sport news Figures reveal AFL is failing to win over western Sydney and is massively ... trends now
New statistics reveal the AFL's massive push into the western suburbs has been a categoric failure with soccer and NRL-sanctioned sports smashing the GWS Giants in nearly every area.
Figures revealed by The Weekend Australian have revealed that just one per cent of participants in sport in the important Parramatta heartland are playing Aussie Rules, compared to a staggering 47 per cent participation rate in soccer and 24 per cent in rugby league when touch football and Oztag are included.
Of 11 sports covered in the participation rates, Aussie Rules sits dead last.
It's a hugely disappointing finding considering the AFL has tipped an estimated $200million into the region over the last decade in a bid to gain ground on sports like rugby league and soccer.
Isaac Cumming of the Giants looks dejected after defeat during the round eight AFL match between the Greater Western Sydney Giants and the Geelong Cats
Dustin Martin (seen taking a mark against Hawthorn in their round nine clash) has ties to Sydney and has been connected to a move to the Giants. If he switched it would give the game a huge boost in the area, like Buddy Franklin's move to the Swans
The Panthers players celebrate winning the NRL Grand Final between the Penrith Panthers and South Sydney Rabbitohs at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane
Dustin Martin has been connected to a possible move to the Giants. The Richmond superstar lived in Sydney for a year as teenager and is reportedly increasingly fond of life in the city, where he recently spent a month training with Paul Gallen while on personal leave from footy.
Speaking earlier this month, GWS chief executive David Matthews said Martin was a 'genuine superstar of our game' and noted several players had opted to leave Melbourne for the harbour city.
AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan has ruled out giving GWS any financial help to land Martin, but the findings about the game's failings in western Sydney could force the league to revise that stance.
While the numbers at grassroots level are shocking, the performance of the top flight team the GWS Giants is hardly inspiring in 2022, either. The club sits 15th on the ladder and has just parted ways with coach Leon Cameron.
In contrast, the Penrith Panthers won the 2021 NRL premiership, Parramatta contested the finals and the Western Sydney Wanderers were A-League champions in their first season, Asian Cup winners in their second and are perennial finalists that attract huge crowds.
The AFL continues to pump money into the region to boost the sport's profile and participation with seven new AFL facilities constructed and upgrades approved for 13 other clubs in the last decade.
Wanderers fans are highly passionate and almost half of all sports participants in Parramatta are choosing soccer over AFL and rugby league
Former Sydney Swans chairman Richard Colless said the AFL had seriously underestimated rugby league heartlands in NSW and believes the code has ignored key regions including the Hunter Valley and Illawarra - where 27 per cent of the Australian population he lives.
Colless warned
