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read moreThe rivalry between Australia’s four football codes is something to ‘cherish’ according to a recently published book from Deakin University’s Dr Hunter Fujak.
In Code Wars - The Battle for Fans, Dollars and Survival, Dr Fujak states that while the different football ‘tribes’ want to see their particular football code on top, the erosion of one or more of them “would undoubtedly leave the sport landscape poorer.”
Noting that AFL is practically unassailable in its position at the centre of Australian football culture, Dr Fujak’s work explains that each of the other codes face pressure for different reasons and have also failed to make the most of their opportunities over the decades.
While particular events briefly allow the three other codes of rugby league, rugby and football to take centre stage - for example, for the State of Origin, Bledisloe Cup and men’s and women’s World Cups respectively - they are “relatively limited artillery shells” against the entrenched cultural norms of the AFL and its fans.
Despite the author’s view on the AFL’s supremacy, Code Wars does not attempt to say which football code is the ‘best’ or ‘worst’, but it looks at the uniqueness of the Australian sporting landscape and considers issues such as:
It also explores the cutthroat cultural and commercial competition between the codes, and considers what the future may hold at a time of great uncertainty shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr Fujak says the book is for those whose interest in football and sport extends beyond what goes on on-the-field, and what shapes that which goes on off-the-field.
Based on data from Dr Fujak’s PhD dissertation, Code Wars translates academic scholarly research into something tangible - and no doubt highly debatable - for the real world.
Dr Fujak is a Lecturer in Sports Management at Deakin University in Melbourne. His PhD was awarded by UTS in Sydney and explored consumer behaviour in sport.
Code Wars is published by Fair Play Publishing, and is available from bookstores and direct from the publisher.
Click here for more information.
19th August 2021 - Construction begins on Western Australia’s State Football Centre and $35 million upgrade announced for HBF Park
18th August 2021 - Retiring star Eddie Betts say AFL is not a safe environment for Indigenous players
17th August 2021 - Council tenders venue management contract for Central Coast Stadium
13th August 2021 - AFL report fails to present ‘clear cut’ option for Tasmanian team
12th August 2021 - Australia’s National Football teams well positioned for fan engagement following Tokyo 2020
12th August 2021 - AFLW competition to expand to 18 teams for 2022/23
6th August 2021 - Organisers postpone Rugby League World Cup until 2022
3rd August 2021 - Changed Bledisloe Cup schedule will see Eden Park host two tests
30th July 2021 - Football Australia’s domestic match calendar another step towards national second division
29th July 2021 - Ongoing Coronavirus challenges sees NRL delay plans for 17th team
28th June 2021 - Rugby Australia welcomes PacificAus Sports funding to support Fiji Rugby Union
11th June 2021 - NRL announces expansion of women’s competition to six teams
4th June 2021 - ‘Social Impact’ identified as key factor for proposed Northern Territory AFL club
20th May 2021 - Rugby Australia launches bid to host 2027 Rugby World Cup
23rd April 2021 - Public dispute over NRL culture in wake of sex tape leak
25th February 2021 - NRL cuts operating costs by more than a third in wake of Coronavirus challenges
5th May 2020 - Deakin University launches survey to assess how Australians are coping without sport
13th December 2019 - Plans revealed for Sunshine Coast Stadium expansion
23rd January 2018 - Bonita Mersiades: Why I wrote the inside story of the FIFA Way
7th November 2017 - Deakin University again ranked world’s best for sports science
23rd April 2017 - Deakin University program helps children of all abilities be part of AFL Auskick
5th September 2014 - Football codes struggle with attendances
22nd July 2009 - Leisure industry must learn from football codes
31st January 2008 - Battle of the Football Codes
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