AFANA Footy BBS

A story in the July 15th Herald Sun

LA next stop for game
15 June 2005 Herald Sun
Damian Barrett

A MATCH scheduled to be played in Los Angeles early next year may become the second international game of the official 2006 pre-season competition.
Round 12 photos

The Kangaroos are pushing to play the match, tentatively booked for January 22, against the Sydney Swans at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

LA-based businessman Alan Johnson, a former North Melbourne director, will underwrite part of the venture and will meet with Roos and AFL officials during the next week.

Johnson, who runs the Ramada Plaza Hotel in West Hollywood, wants the game to be a feature of next year's Australia Week festivities in Los Angeles.

It is understood Qantas is considering official involvement in the AFL match, with other private enterprises expected to cover most of the competing clubs' costs.

Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy was impressed with the UCLA facilities when he inspected them last year. The Swans would prefer to play Essendon in the match, but Johnson says a Kangaroos-Sydney Swans match is the best-fit for the LA market.

The Kangaroos will ask the AFL to give the game official pre-season competition status.

The AFL has already provisionally scheduled an official 2006 pre-season match in Dubai, between Collingwood and Adelaide.

It will not decide whether to raise the status of the Los Angeles game from exhibition to official until next month.

Some of the project's logistics, including costs associated with broadcasting it back to Australia and the January 22 scheduling, may prove difficult to overcome.

Next year's official pre-season competition will begin in late February.

AFL football projects officer Dean Moore inspected the UCLA facilities this year.

An exhibition AFL match will be played between West Coast and Fremantle at The Oval in London in October.

Snipped portion:
> A MATCH scheduled to be played in Los Angeles early next year may become the second
> international game of the official 2006 pre-season competition.
> Round 12 photos
> Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy was impressed with the UCLA facilities when he inspected
> them last year.
> AFL football projects officer Dean Moore inspected the UCLA facilities this year.

Sounds like the 3rd time around for this concept. I'm still wondering just what "facilities" at UCLA they could be referring to? There isn't a stadium there (the football team plays at the Rose Bowl which is across town). There isn't a cricket field last time I checked.

There is still something here that doesn't add up...

-Rob de Santos
AFANA Chairman

AFANA home page

Todays delivery of Latest News From The Sydney Swans begins with a "Stop The Presses" announcement: “In January 2006, I’m taking the team to Los Angeles to play a match at the legendary University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The game will be played on Sunday 15 January and will be the centrepiece of a major trade and investment promotion in LA by the Australian and all State Governments, known as Australia Week.”

The attached link is to a page that contains an image of a letter being sent by the club regarding the event. While, of course, nothing is certain until the ball is bounced, this is a more formal announcement than the brief comment in the club magazine last year. I know where I want to be January 15, 2006..but will there be anything there to see.

  -- RW "KC Swan" Lipp

Paul Roos letter about UCLA

> In January 2006, [Roos is] taking the team to Los Angeles
> to play a match at the legendary University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The
> game will be played on Sunday 15 January
> While, of course, nothing is certain until the ball is
> bounced, this is a more formal announcement than the brief comment in the club
> magazine last year. I know where I want to be January 15, 2006..but will there be
> anything there to see.

Thanks for that tip, KC Swan. This is the firmest confirmation so far that the game will take place. AFANA will follow up with the Swans and AFL though we won't have those replies in time for today's TV and Media newsletter.

Interesting that the date changed, yet again.

I wish I knew if there will be anything to see, or for that matter, anywhere to sit. While I now know the location on the UCLA campus they are looking at, it is (at present) unsuitable for a large public event. Whether it can made suitable, on a temporary basis, is not clear.

What is clear is that the clock is ticking. There is less than six months to go and no facilities, no travel arrangements, no ticketing, etc. Let's hope the organizers are more organized from here on out than they appear to have been so far. This could be great for footy here or not...

-Rob de Santos
AFANA Chairman

AFANA Blog

> AFANA will follow up with the Swans and AFL though we won't
> have those replies in time for today's TV and Media newsletter.

I sent an e-mail to Swans marketing as soon as I read the news, and have already received a response. They are already developing US based contacts for advance work, and I have pledged whatever support I can convince AFANA to provide.

