Afl

[The Dunster]

Look, I like football. I just find these arguments a bit schizophrenic.

People argue that football is the World Game, and being part of something bigger is part of the attraction, yet AFL is the biggest party in Australia, and these same people don't want to be part of it. Our greatest event is Melbourne Victory coming to Newcastle. Everyone says "ho hum". We had a go at Asian Champions League and the people of the Hunter ignored it. I think it would be great to be part of a larger Australian community where teams like Collingwood and Richmond come here to compete.

People say you should be conservative about it "Stick to your team", all the while promoting a progressive, disruptive agenda, by trying to turn a sub-culture into a mainstream culture.

The whole premise for "I told you so", the formation of the FFA and the A-League was that it is a global game and so the force of globalism, the opportunities to engage with the world will pull Australia into line.

But there is also a case for Nationalism. When I go to the USA, do I want to see the Revolution play or do I want to see the Patriots, the Celtics, the Bruins or the Red Sox? When you go to Melbourne you almost feel like you are in a different country because AFL is so alien to us. But people who come to visit from other countries love it simply because it is different.

There are many reasons why football is a good sport, but those reasons also apply to AFL - plus you get to use your hands.

You don't get it.

AFL fans are loyal to their teams no matter where they are on the ladder. Your football teams having a few bad years and you jump ship.

Footscray / Bulldogs fans waited a long time for a premiership as did the Swans, Kangaroos, and magpies. Those premierships meant a lot more to those fans than they ever did to band wagoners like yourself who pull the pin when times are tough.

I grew up in Melbourne and have been a Hawks supporter all my life - I was at the 71, 76, and 78 Grand Final wins. I was also at the 1977 Pre lim loss to the Roos and the 1975 loss to the roos.

But I could rate at least ten Jets games as more memorable experiences. The AFC come from behind win, the win against the Roar to go into theseason 3 GF, beating Sydney at home in season 3 semi, beating the NZ Knights in season 2 for the teams first win. the 2nd season once we got on a roll.. the list is endless.
Sorry, but I've been to a shit load of AFL games over the past 50 years or so and it doesn't come close to what the Newcastle Jets and football are capable of delivering.

So what if the teams ****ed at the moment - That's just going to make it a whole lot better when things start going our way. And if they don't, then we always have the lols here on the foz.

[Jules]

You don't get it.

AFL fans are loyal to their teams no matter where they are on the ladder. Your football teams having a few bad years and you jump ship

No, I'm not jumping ship simply because they've had a few bad years. I'm jumping ship because the entire premise under which the A-League was set up, that it was going to become a mainstream sport, is turning more and more into a fantasy. It is clear that the league is becoming uneven. The Jets don't have the corporate backing to compete, and they get ALL the dud time slots which shows that the FFA couldn't care less about ensuring a fair competition, so long as the money is coming in. This is a far cry from the fundamentals on which the league was founded. I'm not opposed to some teams naturally being stronger, but the FFA aren't going to help regional teams, with natural marketplace disadvantages, or even pretend to keep things as even as possible. And the Jets continually fail to take advantage of the thing that are in their favour, like lack of entertainment alternatives.

The sport needs to have mainstream support to be healthy. It is still anaemic after 13 years and you will probably see commercial channels pass on the free to air to rights again, because there just won't be enough opportunities to generate advertising revenue.

Good luck to you. I hope you get to experience more highs in the future. If Mr Lee comes to the party it might be sooner than later, but I won't lose any sleep over it.