They are trying, and you'll find that it's being done at the junior level, particularly getting kids involved in playing the game. It was claimed by the premier that Australian football participation in Queensland now outstrips both RL and RU - I don't know whether that's true, but there's no question it's getting close, and that's been reflected in the number of draftees coming from Queensland (as well as ABS stats).

Some 40 year old no neck boofhead isn't going to change his mind, so there isn't a lot of point wasting too many resources in trying to get him to.

Is Comical Ali now working for the AFL?

Hmm.

Good point. The next generations will be exposed to a wider variety of sport so they may be more tolerant of less popular sports.

Now let's stay on topic.

I used to attend and play in the SFL .Talking to the old diggers was very interesting . They talked of GFs of 15k .Even before the arrival of the Sydney Swans the GFs at Newtown's oval were largely full . It is a bit sad that the clubs have lost their identity a bit . rl actually got a large part of it's identity from the SFL when they formed their clubs they basically used the same colours and logos .
We have the North Shore Bears and North Sydney Bears ,
East Sydney Bulldogs and Eastern Suburbs tricolour .
Balmain Tigers and Balmain Tigers .
There was a South Sydney SFL side .
and we have both St Georges in red and white .

Double post error.

A lot of the packed Grand Finals were played at Hampden Oval (Trumper Park) in Paddington, just a stone throw away from the White City Tennis Club.

As for colours and logos, the influence of the SFL has been overstated. Most RL colours were adopted from the local RU or cricket side. Though the SFL was about before the NSWRL, the colours and logos have changed over the years. Balmain used to wear black and white like Collingwood until they reverted to Richmond colours a few decades ago. The North Sydney Bears RL side were the first to adopt the Bears nickname after a sponsorship agreement in the 1950s (or 1960s) with the Big Bear Shopping Centre in Neutral Bay. South Sydney joined the SFL in 1911 (after the Rabbitohs), Western Suburbs joined in 1948 (forty years after the Magpies), St George joined the AFL in 1929 (eight years after the Dragons). I'm sure there are other examples too.

Good point, but i can definately see where your coming from. two weeks ago (lions v kangaroos) the lady next to me had no idea about what was going on. she was there predominately due to her two children dragging her along (ages about 8-12)

I played for East Sydney .

Do you know when finals moved from Trumper to Erskine , Netwowns home ground ?

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I don't know, but at the Raklph Robertson Lecture last year, they had a lot of programmes from Sydney finals of yesteryear. I think the venue for the finals would change from time to time. Recalling what was said on the night, the big final crowds were at Trumper.

I find this totally misleading .
The local league , the SFL did indeed suffer a lot with the introduction of the Sydney Swans . This has little to do with image or identification or even what rl fans thought of the game . It was simply that most of the SFL fans went off to watch the Sydney Swans decimating the league as has been the case with the introduction of any national side . The AFL has decimated the WAFL , SANFL , SFL and QAFL . The NRL has decimated the BRL and WARL .

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two things nines.
1) i didnt write that! Sandy did
2) yes the AFL has to an extend 'decimated' the SANFL, WAFL etc... and the NRL has 'decimated' the BRL. But in every other case aside from AFL into sydney the code has still thrived. for all the fans that 'swapped' from watching SFL to the swans there are many more fans that have 'disappeared'.

what would you prefer? a top-flight comp in every state/territory, with the top two from each state continuing into a nation wide final series? there simply isnt enough $$$, sponsorship, population or players to sustain that many teams.

I think it was more to do with the fall and fall of the Western Reds due to not being admitted after the Super League War finished. Despite crowds not being the lowest out of all the clubs. (WARL source last year).

I think the NRL had nothing to do with decimating the WARL, what is the logic behind this. It was only in the late 90's that the NRL came into formation.

Yeah, it was me - sort of. Actually it was an article, to which I prefaced with the comment - "On a different track, I think this article also explains why Sydney eventually needs another AFL club, based in the Western suburbs of Sydney, with its different demographics than the Swans supporters, in order to again "redefine the code's image" in Sydney" -

Nines - I think you missed the point I was trying to make (refer back to the original post for the entire context). It wasn't just that the Swans decimated the local league, (as you noted, similar to what happened in other states) but more that the Swans have been far more succesful in drawing supporters from the affluent Eastern and Northern suburbs of Sydney (being based at the SCG is a factor) and hence 'redefined the codes image' amongst Sydneys working-class psyche as an "upper-class" code which they won't support (similar to rugby union).

In Vic, SA, WA, this isn't the case, as the code has always cut right across the demographic divide, with individual clubs appealing to different demographics, thus creating various rivalries. However, since the Swans came to Sydney (ironically as a working class club), its appeal and success with the top end of town has made it difficult for the working class (mainly the hordes out in the Western suburbs) to identify with the club, and hence to the whole code of Australian Football.

This 'elitist' image of the code, now widely held in Sydney, could be combated by basing a second AFL team in Blacktown, to represent the "fibro-dwellers" (a term pinched from a Jeffles post) to balance against the Swans 'silvertails'. This could also make for a strong local rivalry based on the differing demographics. That was my intended point.

agree on all points. If they cant connect with the club they wont support it

Not really . I just chose to answer that specic point about decimation .
And I totally agree that Australian Football is much better off now .
As for the image thing I don't agree in total .
The Swans attracted people from already Aussie Rules areas .
It's just that media the media focus created the image not just of upper class but also middle class .Prior to that people didn't know or care that North Shore and Eastern Suburbs were powerhouses in the SFL .Again they didn't want to know that Aussie Rules was popular in the newer suburbs or even the old working class suburb teams like Newtown were folding .If people from Newtown attended the Swans then they were seen as the yuppies not working class that supported Newtown bloods .

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