AFANA Footy BBS

Americans who follow the footy.........how did u get on to it?
Who are your favourite players?

Does anyone belong to a team?

I am amazed at how many people outside Australia follow the football. I think its a great tributeto our game and your game now.

finally...and most importantly...your tip for the Brownlow?

Cheers,

Oren

> Americans who follow the footy.........how did u get on to it?

There was a thread some time ago where several of us discussed how we became interested in footy. I have searched all the messages currently on the bulletin board but can't find it, so I'm guessing it was probably sometime before 2000. I'm wondering if there are any old records the BBS admin could search to restore this thread to the system???

> Who are your favourite players?

Currently my favorite is Anthony Rocca, but my tastes vary over time. I used to like Wayne Carey, but no more.

> There was a thread some time ago where several of us discussed how we became
> interested in footy. I have searched all the messages currently on the bulletin
> board but can't find it, so I'm guessing it was probably sometime before 2000. I'm
> wondering if there are any old records the BBS admin could search to restore this
> thread to the system???

If the messages exist, it is possible to restore them but even if we did, they would at best display only if you paged to and looked at the very last screen. We only have in archive about half of the 350 or so messages that are not currently listed (of about 1200 posted in the history of the BBS). Some of the very early BBS messages are lost due to the way the consultant who initially set this up for us configured it. He choose to delete not archive old messages. By the time we discovered this, it was too late.

We'll see if we can find the messages in question.

-BBS Admin
AFANA.com

AFANA home page

Since nobody else has responded to Oren's questions, I thought I would expand on my response to try to generate some discussion.

> Americans who follow the footy.........how did u get on to it?

Business trip to Melbourne February-March, 1992 (during Foster's cup series) and later American TV coverage.

> Who are your favourite players?

As I already mentioned, Anthony Rocca is my overall favorite. Following, I am also listing my favorite by team. There is no rational for my choices. They are just guys who happenned to capture my liking.

Adelaide Crows - Ronnie Burns
Brisbane Lions - Alastair Lynch
Carlton Blues - Lance Whitnall
Collingwood Magpies - Anthony Rocca
Essendon Bombers - Matthew Lloyd
Fremantle Dockers - Jeff Farmer
Geelong Cats - Peter Riccardi
Hawthorn Hawks - No-one particularly stands out as a favorite, but I guess I’ll go with Nick Holland
Kangaroos - Brent Harvey
Melbourne Demons - Russell Robertson
Port Adelaide Power - Gavin Wanganeen
Richmond Tigers - Wayne Campbell
St. Kilda Saints - Stephen Milne
Sydney Swans - Michael O'Loughlin
West Coast Eagles - Peter Matera, even though I find it hard to like anyone who would play for West Coast.
Western Bulldogs - Brad Johnson

> Americans who follow the footy.........how did u get on to it?
> Who are your favourite players?

> Does anyone belong to a team?

> I am amazed at how many people outside Australia follow the football. I think its a
> great tributeto our game and your game now.

> finally...and most importantly...your tip for the Brownlow?

> Cheers,

> Oren
Hi Oren -

Well, to answer your questions:
My roommate discovered it was back on TV here in the US in 1993 and I WAS HOOKED!!
By 1994, I was waffling between Essendon and Carlton until the Blues were the only team to knock the Eagles out of first place. I figured any team who could do that was my team. I then found out about international memberships and the footy magazines, became a Carlton member and began subscriptions.
I don't belong to a team here, but I do umpire for them as a goal and boundary umpire and go to the nationals every year.
Favorite players: too many to name but just a few who I think are fantastic players are Hird, Camporeale, McKay, Buckley, Robert Harvey, Archer, McLeod, Riewoldt, Fraser, O'Loughlin. St. Kilda's Stephen Milne is really fun to watch - especially when he is on a roll. And Dew is amazing the way he consistantly kick massive bombs through for goals. And Tarrant this year has been nothing short of amazing. What was it a few weeks ago - 17 marks in one game? Bloody hell!! Awesome.
I could go on all day like this.
As for the Brownlow, I think Buckley, Cousins, and McLeod have got to be hot favorites with Goodes, Gardiner, and Michael Voss as possibilities as well.
For a future prediction, it won't be this year or next,but I think Nick Riewoldt will win it one of these years.
If you haven't already done so, check out some of my weekly reports and let me know what you think. You can link into them at the main page here at the site.

