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The A‑League's problem isn’t football, it's culture. Unless that changes, nothing else will

LFC said:
though thats the point talking here, they don't fill the big stads - your avg don't fill your stad as well even when you do get back home how many times to date.
Look at AU - they mostly fill their stad - IF CCM gosford oval was in Syd it would be filled generally.
Thats the thing in this country - WSW don't fill their great new stad - Roar, well its pretty lame compared to the size of the stad.
This is Aussie football life therefore what is the point having 50+k stads so as the seagulls can pick their seats ?
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They are shared with other codes, as Australian professional sports teams don't have their own grounds, and never will. Sad, but true!
 
Sutherlandbear said:
They are shared with other codes, as Australian professional sports teams don't have their own grounds, and never will. Sad, but true!
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With the exception of Mariners' stadium. Can't see them getting an AFL or NRL team on the Central Coast any time soon (and the Swans seem to be refusing to play home games anywhere but Sydney unlike their rivals GWS who sometimes play in Canberra while still having Giants Stadium as their home ground).
 
HonestSpursFan said:
With the exception of Mariners' stadium. Can't see them getting an AFL or NRL team on the Central Coast any time soon (and the Swans seem to be refusing to play home games anywhere but Sydney unlike their rivals GWS who sometimes play in Canberra while still having Giants Stadium as their home ground).
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TBF with the Swans, they should only ever play home games in Sydney, and that goes for every other pro team in this county. Football is not a travelling circus.
 
Sutherlandbear said:
TBF with the Swans, they should only ever play home games in Sydney, and that goes for every other pro team in this county. Football is not a travelling circus.
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I think part of it is to grow the game or to give teams a game in a place where there isn't a team. Alice Springs, Ballarat, Canberra and Darwin for example don't have teams so they otherwise don't get games (though I think the Territory should have a team). Tassie has the same thing with Hobart and Launceston but that's changing obviously with the Devils coming in to the comp eventually.

That's another thing too. Footy cannot be considered the national game as there are parts of the country that have never had any proper interest in Aussie rules and some that never had any interest in rugby league/union at all (in my experience Aussie rules seems to be bigger in league areas than vice versa). For example in the Northern Territory, rugby league/union outside maybe the Kangaroos/Jillaroos and the Wallabies/Wallaroos is pretty niche, perhaps even as niche as gridiron (which isn't too niche but you get what I mean). It's all Aussie rules up there. With soccer however (along with basketball, cricket and tennis plus to a lesser extent sports like netball) you always have a few fans of the sport.

So when the footy codes call themselves the national game, they're wrong. It's cricket or football.
 
HonestSpursFan said:
I think part of it is to grow the game or to give teams a game in a place where there isn't a team. Alice Springs, Ballarat, Canberra and Darwin for example don't have teams so they otherwise don't get games (though I think the Territory should have a team). Tassie has the same thing with Hobart and Launceston but that's changing obviously with the Devils coming in to the comp eventually.

That's another thing too. Footy cannot be considered the national game as there are parts of the country that have never had any proper interest in Aussie rules and some that never had any interest in rugby league/union at all (in my experience Aussie rules seems to be bigger in league areas than vice versa). For example in the Northern Territory, rugby league/union outside maybe the Kangaroos/Jillaroos and the Wallabies/Wallaroos is pretty niche, perhaps even as niche as gridiron (which isn't too niche but you get what I mean). It's all Aussie rules up there. With soccer however (along with basketball, cricket and tennis plus to a lesser extent sports like netball) you always have a few fans of the sport.

So when the footy codes call themselves the national game, they're wrong. It's cricket or football.
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Let the other sports do as they please, but football stays true to its roots. We don't need to grow that much, the support is already there, just getting them back to the games. The hard thing is the current generation barely move off their collective arses.
 
HonestSpursFan said:
I think part of it is to grow the game or to give teams a game in a place where there isn't a team. Alice Springs, Ballarat, Canberra and Darwin for example don't have teams so they otherwise don't get games (though I think the Territory should have a team). Tassie has the same thing with Hobart and Launceston but that's changing obviously with the Devils coming in to the comp eventually.

That's another thing too. Footy cannot be considered the national game as there are parts of the country that have never had any proper interest in Aussie rules and some that never had any interest in rugby league/union at all (in my experience Aussie rules seems to be bigger in league areas than vice versa). For example in the Northern Territory, rugby league/union outside maybe the Kangaroos/Jillaroos and the Wallabies/Wallaroos is pretty niche, perhaps even as niche as gridiron (which isn't too niche but you get what I mean). It's all Aussie rules up there. With soccer however (along with basketball, cricket and tennis plus to a lesser extent sports like netball) you always have a few fans of the sport.

