Participant Observations 6/11/19 - Hunter AFL Masters and Clubperson of the Year

As I mentioned in a previous post, at the 2019 Hunter AFL Masters Presentation Night, I was awarded the Clubperson of the Year award.

It was awesome winning the award, especially when you consider the other people who were nominated, which included Alex Holness, Adam Shearer and Beryl Hope - all who contributed a massive amount to the club every year.

As I said on the night, a lot of credit goes to Alex, for helping with so much of the media stuff, winery tour, and surveys. Similarly, a lot of credit goes to the committee, who were open to our ideas and always offered support and encouragement about what we were doing.

It was a really fun year. Looking back, I remember being apprehensive about joining the committee, but once I joined I really enjoyed it, and perhaps because it was my first year I had lots of energy and enthusiasm about being on the committee, which may have contributed winning the award.

But I really feel comfortable in that type of a role - admin and comms - and it brought back a lot of memories from my time in SEABL and at BA, and how much I enjoy that side of sport.

Being on the committee and taking on that comms role also helped me to get the position with the AFL Masters National Board. This may be the gateway towards me working inside the AFL, which is the dream, and I was able to make a couple of small contacts with AFL personnel at the National Carnival.

However, I've already told people that I'm unlikely to seek reappointment to the committee next year. I need to focus on my PhD and the AFL Masters National role, because that's where the future lies, or at least I hope it will.

I still plan on playing for the Hornets, and will do as much as possible around the club, but I need to balance the commitments with so much happening next year. I will definitely miss it, because doing comms for a team is easy compared to doing comms for a league. Most people who you are doing comms for in a team environment are generally supportive, while most people who you are doing comms for in a league environment are generally cynical and critical in the way the league operates.

Nevertheless, the Hornets committee has been amazing. I've made some good friends there and gotten to know people better. I think I'd like to be on another committee like it again one day, although I also know that it may never be matched in terms of the chemistry and culture of the people involved.

Here I am with the other major award winners on the night:

Participant Observations 4/11/19 - Emergent Themes, Friday Nights, and Clubperson of the Year

Some quick hits today, before heading off to teach a class:

I've aggregated the themes from my participant interviews, and they have coalesced into the following emergent themes, which will be used as the basis for document analysis, and later as possible chapter headings in the thesis:

• Changes in Consumption and New Industry Players (29 themes)
• Broadcast Rights, Their Value, and Negotiation (19 themes)
• Regulation (17 themes)
• Stakeholder Relationships (13 themes)
• Business Performance including metrics (13 themes)
• Sport, Culture, and Television (10 themes)

Additionally, participants were asked for their normative views on the following topics:

• Entrepreneurialism
• Regulation

This is exciting, because for the first time, I feel like I can see a structure emerging to the data analysis.

A caveat to the thematic aggregations, is that many themes overlap, and the quantification of themes does not always represent the qualitative veracity of themes. (i.e., a theme might be low in numbers, but strong in concentration).

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With no football on television on Friday nights, I'm at a real loss with what to do with myself.

The same goes for the other days, but it feels especially pronounced on Friday's, because a lot of that day is spent in anticipation building towards the start of the round, the end of the working week, and the start of the weekend.

Cricket hasn't really captured my attention yet, and I've been either watching other content such as Netflix, playing video games, or trying to get by with NBL or A-League on a Friday night.

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A few weeks ago, I won the Clubperson of the Year Award at the 2019 Hunter AFL Masters Presentation Night.

Obviously very humbling, and heaps of recognition needs to go towards Alex Holness and the committee for making this year what it has been.

It's amazing to think my name will be on that trophy for a long time. I've told them however that I won't be seeking reappointment to the committee next year, as I want to focus on the PhD, and AFL Masters National.

I might write another blog post that reflects on the whole year in Hunter AFL Masters, because from an AFL participation perspective, it's been quite unlike any other year.x

Participant Observations 31/10/19 - AFL Fixture Day

The AFL released it's fixture for the 2020 season today. Here are a couple of takeaways from watching the live stream announcement from clubs and broadcasting manager Travis Auld:

• The AFL has 9 Thursday night fixtures. Travis Auld said clubs push really hard for these spots, but also said clubs fight internally between the football department and the commercial department when it comes to the fixture, especially around things like 5-day breaks and the like. Some of it is in here, but more was in the raw presser;

https://www.afl.com.au/video/2019-10-31/the-2020-fixture-key-points-dissected

• Round 23 is still a floating round, with a bye week before finals.
• Grand final at the same time as last year. The AFLW grand final will be a twilight game.
• Round 23 features teams playing each other for the first time in seven of the nine games

There were some other interesting bits, but I can't find a replay of the live stream anywhere. Hope to update soon.