GO BLUES!!

Lisa
AFANA
Chicago

> There was a thread some time ago where several of us discussed how we became
> interested in footy. I have searched all the messages currently on the bulletin
> board but can't find it, so I'm guessing it was probably sometime before 2000. I'm
> wondering if there are any old records the BBS admin could search to restore this
> thread to the system???

Good news, Bob. The thread has been restored: http://www.afana.com/cgi-bin/footybbs/webbbs_config.pl/frames=n/read/308

They are the very oldest messages on the BBS now. All 18 messages in the thread are there and you can read thru them. You can search for them using "finding footy" as the keywords.

-BBS Admin
AFANA.com

AFANA home page

> Good news, Bob. The thread has been restored:
> http://www.afana.com/cgi-bin/footybbs/webbbs_config.pl/frames=n/read/308

Thanks

> Americans who follow the footy.........how did u get on to it?
> Who are your favourite players?

> Does anyone belong to a team?

> I am amazed at how many people outside Australia follow the football. I think its a
> great tributeto our game and your game now.

> finally...and most importantly...your tip for the Brownlow?

> Cheers,

> Oren

Hey Oren!

I beame hooked on footy in 1982 or 1983...back in the olden days of ESPN here in the US. They were desperately looking for programming so they could keep their promise of sports 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! I was 16-17 years old, and was hooked instantly!!! I have played and coached gridiron, thus that is my favorite sport, but after seeing footy for the first time, it quickly became #2. During a trip to Oz in Jul 1996 visited the SCG (but the Swans were not playing in Syd that weekend). Finally, after a lot of wasted time, I finally got a satellite dish in Jan 2001 (and risked eviction from my apartment), and by April I was barracking like a native born Aussie!

I do not play footy or participate in any other type of activity regarding footy currently due to health issues. I will look into that as soon as they are no longer issues.

Regarding fave players, don't have many as I prefer to evaluate teams. If you want to pin me down, I like what Michael Voss does for Brisbane, and what Alastair Lynch does is AMAZING at 35-36 with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, missing West Coast games, etc! I like the team that Brisbane has fielded for the past few years, the team from Sydney has shocked many who had them pegged as wooden spoon candidates (altho I was one of the people who wrote an email to the Swans management in support of Mr. Roos; figured the man deserved a chance if nothing else), the team from St Kilda has shown massive improvement, and are ready for finals contention for 2004 with all that young talent! Man are they ever LOADED! Of course the SA teams have rocked too! With all the talent the Brownlow is tough this year! I will leave no opinion as my heart is defeating my head on the pick. Glad footy (and footy coverage!!) exists cause it is a wonderful complement to gridiron here in the US! Thanks for listening Oren!

Regards!,

Joe

G'day Joe!

What a great read i must say. you know your stuff! I'm absoloutely astounded at the amount of interest in AFL footy in amercia.

I wish the AFL knew.

what channel do you tune into with your satelite dish?!? that is just amazing!

It's b/c of supporters like you that i've joined the AFANA team, so i can bring to you as much as possible from down under!

For the record, i am an Essendon supporter and i think we're going to give the finals a real shake!! I cant wait till friday night when we take on the pies.

Are you going to be able to get a Grand Final Party. It seems that there are quite a few scattered around.

What a coincidence!! i just received an e-mail saying that Collingwood's Brodie Holland has been reported. Yay!! i hope he goes!

gotta fly!

Oren

> Hey Oren!

