Will Aussie Rules ever gain worldwide interest?

Question

I've recently spent time in Papua New Guinea & though they play the odd game of AR up there they are passionate about rugby league. They walk around in blue or maroon jumpers when the SoO games between Qld & NSW are on one is battling to find someone who does not follow either of those teams. Ask them about Port Power or St Kilda & one gets a blank look.

Even the Japanese, French, Italians & many European countries play rugy - mainly union - but haven't heard of Aussie Rules. The Irish play a wishy-washy version & we play them & use a mixture of silly rules & a round Ball. That game will never take off.

I'm beginning to believe my pommy BIL when he tells me that our game is doomed & headed towards extinction.

Answer 1

Your BIL is an idiot .. AFL is an Aussie game and it will stay that way. Thousands of spectators go to games every week, thousands more watch the telecast at home. League & Union could only dream of getting the constant crowds that AFL gets. Im not bagging the other codes but as a Victorian, AFL is what I have grown up with.

Answer 2

No. Never.

While so many people ( many who have answered this question) say that we don't want it to go worldwide we want it as our own peculiar piece of sport - it will stagnate.

Let's face it - other countries are not interested, no matter how we may try & promote it. Have you ever been to one of those exhibition games in London?

About 7-8,000 beer swilling Aussies turn up to watch a couple of AFL B grade side running around.....generally regularly interupted by fights on the ground. Great promotion of our game I think not!

Answer 3

Not sure if it will be accepted worldwide.

But I think the Poms and Kiwis should take it up - then it will be another sport that the Aussies can beat them at.

;-))

.

Answer 4

I'm pretty sure that Aussie Rules won't go extinct!!

Answer 5

2 Victorian sides at the MCG can still pull crowds of 70,000 plus...theres no way it will every be extinct.

Unlike Alex the moron Dimitriu(whatever his name is), I dont think we need to go international and would be pleased if it remained uniquely Australian.

Answer 6

Just because the rest of the world isn't playing it, doesn't mean it's headed towards extinction.  Who gives a stuff what the rest of the world thinks?  Don't we spend enough of our time worrying about things like that?  Can you imagine the Americans playing "Aussie Rules?"  First thing they'd want to do is change it to "American Rules."  One of the things I love about our game is that it's OURS.  No-one else's.  So to answer your question, I'd honestly have to say "I hope not."

Answer 7

i don't think the whole world is going to start playing Aussie Rules Football anytime soon ;D

Answer 8

I hope Aussie Rules doesn't gain worldwide interest because then it wouldn't be a sport unique to Australia. Our game is not doomed and heading towards extinction... =P

Answer 9

come on mate, that's a few days late, April 1, you don't believe that, i know you don't. our game has lasted this long, as long as Australia exists, this game will.

i couldn't give a stuff if it goes international, who cares, we all know our game is the best game on earth, that's one thing we can all agree on in this section.

Answer 10

No, of course not.

It will never match Rugby for global support

Answer 11

yeah i think it will, it all ready has a bit

Answer 12

It will never gain world wide interest.

It doen't even get shown much interest in some states in Australia. The AFL has to prop up the Sydney & Brisbane based teams.

Too hot to play in NT. No interest in Tassie. Even the kiwis aren't interested.

Answer 13

Who cares where it is, as long as we have it here, we have the best game in the world by far.

Answer 14

Not worldwide mate, but I reckon it could really take off in South Africa. Your BIL is wrong, AFL will just get bigger here in Oz.

Say G'day to gutsache when you see him, lol  : )

Answer 15

yes

.

Answer 16

Nah, it will never take off worldwide.

I agree with what you say about that Irish game. A game for sooks. I remember that Brisbane, was it Johnson?, player running around whacking them Irish players. There was three or four of them laying about and acting like soccer players.

A few countries have aussie rules competitions but they are mostly made up of overweight and overaged expat aussies who suffer collectively from nostalgia.

Answer 17

it may become internation some day but not soon i dont think cause ther are alot of games like footy in other coutrys

Answer 18

Nope. It'll never gain worldwide interest.

Hahahahah..........what a question!

As if...............

Answer 19

Nah, wont go extinct as will always be played here although with the sanitised version starting to develop who knows in what form we will be watching in the future, the real Arsenal08, cheers.

Answer 20

There is no way aussie rules will become extinct . Aussies lovee it !

Anywho, i remember a couple of years ago other countries were playing other countries in aussie rules footy.. i really only remember japan playing but there was more..

so, there is a small selection of people from other countries who know about it.. but i dont think it will really take off in other countries..

i dont really mind, i like it being purely australian .

Answer 21

hmmm from a league supporter looking from the outside in, i wouldnt say aussie rules would die...but over time, rugby and league will just gain more popularity internationally and nationally

but thats just my opinion

Answer 22

Interest as far as spectators and supporters? I have been hoping for over 25 years!!!!

Andrew (the rocket scientist) Demetriou and his staff have not much of a marketing plan to get supporters world wide, especially where there are American dollars to spend. Here in America, most people have heard of rugby, but no known difference between league or union. Footy has not been marketed to the USA, so that people know what it is. Most Yanks think that Benny Graham and Sav Rocca played rugby, because they have never heard of Aussie Rules.

I don't think a serious match will ever be played in America, but I would like to watch some games each weekend on television here. Hint, hint, hint--Andrew.

I don't think the game is doomed. As long as over 4 million or more spectators hit the turnstiles each year, the game is not doomed.

Answer 23

Well this report is fun to watch, and i am from the USA, but it will never be a worldwide hit.

Answer 24

It'll grow bigger, but never as big as cricket or soccer.

Btw, Nauru's most popular sport is Aussie Rules, and Australia's is cricket. So we've been beaten

Answer 25

My friend, you need to be more specific when you say "world wide interest". Please spend some time to browse the internet and you will see that there are Aussie Rules competitions all around the world with both Australian Expatriates and locals playing the game.

Please look into the South African programs and you'll see they have around 30,000 children learning the game in a version of the Auskick. In 10 years from now you will find several South African players in the AFL ranks, be sure of that.

Aussie Rules competitions of all standards run all year round in different continents and have all standards of players. From ex-AFL players to first time locals having a kick.

I have been fortunate enought to play Aussie Rules in 8 different countries including : Brunei, Singapore, Phillipines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam.

The highlight each year for me is playing in the Australian Rules Football Asian Championships that is held in a different Asian country each year.

Last year we had ex-AFL, VFL, and WAFL players and even a team from Dubai playing in this competition.

I currently reside in a very small village in Nigeria and one of the only thing that keeps me technically sane is getting my weekly wrap-up of AFL highlights on the satellite TV.  That and taking a couple of screamers over a few unsuspecting locals in a bit of a kick to kick.......

Therefore when you say "world wide interest", you need to define what you mean by this, since every place i have ever visited has some representation of the game whether it be on the field or on the TV.

Our game is not doomed and headed towards extinction, the world is more doomed and headed towards extinction than our beautiful game of Aussie Rules.

Regards,

Y-tai. ( yes that is my footy nickname )

Carn the Eagles.