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Post by telemelbs on Jan 17, 2019 18:33:19 GMT 10
What are everyones opinions of this? I have no interest in NRL (I don't hate it, just can't get into it), but am a large AFL supporter. As for people I know, I don't know anyone at all who supports NRL or even talks about it, which I'm not surprised since NRL has a small fan base here in Vic. I wonder if there are more Melbourne Storm supporters who live interstate!
IMO:
NRL dominant states: QLD, NSW, ACT
AFL dominant states: VIC, TAS, SA, WA
NT? Half-half? I heard of some AFL games being played there in the past, but not sure about NRL?
As for the interests in Grand Finals?
I think a lot of Australia watch the AFL Grand Final, but NSW and QLD don't seem to take particular interest during the year in most games.
For NRL; SA, WA and TAS have no interest in the NRL Grand Final and don't even watch games during the year (I think even a few years ago the GF was televised in a late time slot!). Some Victorians watch the Grand Final, but many switch off before the actual game and only watch the pre-match entertainment from my experience.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 17, 2019 19:51:17 GMT 10
While the NRL is widely supported in this market, some areas of Sydney are more into the game (and sport generally) than others. Not sure if Melbourne has something similar going on with the AFL. I wonder if there are more Melbourne Storm supporters who live interstate! I'd imagine that quite a lot of Melbourne Storm fans either live interstate (I know of at least a couple of people who are lifelong Sydneysiders yet support the Storm) or were originally from NSW/QLD but have moved South. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course!  NRL dominant states: QLD, NSW, ACTEven though the NRL has the Canberra Raiders while there's currently no AFL team based in the national capital (unofficially though, it's to my understanding that GWS have played some of their home games in Canberra - particularly when Spotless Stadium is unavailable due to RAS commitments), I was personally under the impression that the support of the football codes was more 50/50 in the ACT due to the unique demographics in that part of the world. NT? Half-half? I heard of some AFL games being played there in the past, but not sure about NRL? TV coverage wise, yes. Generally though, I was under the impression that the Northern Territory is more into the AFL than the NRL. As for the interests in Grand Finals? I think Sydneysiders only really take a significant interest in AFL when the Swans (or maybe the Giants, if they ever make it into one) are playing in Grand Finals. By contrast, the NRL Grand Final and State of Origin matches are consistently the four most watched TV events in Sydney every year...although you're probably already aware of that.
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Post by SharksFan99 on Jan 17, 2019 21:22:24 GMT 10
I think the events that happened during my October 2010 trip really highlight the difference in interest levels between the two sports in Victoria. One day, my Mum and I decided to go to Eureka Tower for the day, which coincidentally, was also the same day that the rematch of the 2010 AFL Grand Final took place. We noticed all the people flocking to Federation Square while we were up at the Eureka Tower viewing platform, so we decided to walk over to Federation Square to see what was going on. Thousands of people were sitting on the steps of Federation Square, shoulder to shoulder, eagerly watching Collingwood take on St Kilda in the AFL Grand Final. The whole area was a hive of activity and even as someone who has no interest in the sport, it was great to experience! It was as if the entire city came to a standstill to watch what the final result will be. As you might know, the AFL and NRL Grand Finals are generally played around the same time, so the NRL Grand Final was shown on the giant television screen at Federation Square the next day. My Mum and I are fans of the NRL, so we went to Federation Square to watch the match...but there were only 5-10 other people with us. Most of them were probably tourists from NSW and/or Queensland. Melburnians, on the other hand, simply didn't care that it was on. People just walked past the screen without even taking notice of it. Here are a few photos that I took on that weekend (notice how hardly anyone is using a smartphone):    NT? Half-half? I heard of some AFL games being played there in the past, but not sure about NRL? The Parramatta Eels played a game in Darwin last season. I think the Rabbitohs have played a few games up there in the past as well. As for my thoughts on this topic, I think it's interesting how such a divide exists between the states and territories, especially considering the relatively similar patterns of European settlement across the country. I personally don't know anyone who is a fan of the AFL. It's pretty stigmatized up here; a lot of people refer to it as "aerial ping pong" or "GayFL". I know this is somewhat unrelated and i'm not sure if you're a fan of soccer or not, but just out of curiosity, how would you describe the interest levels in the A-League in Melbourne/Victoria? I get the impression that the Melbourne Victory are the most supported non-AFL team in the city. The club has a membership base of over 25,000 people and they also seem to receive a decent amount of coverage in the media as well. They definitely have more support than the Melbourne Storm, in any case.
