Competing Footballing Codes: Australia’s World Cup Bid In Trouble?
Here’s one big problem the US and England don’t face with their World Cup bids: conflict with planned use of stadia by Aussie Rules Football and rugby league teams. The issue has caused a huge stir in Australia this week, with Football Federation Australia under fire for failing to consult with the governing bodies of the other football codes that share most of Australia’s largest stadiums about potential scheduling conflicts (Melbourne’s “rectangular” stadium currently under construction is so-named for its rarity as a non-oval shaped stadium suited specifically for soccer, though a rugby league team will also play there).
“They certainly have to improve their communication, not just with us but other people involved in and being affected by a World Cup,” Australian Football League (which runs Aussie football) boss Andrew Demetrio said of the FFA to the Roar. “I think a World Cup is a great thing for this country (but) it’s time to get this stuff organised. They really need to be proactive and come up with solutions and start listening to the other codes and other people affected by this, particularly the venues, and not do all the talking.”
Similarly, the National Rugby League’s CEO David Gallop said that “Some of the proposals are not going to be palatable to us and would be very costly to us. 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.”
However, one suspects that the FFA and NRL’s timing of this — just after the recent bidding presentations to FIFA and the 2010 World Cup draw — were designed to maximise publicity and hit the FFA up for compensation for rescheduling, as well as a reflection of concern that a successful World Cup could give soccer the boost it needs to become a leading football code in the country alongside the more popular Aussie Rules and Rugby League.
Consider the rest of Gallop’s comments regarding the possibility of compensation: “It’s not something that’s been discussed thus far but if that was part of the discussions then we’d be interested to hear what they’ve got to say. It’s obviously a big shot in the arm for a competitor and we’re running a business and we have to be mindful of that. Clearly a soccer World Cup is going to be a big shot in the arm for their game, not only in the period that it’s on but in the years that follow.”
In the U.S., the NFL is obviously confident enough that a soccer World Cup using many of its own teams’ venues would merely mean a little more summer revenue for them — no scheduling conflicts there — and isn’t worried about soccer as a competing code. In Australia, it looks like the other footballing codes are concerned enough to risk damaging their country’s World Cup bid.
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God, I love the Aussie football wars. Each code constantly bickers with and claims superiority over all the others. You don’t see this anywhere else in the world, and it is awesome. I want to go to Melbourne Cricket Ground for an AFL Grand Final about 10,000 times more than I want to go to a Super Bowl.
I would love it in England for 2018 and then the USA for 2022. Not sure Australia has the stadiums that England and the USA already have.
One other thing to mention about Cricket (and AFL) ovals, since the Australia bid plans to use several of them for the WC, I believe, is that they are *HUGE*. If the pitch is downtown, the seats are in the suburbs.
Yea, the ovals are not meant for football. They aren’t much worse than stadiums with tracks though, I mean, all things considered Stadio Olimpico is a horrible, horrible venue for football. If, say, Rochdale played their instead of Roma and Lazio it’d get the flack it deserves. Again though, that’s where the US and England come out way ahead of others, they won’t have to use an oval or a track.
I do think the AFL is a bit mindful of potential competition, anyone other than the NFL would be, but another of their main concern is that the heart and soul of the sport is Melbourne. It has popularity outside of Victoria, and they’ll spin it until the cows come home, but outside of Victoria it isn’t the power it is within those borders. Losing the MCG, and possibly the Docklands — because either Melbourne or Sydney is going to have to double-up — for a month means their main venue becomes Geelong. Geelong is mad about their AFL team, the Cats, but Geelong is only so big and isn’t exactly close to Melbourne — I think it’s an hour away. There’s also an outside — very outside — chance that Geelong itself would host matches given the lack of major cities in the country, that’d be horrible for the AFL.
Here is another perspective on the issue:
http://barklystend.blogspot.com/
I’ve watched AFL in one of the stadia that would be part of the bid, Subiaco Oval in Perth, WA. The stadium was superb, the AFL match (Freemantle vs Carlton) wasn’t, but that’s personal taste ( I can’t watch NFL either, it’s all the stopping and starting). However, back to the point, the ‘Subi Oval’ whilst primarily an AFL venue has been used by Perth Glory for big games when they needed extra capacity and also as a venue for the Rugby World Cup and worked fine, it’s no different to watching a game at any of the stadia in Europe with an athletics track.
