Is RL dying in QLD

[The Boss]

My mate you lives in Queensland reckons that in Gold Coast afl is taking over and in Brisbane it's RL is near non existent in the inner city schools as afl is what most kids play is this true? As I don't live in Queensland and don't know the vibe

 

[Kimlo]

Your mate has no idea to put it bluntly. Don't know anyone who cares about AFL. Anyone. I meet plenty of NRL fans all the time.

 

[Sproj]

My mate you lives in Queensland reckons that in Gold Coast afl is taking over and in Brisbane it's RL is near non existent in the inner city schools as afl is what most kids play is this true? As I don't live in Queensland and don't know the vibe

Didn't you put up an article about rugby league being Australia's most popular sport or something?

 

[Foordy]

Didn't you put up an article about rugby league being Australia's most popular sport or something?

yeah, but he actually wrote it (on the roar).

 

[Unbreakable]

AFL was literally irrelevant between about 2005-2018 in QLD because of how shit the Lions were, there's been a small resurgance over the last 4-5 years due to the Lions improving (also coinciding with the Broncos worst years ever), but nah, Rugby League will always be king in QLD.

Dolphins coming along will make that discrepancy even bigger, even if they suck initially, a lot of people in the greater Brisbane area were looking for any team besides the Broncos to support, so the Dolphins should net plenty of supporters straight out the gate.

 

[Super Freak]

I don’t think your mate gets out much.

What he says is just not even close to being true.

 

[Sproj]

The reality is, rugby league will continue to be king any areas of Qld where there is a massive Islander community because they just aren't into league. Qld has a bigger Islander community than anywhere else I think, at least that is what I was told from the census data. I don't see that changing any time soon but then I haven't lived in Queensland for like 15 years now.

 

[Swordfish]

Your mate is dead set delusional who’s living in his own world.

 

[I bleed Maroon]

 

[Morkel]

I wouldn't be so sure. AFL is spending truckloads at the grassroots level, our kids' school (which only opened this year) is being built with a shiny new AFL field, there is another one 20 minutes away due to open next year that is doing the same. League may still walk away king but it won't be from lack of trying (or dollars) by the AFL. Another reason why the "independent commission" is a joke, it's the same self-serving corrupt scum calling the shots.

 

[Sproj]

I wouldn't be so sure. AFL is spending truckloads at the grassroots level, our kids' school (which only opened this year) is being built with a shiny new AFL field, there is another one 20 minutes away due to open next year that is doing the same. League may still walk away king but it won't be from lack of trying (or dollars) by the AFL. Another reason why the "independent commission" is a joke, it's the same self-serving corrupt scum calling the shots.

And to me this is the problem. The results of this push won’t be known until like 10 years from now but this is the kind of long term planning the NRL could only dream of. The NRL takes its fans for granted and in the case of QLD, fairly regularly insult fans. This is not the right way to go about keeping your fans, let alone growing your supporter base. Having an extremely unprofessional organisation exacerbates the problem. The six again debacle turns fans away, how do you explain the rubbish to a new fan?

 

[Nashy]

I wouldn't be so sure. AFL is spending truckloads at the grassroots level, our kids' school (which only opened this year) is being built with a shiny new AFL field, there is another one 20 minutes away due to open next year that is doing the same. League may still walk away king but it won't be from lack of trying (or dollars) by the AFL. Another reason why the "independent commission" is a joke, it's the same self-serving corrupt scum calling the shots.

Long term I think football (soccer) is the bigger threat to the sport. No one with a brain wants their kid getting CTE.

 

[Morkel]

And to me this is the problem. The results of this push won’t be known until like 10 years from now but this is the kind of long term planning the NRL could only dream of. The NRL takes its fans for granted and in the case of QLD, fairly regularly insult fans. This is not the right way to go about keeping your fans, let alone growing your supporter base. Having an extremely unprofessional organisation exacerbates the problem. The six again debacle turns fans away, how do you explain the rubbish to a new fan?

They don't give a ****, they are effectively politicians. They are in it either to push their own agenda, or even if they are in the job because they legit want to help run the game, there is that much pork-barrelling and, I guess what you would call "lobbying" (aka external parties throwing cash around or using their influence) that it would be impossible to do anything in the genuine interest of the game. I'd even throw the players in here (or the RLPA), they want an increasingly larger piece of the pie, forgetting that the reason they are getting paid is because of the millions of viewers, who's going to pay the players in 10 years time who worked just as hard but has lost its fans becausr the game continues to eat itself?

 

[Super Freak]

Long term I think football (soccer) is the bigger threat to the sport. No one with a brain wants their kid getting CTE.

Yeah this.

AFL have been trying to push into QLD for quite some time now with little success, and with the NRL investing more in grassroots it's only going to make it a lot more difficult for AFL.

Football is the bigger threat. It's just going to come down to whether the FA repeat the past and **** it up again, which I don't think is going to happen but you know never know with that lot.

 

[Accept]

Your mate is probably correct about inner Brisbane as soccer has a real stranglehold there. But the game is massive in the outer areas such as Logan, Ipswich and Caboolture and that is a fair chunk of the population.

The Goldie has never been RL friendly and never will be. It is just that sort of area. The game is popular on the Sunny Coast as evidenced by their constant sell outs. The Nambour, Caloundra, Kawana areas are where you will find your diehards. Again, that is a significant population base.

The sport overall is still very strong despite it continually being a target for the media. It's gets bashed, beaten down and poked fun at but it continues to come out the other side. RL will always be #1 in Qld and NSW.

 

[Sproj]

Long term I think football (soccer) is the bigger threat to the sport. No one with a brain wants their kid getting CTE.

That said though, repeatedly hitting a ball with your head can't be good either right?

 

[Renegade]

Soccer is unlikely to ever usurp any of the main codes in popularity at an adult level simply because the best league players play in the NRL, the best AFL players play in the AFL, whereas the best soccer players.... play in europe at 1am on a sunday night. If you're good enough to create a cult following, you're probably leaving the a-league and going overseas, which is great for the player but makes it difficult to cultivate that relationship with fans, young kids, etc...

 

[BroncsFan]

That said though, repeatedly hitting a ball with your head can't be good either right?

Yeah studies on soccer players has been finding levels of CTE as well.... there's even been stupid calls to remove heading of the ball, which would completely destroy the sport.