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Post by telemelbs on Jan 17, 2019 22:31:11 GMT 10
I think Sydneysiders only really take a significant interest in AFL when the Swans (or maybe the Giants, if they ever make it into one) are playing in Grand Finals. And whenever the Swans are in a GF, the ratings usually get over the 3 million mark!
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Post by telemelbs on Jan 17, 2019 22:49:03 GMT 10
Thousands of people were sitting on the steps of Federation Square, shoulder to shoulder, eagerly watching Collingwood take on St Kilda in the AFL Grand Final. The whole area was a hive of activity and even as someone who has no interest in the sport, it was great to experience! It was as if the entire city came to a standstill to watch what the final result will be. I attended the replay since it was easier to get tickets than the previous weeks game. I knew there was a large crowd watching the week before (since they showed live scenes during Channel 7's coverage of the game), but I wasn't aware more returned for the replay! It was one of the most hyped GFs in recent history (since it was two Melbourne teams), so no wonder why there was a large crowd (plus it was a replayed game!). I know this is somewhat unrelated and i'm not sure if you're a fan of soccer or not, but just out of curiosity, how would you describe the interest levels in the A-League in Melbourne/Victoria? I get the impression that the Melbourne Victory are the most supported non-AFL team in the city. The club has a membership base of over 25,000 people and they also seem to receive a decent amount of coverage in the media as well. They definitely have more support than the Melbourne Storm, in any case. A-league has been gaining popularity more recently. It definitely has a larger fan base than Melbourne Storm and NRL in general, especially among more European people of Melbourne. Usually in sports reports on 7,9,10, etc, the stories are mainly focused on AFL and some A-league, but not much Melbourne Storm news.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 18, 2019 10:09:16 GMT 10
NRL isn't popular at all in SA. State of Origin is. That's always shown Live on 9. NRL is either live or on delay on GEM but receives no promotion. It had a couple of years where SA did take to it when the Adelaide Rams were around. SA does get a game here every year and I think usually 30,000 odd attend and that's probably the extent of SA fans who care for the code. NRL is too stop start for me, too much bum sniffing also. Bit like American football.
AFL is obviously massive here. Besides Tasmania, it's at least a national code.
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Post by SharksFan99 on Jan 19, 2019 20:13:07 GMT 10
While the NRL is widely supported in this market, some areas of Sydney are more into the game (and sport generally) than others. Not sure if Melbourne has something similar going on with the AFL. Just out of curiosity, what areas of Sydney would you say are the most passionate about the NRL? I would personally be inclined to say that Western Sydney would generally be more into the game than other parts of Sydney, such as the Lower North Shore or the Eastern Suburbs. However, it's possible that there are parts of Western Sydney (e.g Liverpool, Fairfield) which are actually more supportive of football/soccer (particularly the Wanderers and the European football leagues) than rugby league. A-league has been gaining popularity more recently. It definitely has a larger fan base than Melbourne Storm and NRL in general, especially among more European people of Melbourne. Usually in sports reports on 7,9,10, etc, the stories are mainly focused on AFL and some A-league, but not much Melbourne Storm news. Yep. I'm not sure to what extent this is true, but based on my observations over the past few years, the A-League actually seems to have more support in Melbourne than it does in Sydney, which is interesting, because the Melbourne media is generally more bias against the sport. For instance, I have seen Melbourne Victory billboards in the inner-city suburbs of Melbourne (as pictured below), as well as hearing promotional ads for Melbourne City on Triple M and Fox FM. I have yet to see/hear anything of that nature in Sydney.  That's interesting to hear! I actually took a photo of the MCG from the Eureka Tower observation deck. See if you can spot yourself in this picture, lol.  
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2019 13:56:59 GMT 10
I would personally be inclined to say that Western Sydney would generally be more into the game than other parts of Sydney, such as the Lower North Shore or the Eastern Suburbs. However, it's possible that there are parts of Western Sydney (e.g Liverpool, Fairfield) which are actually more supportive of football/soccer (particularly the Wanderers and the European football leagues) than rugby league. I agree with those observations, including the possibility of the Liverpool/Fairfield area being more supportive of soccer since they're probably the one major region of Sydney which has never had (nor will likely ever have) their own team in the NRL. Personally I was under the impression that Roosters territory (Bondi, Coogee, etc.) would most likely be the one area of the entire Sydney metropolitan area which is the least interested in rugby league or sport generally. Although this probably goes without saying, quite a lot of Macarthur region residents are rather passionate about the West Tigers, right mediaexpert?
