Is RL dying in QLD

[BroncsFan]

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...

I played soccer as a kid, but my interest in the codes around the world was brought about by playing FIFA video games.

NRL should definitely be looking to invest money in building a good league simulator... and look to include the ESL as union has a European market... that could open up some areas not all that familiar with the sport, but may give it a go if there's a good video game representation as it's not that far a jump between the two.

I've noticed AFL have released a new game and their graphics, etc. look to be improving... so they've identified it as a way to promote to kids

 

[Nashy]

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

I'm not a fan of the sport, but I can't see them doing as many headers in a game as what a kid playing RL would have tackles or hitups.

 

[Sproj]

I'm not a fan of the sport, but I can't see them doing as many headers in a game as what a kid playing RL would have tackles or hitups.

90 minutes of kicking a ball around, if you are a defender especially but also a striker, you are heading the ball a LOT.

 

[Nashy]

90 minutes of kicking a ball around, if you are a defender especially but also a striker, you are heading the ball a LOT.

Quick Google says that it's around 70 headers a match total. So nothing when you compare it to tackles/hitups per player in a match of league.

 

[Sproj]

Quick Google says that it's around 70 headers a match total. So nothing when you compare it to tackles/hitups per player in a match of league.

Yes but compare to cricket or basketball where concussions happen but are extremely rare and few and fare between.

 

[Nashy]

Yes but compare to cricket or basketball where concussions happen but are extremely rare and few and fare between.

Cricket will always be popular for kids, I guess I was talking about a comparison of football codes with league, not all the other safer sports.

Given it's popularity around the globe, I see football as the biggest threat to league.

 

[Allo]

Yes but compare to cricket or basketball where concussions happen but are extremely rare and few and fare between.

Unless your name’s Will Pucovski

 

[Sproj]

Unless your name’s Will Pucovski

Yep, that is what I was alluding to, that dude is freakishly unlucky and I wonder if those concussions are contributing to his mental health issues.

 

[Socnorb]

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.

This is right, It's child paticipation. I'm a junior AFL coach, and live in Sydney, but that aside. Of all of my friends and aquatancies here, none of their kids play Ruby League, 0. They're all either Soccer or AFL.

 

[Aldo]

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

Forget getting hit in the head by the ball....this is the real danger in soccer

 

[BRC088]

I think I remember seeing somewhere that the BRL said the last 2 seasons have been records for junior registrations. Some clubs have 4 or more teams in the same age group.

The only real difference I've noticed over the years being involved in the juniors is the support for the Broncos has levelled out - not every kid aspires to play there or follows them like in the passed (same same for state of origin almost). The other thing is its getting harder to get coaches - probably as a result of my first paragraph. Oh, and the cotton ball kids parents are an issue, I get asked a lot more from parents at my boys school "aren't you worried they'll get hurt" or "isn't it a rough sport!" - my response varies.

 

[Wolfie]

Forget getting hit in the head by the ball....this is the real danger in soccer

That blokes got nothing on this one. He came up against an opponent who knows the touch of death.

 

[Wolfie]

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.

A few things need to happen for Football to take over in Australia. Firstly, there needs to be a concerted effort by Football Australia to pump more money into grass roots football.

Secondly, unless Australia gets some more top players playing in highly exposed leagues like Viduka, Kewell, Johnston, Foster, Slater, Bosnich, Schwarzer, Neill, Emerton, Cahill etc then i dont think there is any chance of kids wanting to play it long term, but that goes hand in hand with my first point.

Thirdly, its the exposure. The coverage in Australia is abysmal. Football Australia probably need to start footing the bill to bring over some top players who will be on their way down and make it financially worth their while. It happened for a time, but not so much these days. Ronaldo is the obvious choice at the moment, but there are plenty of players around still in decent shape at the end of their careers.

 

[BroncsFan]

A few things need to happen for Football to take over in Australia. Firstly, there needs to be a concerted effort by Football Australia to pump more money into grass roots football.

Secondly, unless Australia gets some more top players playing in highly exposed leagues like Viduka, Kewell, Johnston, Foster, Slater, Bosnich, Schwarzer, Neill, Emerton, Cahill etc then i dont think there is any chance of kids wanting to play it long term, but that goes hand in hand with my first point.

Thirdly, its the exposure. The coverage in Australia is abysmal. Football Australia probably need to start footing the bill to bring over some top players who will be on their way down and make it financially worth their while. It happened for a time, but not so much these days. Ronaldo is the obvious choice at the moment, but there are plenty of players around still in decent shape at the end of their careers.

