Who do you back?

[Blue Supra]

Which AFL team do you back? For me its been North Melbourne, my first ever AFL game was Kanga Vs Port and Port got trounced so i made the life-long decision to back the Kangas! Who do you back and why?

Ive had to miss one team as you can only have 15 thingys in a poll...
so if you back the Dockers then post so.

[Blue Supra]

oh and you can vote for your fav THREE teams to make it more interesting, its public so no cheating

[SPHFerrari]

ok cool







but wtf is that? im an american i dont have any clue what your talking about

[Blue Supra]

AFL football is one of the largest sectors in Australia’s sport and recreation industry. The game is Australia ’s premier spectator sport attracting more than 14 million people to watch all levels of the game across all communities.



According to research conducted in 2000, it has the third-highest number of players of any Australian sport, with 443,978 registered in that year in AFL Auskick, school football and reduced numbers programs, club football, veterans’ and women’s football.

Defined as an industry, the game employs about 5000 people. The AFL is the premier sporting competition in Australia commanding high levels of corporate sponsorship, massive media coverage for 12 months of the year and huge attendances.

The premier partner of the AFL is CUB with other major sponsors being National Australia Bank, Coca-Cola, Qantas, Simpson, Wizard Home Loans and Tipstar. Other major corporate partners are News Limited, Channels 9,10 and Foxtel, which hold all television rights, and Telstra, which is in a joint venture with the AFL website.

The AFL CUB premiership competition is played in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, the ACT and Tasmania, starting in March every year and finishing on the last Saturday in September. In 2004, the premiership season runs from March 26 to September 25.

During that time, 16 clubs will play 176 matches and nine finals, mainly on Friday nights, Saturday afternoons and nights and Sundays. There will also be one Thursday match (on Easter Thursday) and two Monday matches (on Easter Monday and Queen ’s Birthday Monday).

In 2004, the games will be played at 12 venues: the MCG, Telstra Dome, Optus Oval and Skilled Stadium in Victoria; AAMI Stadium in South Australia; the Gabba in Queensland; the SCG and Telstra Stadium in New South Wales; Subiaco Oval in Western Australia; Manuka Oval in the ACT, York Park in Tasmania and for the first time Marrara Oval in Darwin.

The games will be screened on Channels 9, 10 and Foxtel until the end of 2006. Analysis of the game continues during the summer months as the National AFL Draft, the National AFL Pre-Season Draft and the Wizard Home Loans Cup is played in every state and territory.

In 2003, more than 6.3 million people attended premiership season games. The AFL Grand Final at the MCG attracts capacity crowds of about 95,000 fans (although this will be reduced until 2006 due to the MCG redevelopment) and more than 463,000 people were club members in 2003.

From VFA to VFL to AFL

It has been a rapid evolution for the game which began in 1877 as an official competition called the VFA (Victorian Football Association). The VFA competition included as foundation clubs Albert Park, Ballarat, Barwon, Beechworth, Carlton, Castlemaine, Geelong, Hotham, Inglewood, Melbourne, Rochester and St Kilda.

By 1897, the VFL had been formed with foundation clubs Melbourne Geelong, Carlton, Collingwood, South Melbourne, St Kilda, Essendon and Fitzroy. Six clubs – Collingwood, South Melbourne, Essendon, Melbourne, Fitzroy and Geelong – were the most financially secure and best performed clubs of the VFA and they decided to form a breakaway group and invited Carlton and St Kilda to join them.

The VFL had expanded to 12 teams by 1925. Richmond and University joined in 1908, but University was out of the competition by 1914. In 1925, Hawthorn, Footscray and North Melbourne joined the VFL and the 12-team competition was fundamentally unchanged until 1987. The only significant change that occurred in the structure of the competition during that period was when the South Melbourne
Football Club relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney Swans.

The competition had captivated the state of Victoria and attracted many of the best players from the Western Australian, South Australian and Tasmanian competitions. However, in 1987, two teams, West Coast (from WA) and Brisbane (from Queensland), joined an expanded VFL competition. The expansion nationally was essential to guarantee the growth and development of the game at all levels. It was the start of the transformation that would change the VFL into the modern AFL competition.

