bogans.

[Wayne@GM Motorsport]

Some facts on the MCG, just to get the thread off track... :jester:

The MCG is effectively the house that the AFL paid for, but the MCC built and the Victorian Government owns.


The Melbourne Cricket Ground, the paddock that grew. It’s iconic of both Melbourne and Australia, from hosting the US Army in WWII, to setting baseball and rugby attendance records at various times.

The Ground famously hosted the first Olympics in the Southern Hemisphere.

It’s main bread and butter though is Australian Football and cricket.

But, who owns it? How does it operate?

Some recent comments, from people such as Ben Buckley, Cockerill and Lynch, have indicated that there’s still some degree of ignorance out there.

So …

The MCG is built on crown land. It belongs to the Victorian people (government).

Under the terms of the Melbourne Cricket Ground Act – 1933 – the government appointed MCG Trust is responsible for the management of the venue.

The MCG Trust has contracted the MCC to manage the MCG and the existing contract runs to 2042.

Under the terms, the MCC has the exclusive rights to manage the MCG.

The MCC is a private club, incorporated under the Melbourne Cricket Club Act of 1974, and boasts the biggest membership (by far) of any sporting club in Australia.

The club was founded in 1838 when the population of the Port Phillip District was around 2000.

Why is all this important?

Simply, that any government funds towards the stadium go to the MCC. Not the AFL. The AFL is a tenant. The AFL and the MCC have often had drawn out disputes and negotiations around their contract.

Recently, the AFL managed to negotiate an extra return for it’s matches (given that the AFL has well exceeded it’s attendance target at the ground). The MCC trade off was to seek to extend the MCC-AFL contract by another 5 years to 2037.

Why such long terms? The simple reason is economics.

The current ground configuration is made up of the $142 million Great Southern Stand, and the $434 million Northern/Olympic/Ponsford Stands. So where did the money come from?

Well, only $77 million from any level of Government (State). And that’s a story in itself. The rest is MCC funds and debt.

They carry well over $300 million in debt. And the only reason they can ‘afford’ to carry that debt is the more than 2.5 million attendees each year for AFL at the ‘G.

The MCG is effectively the house that the AFL paid for, but the MCC built and the Victorian Government owns.

And that leads to the story about the VFL, some land at Waverley and successive state governments.

But that’s for another day.

[Wayne@GM Motorsport]

I love John Brumbys quote


“It’s important to bear in mind the World Cup is the biggest event in the world, it has around three times the number of viewers of an Olympic Games and so it’s something that would really put Australia on the map.”

So the rest of the world doesn't know Australia is here ? Shit, those Olympics were a waste of time & money then.. and the 40 million we lose each year on the F1GP is going to waste as well...

They really don't know we are down here, OMG please help us Soccer, show the world we are here....

give me a break... It will cost as a fortune, and 2 weeks after its over no one will remember it..

[Rub]

It looks like Mr Demetriou has been telling porky pies..


Etihad Stadium boss Ian Collins is keeping an open mind about his venue possibly hosting soccer World Cup matches.

A day after AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou declared the stadium would be off-limits to a successful Australian World Cup bid in either 2018 or 2022, Collins was confident a deal could be brokered.

"We're a venue for hire, we're always interested in whatever is going on," Collins said.

"We support maximising the use of our stadium and we need to do that.

"The two major football bodies should probably sit down behind closed doors and sort out what's going to happen.

"It's a long way away, 2022, and the bid has to go in next year, but I think sanity will prevail."

Stadium management has had discussions with the Football Federation of Australia (FFA) about the World Cup.

"There's no certainty on what they require at this point in time and we haven't seen the framework on that," Collins said.

"We're not certain on how restrictive their conditions are, that's something that will probably come out if and when Australia wins a bid for the World Cup."

But asked if he had spoken to the AFL about the issue, Collins replied: "No, at this point in time, we're talking about hearsay, innuendo and supposition.

