The cost of kids playing football is too high.
Football zones rely on the monies from parents and wont go out and get sponsors.

At the rising sun pub last night a couple of union boys(or could of been League "teachers team") walked in with their kit on and on the back was at least 12 sponsors names.

our clubs are lucky to get one and there is not many sponsors boards up on the clubs either .

I think you meant


ALF players riding around on bicycles in pairs? I'd like to see that.

But seriously having kids and paying for their activities is an expensive business. Scouts, for example, is about the same price as quoted for football and then you have triennial national and overseas jamborees on top of that. A neighbours' daughter was tagged as at least a state squad gymnast but the costs were too high for them so she missed out.

It's funny how blatantly backwards and racist AFL is.

The token players who are not white or aboriginal, are flying the multicultural flag of the AFL, receive racial abuse on a regular occurrence from high profile figures in the AFL, commentators and fans.

When Daw came up against Natiunui a few years back, they hyped it up, so it lloked like a 'battle of the freaks' thing. Was just weird,

Also bachar houli cops it from richmond supporters and rival fans as well. Hell he copped grief at the bombersm and dont start on the shit he copped at bendigo. he is a good kid and is very humble

It's interesting to note that despite all the money the ALF has spent on international development, the Beeb feels that the code does not have the credibility to be included in this list http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/get-inspired/25416779

However Shinty and American Football do.

I guess you could say that the main point of difference between reporting on these incidents is that it's reported as "an isolated incident" or by "individuals". Where as with soccer, it's the sport that's at fault because it's boring and full of wogs, not the fault of individual offenders.

I agree. Apart from the comment about Tofu (which I agree with him on) there wasn't really any negativity in the points he made, including the statements that football is more popular among girls and immigrants. This isn't a "sheilas, wogs and poofters" article, but a "crap, football is really good at targeting a demographic that we suck at - so what is a major strength of AFL in comparison that we can leverage?". In fact, the 'pale and male' comment in this article is more an admission of failure rather than a claim to superiority. This is clearly evident in how later talks about how the AFL cannot concede the battleground of girls' participation.

Too many of us are too quick to play the martyr and so read every paranoid conspiracy into articles that talk about football. If anything, we should be listening in depth to what this article is suggesting and take seriously that exorbitant junior fees are being identified as a real weakness for football in Australia (and I sincerely hope the FFA Whole of Football Plan addresses it).

Can't comment on AFL specifically but this seems to be more of an indictment of Australian society in general. I've heard a few racist comments at A-League games too.

Shinty is a Scottish sport, of course it's going to make the BBC get inspired list. It's very popular in the Scottish Highlands and there is a lot of interest from the Scottish Gaelic speaking communities in the North.

Got no excuse for yankball though.