With the high standard of play in the A-League, why are the crowds so low?

[Monoethnic Social Club]

Yeah, who knows what the decision process was.

Ive been told, from older heads, that they whay they understood happenings at the time was that ALL of the current clubs would be scrapped (or sent down to the state leagues) and one city teams would be formed along geographic lines - how or from what they would be structured is not clear but one theory was that the old state federations would run each club as a sort of regional rep team .... Packer wanted a tv product but wanted the exiting wogball out of the way... its not surprising the existing clubs kicked back... I just wish they had a bit more power when Lowy came along 3 decades later.

 

[grazorblade]

Ive been told, from older heads, that they whay they understood happenings at the time was that ALL of the current clubs would be scrapped (or sent down to the state leagues) and one city teams would be formed along geographic lines - how or from what they would be structured is not clear but one theory was that the old state federations would run each club as a sort of regional rep team .... Packer wanted a tv product but wanted the exiting wogball out of the way... its not surprising the existing clubs kicked back... I just wish they had a bit more power when Lowy came along 3 decades later.

wouldn't this have been pre nsl era and all teams were in the state leagues anyway?

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

wouldn't this have been pre nsl era and all teams were in the state leagues anyway?

Im not 100% sure, as I said before my times, but I think it may have been on or around the same era.

 

[Keeper66]

Im not 100% sure, as I said before my times, but I think it may have been on or around the same era.

NSL (then PSL, Philips Soccer League) started in 1977, as did WSC from memory.

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

NSL (then PSL, Philips Soccer League) started in 1977, as did WSC from memory.

I was in nappies

 

[Frankly Speaking]

I was in nappies

Well, at least I was too young to change them for you.

 

[LFC]

Paul Mavroudis blog mentioned that there seems to be two narratives for why Australian football has underperformed - bad governance and xenophobia. He said the book "australian football a tale of two halves" made the bad governance theory stronger.

That's the first strong example I've heard outside the new dawn era

from the new dawn era I would highlight everything from gallop's era and under lowy forming new clubs with no underage teams as pretty darn disasterous then keeping the traditional teams out for too long (apparently they were wanting a second tier from day 1!)

I think you’re saying there was talk by the Lowy AL to Gallop about a 2nd tier ?
That was just small talk I do recall it mentioned just to keep all the heathens in hope but was never going to happen.
All smoke and political mirrrors to the press.
Utter BS.

 

[grazorblade]

I think you’re saying there was talk by the Lowy AL to Gallop about a 2nd tier ?
That was just small talk I do recall it mentioned just to keep all the heathens in hope but was never going to happen.
All smoke and political mirrrors to the press.
Utter BS.

apparently in 2004/2005 there was talk of a second tier that the pfa allegedly blocked?

 

[Barca4life]

So Kerry Packer’s idea was the idea of the aleague all along? Such a sliding door moment back then.

 

[LFC]

apparently in 2004/2005 there was talk of a second tier that the pfa allegedly blocked?

I can’t say it was the PFA for let’s face it.
The league size was an unfinished project anyway and still is so how could they even consider time and resource getting a 2nd tier up and running.
As said it was just talk no intention whatsoever

 

[WhatAmIWatching]

Ive been told, from older heads, that they whay they understood happenings at the time was that ALL of the current clubs would be scrapped (or sent down to the state leagues) and one city teams would be formed along geographic lines - how or from what they would be structured is not clear but one theory was that the old state federations would run each club as a sort of regional rep team .... Packer wanted a tv product but wanted the exiting wogball out of the way... its not surprising the existing clubs kicked back... I just wish they had a bit more power when Lowy came along 3 decades later.

My recollection of Kerry Packer was that he was a cricket fanatic first, followed by NRL. James Packer infamously said that he wouldn't cross the street to watch AFL. So I just don't get why Packer would be interested in football.