"At this point in time, it's business as usual with us."

Collins also scoffed at concerns that FIFA might insist on a 500m exclusion zone around each World Cup venue.

That clearly could not work at Etihad Stadium, which is based in Melbourne's Docklands area and is surrounded by apartments and businesses.

Collins also noted that the AFL is based at Etihad Stadium and joked they might be the primary target of the exclusion zone idea.

"Some of the initial criteria were probably erroneous and very difficult to be able to fulfil at a stadium like ours, because we have a stadium that is butted on by businesses or private ownership of flats," he said.

"For the initial rulings in regards to that, where there's got to be a 500m seclusion area, that wouldn't work."

Collins is also confident an AFL season and a World Cup can run side-by-side.

"You can do anything if you want to - perhaps the AFL might become mid-week and World Cup (games) become weekend, who knows?," he said

"I don't know what the definition is of a major sporting competition ... they probably haven't heard of Australian Rules so they probably reckon it's a minor sport.

"It's a bit of chest-beating at the moment, it's interesting, Fitzy (AFL chairman Mike Fitzpatrick) also has some involvement in the ANZ Stadium."

Asked if Demetriou had been over-emotional in his public comments about the World Cup issue this week, Collins replied: "You don't expect me to answer that, do you? You'd like me to, but I won't."

[Wayne@GM Motorsport]

Again, if it wasn't for the AFL there would be no Etihad Stadium, so I'm pretty sure I know which way Ian Collins would go when push came to shove...

No AFL at Etihad... you might as well close it..

Also, don't forget, Etihad staduim reverts to AFL ownership in 2025...



No Chance Say AFL, NRL
Wednesday 9th December 2009

Author: LMSC

Photographer:


AFL and Docklands Stadium management have flatly ruled out the use of Melbourne’s second biggest stadium as part of the country’s bid to host either the 2018 of 2022 World Cup.

AFL boos Andrew Demetriou has called on Australian soccer bosses to respect the nation’s other football codes as part of their bid campaign claiming the FFA (Football Federation Australia) have used Docklands as part of their available stadiums list without consultation.

The privately owned stadium, which will revert to AFL ownership in 2020, has been named in the FFA’s list of stadium venues for a possible World Cup, but the AFL has claimed they will require the stadium to run their own season and will not hand over the venue for soccer games.

Demetriou said the AFL has already accepted it would not have access to the nation’s biggest venue, the MCG, for up to 10 weeks if Australia hosted the World Cup, but they were in no position to hand over their own venue given it would leave them with no where to play there games in Melbourne.

The AFL is nine years into a 25-year deal with the venue, which has a capacity of 56,000.
World soccer's governing body FIFA requires bidding nations to have 12 venues with a minimum capacity of 40,000.

"In order for our season to be able to work and accommodate our stakeholders, we need to start planning and to have a season that runs concurrently with the World Cup," Demetriou told Fairfax Radio 2UE.

"We would suspend our season. (But) we've been waiting to hear options and solutions from the FFA and we've come up with our option, given we haven't had anything forthcoming.”

"We would make the MCG available for 10 weeks, which is ours under our agreement, but we need [Docklands] stadium to be able to conduct our season.”

"If we haven't got [Docklands] stadium and the MCG, we can't run a season."

The AFL currently has binding agreements with all its venues across the country and would have to voluntarily relinquish those contractual rights to allow FFA access during a possible World Cup.

The FFA has responded by claiming if Docklands is not made available, they will move potential World Cup matches to other states and cities.

The AFL’s blunt statement comes as the nation’s second biggest sporting league, the NRL, also claimed the FFA’s plans for a World Cup were unworkable.

The National Rugby League are concerned not only with the possibility of lossing access to their current venues, but also the major disruption it would create and the essential boost it would give to a rival code while negatively impacting their own sport.

NRL chief David Gallop, who is set to meet with the FFA this week, says under soccer’s current proposal, it would be impossible to run a rugby league season around the demands of a World Cup tournament.