From an exposure perspective couldn't it be about creating interest in the sport in general??

Rather than trying to build a product from scratch (ie. the A League) they could instead increase exposure and interest in the elite versions of the sport.

For soccer could they look to buy rights for EPL (simulcast), La Ligue, Serie A, etc. and play them for free on Australian TV.

Time zones dont work all that well, but I used to watch the EPL game on SBS each week until Optus took over.... if Optus is getting a deal from the FFA to simulcast in Australia then suddenly a next generation gets to see an actual decent competition and become invested in the sport.

I would suggest that interest in basketball by the next generation is generated by the NBA, and increased interest in the NBL is due to exposure and interest generated by the NBA and NBA players like Lebron, Jordan, etc.

It's not like the NBL and basketball in Australia has suddenly exploded due to quality of the Australian version of the product... I'd suggest that quality has remained the same but interest in the NBL has increased because it represents an accessible alternative of the US version. Exposure of the NBA due to social media and various platforms has generated interest in the next generation creating interest and participation in Australia.

I would say that basketball in Australia is a bigger chance of surpassing other sports rather than soccer, given it is a more explosive and athletic sport which can associate better with NRL and AFL, than what soccer does... whilst also remaining low contact

 

[Xzei]

Basketball in australia got a decent boost having lamelo ball come out here as an alternative pathway to the nba

 

[Mustafur]

Grassroots stuff is a bit misleading, RL has always been way down compared to other sports in that area because of the contact and mums especially being the gatekeeper for the kid to play, but the interest in the sport is as high as ever, the exact opposite applies to soccer(high participation low asf interested in watching it at least domestically).

It's changing a bit with soccer with the boost of the premier league but how many parents would let there kid watch that shit at the **** off time it plays at, everyone in every sport here talks about league even when they are not playing, it's strange as **** but that's how it works(similar shit happens in the US with NFL interest compared to the higher participation rates of soccer).

I would say today is better then ever to have your kid in league, the probability to make it pro is higher then ever, and probably one of the highest of any sport especially in this country, I think it's proven in how many 2nd generation or more players are making it in first grade, usually that is reserved more for Motor racing which has the highest barriers of entry(money).

Imo RL needs to do way more to build up the touch game, I think skills learned there are much better to prepare for being a pro than contact(atleast pre under 15) which is usually soo defensive orientated and heavily favours the early growers over the actually skilled ones anyway(big reason why the modern game is lacking quality 7s and 9s).

I guess I can't have that much of a say as someone who has lived in both QLD and NSW about the same amount of time, but I think when it comes to sport atleast culturally they are the same when it comes to this, they are interested in sports the same or similar with league being the clear dominant.

 

[Wolfie]

From an exposure perspective couldn't it be about creating interest in the sport in general??

Rather than trying to build a product from scratch (ie. the A League) they could instead increase exposure and interest in the elite versions of the sport.

For soccer could they look to buy rights for EPL (simulcast), La Ligue, Serie A, etc. and play them for free on Australian TV.

Time zones dont work all that well, but I used to watch the EPL game on SBS each week until Optus took over.... if Optus is getting a deal from the FFA to simulcast in Australia then suddenly a next generation gets to see an actual decent competition and become invested in the sport.

I would suggest that interest in basketball by the next generation is generated by the NBA, and increased interest in the NBL is due to exposure and interest generated by the NBA and NBA players like Lebron, Jordan, etc.

It's not like the NBL and basketball in Australia has suddenly exploded due to quality of the Australian version of the product... I'd suggest that quality has remained the same but interest in the NBL has increased because it represents an accessible alternative of the US version. Exposure of the NBA due to social media and various platforms has generated interest in the next generation creating interest and participation in Australia.

I would say that basketball in Australia is a bigger chance of surpassing other sports rather than soccer, given it is a more explosive and athletic sport which can associate better with NRL and AFL, than what soccer does... whilst also remaining low contact

Yep, i think they could give the game more exposure across the board, but the A-League needs to boost is profile imo as well. The standard at the moment is like 3rd tier in English football. I think the only way to improve that in the short term is basically what English rugby league did at one point, bring in aging Aussie superstar players like Meninga to lift the standards. Hopefully then that has a knock on effect.

 

[Wolfie]

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

The issues i think they had been having with players with head issues was mainly with the old, heavier ball. Jeff Astle is probably the big case in England where a player suffered badly from heading the ball repeatedly. I Still think they would probably have issues with the newer ball but it wouldnt be to the level it used to be.