Here are some quotes from the AFL story about the relsease on their website from Travis Auld (https://www.afl.com.au/news/2019-10-31/fixture-revealed-big-vic-clubs-dominate-primetime-dons-hog-thursday):

"We've been really clear with clubs that you'll see a correlation between the style of football you play and access to those big prime slots," AFL general manager of clubs and broadcasting Travis Auld said.

"That creates some prioritisation within clubs themselves and it's exciting to see that play out.

"I think our fans and therefore our broadcasters are more discerning around the style of football.

"I'll give you two examples, but you look at the Bulldogs and Brisbane particularly, (they) play an exciting style of football and fans like that.


"You see that impact through audiences, there's certainly a direct correlation with audiences."

Participant Observations 03/09/19 - Streaming is mainstream

More data is being published that suggests the consumption of television via OTT or streaming distribution is becoming mainstream.

For example, here is an ABC article that quotes a Telsyte survey that says 12.3 million Australian households pay for a video on demand service, which is more than half of all households:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-02/streaming-on-demand-on-the-rise-tv-ad-revenue-feels-pressure/11465332

And here is a link to a Roy Morgan report, that says that 66.7% of all Australians have access to a subscription/pay TV service:

https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8113-state-of-the-nation-sotn-media-svod-overtakes-home-phones-august-2019-201909020417?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2019-09-03-AU-MRU&utm_content=2019-09-03-AU-MRU+CID_af5dd3b7e2c0fcbb3cc31c940947c1f6&utm_source=Market%20Research%20Update&utm_term=Read%20full%20article

Furthermore, is says "57.1% of Australians now have access to SVOD services", and that "Only four years ago less than 2% of Australians had SVOD."

Here is a graph from the Roy Morgan report showing some of the growth and decline of different services:

I think what is interesting in the context of my research, is that my viewing has been almost exclusively OTT-based since I got rid of my Foxtel Satellite service almost exactly two years ago, on the 15th of September 2017. In fact, I blogged about it here:

https://thesportswatcher.blogspot.com/2017/09/participant-observations-180917.html

So where does this put me on the Roger's Diffusion of Innovation curve? It was always my stated aim to be an early adopter. This website provides some rough definitions for Innovators, Early Adopters, and the Early Majority,

http://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/MPH-Modules/SB/BehavioralChangeTheories/BehavioralChangeTheories4.html

The Roy Morgan Article also says that "four years ago less than 2% of Australians had SVOD." So by some rough logic, if Innovators were using OTT 4 years ago (0-2.5%), and the Total SVOD market overtook 15% in about June 2016 (Early Adopters), then I would appear to be more in the Early Majority stage.

Here are the definitions from that page:

1. Innovators - These are people who want to be the first to try the innovation. They are venturesome and interested in new ideas. These people are very willing to take risks, and are often the first to develop new ideas. Very little, if anything, needs to be done to appeal to this population.
2. Early Adopters - These are people who represent opinion leaders. They enjoy leadership roles, and embrace change opportunities. They are already aware of the need to change and so are very comfortable adopting new ideas. Strategies to appeal to this population include how-to manuals and information sheets on implementation. They do not need information to convince them to change.
3. Early Majority - These people are rarely leaders, but they do adopt new ideas before the average person. That said, they typically need to see evidence that the innovation works before they are willing to adopt it. Strategies to appeal to this population include success stories and evidence of the innovation's effectiveness.
4. Late Majority - These people are skeptical of change, and will only adopt an innovation after it has been tried by the majority. Strategies to appeal to this population include information on how many other people have tried the innovation and have adopted it successfully.
5. Laggards - These people are bound by tradition and very conservative. They are very skeptical of change and are the hardest group to bring on board. Strategies to appeal to this population include statistics, fear appeals, and pressure from people in the other adopter groups.