  -- Swannie

> I sent an e-mail to Swans marketing as soon as I read the news, and have already
> received a response. They are already developing US based contacts for advance
> work, and I have pledged whatever support I can convince AFANA to provide.

Thanks for those words of support. I have confidence in the Swans and am awaiting a reply from my contacts there. Hopefully, we can get some answers and develop a working relationship. If the game is to go forward, we'll have to do what we can to make it a positive experience for the fans -- with or without the promoter's cooperation.

-Rob de Santos
AFANA Chairman

AFANA Blog

The AFL have indicated that if all goes well, a formal announcement will be out soon. The likely opposition for the Swans are the Kangaroos.

If the event is confirmed, AFANA will do it's best to work with the clubs and the AFL in order to make this a positive event for fans in North America. We'll be seeking volunteers for this effort.

AFANA will have a full report in next week's TV and Media newsletter.... you do subscribe don't you??

-Rob de Santos
AFANA Chairman

AFANA newsletter signup

> The AFL have indicated that if all goes well, a formal announcement will be
> out soon. The likely opposition for the Swans are the Kangaroos.

Anybody else notice the Swans banner in this weeks highlights show, against the Eagles? The two-hour match only showed West Coast running through their banner. The one-hour highlight had Sydney v West Coast near the end of the hour time slot, which meant it was about 40 minutes into the show. Anyway, the banner was an advertisement for the Los Angeles match in January 2006.

  -- RW "KC Swan" Lipp 

> Anybody else notice the Swans banner in this weeks highlights show, against the
> Eagles?
> The one-hour highlight had Sydney v West Coast near the end of the hour time slot,
> which meant it was about 40 minutes into the show. Anyway, the banner was an
> advertisement for the Los Angeles match in January 2006.

That was an interesting piece of "advertising" to say the least. I recall the discussion we had on the board about who this game should be marketed to last year and it appears from all indications that the Swans, at least, intend to pitch this heavily to Aussies. I also don't think it was an accident that was in the telecast. (The latter decision would have been made at AFL Films.)

So, that makes me wonder if that point of this exhibition has nothing to do with Americans and Canadians and everything to do with selling travel packages to Aussies. I hope not, but at this stage, I wouldn't be surprised.

My questions to the Sydney Swans regarding the match, etc., have (so far) gone unanswered. Which means they either (a) don't know or (b) can't tell me for some other reason. Whatever the explanation, it isn't encouraging.

The match just 4 1/2 months away and we still can't get answers on whether the venue will have suitable concessions, toilet facilities, parking, or how we can get tickets. Of course, the AFL has yet to even make it all official.

This is why AFANA has warned the AFL for a decade that there is a wrong way to do this and a right way.... but then why listen to the fans. We're the sheep, right?

While I am whinging, you should know that I would just love to be proven wrong about some of this eventually. Or be wrong about the USFooty TV deal. But alas, that has yet to happen.

-Rob de Santos
AFANA Chairman

AFANA Blog

> So, that makes me wonder if that point of this exhibition has nothing to do with
> Americans and Canadians and everything to do with selling travel packages to
> Aussies.

My answer would be to ask how else you would expect the Swans to be marketing the game? They can probably sell a lot more travel packages to their Australian members then they can to their American members.

> My questions to the Sydney Swans regarding the match, etc., have (so far) gone
> unanswered. Which means they either (a) don't know or (b) can't tell me for some
> other reason.

Last response I received was to acknowledge adding AFANA to their existing USFooty contacts, and that they would be saying more as soon as they had more info. I think that right now it is mostly "a".

  -- RW "KC Swan" Lipp

> My answer would be to ask how else you would expect the Swans to be marketing the
> game? They can probably sell a lot more travel packages to their Australian members
> then they can to their American members.

I'm wondering why they would want to go all the way to the America to see the Swans play when they have ample opportunity at home. Wouldn't most rather spend their limited time in the USA exploring the sights? I know that if I was in Melbourne and the Deroit Lions were playing the Chicago Bears there at the same time, I wouldn't waste my time at the Lions game. ( No "cracks" Swanman about any Lions game being a waste of time. ) I would probably drive over to Geelong or Apollo Bay for the day.

ps: Which Sydney team do you think will be the home team???