So when the footy codes call themselves the national game, they're wrong. It's cricket or football.
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Careful; Frankly Speaking dies on the hill that A-League expansion into TAS is about as logical as setting up a pork-sausage stall outside a mosque or synagogue..
 
BA81 said:
Careful; Frankly Speaking dies on the hill that A-League expansion into TAS is about as logical as setting up a pork-sausage stall outside a mosque or synagogue..
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Is Frankly Speaking an inbred I mean Tasmanian?
 
BA81 said:
Careful; Frankly Speaking dies on the hill that A-League expansion into TAS is about as logical as setting up a pork-sausage stall outside a mosque or synagogue..
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Well maybe not die on the hill, but willing, like the Black Knight, to take a flesh wound or two.
 
SteveC said:
I took three football newbies to WSW vs AKL, I was shocked at how there were in active support compared to what I remember seeing on TV 10 years ago. There was no atmosphere, it felt boring and I they won’t come back a second time.
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You don’t sound like much of a friend taking them to a game with those two teams.
 
BA81 said:
Careful; Frankly Speaking dies on the hill that A-League expansion into TAS is about as logical as setting up a pork-sausage stall outside a mosque or synagogue..
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Who knows but in an alternative universe, had we set up a team in Tasmania 10 years ago instead of WU and also a small Sunshine Coast side, things may be tidy or niche or however one wants to describe it.

All their own circumstances but it's a massive shame NQ, GC went defunct. Wish we'd scaled down a bit and worked on sustainability in modest terms.
 
I think Tasmania deserves an A-League club, not just as a novelty, but as a natural next step in Australian football’s growth. For too long, Tassie has been treated as a development zone rather than a destination. An A-League team would change that overnight, giving Tasmanian football players a genuine pathway at home and sports fans a team that represents them on the national stage.

Football is already fairly deeply rooted in Tasmania. Participation rates are reasonably strong, no doubt the multicultural communities support the game, and I think local clubs punch above their weight despite limited exposure. An A-League side would unify that base, creating a clear pinnacle for talent and ambition. It would also diversify the league geographically, strengthening its claim to be truly national rather than mainland-centric.

Critics point to population size and travel costs, but those arguments underestimate Tasmania’s sporting culture. Tasmanians turn up when teams represent them authentically, as seen in state-level competitions and the hunger for national representation across sports. With smart scheduling, community engagement, and a stadium experience built for football, crowds would follow.

More than anything, a Tasmanian A-League club would be a statement that Australian football believes in inclusion, regional growth, and long-term vision. It wouldn’t just expand the league.I think it would deepen it.

I'd give them a go.....👍
 
Football us life said:
I think Tasmania deserves an A-League club, not just as a novelty, but as a natural next step in Australian football’s growth. For too long, Tassie has been treated as a development zone rather than a destination. An A-League team would change that overnight, giving Tasmanian football players a genuine pathway at home and sports fans a team that represents them on the national stage.

Football is already fairly deeply rooted in Tasmania. Participation rates are reasonably strong, no doubt the multicultural communities support the game, and I think local clubs punch above their weight despite limited exposure. An A-League side would unify that base, creating a clear pinnacle for talent and ambition. It would also diversify the league geographically, strengthening its claim to be truly national rather than mainland-centric.

Critics point to population size and travel costs, but those arguments underestimate Tasmania’s sporting culture. Tasmanians turn up when teams represent them authentically, as seen in state-level competitions and the hunger for national representation across sports. With smart scheduling, community engagement, and a stadium experience built for football, crowds would follow.

More than anything, a Tasmanian A-League club would be a statement that Australian football believes in inclusion, regional growth, and long-term vision. It wouldn’t just expand the league.I think it would deepen it.

I'd give them a go.....👍
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The one problem that may occur is the games would possibly have to be split. Only about 40% of Tasmania's population lives in Hobart so Launceston would probably want a couple games to be played there.

It's a common tradition for this to happen in Tassie when they get pro sports teams. The Devils (when they start playing), the Hurricanes and the JackJumpers all play games in both Hobart and Launceston (though apparently the Tassie Tigers in Hockey One don't, though field hockey is a minor sport in Australia). Odd since it's a small state, but makes sense given the north and south have similar populations (Hobart in the south plus Burnie, Devonport and Launceston in the north).

Sorry to disappoint you Sutherlandbear but they may have to do dual home grounds in Tassie. Unless maybe the women play in Launnie and the men in Hobart.
 
To be fair I’m easily pleased when it comes to the A-League, and I don’t see that as a weakness. In a football world obsessed with perfection, billion-dollar budgets and global relevance, the A-League offers something far more honest. It’s imperfect, sometimes chaotic, but deeply human. So chucking a team into Tasmania is a 'can do' for me!!

I'm not a hard-core A-League fan like many on this board but I enjoy it for what it is, not what it’s constantly compared to. I don’t need every stadium sold out or every match played at European tempo to feel entertained.

