Aussie rules now No.1 sport

[DIEHARD]

Aussie rules now No.1 sport

Australian rules football is now the most popular sport in the nation, according to the latest Sweeney Sports Report.

The report shows the game reached an unprecedented high last winter with six out of 10 adult Australians (59 per cent) taking an interest in it - six per cent more than for the same period in 2004.

It's good news for Channels 7 and 10 who have recently secured broadcast rights for the game. The report showed that more than five out of 10 Australian adults (55 per cent) watched the game on television last winter - again up six per cent on winter 2004.

Sweeney report statistics showed Australian rules has enjoyed record gains and levels and retained leadership in all areas but participation.

Besides an increase in overall interest level, it boasted the largest number of patrons, the most media coverage, internet use and pay-TV audiences. It also earned recognition for its major event - the AFL Grand Final - being recognised as the most important of any sport by Australians.

To reach No.1, Australian rules pushed out swimming as the sport most Australians attend, participate in, watch, listen or read about.

Swimming is now second, with cricket, rugby league, football, rugby union, motor car racing, golf and netball rounding out the top 10.

Among those to miss the top 10 were athletics (11th), basketball (12th) and, most surprisingly, horse racing (17th).

The Daily Telegraph

[DIEHARD]

Ah the good old Sweeney Sports Report.

Besides an increase in overall interest level, it boasted the largest number of patrons, the most media coverage, internet use and pay-TV audiences.

Isn't rugby league the absolute #1 sport on pay tv? I wonder how they justify AFL beating it?

A lot of their media coverage was bought as well. I'm interested to see the sharp drop in AFL content in News Ltd publications next year, especially the Courier Mail.

But none the less, rugby league has to watch its back and keep its eye on the prize, regaining our crown as #1. We have a lot of work left to do, but we have come along at warp speed over the last 5 years.

The Titans are a major element of reclaiming our former glory, as is the $23 million investment into Victoria over the next three seasons. Not only with cash but Victoria will host a State of Origin and a Tri Nations Test.

And let's not forget that after the Commonwealth Games, they break ground on the new stadium at Olympic Park!

Onward and upward!

[Eel 33]

59% of Australians aye?

Whats the bet the majority of the survey was conducted in Victoria, Southern NSW, TAS, SA and WA where AFL is the major sport. Very easy to manipulate the figures that way. :rotflmao:

[Queenslander]

six out of 10 adult Australians (59 per cent)

Isnt 6/10 60%

[Queenslander]

Just read this and news.com.au readers disagree

FORGET cricket, Aussie Rules or rugby - soccer, the "world game", is Australia's most popular sport - at least according to NEWS.com.au readers.

A recent survey by sponsorship company Sweeney Sports declared that Aussie Rules had overtaken swimming to become our favourite sport, with 59 per cent of people indicating some link with the pastime last year.
However in a poll conducted exclusively by NEWS.com.au, soccer has emerged as far and away our most popular sport, with 31 per cent of the total of almost 4000 votes.

Aussie Rules came a poor second, with 19 per cent of responses, while rugby league is in third place with 16 per cent.

Cricket, Australia's national summer sport came fourth in the popularity poll with 9 per cent.

However two sports which ranked very highly in the Sweeney Sports survey - swimming and tennis - are nowhere to be seen in the NEWS.com.au poll.

While both tennis and swimming scored 56 per cent in the Sweeney survey, a paltry 1 per cent of people said tennis was their favourite sport, while swimming failed to gain a single percentage point in the NEWS.com.au poll.

A survey in today's Australian showed Aussie rules overtaking swimming as Australia's most popular sport.

Interest in Australian football surged to a new high, with 59 per cent of Australians indicating some involvement with the sport last winter, up from 53 per cent the previous year.

Swimming, the top-ranked sport for the previous three years, ranked equal second with tennis on 56 per cent, according to the six-monthly survey by sponsorship company Sweeney Sports.

A parallel survey showed that top Commonwealth Games sponsors - who committed an estimated $10 million to $20 million for their involvement - have so far largely failed to generate public recognition of their sponsor status.

Telstra scored the top mark, with just 9 per cent of those surveyed able to name the company as a sponsor. Adidas and Coke were ranked third and fourth despite not sponsoring Melbourne 2006.