> I beame hooked on footy in 1982 or 1983...back in the olden days of ESPN here in the
> US. They were desperately looking for programming so they could keep their promise
> of sports 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! I was 16-17 years old, and was hooked
> instantly!!! I have played and coached gridiron, thus that is my favorite sport, but
> after seeing footy for the first time, it quickly became #2. During a trip to Oz in
> Jul 1996 visited the SCG (but the Swans were not playing in Syd that weekend).
> Finally, after a lot of wasted time, I finally got a satellite dish in Jan 2001 (and
> risked eviction from my apartment), and by April I was barracking like a native born
> Aussie!

> I do not play footy or participate in any other type of activity regarding footy
> currently due to health issues. I will look into that as soon as they are no longer
> issues.

> Regarding fave players, don't have many as I prefer to evaluate teams. If you want
> to pin me down, I like what Michael Voss does for Brisbane, and what Alastair Lynch
> does is AMAZING at 35-36 with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, missing West Coast games,
> etc! I like the team that Brisbane has fielded for the past few years, the team from
> Sydney has shocked many who had them pegged as wooden spoon candidates (altho I was
> one of the people who wrote an email to the Swans management in support of Mr. Roos;
> figured the man deserved a chance if nothing else), the team from St Kilda has shown
> massive improvement, and are ready for finals contention for 2004 with all that
> young talent! Man are they ever LOADED! Of course the SA teams have rocked too! With
> all the talent the Brownlow is tough this year! I will leave no opinion as my heart
> is defeating my head on the pick. Glad footy (and footy coverage!!) exists cause it
> is a wonderful complement to gridiron here in the US! Thanks for listening Oren!

> Regards!,

> Joe

I was looking through the internet for coverage of the grand final this year on a network (I work expat in Central Africa) and came accross your website.

Good to see some Americans into the footy! I am amazed! It's a game that you have to see live if you get the chance, TV doesn't show how fast it really is!

I come from Country Victoria (just south west of Melbourne) where footy is a religion, rather than a sport! No one there is interested in any other sports. Other Aussies will say this is rubbish, but the other states don't follow the footy as much as country Victoria (I live in Perth now - so I can make this comment!), so I guess that's the answer to your questions about why the Victorian teams get so much coverage. They also have the biggest supporter bases in Oz, but I guess that may not be the case in the US.

I'm interested to know if you get any of "The Footy Show"? This is Australia's most watched program and it's on weekly every Thursday. If you're into the footy, or even if you're not it's excellent. They have small video downloads at the ninemsn website if you want to have a look. I'd be screaming about not getting this, rather than watch Lloydy (Essendon) kicking a lazy 11 against St Kilda!! I absolutely love the game, so if I can give you any info I'd be more than happy.

Be interested to know what you think of the Footy Show and Sam Newman in particular (the people from Adelaide all hate him!).

Can't wait to see Vossy and Bucks go head to head on Saturday!!

> Good to see some Americans into the footy! I am amazed! It's a game that you have to
> see live if you get the chance, TV doesn't show how fast it really is!

The fact that you're amazed shows how far we have yet to go. I've been to Australia several times and done nationally distributed interviews on the ABC, Radio Australia, most of the major Melbourne radio stations, stations in Perth and Adelaide, etc, newspaper interviews, etc. In spite of that, many Australians still don't know how much the game is followed here. Particularly some employed at the AFL.

Many fans here have made trips to Australia and seen matches, myself included. I hope many more will. Travel though to Australia is very expensive and a barrier to many fans.

> I come from Country Victoria (just south west of Melbourne) where footy is a
> religion, rather than a sport! No one there is interested in any other sports.

Yes, we know. Hard to miss.

> so I can make this comment!), so I
> guess that's the answer to your questions about why the Victorian teams get so much
> coverage. They also have the biggest supporter bases in Oz, but I guess that may not
> be the case in the US.

No, it isn't automatically. Our recent fan survey will, when published, give a relative idea of what following each AFL club has here. The reason the Victorian clubs get so much coverage is not that at all, however, in my opinion. I've discussed that in my blog and elsewhere on the BBS, so I won't repeat my sentiments here.