In 1990, the name, the VFL, was changed to the AFL (Australian Football League) to reflect the game’s reach. In 1991, the Adelaide Crows (from South Australia) joined the AFL and in 1995, the Fremantle Dockers (from WA) were welcomed.

At the end of 1996, the most recent changes in the structure occurred. Fitzroy merged with the Brisbane Bears to become the Brisbane Lions, playing home games out of Brisbane, and Port Adelaide became the 16th team to join the competition. The AFL is committed to the current 16-team structure.

Future direction
The AFL infrastructure is divided into five key areas: football operations, finance and administration, game development, commercial operations, and corporate affairs and communications.

The AFL is always endeavoring to improve its market position and popularity within Australia. In traditional football markets such as Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, it has enjoyed a dominant position in the market in terms of participation and spectator support.

The challenge to maintain that position has grown in recent years as multiple entertainment and sporting options become available to all Australians and other sporting codes attempt to gain a toehold in the winter sporting market.

Recognition of this fact has driven the AFL ’s commitment to a policy of equalization that promotes an even and exciting competition. The AFL Commission is focused on
growing the game throughout Australia, with specific attention on New South Wales and Queensland, which are less mature markets but big population areas. The success of Sydney in the later part of the 1990s (it was a Grand Finalist in 1996) and
of reigning premier Brisbane has boosted recognition of AFL football in those states.

In 1999, the Kangaroos, formerly known as North Melbourne, played five home games at the SCG in a bid to build a supporter base in Sydney.

In 2004, they will play three home games at Manuka Oval in Canberra. Other clubs to play home games at non-Victorian venues include Hawthorn and St Kilda (both play two games at York Park in Tasmania) and Melbourne (one game at the Gabba in Queensland).

The AFL has a program to build the infrastructure and participation in newly emerging states to guarantee the long-term future of the game throughout Australia. Its game development section is devoted to promoting the game at all levels below
AFL football. Many revenue opportunities exist for the AFL in selling broadcast rights,
developing corporate sponsorship, licensing opportunities and publications. The commercial operations department manages these areas.

The AFL is committed to pursuing these revenue opportunities in order to keep the admission prices at an affordable level.

[crisis]

Port Adelaide born and bred. I indoctrinated my children into it as well. They have no say in their future.

[fa22_raptor]

The Roos all the way... although the Bombers used to train at our school, which was pretty cool to see Hird, Lloyd and the rest of them

[SlickHolden]

Footscray (Western Bulldogs)
I was born 2min away from the western whitten oval, My grandfather was the president of the combined past players and a life member of the Footscray football club (Western Bulldogs) And honorary VFL life member.
So footy was always big in the family but i always have had a love for my Doggie and i was never pushed, My father was Collingwood but we wont hold that against him
I have been a member of my club since i was old enough to talk, My mum would take us to all home games after my father past away She loves Them as much as me, So you could say i breath live love my club, I also enjoy watching others games I'm a big sports fan
I bring some pics of our pad but the attachments wont open

[Luciferous]

Originally Posted by fa22_raptor

The Roos all the way... although the Bombers used to train at our school, which was pretty cool to see Hird, Lloyd and the rest of them

Essendon have players other than Hird and Lloyd!? Since when?

Nice choice leaving out the Fockers there Bluey, I think it's better for people not to know who supports them. BTW they secured Josh Carr, just what they need, another weasely little midfielder...

[Blue Supra]

Originally Posted by Luciferous

Essendon have players other than Hird and Lloyd!? Since when?

HAHAHA
So true!

looks like the kangas have a good following..

[Luciferous]

I'd say all the Saints supporters have disappeared as quickly as they came this season....

[Blue Supra]

thats the same with the essendon supporters of a few years back.. and the lions supporters of the past few years...
fairweather supporters really piss me off
if youre not commited, youre not a REAL fan of anything and you should go and die!

[Luciferous]

Yeah I remember this year I started seeing a whole heap of Saints supporters coming out of the woodwork while they were undefeated. I think half of them died of shock first round of the finals though....

[Blue Supra]

LMAO, yeh thats always been the way in sport though

[Luciferous]

Oh well thats what happens when you underestimate the mighty Lions, you get mauled.

[Blue Supra]

cept when port crapped on them in the final