Thinking back on the way " life " used to be, many will remember when the " Footy " was something that happened on a Saturday afternoon - and the team was a group of local lads proudly representing their home suburb.
In the southern states the game that was played was " Aussie Rules " and in New South Wales and Queensland it was Rugby League, but the principle was the same. It was a contest between our best - and that " mongrel mob " from another suburb.
The players needed to have a job because there was no money in the game. It was all a matter of " glory " and the best players from the school teams gravitated to suburban clubs - and some of them became stars and drew admiring crowds whenever they played. Being one of the local " sporting heros " meant fans shouted you a beer in the pub and you easily got a date with the prettiest local girl.
That is not the way it is today. In both AFL and League the game has become big business and getting into the team means becoming an instant " celebrity " - and earning a fortune others can only dream about. It also seems to be an excuse for excessive drinking and outrageous behaviour.
Unfortunately, there is a distinct tendency to distance the clubs from the previous fan base. In Wollongong, the local " Steelers " team was booted from the competition and a Sydney club was forced on the city as a sort of " joint venture " deal. It has not been a happy union and many former League fans have drifted away to AFL or Soccer as a result.
Now League is looking at the Cronulla Sharks and suggesting that they may be relocated to Queensland. " Sharkies " represent the massive Sutherland Shire and were formed in 1967. They have financial worries and they have been accused of sins related to performance enhancing drugs, but to banish them to the backwoods of Queensland seems a strange way of rehabilitation.
Last year provided a lesson that both League and AFL would do well to consider. A new soccer team formed north of Sydney and it immediately attracted a startlingly big fan base - and it just went on to become " Mega " from there - winning match after match - and narrowly missing out at the grand final.
Serve the television and gambling industry at the expense of the home supporters of teams - at your peril ! The teams that still have home suburb support have an enormous advantage when it comes to raising money, promoting the game, and - importantly - that feed into the reserve competitions that keep the big clubs supplied with new stars.
Where you want to be in the future has a lot to do with remembering where you came from in the past !
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