"Some of the proposals are not going to be palatable to us and would be very costly to us," said Gallop.

"We're not trying to stop the World Cup bid but we are certainly concerned about the impact that it will have on our season, our fans and the financial position of our clubs."

The FFA has this week conceded their $120 + million plan to convert the MCG into a temporary rectangular venue would be unworkable.

[HazzaHSV]

Some facts on the MCG, just to get the thread off track... :jester:

The MCG is effectively the house that the AFL paid for, but the MCC built and the Victorian Government owns.

The MCG is built on crown land. It belongs to the Victorian people (government).

..any government funds towards the stadium go to the MCC. Not the AFL. The AFL is a tenant.

Well, only $77 million from any level of Government (State).
The exact article I took my information from, and the article that proves my point. The taxpayer gave the land the stadium was built on, and they also gave $77 million for the redevelopment.

So the fact that the AFL get exclusivity to the stadium for all of the 100 years they have needed it doesn't reflect that they are the main contributors?

What percentage of 100 years is 8 weeks? And given the taxpayer paid $77 million for the redevelopment, does that not give them the right to see a couple of weeks of Soccer there?

[The Griff]

They carry well over $300 million in debt. And the only reason they can ‘afford’ to carry that debt is the more than 2.5 million attendees each year for AFL at the ‘G.

Sounds like it's not the AFL controlling body (whatever they are called) paying for the MCG but your average mug punter who pays for their tickets out of their hard earned to go to the many events held at the MCG each year, which includes cricket, football and concerts as well as AFL.

So what are the AFL bosses doing with the $780 million from the sale of the TV rights?

[HazzaHSV]

So the rest of the world doesn't know Australia is here ? Shit, those Olympics were a waste of time & money then.. and the 40 million we lose each year on the F1GP is going to waste as well...

They really don't know we are down here, OMG please help us Soccer, show the world we are here....

give me a break... It will cost as a fortune, and 2 weeks after its over no one will remember it..
I really don't see how the huge cost of the Olympics, and the huge cost of the F1GP and the huge cost of Indy etc is worth it, but the big cost of the world's most popular, world's most watched, and most played sport by kids in Australia, is a waste?

I mean its not like we can race on the F1 track. It's not like ourselves or our kids can drive in the F1 cars while they are here. As you say Soccer is mostly popular overseas not here so how does it help us and why should we waste all this money bringing it here? Well same as the F1. It is mostly popular overseas not here, so how do you justify it and not soccer. Oh that's right. You have interest in motor sport but not Soccer. Just like the greenies have interest in flower shows and no noise and no motorsport, and just like they feel they need to block, deter, hamper, whinge in any way possible for things they don't have an interest in, you are doing the same for Soccer.

Sooner or later this type of attitude will wipe out our Motorsport and V8 gas guzzlers, you wait and see.

Two weeks after Soccer has finished using the stadium you blokes would have forgotten they ever used it, as that's how much impact it would have if planned properly.

[The Griff]

And its people (and I use the word people very loosely) like you that are going to keep this country in the dark ages for years to come...

That was sarcasm. I thought it might be mis-interpreted, but at least one person got it.

I love football, played it for many years before "retirement", am a Sydney FC member and will probably be going to South Africa next year to see the Socceroos. The WC in Australia would be an unbelievable experience.

[Wayne@GM Motorsport]

What percentage of 100 years is 8 weeks? And given the taxpayer paid $77 million for the redevelopment, does that not give them the right to see a couple of weeks of Soccer there?

Aslong as theres no afl or cricket on you can have it.. and as long as we are allowed to play afl elsewhere whilst the wc is on all is good

[smatta]

You do know AFL get more Government funding then any other sport....Go Away AFL your trying to bully the wrong sport

[BlownLS7]

ian collins who? he will be dead by the time AUSTRALIA host the World CUP, (what about if 7 get the rights? lol )
you are no doubt a passionate AFL man, but try and let common sense prevail,
the World Cup is bigger than ben hur and the guy running FOOTBALL (world Football that is) in this country has the power to make the AFL do what HE Wants, dont doubt that.and blatter owes australia

cheers




Again, if it wasn't for the AFL there would be no Etihad Stadium, so I'm pretty sure I know which way Ian Collins would go when push came to shove...