To me, it was a price issue, rather than needing to see evidence that the innovation worked, that motivated me to adopt the new idea, perhaps suggesting some limitation in the model, although I'd need to explore the definitions further in a more authoritative resource.

The point is though, that I've been two years ahead of the mainstreaming of streaming!!

Participant Observations 30/8/19 - Swans Members Survey

Following the final game of the season, yesterday I was emailed a survey abut my experiences as a Swans member this year.

A lot of it was pretty standard - such as quality of experience, members benefits, and so on, but there were two aspects I took particular interest in.

https://2019ssfcmembersurvey.questionpro.com/?custom1=4353847&custom2=4353847&custom3=1&custom4=Prod:Country%205%20Adult%20;St:Mbr%20;PP:Monthly%20;A:O18%20;G:M%20;Code:19G5HRZ/G4A&custom5=NSW&custom6=1978-01-18&custom7=2291&custom8=M&j=3039592&sfmc_sub=1213046875&l=504059_HTML&u=145368009&mid=1080853&jb=29&camefrom=EMCL_3039592_145368009

Firstly, I made a point that I think the team should have a women's side in the AFLW, because of what it would do for the culture of the club.

Secondly, I also said the Swans should do more to recognise the contribution membership does to support the team, especially in a non-AFL city such as Sydney.

I don' tthink the Swans do enough to recognise their members, or allow the memebrs to interact with the players or each other.

Only small issues, but I'm definitely big on the AFLW thing.

Participant Observations 26/8/19 - Qatar Airways, Swans fans, and Globalisation. And Buddy's 300th!!

The Swans last game for 2019 turned into a big day out for this little black duck. After recording an episode of the Hunter AFL Masters pre game show, I had a 30 minute phone conference with AFL Masters. This was followed by a dash to the train station, where I jumped on and met Benny Douglas on the train. Journey down was unremarkable, then took the pilgrimage to the stadium up Devonshire street, stopping in at the Trinity for a beer along the way.

We managed to get seats on level 2 of the Members, which was good, because that section had been closed off. The seats were great:

Then everything in the game went according to plan for Swans fans: Buddy kicked 4 goals in his 300th game. Jarrod McVeigh and Keiran Jack both kicked goals in front of us in their final game before retiring. Aliir Aliir celebrated his 50th game. Reg Grundy and Nick Smith also did a lap of honour at the end as they also retired. Five players chaired off at the end of the game.

Then, halfway through the last quarter, the PA announced said they would have kick-to-kick on the ground after the game, which wasn't scheduled. But it was epic:

Then we headed back down Devonshire street for a bit of a pub crawl, before getting back on the train around 8pm, and home by 11pm. Fucking. Massive. Day.

However, I also noticed something else on the day that demonstrated the Sandvoss concept of how fandom is a blend of internal projected reflection and external globalised structures. This example also demonstrates how these can sometimes be in conflict.

So, the Sydney Swans and St Kilda Saints play a 'pride' game each year, celebrating same-sex relationships. This is easy for me to project my own values onto the Swans with, as I believe and support equality.

However, for many Swans fans, this is a hypocritical position to take, as the Swans also have a sponsorship with Qatar airways - the national carrier in a country where being gay is illegal. So how can the Swans support gay rights on the one hand, and yet support a company based in a country where being gay is illegal?

An articulation of the issues can be seen here: Rainbow fans urged Sydney Swans to drop sponsor because being gay is illegal in Qatar:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/115162857/afl-rainbow-fans-urged-sydney-swans-to-drop-sponsor-because-being-gay-is-illegal-in-qatar

The Swans operate in a globalised environment, where the national air carrier in a foreign country is a domestic sports sponsor. This globalisation may conflict with the subjective projections fans place on the Swans, whether the Swans mean for those projections to be there or not.

Participant Summary 23/08/19 - It's funny how viewing habits change with each new platform

I've now had Kayo long enough to have settled into a routine when using it, and have identified some habits that have now emerged.