> My answer would be to ask how else you would expect the Swans to be marketing the
> game? They can probably sell a lot more travel packages to their Australian members
> then they can to their American members.

Valid point, but not exactly where I was going with that. While it's fully understandable that the Swans would market to their predominately Sydney based membership, I was speculating on the over all sales pitch here (in light of the banner being included in the TV program).

Last response I received was to acknowledge adding AFANA to their existing USFooty
> contacts, and that they would be saying more as soon as they had more info. I think
> that right now it is mostly "a".

Perhaps I should explain that the Swans media department suggested if I had specific questions to send them along and they would get back to me. I did and they haven't so far. Not to say they won't, just that like everything else with this, answers are hard to come by. I'd hope with 4 1/2 months left some of the basic plans for the venue would be known. (If you are the Swans football and media depts. wouldn't you want to know, too??).

-Rob de Santos
AFANA Chairman

AFANA Blog

> Valid point, but not exactly where I was going with that. While it's fully
> understandable that the Swans would market to their predominately Sydney based
> membership, I was speculating on the over all sales pitch here (in light of the
> banner being included in the TV program).

My point was that I would expect the teams to market the games to their members. I would expect marketing to others in Australia to be the responsibility of the AFL. North American marketing lies with the Australia Week in LA organizers.

As for the banner being included in the highlights program, I wouldn't put too much weight on that. It looked to me like a standard cheer squad banner run-through shot to me. It immediately followed the shot of the Weagles running through theirs.

         -- RW "KC Swan" Lipp 

> I'm wondering why they would want to go all the way to the America to see the Swans
> play when they have ample opportunity at home. Wouldn't most rather spend their
> limited time in the USA exploring the sights? I know that if I was in Melbourne and
> the Deroit Lions were playing the Chicago Bears there at the same time, I wouldn't
> waste my time at the Lions game. ( No "cracks" Swanman about any Lions
> game being a waste of time. ) I would probably drive over to Geelong or Apollo
> Bay for the day.

Maybe you wouldn't, but I'm sure there are Lions fans passionate enough to travel to Melbourne to watch the game.

Let's see, there has to be some good dig I can make about your NFL team...

• Your team finished 6-10 last year, and mine was 7-9.
  
• You just extended the contract of the GM that has given you a horrific run, while ours is 15+ years into his five year plan.
  
• We have a 30 year old stadium still considered among the best in the league, while yours forces you to play inside and get to host a Superbowl.
  
• I'VE GOT IT: at least across the river from our city is just another state, and not a whole different country!

> ps: Which Sydney team do you think will be the home team???

> My point was that I would expect the teams to market the games to their members. I
> would expect marketing to others in Australia to be the responsibility of the AFL.
> North American marketing lies with the Australia Week in LA organizers.

Which is what I was speculating about. I'm wondering just what kind of effort we can expect here and by whom. So far, it's not clear they are looking at anyone outside LA as a potential attendee.

> As for the banner being included in the highlights program, I wouldn't put too much
> weight on that. It looked to me like a standard cheer squad banner run-through shot
> to me. It immediately followed the shot of the Weagles running through theirs.

Yes, but AFL Films has roughly 8 games per week and some 24 hrs or more of video to choose from. They pick some 15 minutes to use in the match round up. I doubt it was accidental that was chosen; that's not to say that it was pre-planned but rather opportunistic. That said, they have 5 days per week to plan though and they do. (Been there, seen that, )

-Rob de Santos
AFANA Chairman

AFANA Blog

> Maybe you wouldn't, but I'm sure there are Lions fans passionate enough to travel to
> Melbourne to watch the game.

OK, maybe there are some Sydney supporters fanatical enough to pay big bucks come to the U.S. to watch a meaningless exhibition game. But I would presume the larger part of the audience would come from Aussie ex-pats living in the U.S. and American fans hungering to see a live AFL game.

> Let's see, there has to be some good dig I can make about your NFL team...
>

• Your team finished 6-10 last year, and mine was 7-9.
  >
• You just extended the contract of the GM that has given you a horrific run, while
  > ours is 15+ years into his five year plan.
  >
• We have a 30 year old stadium still considered among the best in the league,
  > while yours forces you to play inside and get to host a Superbowl.
  >
• I'VE GOT IT: at least across the river from our city is just another
  > state, and not a whole different country!

