G'day fellow footy fans,
I have finally got around to it, but I hope this is the first of many blogs about my thoughts of footy from here in Sydney. Before I begin, though, it would be remiss of me not to echo the thoughts of Derrick and thanking Rob and the whole AFANA crew for the opportunities I have been afforded so far with AFANA. I have spent the best part of the last 18 months covering Swans games for AFANA, making valuable contacts and gaining important experience while I am still at university.
Having had AFANA on my CV during this time has already helped out. Since joining here, I have become sports editor for the uni magazine publication, am co-hosting a weekly sports program on community radio and this week will begin a cadetship on a news service called National Radio News, second only in reach to the ABC- my first paid job!
I speak little about the TV coverage in the States but I have been interested in the AFANA cause well before I even joined. We have only just begun recieving Setanta over here a few months back and laready recieve many sports we otherwise wouldn't, so let me say you are definitely on the right track. Hopefully Collingwood can do the right thing this week and get another live win on US TV after last week's debacle!
Being my first blog, I will go a little off-topic first up. I have only recently returned from a teriffic trip to the Eastern University Games (EUG's) from the regional coastal town of Coffs Harbour, which some of you may know as the home of the Big Banana. What made me think on my return home as I went to the Sydney-Adelaide match for AFANA, was the contrast in difference between collegial sports in the United States and Australia.
We have all seen over here how big some of the NCAA sports are in the States, sometimes attracting greater attendances and TV audiences than their professional siblings, college players already demanding large sponsorship contracts. In contrast, the EUG's, only one step down from the Australian University Games, was seen by many as a chance to unwind, party and get on, as we call it, the 'drink'. Winning was no where near as important as having fun, and to provide a good example, our AFL team contained only four players that actually played the sport on weekends, the rest made up of league or union players who missed out on their respective sports.
There are reasons for this, of course. Young athletes over here are recruited by profressional clubs at 17-18, like those that enter the AFL draft, making uni sport a basis for scouting players needless. There are far too few unis to have a regular national competition, and given the size of the country, it would take too much travel and money (my university, for example is 3 and half hours just from Sydney).
The only similar version we have here to the States is the GPS rugby union competition in Sydney, where elite high schools recruit potential future Wallabies. As anything, there are pros for both sides. In Australia, athletes aren't discriminated by the caliber of university (if any) they went to, usually determined by money or scholarships. The AFL U/18 Championships, for example, will determine draftees simply from which state they played for. While in the US athletes are exposed to the pitfalls of pro sport early and (hopefully) have a college degree before they begin a pro career, something which many here miss out on.
Anyway, I just thought it was an interesting comparison. Enjoy the footy this weekend and talk to you all soon.
Frank Ienco :)
AFANA Sydney Correspondent
