midfielder
Well-Known Member
Well its my 100 thread and well I tho I might try and make a good one for a change.
Decided to share my thoughts on where football is heading and the general sporting landscape. I can feel a change coming over the Australian sporting landscape; football is at a tipping point, it could go either way. The ownership of electronic media in Australia over the last two years has changed, plus with technology changing so much I wonder how much live streaming and phone companies will drive media deals in ten years. Last night I watched the Tards V Scum being streamed live from an Iranian site streaming Foxsports live.
The things affecting the tipping point, determining which way or how fast we go are;
The aforementioned change in media ownership thus no Kerry Packers and a less influential Kerry Stokes backing RL & AFL, and changes to media broadcast methods i.e. phone / live streaming etc.
The growing influence of Asian in Australia and therefore footballs presence in Asia will / has, become the funding base for football. If no Asia no Palmer to back the Gold Cost, no Austrade fuzzy statements, no government money, no ten bids to get the three spots left for the A-League in the 12 team competition.
The product range offered by football, the list is huge compared to other codes, and would include World and Asian Cups for both men and womens teams, Olympics for men & womens teams, other national sides, ACL spots, & A-League of course. As an aside in the last RWC played about the same time as the Womens WC, Australia V Brazil on SBS and little publicity out rated the Wallabies V Fiji on Ch 10 both played at the same time.
The potential for a B-League thus promotion and regulation and in time maybe ten years away but an Australian cup (similar to the FA cup)
As each month passes by more traditional media people are talking about football. Channel 9 run a new sports show on Sunday morning with Adam Gillcrest as the anchor, the show has a segment on the A-League.
The spread of the A-League and future B-League will be best of all the codes and will not have a heavy Sydney & Melbourne team representation thus more appealing to many in regional centers.
In regional NSW & QLD RL is well represented and I looked at a Roy Masters article http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/news/regional-viewers-blown-off-map/2008/07/31/1217097437991.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2
However with articles like this and some simple analysis work similar to the populations details below will in time make regional areas become more important to the .. suites, than they currently are.
Roy bemoans that fact that regional NSW & QLD are not countered in TV ratings and it is interesting to read the big hoo ha over how NRL fans are irked about the discrepancies in TV revenue how the figures quoted by/concerning AFL don't count the regional markets but just the capital cities, obviously if A League can get a good presence in regional markets and a solid presence in capital cities, this will be quite strong for footballs case in the future.
The NSW Regional population is 2,828 329 made up as follows, Central Coast 306,000, Hunter 611,935, Illawarra 414,000, Riverina 149,039, Murray 111,000, Capital Region 500,000, Mid North Coast 242,000, Northern Rivers 265,000, New England 175,883, Orana 120,000, Central West 175,351, Far West 23,181
The Queensland regional population is 2, 294, 400 made up as follows, Gold Coast 505, 500 , Sunshine Coast 303, 100, West Moreton 74, 300, Wide Bay-Burnett 275, 700, Darling Downs 229, 300, South West 26, 200, Fitzroy 204, 500, Central West 11, 400, Mackay 163, 100, Northern 214, 300, Far North 253, 700, North West 33, 300.
The total NSW & QLD regional is therefore 5, 122, 729, whereas the total population of SA, WA, Tas, NT is 4, 256, 216, made up as follows, South Australia 1, 542, 000, Western Australia 2, 010, 000, Tasmania 491, 704, Northern Territory 212, 512
Accordingly the combined NSW & QLD regional population is 865, 513 larger than the combined SA / WA / Tas / NT populations. Meaning spread of teams to regional NSW & QLD centres as is through to happen will greatly benefit football.
Football will have more product than any other code, more players, the Socceroos will be Australia major sporting team, and football will have the best spread of regions / towns / cities across Australia, and football will have national men & womens competitions.
Are there problems ahead . Many bridges still to cross;- expand and last the next five years with very small budgets will be the hardest. Thus going to games and getting your friends to come will help a lot. Dont come and it could start to stutter and let the traditional media attack and say its basketball revisited.
Major problems are to lift the general standard of play to entice the more European style football fans to the A-League. The youth league and new training system will assist here but most of all the coaches need to step up to the mark and have there teams play a good standard. Perhaps the greatest loss by the old management was all that football knowledge held by the 1950 / 60 migrants was not passed on and spread amongst the broader football community of the time.
In fact a lift in quality of football across all areas including media reporting, referring, needs to happen as well as on the park. But if, crowds increase, football expands the teams, Australia qualifies for WC/ AC/ do well in ACL (Mariners especially hopefully), the media will come, nothing will stop it.
Footballs next five yeas will be difficult, compared to other codes football will have very small budgets, little media, traditional media often looking for the fire cracker at a football match but will almost ignore and report differently the stories of other codes just like the guy that was killed in Queensland after SOO match that received little coverage at the time, if it had been at a football match we would still be seeing it in news highlight.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23746173-2,00.html.
But we have Frank Lowy and the other codes have no one who can hold a candle to him. All football has ever wanted is to be treated as a traditional sport which it is now and more than ever before football is in our hands and we the fans control how it will grow and be perceived by our actions by going to games and not doing anything stupid there.
Finally the Asian connection can only grow and draw people of influence and money which the media cannot be ignore. The media will look totally differently from today as I see it phone and internet companies will be a large part of it and quality product and a lot of it will bring in big dollars and football will have quality product more than any of the other codes. My conclusion football has a very bright future.
