Rob's Thoughts

GF Week Observations

Notes from headquarters...

Has anyone else noticed that since my blog where I mentioned the subject, that Foster's has suddenly started advertising on the FOX Sports World coverage again?  Coincidence or not?

This week is incredibly busy at AFANA.  Our reporters file almost daily stories.  Late Grand Final party announcements arrive.  Lots of newsletters go out.  The telephone rings more than any other week all year.  The web site gets more traffic this week than the entire November to January period.  And the e-mail.  It pours in.  What is remarkable now is that we get so much from outside North America.  Aussie ex-pats around the world seem to be the new source.  Poland, China, Sweden, Argentina, Mexico, Japan, India, Israel, Germany, South Africa, and the list goes on.   We help everyone we can but our resources are stretched just dealing with the fans in the US and Canada who need help.  

One thing that you can also count on is that many fans will wait until Wednesday or Thursday to try to figure out where and how to watch the Grand Final.   Happens every year.  No matter how much information we put on the web site or in newsletters, we'll still get the questions from those who have waited until the panic has set in or who don't read what we post.   When we (necessarily) point them to our web site or explain how to get back issues of our newsletter by autoresponder e-mail, some take offense.   The e-mail volume reaches into the hundreds per day this week and no matter how we sort it, our volunteers just can't keep up so we have no other alternative.   And no, the AFL doesn't pay us to do this.  And no, most of these fans will never join AFANA and support what we do financially.  We do it because we love the sport and want to see it grow.  

In order to at least recognize some of those who help, I want to mention them by name.  Ann Solomon, my ever faithful friend and all around aide.  Lisa Albergo, Johnson Leung, Oren Flamm, and Derrick den Hollander, our staff here in the US and down in Australia who write the articles and provide the photos that appear on the web site.  Lisa Harris, our Melbourne based liaison to the AFL and media who keeps our affairs in order down under.   Ben Seacrist, our webmaster, who keeps the reports and scores posted and helps me keep the web site running.   My thanks also to Emma Howse and Patrick Keane at the AFL for their cooperation and to Nancy Sherwood at MHz and Lori Hessner-Unsworth at FOX Sports World Canada for their help with schedules.   Thanks to my friends and the special ones in my life (you know who you are) for their patience during this time of the year when you don't get as much of my time as you deserve.  And finally thanks to all of my fellow fans.  I love hearing from you and getting to talk footy.  

-Rob (who must now get back to work on editing the next newsletters to go out!)