It looks like maybe it is now official. Yahoo sports has the story on the LA match.

     -- RW "KC Swan" Lipp 

Yahoo Sports Story

Interesting quote from the chairman of the Sydney Swans in the article on the AFL web site:

Colless said he expected the game to attract a crowd of around 10,000

     -- RW "KC Swan" Lipp 

Story at AFL web site

The official AFL press release follows my comments:

Comment: As I suspected, this is seen as an LA/California event only (they don't get it...). We're still waiting for answers to our previous inquiries to the Swans, which we will now repeat to the AFL thru our existing channels. The press release gave no contact info for follow up inquiries. That they expect 10,000 (according to the link KC Swan posted) is interesting. Again, where? how?

We will report on this in next weeks newsletter in detail.

One more link:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/Sport/Swans-Kangaroos-to-play-in-Los-Angeles/2005/08/19/1124435137605.html
--------
AFL Release:

The Australian Football League today announced Sydney and the Kangaroos would head to the United States to play the Los Angeles Challenge in January 2006, as part of Australia Week activities in California.

AFL Football Operations Manager Adrian Anderson said the AFL was delighted the sport had been asked to join the Australia Week program, which aims to raise Australia's commercial and cultural profile in Southern California.

'The AFL is the biggest sporting code in Australia, with our attendances and our participation rates, and we've always prided ourselves on the excitement, passion and unique skills of our game," Mr Anderson said.

"We are delighted that two of our clubs will travel to Los Angeles to play at UCLA on January 15 next year to show off the unique skills of our only indigenous sport as Australia aims to strengthen its links with the powerful Californian economy," he said.

Australia Week aims to build partnership and networks between private sector United States and Australian business around the theme "Australia a great place to do business, source products, invest or visit."

California is approximately the 5th largest economy in the world and is focussed on the future of the Asia Pacific region. Australian Rules Football is one element of profiling Australia's uniqueness in the massive U.S. market.

During the week's activities, we will profile our tourism, film, fashion, jewellery, television and showcase the best of Australian trade, technology, food and wine and focus on Australia as an investment destination, economic strength and standing in the Asia Pacific region.

Businesses associated with the Clubs will be able to participate in Australia Week activities and advance their business interests in the United States.

Mr Anderson said Mr Olsen, the former premier of South Australia and now Australian Consul-General in Los Angeles, had been the driving force in making this match happen.

"Mr Olsen has been determined to increase the profile of the AFL within Australia Week, as a clearly recognisable icon of our country," Mr Anderson said.

Sydney Chairman Richard Colless said the game would have major benefits for the club.

"Sydney has formed the Sydney Swans Business Round Table, comprising all major Sydney based business organisations and the State Government with the aim of using the game, and the Sydney Swans, as the mediums for promoting trade and investment opportunities between Sydney and NSW and Los Angeles and California," Mr Colless said.

"The club proposes to take all players on its list for a period of seven days and we will use the time as a training camp whilst also taking the opportunity to visit a number of leading sporting teams in southern California with which various members of the club have developed relationships with over the years."

Kangaroos President Dr Allan Aylett said his club was delighted to be involved in the venture.

"The Kangaroos have always been at the forefront of exploring new boundaries and we look forward to being involved in such an exciting venture," Aylett said.

"The amount of exposure the code of Australian Rules and the Kangaroos will receive from this will be priceless."

"It's also a great opportunity for any Kangaroos fans who want to the enjoy the Australia Week experience with their team in the US. Club actvities in relation to this game will be constantly updated on the club website," Aylett said.
-----------

--Rob de Santos
AFANA Chairman

AFANA Blog

Here is the text from the Australia Week website:

Australian Rules Football Match and Family Day Event

Date

Sunday, 15th January

Venue

UCLA, Westwood

Description

The Crocodile Hunter himself, Steve Irwin, will open the day with a unique presentation for the crowd, followed by a family day BBQ where attendees can engage with vendors at the Australian food, beverage, travel and tourism booths

Then, in a first, at 2pm, the whistle will blow and the Sydney Swans will play the North Melbourne Kangaroos in an AFL sanctioned football match.