 

[grazorblade]

My recollection of Kerry Packer was that he was a cricket fanatic first, followed by NRL. James Packer infamously said that he wouldn't cross the street to watch AFL. So I just don't get why Packer would be interested in football.

In my experience there is not as much hostility from nrl fans compared to afl fans

 

[BA81]

So Kerry Packer’s idea was the idea of the aleague all along? Such a sliding door moment back then.

Nah, we dodged a bullet there. As if that old b0g@n cnut would’ve had the game here’s best interests at heart, for starters..

 

[Frankly Speaking]

This from the Guardian article on the club World Cup:

If a professional club team (or several) consistently played in front of stadiums that were half-full or less, one might question whether they’re playing in the right stadiums

Indeed one might. The single biggest problem the A League faces. Terrible optics for TV and therefore the image of the competition, huge fees for wildly unsuitable stadia, and diminished match day experience for live spectators.

The only club that has a stadium fit for purpose is Adelaide. What is the solution? I have no idea. But the stadium issue is the dead albotross hanging around the neck of the APL. Frank Lowy assumed the competition would grow to fit the stadiums. For an extraordinarily clever man that was an extraordinarily unrealistic expectation, based, one can only assume, on Mr Lowy allowing his heart to rule his head.

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

My recollection of Kerry Packer was that he was a cricket fanatic first, followed by NRL. James Packer infamously said that he wouldn't cross the street to watch AFL. So I just don't get why Packer would be interested in football.

winter content for Channel 9? Was NEVER going to be AFlLand I think he tried (and lost) with the Rugby so Football was the obvious answer?

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

Nah, we dodged a bullet there. As if that old b0g@n cnut would’ve had the game here’s best interests at heart, for starters..

... meanwhile Lowy said "hold my beer"

 

[LFC]

... meanwhile Lowy said "hold my beer"

yep - he's our KP replacement who like Packer how he bull dozed his way to set up World Series Cricket Lowy done similar with our game and it was far easier in doing so for FP had to deal with the Lords establishment and still defied them.
By the way, I really don't recall KP wanting to get into our football.
He was a massive polo devotee, spent a packet on the game and at his own farms and NRL was the other game he backed, son James became a Bunnies share holder to this day.

Following on from FS's recent post, good ol Frank when that well off your invincible and your ego runs it course.
He sure would have expected his AL toy would have full stads in years to come, keep conning fellow OS ogarlords to invest and enjoy the accolade success he's our football messiah being level pegging with NRL/AFL up there in lights.
Glad its fallen into a heap - as my wife says - you got TO READ THE ROOM, our game needed/needs the foundations he actually was once part of and before him around his beloved eastern burbs of sydney.

Here we are Thanks to him, real shame he could have done a really good thing for the game and us and look where its taken us.
If it was a mess before now its 3fold worse structually, more barriers than ever before.

 

[Frankly Speaking]

winter content for Channel 9? Was NEVER going to be AFlLand I think he tried (and lost) with the Rugby so Football was the obvious answer?

Context is important. Football then is not what it is now, globally, and remember that World Series Cricket had busted all the norms and changed the game forever.

It is difficult now to communicate just how different the sporting landscape was then to anyone who did not live through that time.

 

[Monoethnic Social Club]

Context is important. Football then is not what it is now, globally, and remember that World Series Cricket had busted all the norms and changed the game forever.

It is difficult now to communicate just how different the sporting landscape was then to anyone who did not live through that time.

"Football then is not what it is now, globally"??? Um maybe NOT in Australia but globally it was arguably even bigger than it is today... No NFL, No NBA, No 40 forms of cricket..... no eurobasket .. football was KING.

 

[Frankly Speaking]

"Football then is not what it is now, globally"??? Um maybe NOT in Australia but globally it was arguably even bigger than it is today... No NFL, No NBA, No 40 forms of cricket..... no eurobasket .. football was KING.

Sorry, Mono, I beg to differ. Football has always been king, but it was a very different sporting world. I'm not sure how much you were able to absorb during your nappy changes.