AFANA Footy BBS

From page 5 of the August '04 Swans magazine:

The AFL recently announced that the Sydney Swans will play the Kangaroos in a game of Australian Rules in Los Angeles (at UCLA) on 23 January 2005. It's all part of 'Australia Week in LA'.

  -- RW "KC Swan" Lipp 

Nothing Yet On The "Australia Week" web site

Looking further, it appears the USFooty put on a match last year, on Sunday, Jan 18. The USFooty site appears to be down right now, so I can't look there for any info. However, I did find the event page (it currently says Sunday, January 18) and it lists a game for 12:00 but does not list teams.

  -- RW "KC Swan" Lipp 

Family Day BBQ / Aussie Rules Football

Hmm, well I get all of the AFL's press releases and those of every club, too, and not one mention so far of it. I would think that the Swans jumped the gun a bit on this. It does fit the rumors though.

My question to the readers of this board:

What should AFANA do if this game is confirmed? (promote it, ignore it, etc.)

-Rob de Santos
AFANA Chairman

AFANA Blog

So I guess the two Sydney teams will be playing each other again??? I wonder who will be the home team

> What should AFANA do if this game is confirmed? (promote it, ignore it, etc.)

I think it depends on the field they finally end up with. If the field is a reasonable representative of an AFL field (size, etc) then you should probably promote it. If you want to attract more fans to footy, you shouldn't let pride, or offense at not being included in the planning, stop you from using every opportunity you get. But if the field is too small to play a really good game, it wouldn't hurt to warn potential attendees of the shortcomings.

> I think it depends on the field they finally end up with. If the field is a
> reasonable representative of an AFL field (size, etc) then you should probably
> promote it.

Field size is a major consideration but so are the visitor amenities. Will they be prepared to support the management of the crowd, food, restrooms, parking, etc.? Without repeating all I've written in prior threads and elsewhere, if the "experience" is a bad one, it will be a set back for the sport.

> If you want to attract more fans to footy, you shouldn't let pride, or
> offense at not being included in the planning, stop you from using every opportunity
> you get. But if the field is too small to play a really good game, it wouldn't hurt
> to warn potential attendees of the shortcomings.

You can be assured that pride or being offended isn't my concern. Geez, if pride mattered, I'd have given up this gig ages ago.

I'd think AFANA, as a matter of reputation, would want to give fans the straight scoop on what to expect, good and bad.

-Rob de Santos
AFANA Chairman

AFANA Blog

> I would think that the Swans jumped the gun a bit
> on this.

I noticed that there didn't appear to be anything on the AFL website about this.

> What should AFANA do if this game is confirmed? (promote it, ignore it, etc.)

Well, the best spin I can put on the AFL's response so far would be to suggest that maybe they didn't want AFANA promoting something that wasn't finalized yet. Perhaps they'll accept our offers of assistance once they have a solid commitment to there being something to promote.

I would suggest that the place to turn right now is the Australian Week in LA promoters.

  -- RW "KC Swan" Lipp 

> I noticed that there didn't appear to be anything on the AFL website about this.

Which confirms my feeling that nothing has been made official yet, or at least public.

> Well, the best spin I can put on the AFL's response so far would be to suggest that
> maybe they didn't want AFANA promoting something that wasn't finalized yet. Perhaps
> they'll accept our offers of assistance once they have a solid commitment to there
> being something to promote.
> I would suggest that the place to turn right now is the Australian Week in LA
> promoters.

That's not really what I was getting at. I'm not sure I even care why the AFL can't be bothered to respond to my inquiries on the issue at this stage. I'll deal with them face to face soon enough. As for the promoters, they've pretty much shown already that they aren't interested in our input or concerns. They know where I am and how to reach me if they change their mind.

What I am interested in at this point, is what the readership here thinks our role (official or otherwise) should be when and if the match is officially confirmed. Should encourage fans to attend? Provide travel assistance? Arrange AFANA events before/after the match? Provide or encourage press coverage? Send out ticket info in our newsletters, etc.

-Rob de Santos
AFANA Chairman

AFANA Blog

> I'd think AFANA, as a matter of reputation, would want to give fans the straight
> scoop on what to expect, good and bad.

Well said.

> As for the promoters, they've pretty much
> shown already that they aren't interested in our input or concerns. They know where
> I am and how to reach me if they change their mind.

I didn't realize that you had been in touch with the Australia Week in LA folks. If they can't be bothered to accept assistance, then they deserve what happens to them.

> What I am interested in at this point, is what the readership here thinks our role
> (official or otherwise) should be when and if the match is officially confirmed.
> Should encourage fans to attend? Provide travel assistance? Arrange AFANA events
> before/after the match? Provide or encourage press coverage? Send out ticket info in
> our newsletters, etc.