Interesting. I think you have the wrong impression on the revenues, though Mr. Football. FIFA doesn’t take all the ticket sales–in fact I don’t think they take any. I believe they make all the money from TV. In 1994 when we hosted, US Soccer made $50 million on the tournament.
That said, they will force all the venues to be clear for the entire three weeks, and that’s got to cause some hardship to the AFL teams (NFL teams don’t play in our summer).
Australia has the infrastructure and stadia to host the world cup today if they had to, stadiums like ANZ stadium, the MCG, Suncorp Stadium and Sydney Football Stadium are all world class stadiums capable of hosting world class events. Australia is also part of the Asian Football Confed., at present asia is the fastest growing football region in the world. At present we do have a problem, this being the pig-headed, arrogant ‘leaders’ of the AFL and NRL can’t seem to see that Ausralia hosting the world cup would be a major success for our country, not only in revenue but in creating an attractive global image. Overall, Australia has the stadia and infrastructure to host this event, all that is needed is a little comprmise from our fellow sporting bodies.
I feel for the soccer fans, but soccer is about as popular in Australia versus Australian Rules & Rugby as table tennis is in the UK compared to UK soccer.
So the soccer people want the Australian government to spend millions preparing the venues for world cup, insist the far, far more popular Aussie rules & Rugby matches not be played for 3 months in the middle of our seasons, no music concerts or non FIFA cultural events for 12 weeks & very little promotion for anything other than world cup permitted for a year leading up to the cup. Then after the Australian taxpayers and other sport codes have lost many $ millions due to this, FIFA wants a lot of the profits. All this for a sport just a few very vocal Australians care about.
Would the British spend & lose many millions & do all that & interrupt their football season to accommodate a world cup for a sport that’s popular in other countries, but the British don’t care for? No I don’t think so! And the above is the situation.
Darb, you are not estimating right about the ability of Australia. It is enable to host World Cup.
Love Daves Dec. 9 comment, but Lewis, Dec. 15, it’s FIFA & FFA who are pig-headed & arrogant, not AFL/NRL who are being told the AFLs season will be largely destroyed costing them hundreds of $ millions, their demands on Australias taxpayers & culture are fantastic especially considering how small the “world game” is in Australia. Let a country that loves soccer pay for your big off-season party (world cup) & I hope it goes well for you, it’s just not nearly worth it for us to do it.
Please read Mr. Footballs blog on the atrocious business aspects of this, on so many levels, for Australia & Australias’ main football codes, AFL & NRL. http://barklystend.blogspot.com/
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics: (info obtained from the ABS website: 4156.0 – Sports and Physical Recreation: A Statistical Overview, Australia, 2009
Latest ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 10/23/2009
By far the most popular organised sport for boys in the year ending April 2006 was Outdoor soccer which was played by 268,500 boys (20%), well in excess of the numbers participating in the next two most popular sports – Swimming with 225,700 (17%), and Australian Rules football with 188,500 (14%). For girls, two sports were predominant – Swimming with 236,800 (18%) and Netball with 224,100 participants (17%). The level of participation by girls in both of these sports was more than double the level of participation in tennis, which was the next placed sport with 85,800 participants (6.6%).
I add this quote from the ABS above because the debate (within Australia) about which code is dominant or most popular is based upon opinions that do not take into account one crucial element…. facts.
I heard Australia’s World Cup bid team has been accused of handing out inappropriate inducements to FIFA ex-co members and misleading its own government over how taxpayers’ money is spent. I hope everything will turn out just fine.
Although I could be accused of being biased. Never the less this is a very interesting debate.
“According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics:” interesting how you can use statistics to bend the debate.
Lets not forget what our AFL boss Andrew Demetriou said that although we are an “indigenous code” we would be prepared to move aside as long as it does not come at a “financial cost”. I’m sure between the AFL, The Australian Soccer Federation & the Australian Government something can be worked out.
Although Soccer may have a high participation rates is financial contribution is minimal, you only have to look at Australian Tv rights. Melbourne, the sporting capitol of Australia (arguably of The World – No other city can boast our facilities and events), which happens to be the home of the AFL has a proud cosmopolitan history that would love to host a world cup, we have a passion for all sports. Melbourne also has a massive Italian community, Scottish, Yugoslavian, Dutch etc, etc, etc Did the bureau of statistics also tell you Melbourne is also the 2nd biggest Greek city in the world, 2nd only to Athens!
So please dont ask us to sell our soul, to pay homage to our past..