While the Nine Network will reap the benefits this year of the AFL's strong national competition - teams from four states made the finals, with the Sydney Swans defeating the West Coast Eagles to win the competition - Seven and Ten's $780 million rights deal, which takes effect next year, will see them broadcasting a sport on the rise.

AFL is by far the most popular sport for television viewing and last year generated the top three most-watched programs of the TV ratings year, including the AFL grand final, which drew an average audience of 3.4 million people.

"AFL ratings would be expected to go up, but they will only get the big increases if the Swans continue to draw an audience in Sydney," said Fusion Strategy media analyst Steve Allen.

Interest in tennis was reawakened by a strong performance from locals Lleyton Hewitt and Alicia Molik in last year's Australian Open, though the sport was still well down on its high of 67 per cent in 1999 and 2000. While the match between Hewitt and eventual 2005 Australian Open winner Marat Safin took place outside the normal ratings year, it drew an audience of 4.04 million last January.

"Tennis could slip; it really depends on how some of the (seeded players) do," said Sweeney Sports director Martin Hirons.

Soccer fell five points in the survey, but that was before Australia's successful qualifying bid for this year's World Cup and the start of the new national A-League competition.

"In 2002 soccer reached a 50 per cent high without Australia participating (in the World Cup)," said Geoff Partmenter, head of marketing and strategy for the Football Federation of Australia. "I'd expect there'd be an increase over the next 12 months."
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117...127-2,00.html#

[Steelers]

I don't think either AFL, Rugby League or Soccer are Australia's most popular sports. There is no doubt in my mind that Cricket is the nations most popular sport. It is a sport followed by supporters of all the footy codes.

[Eel 33]

True Steelers. I'd say a few ppl (myself included) turned off cricket because it was just a complete procession of the Aussies winning. Don't get me wrong, i love them winning but it got boring. Losing the Ashes brought me back. As far as AFL goes, it just doesn't interest me all that much. Yeah the Swans winning last year was great, but it was like a blip on the radar for me.

[Queenslander]

News.com.au readers have changed their minds.....Rugby League is their favourite sport YAY!!!!

RUGBY league, the game born in the mines of northern England, is Australia's most popular sport - at least according to NEWS.com.au readers.

A recent survey by sponsorship company Sweeney Sports declared that Aussie Rules had overtaken swimming to become our favourite sport, with 59 per cent of people indicating some link with the pastime last year.
However in a poll conducted exclusively by NEWS.com.au, rugby league has emerged as far and away our most popular sport, with 38 per cent of the total of almost 11,500 votes.

Early leader soccer came a solid second, with 30 per cent of responses, while Aussie Rules is in third place with 13 per cent.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117...127-2,00.html#

[Eel 33]

Wait for the cries from south of the border. They'll say the survey was only conducted in Sydney and Brisbane.

[The Original Idiot]

FOOLS! THE WORLD GAME WILL SWAMP YOU ALL!

FOOTBALL FOREVER!

i'll still support rl and the titans tho

[DIEHARD]

Soccer will never catch on in Australia sorry.

[Steve Dangerous]

hmm.

i would say that it's more likely for a rugby league fan to also take interest in the AFL than an AFL-fan to take an interest in the NRL. therefore rating a higher intrest.

but when asked which individual sport you prefer most the results may vary, which may be reason for the different results in other polls.


just my spin on this.

[Eel 33]

Well i dont suppose anyone on here was included in the surveys mentioned above?

[DIEHARD]

hmm.

i would say that it's more likely for a rugby league fan to also take interest in the AFL than an AFL-fan to take an interest in the NRL. therefore rating a higher intrest.

but when asked which individual sport you prefer most the results may vary, which may be reason for the different results in other polls.

just my spin on this.

Yea northern fans are far less insecure, paranoid, xenophobic and militant.

Plus in Victoria AFL clubs are passed down through families like an insideous cult. And if you don't have a chosen AFL club in the workplace, you get ostracized.

When my brother tells people in Victoria which team he goes for and he says Storm, they go -> :!:

[Eel 33]

If Melbourne is classified by the mexicans and others as the sporting capital of Australia, then that to me says they support all sports. They don't and I wouldn't think they'd like to be told that either. Look at the Storm crowds, most games barely break the 10000 barrier. Until those shallow inhabitants south of the border open their eyes to the wider world, they can have their aerial ping pong as much as they like. You're NOT a true sports fan unless you support ALL sports.