No AFL at Etihad... you might as well close it..

Also, don't forget, Etihad staduim reverts to AFL ownership in 2025...

[Ellistwo]

Seniority should prevail. Oz Rules is older then Association Football, so the soccer dudes can go find somewhere else to showcase boredom in sport.

[SEMPER FI]

C'mon Aust lets host the WC and show the world, put your differences aside !

[Ellistwo]

I don't see a problem with them using the new Rugby League stadium being built in Melbourne. It will get so few bums on seats, it will be in pristine condition.

[Rub]

ian collins who? he will be dead by the time AUSTRALIA host the World CUP, (what about if 7 get the rights? lol )
you are no doubt a passionate AFL man, but try and let common sense prevail,
the World Cup is bigger than ben hur and the guy running FOOTBALL (world Football that is) in this country has the power to make the AFL do what HE Wants, dont doubt that.and blatter owes australia

cheers

Paul,

Ian Collins has been quoted saying


But asked if he had spoken to the AFL about the issue, Collins replied: "No, at this point in time, we're talking about hearsay, innuendo and supposition.

[Nitronic12]

I'm hoping Australia wins the right to host the WC, and at the same time have the MCG host the final. I'm honestly not going to bother arguing about this now since there's another 10 years before this will be decided.

[Smitty]

This is all just going to be a waste of time and effort if Sydney wins the right to host the WC final if it does come. That $150M revamp looks decent. But I'll still support Melbourne and football in saying I hope we do get to host the WC.

hmmm... I thought Australia was after the WC
given big Kev is involved and I also thought this was also the case coz if we do win...
ALL major venues in Melbourne AND Sydney
AND Brisbane (possibly Adelaide) will be required
as per press reports re our bid

thats why not only the AFL are not happy (they are biggest the biggest noise)
the NRL is also waving their arms..coz no season there either
and
No state of Origin :confused:

[HazzaHSV]

thats why not only the AFL are not happy (they are biggest the biggest noise)
the NRL is also waving their arms..coz no season there either
and
No state of Origin :confused:
So you think with 10 years to plan it, the NRL won't be able to bring the State of Origin a month forward, or push it a month back? :confused:

[Justice R8]

Seriously, work the world cup around our AFL season thanks.. When soccer is big enough in this country it can build its own stadiums..

Wayne

It is called the MCG not the melbourne afl ground so using your theory afl shouldnt be whinging.

I hate soccer more than AFL so much so I was offered free business class air tickets to the last one, all 5 star accom and tickets to any of the games including the finals and still didnt go yet I still yhink to be able to hold the world cup here would be awsome for our tourist income as well as highlighting Australia as a great holiday destination. The only thing AFL I attend is the Brownlow and thats because my missus likes to dress up and the perve is ok too

Sometimes we all need to put the benefit of the country before our hobbies or passion as some call AFL. The income for Australia would be huge, accomodation would be full everywhere. I had some mates go to the last world cup and they stayed 60 miles from the venue they needed to go to to watch as it was all they could get. Imagine the restaraunts being full, the party atmosphere in major and regional areas, car hire, taxis, people just busting to take a ride down the Yarra( alright I was kidding there) but Sydney harbour would be flat out all with international guests injecting shit loads into the economy. The more the economy gets in the better for us, now if AFL could do the same it wouldnt be an issue. The more the economy gets the less chance of higher unemployment and higher taxes.

As I said sometimes you need to take one for the team and this time it is AFLs turn

[darb]

MCG = Melbourne CRICKET Ground, for starters.

