On the drive into work this morning I was thinking about the recent posturing from the AFL regarding the potential disruption to their seasons and it struck me that maybe they should see things from a different perspective. Maybe it’s time for Mr Demitriou to see the opportunity rather than the threat. No one wants to be known as a killjoy and I think even he wouldn’t be so naive to suggest that Australia hosting a World Cup would not be a fantastic event for huge numbers of sports fans in this sports mad country. The fact he’s gone as far as he has in discussions with FFA suggest this to be the case. However, his scaremongering in the press yesterday and threats of having to close down the season display a fear which will inevitably concern the followers of the game over which he presides.

I’d like to suggest a different tack for him. Embrace the World Cup. Display a confidence and pride in your sport and see the World Cup as an opportunity to take your sport to a global audience, something that would cost you millions to do on your own. Your sport began in this country in 1858...if Australia hosts the 2018 World Cup that will be your 160 year anniversary....play on that....turn the AFL into something else that 1 million football fans visiting this country have to do while they are here for their preferred sport. Sell them souvenir merchandise. Get your club’s marketing teams to reach out and form ties with relevant nations and arrange for them to see the club play. You’ve got a million sports mad people traveling half way round the world to watch their sport in your stadiums.....show them your game while they’re here.....sell them your merchandise as souvenirs of a sport unique to the country they visited. Just as the geographical spread of football is its major selling point so the lack of geographical spread of your game can be yours for the period of the World Cup.

FIFA and the FFA would be bringing you around 1 million potential customers at their expense. It’s the equivalent of Gerry Harvey laying on buses and dropping thousands of customers outside Bing Lee a week before Christmas with their pockets full of cash.

Football fans who travel the globe for their sport are naturally inquisitive types. I’m one myself. When I used to travel with business to the US I went to many baseball games, a few NFL games and tried to visit as many stadiums as I could. I just love stadiums. Preferably full ones. It is behaviour that defines the sport obsessed like us. I’m planning my South Africa trip at the moment...around the 8-9 games I’ll be seeing over two weeks I’m also looking at fitting in things like a safari, a trip to Soweto museum, Sun City and anything else uniquely South African. I can promise you now Mr Demetriou that if South Africa had a 160 year old sport they called “football”, that averaged bigger crowds than any football league in the world, I would go and see it. I’d definitely buy a souvenir shirt and programme while I was there and if I enjoyed the game I’d tell people about it....people there and people at home.

So instead of seeing the threat that the World Cup poses see this as the biggest marketing campaign the world can give your sport. Don’t get wrapped up in petty sniping but instead plan for the opportunity of 1 million potential converts arriving on your shores with football footing the bill.

Have faith that your 160 years won’t be threatened by one month or even four months of World Cup football. Have faith that your all-action game will pick up its share of curious converts who will marvel at the range of skills on display and the high scoring contests you and your supporters tell us about at every opportunity. It’s time for you to prove you have a bit of faith in your game....you do have that faith don’t you?