AFL’s exodus can grow the game in northern states: Chris Scott
Every AFL match this week will be played in the expansion territory which gives the game a chance to grow its fan base.
A silver lining to the coronavirus crisis that has forced Victorian clubs interstate is that it will help grow the profile of the AFL further in the northern expansion states.
That is the view of Geelong coach Chris Scott, who was a member of the 2001 and 2002 Brisbane premiership sides and is now in his 26th season as an AFL player or coach.
Every match in Round 6 will be played in either Sydney, Brisbane or on the Gold Coast given the great exodus by Victorian teams out of the heartland due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Six of the nine matches in Round 7 will be held in those cities as well with the remainder in either Perth or Adelaide.
The AFL had planned to play 27 games in through to Round 10 in all mainland states except Victoria.
But the deteriorating COVID-19 crisis, which will see Melbourne locked down for at least six weeks from Wednesday, will almost certainly see additional games played in Queensland and NSW in August and September.
While the coronavirus pandemic is presenting the AFL with the greatest challenge it has faced, Scott is of the belief that a crisis can create an opportunity.
“I think it is a great opportunity for the game,” he said.
“I have always had the view that if we get enough quality games into Queensland and New South Wales, that the product will speak for itself.
“I don’t want to be overconfident about it, but when you have a fantastic product, it gives you a bit of a head start, I think. It is one of the many positives I can see in the situation right at the moment.”
There is already evidence of an increase in interest in the northern states in 2020 based on television ratings for this year in those states.
Free-to-air television audiences have risen by 16 per cent in Queensland and NSW compared to last year.
The AFL is out-rating the NRL nationally on Thursday and Friday nights.
The devastating flip-side is the lack of crowds attending matches, which partially explains the improved television ratings across the board.
Those ratings may be impacted over coming weeks with fans allowed back into matches as restrictions are eased outside of Victoria.
In an interview with The Australian in June, Brisbane chairman Andrew Wellington described the battle to win over the hearts and minds of Queenslanders as generational.
He said it was important to keep the investment the AFL has made in junior academies and in women’s football to ensure the good work over the past decade delivers dividends in the future.
“Only a small number of academy kids will get drafted but a lot will go back and help clubs and, in turn, they will have kids and coach those kids,” Wellington said.
“They will play an important role in establishing the game on a generational basis.”
It is a point that Scott, whose Cats will play Brisbane at the SCG on Thursday night, agrees with.
He said that while it was important for the clubs in NSW and Queensland to be successful and play exciting football, the league needed to keep its focus on growing the sport at grassroots level.
“Really, it is a generational challenge in the northern states, because it is not just having successful teams there and attractive teams to watch, it is about getting the young kids playing the game and not only playing the game as kids, but progressing through playing the game as adults as well,” he said.
Those involved in the Australian rules have surged over the past decade in Queensland, with almost 300,000 registered participants last year, which is three times the figure at the start of the decade.
A few kings 👑 #GeelongStrong pic.twitter.com/slopNI2MQI
— Geelong Cats (@GeelongCats) July 7, 2020
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