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Post by mediaexpert on Jan 20, 2019 15:51:11 GMT 10
Although this probably goes without saying, quite a lot of Macarthur region residents are rather passionate about the West Tigers, right mediaexpert ? Yes, but not as much as many years ago. In recent years, Wests Tigers play only 3 home games a year in Campbelltown Stadium, to the point that Macarthur region residents don't see them as their home team anymore. Several articles in the local paper backs it up: www.macarthuradvertiser.com.au/story/4770669/fans-questions-wests-tigers-local-commitment/When the news came that the Macarthur South West United team will be included in the A-League from the 2020-21 season, locals are celebrating that they now have a team in any of the national sporting league that they can call their own. This meant that Campbelltown Stadium would be put to better use for the first time in many years. By comparison, I think St George Illawarra Dragons has more home games at WIN Stadium in Wollongong than Wests Tigers do in Campbelltown.
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Post by SharksFan99 on Jan 22, 2019 15:37:12 GMT 10
This was something that I was thinking about earlier. I wonder how the southernmost towns in New South Wales (e.g Eden, Wagga Wagga) would fit into the equation? I'd imagine that the towns/villages near the Murray River such as Albury and Balranald would be more aligned with the AFL (especially since some Victorian media stations can be received in the southernmost parts of NSW), but i'm not sure if it would apply to towns like Eden or Bombala.
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Post by telemelbs on Jan 22, 2019 16:51:21 GMT 10
Found this interesting thread with regional data from some grand finals (NRL and AFL) from the early 2000s.. Ratings data
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Post by mediaexpert on Jan 22, 2019 18:50:29 GMT 10
This was something that I was thinking about earlier. I wonder how the southernmost towns in New South Wales (e.g Eden, Wagga Wagga) would fit into the equation? I'd imagine that the towns/villages near the Murray River such as Albury and Balranald would be more aligned with the AFL (especially since some Victorian media stations can be received in the southernmost parts of NSW), but i'm not sure if it would apply to towns like Eden or Bombala. In the case of around Eden & the Sapphire Coast (inc. Merimbula, Bega & Tathra), the local commercial station 2EC carries AFL on Saturday afternoons. This would imply that the AFL has a moderate support base in that part of the world. Similar story for Wagga, where the local Triple M station carries the AFL on Fridays & Saturdays instead of NRL. In the pre-multichannel era, Prime in Wagga, Canberra & the Far South Coast used to carry Friday Night AFL on a more reasonable timeslot compared to the rest of NSW, which airs it in a late timeslot.
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Post by mediaexpert on Feb 1, 2019 16:38:03 GMT 10
Although this probably goes without saying, quite a lot of Macarthur region residents are rather passionate about the West Tigers, right mediaexpert ? Yes, but not as much as many years ago. In recent years, Wests Tigers play only 3 home games a year in Campbelltown Stadium, to the point that Macarthur region residents don't see them as their home team anymore. There's a very recent article in the local paper about the Wests Tigers' association with Campbelltown, in which a group of passionate rugby league fans are lobbying the NRL to split the Wests Tigers joint venture by the 2022 season: www.macarthuradvertiser.com.au/story/5882800/community-group-lobbies-for-wests-tigers-to-be-based-in-campbelltown/
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Post by SharksFan99 on Feb 1, 2019 21:12:32 GMT 10
As Michael Caton would say, "tell them they're dreamin'".  If anything, there's more of a possibility of the NRL wanting to relocate the Wests Tigers rather than de-merge them. It's well known within the rugby league community that the NRL isn't exactly content about the number of teams which are based in Sydney. As much as it would be ideal to see the Magpies and Tigers competing in the NRL as separate teams, it's never going to happen.
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If anything, there's more of a possibility of the NRL wanting to relocate the Wests Tigers rather than de-merge them. It's well known within the rugby league community that the NRL isn't exactly content about the number of teams which are based in Sydney. As much as it would be ideal to see the Magpies and Tigers competing in the NRL as separate teams, it's never going to happen.