Audience

Open to the public

http://www.australia-week.com/page/Home

> Here is the text from the Australia Week website:
> Australian Rules Football Match and Family Day Event
> Date
> Sunday, 15th January
> Venue
> UCLA, Westwood

Thanks for the link, Paat. Sadly that just reinforces the questions we already have. Westwood is a neighborhood not a venue. UCLA is a college not a stadium. No time, no specific address, no admissions price, no indication of seating or other accomodation available. The organizers, now seemingly just Australian government entities (what happened to the promoter from the Ramada??), still don't seem to understand. Makes me quite nervous.

The contact page is just the location of the DFAT office in LA and the registration and tickets page is empty.

-Rob de Santos
AFANA Chairman

AFANA Blog

I found this story on the Herald Sun website in relation to the Sydney-North Melbourne game in Los Angeles. BBay

Swans to take full list to US
20 August 2005 Herald Sun

THE Kangaroos and Sydney will take Australian rules to the US when they clash in Los Angeles in January.

The AFL announced yesterday the two teams, who square off at the SCG tomorrow, would play at the University of California in Los Angeles on January 15 as part of Australia Week in California.

Kangaroos president Dr Allen Aylett said his club was delighted to be involved.

"The amount of exposure the code of Australian rules and the Kangaroos will receive from this will be priceless," Aylett said.

Sydney chairman Richard Colless said the game would play a considerable part in the Swans' pre-season preparation.

"The club proposes to take all players on its list for a period of seven days," Colless said.

"We will use the time as a training camp whilst also taking the opportunity to visit a number of leading sporting teams in southern California with which various members of the club have developed relationships with over the years."

An update to this thread:

• AFANA has confirmed that the sponsors do not intend to market this game outside Southern Calif. so AFANA and the USAFL will have to do that.
  
• We will be exploring travel packages for fans who want to attend however the local situation regarding traffic, parking, amenities, etc. will be barely acceptable.
  
• The proponents are expecting a crowd of just 3,000 but can handle at most about 9,000 seating wise by adding more temporary seating.

It's pretty much as I expected it would be though they have made some plans for a crowd. Suffice it to say though that if ticket demand exceeds expectations it is going to be messy.

-Rob de Santos
AFANA Chairman

AFANA home page

With this ticket price, if anyone can afford it, we should all go and show the minds behind this fiasco what they could have done if they would have shown the forethought to try to tap into a population base of 300 million. I am still amazed that the AFL can make any money. They have the marketing skills of a 3rd grader (sorry to all the 3rd graders out there).

From the site:

AFL MATCH & STEVE IRWIN SHOW

Tickets will be available for sale shortly through this website for the AFL Match between the Sydney Swans and North Melbourne Kangaroos as well as the Steve Irwin Show.

Ticket Prices will be :

Individual Adult Ticket - USD10.00

Individual Child Ticket - USD$5.00 ( ages 3-15 )

Children under 3 are free

Family of 4 - USD$25.00

http://www.australia-week.com/page/Registration

> With this ticket price, if anyone can afford it, we should all go and show the minds
> behind this fiasco what they could have done if they would have shown the
> forethought to try to tap into a population base of 300 million. I am still amazed
> that the AFL can make any money. They have the marketing skills of a 3rd grader
> (sorry to all the 3rd graders out there).

I share your frustration with the marketing of footy in the US and this match in particular. The ticket price is a relative joke in LA where the worst seats at many events go for $100. Good for fans, bad for raising money for the sport here or paying the cost of the event so more are planned in future seasons.

For anyone out there considering going, please read what we have to say in today's TV and Media newsletter (out in a few hours). In short, don't buy tickets just yet. Wait to see what package offers might be available. Also, be forewarned, the organizers are not exactly expecting 20,000 and won't be prepared if the crowd swells beyond expectations. If anything this whole thing has been poorly conceived (from appearances) and it's hard at this distance to see why the AFL went along other than political influences. It's all the more frustrating that this was 3 years in the planning.

Nevertheless, this is the first time in 16 years that the AFL will be in North America and AFANA is going to do what it can to make it good for fans and successful.

-Rob de Santos
AFANA Chairman

AFANA home page