Off my chest and my 100th thread is over.
Decided to share my thoughts on where football is heading and the general sporting landscape. I can feel a change coming over the Australian sporting landscape; football is at a tipping point, it could go either way. The ownership of electronic media in Australia over the last two years has changed, plus with technology changing so much I wonder how much live streaming and phone companies will drive media deals in ten years. Last night I watched the Tards V Scum being streamed live from an Iranian site streaming Foxsports live.
The things affecting the tipping point, determining which way or how fast we go are;
The aforementioned change in media ownership thus no Kerry Packers and a less influential Kerry Stokes backing RL & AFL, and changes to media broadcast methods i.e. phone / live streaming etc.
The growing influence of Asian in Australia and therefore footballs presence in Asia will / has, become the funding base for football. If no Asia no Palmer to back the Gold Cost, no Austrade fuzzy statements, no government money, no ten bids to get the three spots left for the A-League in the 12 team competition.
The product range offered by football, the list is huge compared to other codes, and would include World and Asian Cups for both men and womens teams, Olympics for men & womens teams, other national sides, ACL spots, & A-League of course. As an aside in the last RWC played about the same time as the Womens WC, Australia V Brazil on SBS and little publicity out rated the Wallabies V Fiji on Ch 10 both played at the same time.
The potential for a B-League thus promotion and regulation and in time maybe ten years away but an Australian cup (similar to the FA cup)
As each month passes by more traditional media people are talking about football. Channel 9 run a new sports show on Sunday morning with Adam Gillcrest as the anchor, the show has a segment on the A-League.
The spread of the A-League and future B-League will be best of all the codes and will not have a heavy Sydney & Melbourne team representation thus more appealing to many in regional centers.
In regional NSW & QLD RL is well represented and I looked at a Roy Masters article http://www.leaguehq.com.au/news/news/regional-viewers-blown-off-map/2008/07/31/1217097437991.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2
However with articles like this and some simple analysis work similar to the populations details below will in time make regional areas become more important to the .. suites, than they currently are.
Roy bemoans that fact that regional NSW & QLD are not countered in TV ratings and it is interesting to read the big hoo ha over how NRL fans are irked about the discrepancies in TV revenue how the figures quoted by/concerning AFL don't count the regional markets but just the capital cities, obviously if A League can get a good presence in regional markets and a solid presence in capital cities, this will be quite strong for footballs case in the future.
The NSW Regional population is 2,828 329 made up as follows, Central Coast 306,000, Hunter 611,935, Illawarra 414,000, Riverina 149,039, Murray 111,000, Capital Region 500,000, Mid North Coast 242,000, Northern Rivers 265,000, New England 175,883, Orana 120,000, Central West 175,351, Far West 23,181
The Queensland regional population is 2, 294, 400 made up as follows, Gold Coast 505, 500 , Sunshine Coast 303, 100, West Moreton 74, 300, Wide Bay-Burnett 275, 700, Darling Downs 229, 300, South West 26, 200, Fitzroy 204, 500, Central West 11, 400, Mackay 163, 100, Northern 214, 300, Far North 253, 700, North West 33, 300.
The total NSW & QLD regional is therefore 5, 122, 729, whereas the total population of SA, WA, Tas, NT is 4, 256, 216, made up as follows, South Australia 1, 542, 000, Western Australia 2, 010, 000, Tasmania 491, 704, Northern Territory 212, 512
Accordingly the combined NSW & QLD regional population is 865, 513 larger than the combined SA / WA / Tas / NT populations. Meaning spread of teams to regional NSW & QLD centres as is through to happen will greatly benefit football.
Football will have more product than any other code, more players, the Socceroos will be Australia major sporting team, and football will have the best spread of regions / towns / cities across Australia, and football will have national men & womens competitions.
Are there problems ahead . Many bridges still to cross;- expand and last the next five years with very small budgets will be the hardest. Thus going to games and getting your friends to come will help a lot. Dont come and it could start to stutter and let the traditional media attack and say its basketball revisited.
Major problems are to lift the general standard of play to entice the more European style football fans to the A-League. The youth league and new training system will assist here but most of all the coaches need to step up to the mark and have there teams play a good standard. Perhaps the greatest loss by the old management was all that football knowledge held by the 1950 / 60 migrants was not passed on and spread amongst the broader football community of the time.
In fact a lift in quality of football across all areas including media reporting, referring, needs to happen as well as on the park. But if, crowds increase, football expands the teams, Australia qualifies for WC/ AC/ do well in ACL (Mariners especially hopefully), the media will come, nothing will stop it.
Footballs next five yeas will be difficult, compared to other codes football will have very small budgets, little media, traditional media often looking for the fire cracker at a football match but will almost ignore and report differently the stories of other codes just like the guy that was killed in Queensland after SOO match that received little coverage at the time, if it had been at a football match we would still be seeing it in news highlight.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23746173-2,00.html.
But we have Frank Lowy and the other codes have no one who can hold a candle to him. All football has ever wanted is to be treated as a traditional sport which it is now and more than ever before football is in our hands and we the fans control how it will grow and be perceived by our actions by going to games and not doing anything stupid there.
Finally the Asian connection can only grow and draw people of influence and money which the media cannot be ignore. The media will look totally differently from today as I see it phone and internet companies will be a large part of it and quality product and a lot of it will bring in big dollars and football will have quality product more than any of the other codes. My conclusion football has a very bright future.
Off my chest and my 100th thread is over.