They seem confident that they have everything under control, so I guess we ought to take them at their word for it. Bang the drum and blow the horns. Let all the land of AFANA know what is going on. If we want better coverage, we need to demonstrate that there is an active footy fan culture and we will turn out to watch the games.

• Encourage attendance? Absolutely!
  
• Travel assistance? I'll need airfare for four, please; leaving KC Friday evening or early Saturday, and can I get back Sunday evening or do the kids miss a day of school?
  
• AFANA events? It would be great to get together and slag Bob to his face!
  
• Help with press coverage? Well, I don't know that the press would pay any more attention to us than the AFL or the AWLA.
  
• Send out ticket info? Yes, and encourage people to buy their tickets early. We want them to be buried by the demand early enough that they can make any necessary adjustments to their accomodations.
  

  -- RW "KC Swan" Lipp 

> I didn't realize that you had been in touch with the Australia Week in LA folks. If
> they can't be bothered to accept assistance, then they deserve what happens to them.

We've made attempts to contact them and they have not replied. So, no we've not be "in touch" but not for lack of effort on our part. And as everyone here knows, I've made numerous public appeals to them.

> They seem confident that they have everything under control, so I guess we ought to
> take them at their word for it. Bang the drum and blow the horns. Let all the land
> of AFANA know what is going on. If we want better coverage, we need to demonstrate
> that there is an active footy fan culture and we will turn out to watch the games.

They're confident. I'm not and won't be until I have a bit more information. I learned a long time ago in this footy business, take no one, particularly a group you know little about, at their word. I concur though, that we have to demonstrate that footy fans here are numerous and supportive. But that's never been a problem for US and Canadian footy fans in the past.

• > Encourage attendance? Absolutely!
  
• > Travel assistance? I'll need airfare for four, please; leaving KC Friday
  > evening or early Saturday, and can I get back Sunday evening or do the kids miss a
  > day of school?

  Yuck, yuck. Cute. What I meant, of course, was support of travel agents, discounted airfares, group rate hotels, etc.

• > AFANA events? It would be great to get together and slag Bob to his face!
  
• > Help with press coverage? Well, I don't know that the press would pay any more
  > attention to us than the AFL or the AWLA.

  Actually, they might. We have far more experience with promoting the sport here, particularly on a North American level, than either the the AFL or the LA bunch. And the PR person of the original Australia Week in LA event of the early 90's is on our staff. More directly, we have access to the fan base nationally. No one else does.

• > Send out ticket info? Yes, and encourage people to buy their tickets early. We
  > want them to be buried by the demand early enough that they can make any necessary
  > adjustments to their accomodations.

  That makes way too much sense. I like that suggestion. And if the event is going to overwhelm them, we wants fans to know that as early as possible.
  

> No benefit will accrue to AFANA by conspiring to hinder the success of this event.
> Even if we get no acknowledgement of our efforts, I do not see how it could hurt
> AFANA to conspire to make this event an overwhelming success. Even if AFANA gets no
> acknowledgement, it furthers our goals; isn't that the important thing?

In the bigger picture, you are absolutely right. I still want to see this apparently top secret field at UCLA. I've yet to find anyone familiar with that campus who can tell me where they would put a suitable field and seating for 20,000...

-Rob de Santos
AFANA Chairman

AFANA Blog

I sent an inquiry to the membership department at the Swans. They've responded, speaking as if this game is a done deal.

They're telling me that they are currently working to put together a travel package for club members who want to travel to LA for the game. Alas, if I want to take advantage of their package, I will need to travel to Sydney to catch the flight. Perhaps I'll just wait for AFANA to put something together.

  -- RW "KC Swan" Lipp 

> It would be great to get together and slag Bob to his face!

Now here I am trying to be good, and Swan man is being mean to me again. But it's OK. His weak jibes are like shooting spitballs at a battleship.

Happy Birthday to Me!

I just opened my birthday present from my family, and it's a gift certificate to the exhibition match. Now if we don't go, it will be my wife's fault and not mine.

She would have actually bought the tickets, but you can't yet. She would have gone ahead and booked the airfare, but you can't yet. All I'm waiting for is official confirmation, and I'm LA bound.

See you there?

  -- RW "KC Swan" Lipp 

>
> I just opened my birthday present from my family, and it's a gift certificate to the
> exhibition match.
...
> See you there?

Congrats KC Swan. Yes, if it happens, I will be there and I think we'll be joined by thousands of others. Let's hope this thing works itself out for the best.

-Rob de Santos
AFANA Chairman

AFANA Blog