Australian Rules football’s aggressive drive to attract Sydney children is bearing fruit with AFL NSW/ACT now boasting a higher Auskick participation rate than Victoria or any other state.
Boosted by a 27.26 per cent total rise in Sydney, AFL NSW/ACT had a total of 48,965 participants in the football code’s national introductory program in 2012.
The growth wasn’t restricted to the AFL’s new frontier in the rugby league heartland of western Sydney, where there was 43 per cent growth, with south Sydney more than doubling its number of Auskickers.
The figures include club, school and after-school care Auskick programs.
It’s been suggested the latter two have hurt junior clubs, but AFL NSW/ACT chief Tom Harley disagrees.
“Like anyone, we have to have different pathway opportunities for people to be involved,” Harley told AAP.
“…We are working behind the scenes really aggressively on our competition structures and our transition points from school into club.
“But that can’t be our sole participation pathway, because society’s telling us that isn’t necessarily the way to go.”
Harley paid tribute to the addition of Greater Western Sydney to the AFL and the Swans’ rise to the 2012 AFL premiership as factors in the uptake.
The former Geelong captain noted hard work, price and the quality of the product were also key.
Cynics would add funding to that list.
“It’s certainly not just a case of tipping money in for the sake of it. We’re very strategic in what we’re doing,” Harley said.
“We’re getting the growth as a result of some really hard work from our development team.”
The addition of a second AFL side has been the Australian Football League’s macro approach to increase its presence in Sydney.
The micro has undoubtedly been Auskick, with Harley’s team working closely with schools and attracting families who had never sighted a Sherrin before.
“It (Auskick) is a focus for us,” he said.
“The Swans have been here for 31 years now … in terms of the significant investment into development from the AFL, it’s only been 10 years.
“I think the oldest Auskick graduates have only just turned 18, so it’s quite an immature market.
“If you look at our total participation across the board (last year), 70 per cent of those were under the age of 11.”
With the Swans near the top of the ladder once again, more growth is expected in 2013.
But Harley knows full well that, unlike rugby league or soccer, the sport could easily lose traction among youngsters just as quickly as it’s gained it.
“We need to work on new ways to retain those participants, while recruiting new ones … and, as I’ve always said to our guys, we’re in the sports field in Sydney and we’ve got to be respectful.”