[NIXON]

I dont see why we should all get our nickers in a knot, AFL is gay, and so is soccer.

[Rub]

What's also funny is the AFL are acting as if the World Cup is only 2 or 3 years away and that Australia actually have secured it!

[HazzaHSV]

I dont see why we should all get our nickers in a knot, AFL is gay, and so is soccer.
Sorry but I had to fall on the floor laughing when I read this. I have to pay that one. :rofl::rofl:

[BLACK 346]

I dont see why we should all get our nickers in a knot, AFL is gay, and so is soccer.

Your calling the 2 sports gay yet your wearing knickers :confused:
Edit: Just came to me, you must be a chick lol

[Ellistwo]

I dont see why we should all get our nickers in a knot, AFL is gay, and so is soccer.

No no, soccer is definitely for mono talented girlymen, AFL is for multitaskers who can walk and fart at the same time, while NRL is living proof we evolved from apes.

[Brandonsdad]

I dont see why AFL cant cope without the MCG for one season. They could send 2 Victorian clubs to Tasmania for those Hawthorn "home" games and also 2 Vic clubs to Northern Territory for those games as well. As for whenever a Vic team plays a non-victorian club, the Vic team can be the one that travels interstate, even if it is twice in the one year. Docklands stadium would then be able to cope with possibly 4 games a week. Dont forget, by the time the World Cup is here, AFL will probably be played on Monday nights regularly and possible more Thursday night games. This spreads it out a bit more. Adelaide Oval will hopefully be transformed into a decent stadium for AFL games, and if Footy Park gets maintained, with help from the AFL, this can also be used for either AFL or Soccer games, as long as FIFA approve it.
Both codes can survive, so I dont know why all the bitchin.

As for people calling Soccer or AFL gay, get over it. Its just a game that people like and just cos you dont like a certain sport, doesnt make it gay, its just the Soccer players that are gay.:rofl:

[hyperss82]

there is more talent need to play soccer than afl i dont see afl played at a world cup level, considering its only played on 1 side of australia, also i have played soccer at state level but had my fair share of afl at school level. although i cant watch either borring to watch. my 2 cents

[Smitty]

geez ...thought this had all disappeared :confused:

[JET-33]

i prefer afl over soccer but lets get serious, its a world cup! Demetriou needs to pull his head out of his a$$. he thinks afl runs the world and hes the president. hes an idiot.

cant wait to see the new west sydney team fail! his excuse is "it might take 20yrs to get going". yeh right. in 20yrs he will have wasted soooo much money it wont be funny and it will then fail when the afl stops funding it.

lets face it, a lot of nsw and qld love rugby. the dont care for afl. thats life. each to their own. he cant force people to like it. all it will do is send the already stuggling lions and swans into more trouble by losing some fans to the new teams. they will prob all end up failing... might be a vfl again soon :lol:

[tobezz]

there is more talent need to play soccer than afl i dont see afl played at a world cup level, considering its only played on 1 side of australia, also i have played soccer at state level but had my fair share of afl at school level. although i cant watch either borring to watch. my 2 cents

how can afl be played at world cup level when its a national sport, not an international sport like soccer? afl = australian football leauge. one side of australia? W.A has 2 teams, S.A has 2 teams, QLD soon to have 2 and so is NSW. thats more then one side of australia to me :)

[JET-33]

how can afl be played at world cup level when its a national sport, not an international sport like soccer? afl = australian football leauge. one side of australia? W.A has 2 teams, S.A has 2 teams, QLD soon to have 2 and so is NSW. thats more then one side of australia to me :)

other states might have 2 teams (but the new nsw and qld teams will prob fail pretty quick as soon as the afl doesnt pay their way) but they by no means have it as a major sport. afl barely exists in nsw and qld when you compare it to the popularity of nrl. that leaves wa which is about 1/3 of the country and sa which is also a pretty big state. not much support or money going into afl from these places.

afl can never be compared to a world class elite sport. some 17yo kid out of high school here will never be the athlete somewhere in america will produce for nba or nfl at the same age. im a baseball fan so i dont really care about afl or soccer but give me the world cup over some crappy weekend pointless round game of footy.....

would you rather see australia v some international star team in an international event or freeo vs melb on a sunday at the G with 15k in attendance? :lol:

[HazzaHSV]

geez ...thought this had all disappeared :confused:
Not for another 8-12 years :rofl:

[AFAR]

Hardly anyone even cares about AFL when the world cup is on anyway.