> I'm interested to know if you get any of "The Footy Show"? This is
> Australia's most watched program and it's on weekly every Thursday. ...
> They have small video downloads at
> the ninemsn website if you want to have a look.
...
> Be interested to know what you think of the Footy Show and Sam Newman in particular

No, we don't get the Footy Show here. We'd like to. (Again that's something I've mentioned in my blog and elsewhere on the BBS.) Many fans who have either been to Australia or get tapes from Australia have seen it though. Our footy columnist, Lisa Albergo, regularly comments on it in her newsletters on footy-- free, some of the best anywhere on the web, and the link to subscribe is below my name. She's an American living in Chicago.

Personally, I find Sam to be pretty infantile but I'm sure others find him amusing.

-Rob de Santos
AFANA Chairman

AFANA newsletter signup

Cheers Oren!

I'm an American ex-pat living in Melbourne and a fanatical Essendon supporter.

In the mid 1980s, I too was captivated by the strange sport shown late at night on cable television. But I didn't have a team in those days, although for some reason I remember distinctly not liking Collingwood (some things never change!). Perhaps it was the fact that, through American eyes, black and white stripes look like referees!

Then I forgot about the sport for many years, as ESPN stopped showing it.

In 1996, I met an Australian woman over the internet. In 1998, after two years of close online friendship, I invited her to the US to stay with me and do some sightseeing. The spark was almost instant, and we've been a couple ever since.

I became an Essendon supporter in 1999, when I travelled to Melbourne for the first time and was reacquainted with the funny game I'd seen years ago as a little kid. I saw a game at the MCG (ironically it was on the 4th of July) which was Essendon vs. Fremantle. Essendon was her team and her family's team, and her father told me all about his hero John Coleman and his neighbor Ken Fraser. (I was so inspired that I later bought a guernsey and had #10 put on it).

It stuck when I stayed up listening to the ill-fated 1999 preliminary final on the internet and was absolutely shattered by the outcome.

I spent a few more months here in 2001 and saw some more footy. A year later I decided to move here and get married. I've been here since May '02 and I've attended just about every Essendon home game in that time, including a final. I bought my first membership this year.

Highlights have been three wins over Collingwood and one over Brisbane. e over Brisbane.

Thanks Matt!

Great to hear from an Essendon Supporter. Will be interesting to see what happens in the next few days with all the players being traded. Hopefully Solomon will stay with us. He's too valuable to lose! Other than that i'm looking forward to 2004...we have great youngsters coming through that should see us become a force again.

Keep posting your thoughts here. It's really good to hear from the different kinds of supporters the game has.

Might bump into you at the footy!

Go Bombers!

Oren

> Cheers Oren!

> I'm an American ex-pat living in Melbourne and a fanatical Essendon supporter.

> In the mid 1980s, I too was captivated by the strange sport shown late at night on
> cable television. But I didn't have a team in those days, although for some reason I
> remember distinctly not liking Collingwood (some things never change!). Perhaps it
> was the fact that, through American eyes, black and white stripes look like
> referees!

> Then I forgot about the sport for many years, as ESPN stopped showing it.

> In 1996, I met an Australian woman over the internet. In 1998, after two years of
> close online friendship, I invited her to the US to stay with me and do some
> sightseeing. The spark was almost instant, and we've been a couple ever since.

> I became an Essendon supporter in 1999, when I travelled to Melbourne for the first
> time and was reacquainted with the funny game I'd seen years ago as a little kid. I
> saw a game at the MCG (ironically it was on the 4th of July) which was Essendon vs.
> Fremantle. Essendon was her team and her family's team, and her father told me all
> about his hero John Coleman and his neighbor Ken Fraser. (I was so inspired that I
> later bought a guernsey and had #10 put on it).

> It stuck when I stayed up listening to the ill-fated 1999 preliminary final on the
> internet and was absolutely shattered by the outcome.

> I spent a few more months here in 2001 and saw some more footy. A year later I
> decided to move here and get married. I've been here since May '02 and I've attended
> just about every Essendon home game in that time, including a final. I bought my
> first membership this year.

> Highlights have been three wins over Collingwood and one over Brisbane.