A late winner in front of a modest crowd, a young local player having a breakout game, or a quirky goalkeeping error is often enough.

These moments do feel authentic, not manufactured. The league’s willingness to give young players a platform is one of its biggest strengths. Watching teenagers grow into professionals, sometimes in real time, creates a connection you don’t get from overseas leagues where players feel distant and untouchable.

There’s also something charming about the league’s unpredictability anyone can beat anyone on their day. Sure, the A-League has flaws, summer heat, inconsistent crowds, financial uncertainty, and media neglect. But for me, the positives outweigh the negatives.

And If being easily pleased means appreciating local football, embracing its character, and enjoying the ride, then I’m more than happy to be guilty of it.
 
HonestSpursFan said:
The one problem that may occur is the games would possibly have to be split. Only about 40% of Tasmania's population lives in Hobart so Launceston would probably want a couple games to be played there.
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That's fine, if that's what it'd take to help guarantee its success then by all means. Bottom-line is, the state is one of the only 2-3 places in the whole nation that I'd give an expansion-team ALM franchise to before that practice is permanently replaced by pro/rel.
 
JS96 said:
Who knows but in an alternative universe, had we set up a team in Tasmania 10 years ago instead of WU and also a small Sunshine Coast side, things may be tidy or niche or however one wants to describe it.

All their own circumstances but it's a massive shame NQ, GC went defunct. Wish we'd scaled down a bit and worked on sustainability in modest terms.
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Not to nitpick, but GCU still exist at NPL-level; agree re. NQ Fury though. Maybe someday the latter region will be represented in the A-League again(if not by a resurrection of the Fury brand, then maybe by that of Townsville Kern United - the OG Townsville club that could've joined the NSL in the early-'80s, but didn't..)
 
If there's a club on the Gold Coast who could finance an A League bid and entry then it's probably Gold Coast Knights....

I'd say they are probably the most self sustainable football club in Queensland. And I include Brisbane Roar in that.

Gold Coast "Knights" ....yep, that could be a problem!! 😂
 
HonestSpursFan said:
The one problem that may occur is the games would possibly have to be split. Only about 40% of Tasmania's population lives in Hobart so Launceston would probably want a couple games to be played there.

It's a common tradition for this to happen in Tassie when they get pro sports teams. The Devils (when they start playing), the Hurricanes and the JackJumpers all play games in both Hobart and Launceston (though apparently the Tassie Tigers in Hockey One don't, though field hockey is a minor sport in Australia). Odd since it's a small state, but makes sense given the north and south have similar populations (Hobart in the south plus Burnie, Devonport and Launceston in the north).

Sorry to disappoint you Sutherlandbear but they may have to do dual home grounds in Tassie. Unless maybe the women play in Launnie and the men in Hobart.
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Yeah I've previously suggested this. If we have 14 teams, I'm sending at least four home games up north. Say three in Launceston and one in Devonport, some decent upgrades happening up there and hopefully more to come if Football Tasmania get the funding. Probably send the lower drawing crowds, like Macarthur, WU, Auckland and Wellington.
 
Uh
Football us life said:
I think Tasmania deserves an A-League club, not just as a novelty, but as a natural next step in Australian football’s growth. For too long, Tassie has been treated as a development zone rather than a destination. An A-League team would change that overnight, giving Tasmanian football players a genuine pathway at home and sports fans a team that represents them on the national stage.

Football is already fairly deeply rooted in Tasmania. Participation rates are reasonably strong, no doubt the multicultural communities support the game, and I think local clubs punch above their weight despite limited exposure. An A-League side would unify that base, creating a clear pinnacle for talent and ambition. It would also diversify the league geographically, strengthening its claim to be truly national rather than mainland-centric.

Critics point to population size and travel costs, but those arguments underestimate Tasmania’s sporting culture. Tasmanians turn up when teams represent them authentically, as seen in state-level competitions and the hunger for national representation across sports. With smart scheduling, community engagement, and a stadium experience built for football, crowds would follow.

More than anything, a Tasmanian A-League club would be a statement that Australian football believes in inclusion, regional growth, and long-term vision. It wouldn’t just expand the league.I think it would deepen it.

I'd give them a go.....👍
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Sure. Now find an investor who sees football as philanthropy and is prepared to stump up millions for a licence fee and lose at least another 2 million dollars a year.

Admirable sentiment but completely divorced from commercial reality.
 
Frankly Speaking said:
Uh

Sure. Now find an investor who sees football as philanthropy and is prepared to stump up millions for a licence fee and lose at least another 2 million dollars a year.

Admirable sentiment but completely divorced from commercial reality.
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I genuinely thought when "Frankly Speaking" was mentioned that it was sarcasm. I had no idea you actually existed lol.
 
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