Newspapers - Mostly WC
TV - Yep same.
Online - pretty much all WC
Radio - Yep same
General shit talk with your mates, usually a lot of WC talk.

The bogans are only kidding themselves if they think most people would care if the afl was postponed/shortened over hosting the WC.

Look at just how much more popular football(soccer) has become after the 06 WorldCup.
Imagine if Australia does well by getting through to the finals in the next 2 cups.
It's going to be pretty hard for the AFL to be holding onto the stadiums with such a big damand going against them.

Demetriou should start planning for 2022 right now..

[tobezz]

other states might have 2 teams (but the new nsw and qld teams will prob fail pretty quick as soon as the afl doesnt pay their way) but they by no means have it as a major sport. afl barely exists in nsw and qld when you compare it to the popularity of nrl. that leaves wa which is about 1/3 of the country and sa which is also a pretty big state. not much support or money going into afl from these places.

afl can never be compared to a world class elite sport. some 17yo kid out of high school here will never be the athlete somewhere in america will produce for nba or nfl at the same age. im a baseball fan so i dont really care about afl or soccer but give me the world cup over some crappy weekend pointless round game of footy.....

would you rather see australia v some international star team in an international event or freeo vs melb on a sunday at the G with 15k in attendance? :lol:

its funny how everyone hangin sh1t on afl here always comes out with the "oh i dont even care about soccer or footy" " i play or watch a different sport anyways" so if you dont care about soccer or afl whats the big deal to you anyway?? melb v freo at the g on a sunday arvo....... i'd rather watch footy flashbacks lol and thats comin from a big afl fan :)

[Phizzle]

For those that want the jist of the thread:
1) Soccer is gay and is played by homosexuals and lesbians.
2) Demetriou is a girl's blouse
3) ???
4) The World Cup will never be hosted in Australia because everyone wants their piece of the pie
5) Profit


how can afl be played at world cup level when its a national sport, not an international sport like soccer? afl = australian football leauge. one side of australia? W.A has 2 teams, S.A has 2 teams, QLD soon to have 2 and so is NSW. thats more then one side of australia to me :)

Americans can have a World Series of Baseball.......:rofl:

[tobezz]

phizzle you missed my point. baseball is played in more countries then just america, afl has one leauge in australia, its not played anywhere else in the world like soccer and baseball.

[Phizzle]

phizzle you missed my point. baseball is played in more countries then just america, afl has one leauge in australia, its not played anywhere else in the world like soccer and baseball.

No, I get what you were saying! It's just that as you say, Baseball is played most of the world over, yet only America has a "World" Series of it! Not disagreeing with you at all, just saying Americans at times are a bit superior to the rest of the world LOL

[tobezz]

ahh sorry mate, finallly got what ya meant:doh:

[forcedindction]

Both are great sports in my humble opinion so I hope a compromise can be made.

Maybe we can look at it from this point of view. If Australia ever made it to a world cup final, who here would NOT watch it !? Surely it would have to be our single greatest single sporting achievement !!??

[justin_d]

This is still going?! I thought it had faded away like the A-League's crowds since it's inception.

[ILLUSIV1]

phizzle you missed my point. baseball is played in more countries then just america, afl has one leauge in australia, its not played anywhere else in the world like soccer and baseball.

Actually, although no professional leagues exist yet, there are comps in Japan and the good ol US of A. Oh and I think Tasmania:)
i can't believe this thread has re appeared lol