For example, because the software doesn't play well with older versions of Chromecast, I find myself almost always watching Kayo through my gaming PC. This sounds fine, but it adds extra hurdles to accessing content compared to casting from an app, which ultimately means that sometimes I choose not to access the platform, and will settle for something else on FTA, or Netflix, or YouTube, or Amazon Prime. This also means that I put my computer into 'Sleep' mode far more often. Not altogether a bad thing, but it does mean the computer may be drawing power overnight, or may open if it is inadvertently woken up.

Accordingly, I have increased my diet of content on these platforms - Netflix the most, followed by FTA and YouTube. My Amazon Prime consumption, if anything, has gone backwards, and I'm wondering if I'll keep it in the future - there's no sport on there, and they don't promote themselves especially well, and there's no fast-access button on my remote to an app on my smart TV like there is for YouTube and Netflix.

I also find myself gaming more often now. This is because the gaming PC is on more often. So, I might go gaming after I've finished watching something on Kayo, or beforehand.

I'm using the iPad far less to find and navigate content. Netflix and YouTube are accessed via apps on the smart TV, and Kayo via the gaming PC. The iPad is used mostly for the OTT apps for the FTA channels and Amazon Prime.

In terms of Kayo itself, one of the biggest negatives is instability and segmenting of programs.

Firstly, instability.

Watching via the app and casting to chomecast is almost unwatchable at times, because of the frequency of buffering issues, and a loss in fidelity. Watching via the gaming PC should be better, but there are still drop outs, probably about once every 20-30 minutes, regardless of time of day or stress placed on the app. There will be no warning, and then - bing - a Google error screen. I also now this is not unique to me. My friend Alex experiences the same issues.

The segmenting of programs is also infuriating. I will find a live game of something I want to watch, put it on, but as soon as the game is over, the app returns to the home screen. Unless I select one of the 'live' channels (which are buried all the way down the bottom of the home screen by the way), then the software only recognsies each game as a standalone event. This interrupts the continuous flow of content, and also may prevent me from watching content after the game that I may have incidentally been interested in.

The software also lacks a Search function. If I want to watch a 30 For 30 documentary, I can't just go to some search field, type in the name of the doco, and find it. Instead, I have to navigate around the different (un-sortable) categories and find it that way - also time consuming and a barrier to access.

Perhaps one good feature is the playback controls. It's easy to miss the start of a program and come in either at the start or 'live'. Scrubbing through ads is easy if you miss the start. Navigating around inside the app is relatively straightforward.

Another good feature is the range of content, which is ok, although another negative is there are no highlight cut-downs (or 'mini's') of the AFL games, only full-game replays. this must have something to do with Kay not having highlight rights, because there are mini's for NRL and other domestic sports.

So, on the whole, probably 7 out of 10 so far.

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This Saturday I'm going to the final Swans home game for the year, and my final membership game as well. It's going to be a big day. Unfortunately I miss out on an AFL Master intraclub game at Medowie, but I get to see:

• Buddy's 300th game
• Jarrod McVeigh's final game
• Keiran jack's final game
• Nick Smith's final game

The game is also the annual 'Pride' theme game against St Kilda, so it's good to be a part of an event that attempts to raise awareness about a cause I also believe in.

And we might even win!!

Participant Summary 2/8/19 - Kayo vs Watch AFL: little differences matter

The 1-month subscription with Watch AFL is coming to an end, and so here are the comparisons against Kayo as the preferred service:

• Little things make the ultimate difference. For instance, while Watch AFL may be stable and suffer from less drop-outs, it lacks in other key areas. For example, the maximum resolution is 720p, while Kayo is 1080p. This makes a big difference in the quality of the picture.
• On Watch AFL, the ball flickers while in flight, whereas on Kayo the ball flight tracks smoothly. The flickering is annoying after a while.
• Every step to setup the steam is a disincentive to use it. For example, Watch AFL requires using a VPN, which is an extra step. Kayo does not.
• Also, Watch AFL will only work on a tablet depending on the VPN software on the tablet, and it only chromecasts to 3rd gen devices or later, which mine is not. Kayo does allow chromecasting to 1st gen devices, but it's not great. However, this is still one less step than Watch AFL, and very similar to the old Foxtel Now set up I had, so familiar and relatively straightforward.
• Via the product page, the chromecast can also not be used for downloaded content, and the product does not support HDMI output.
• Obvisoulsy Kayo has more content, and for less money. Kayo has all the other sport content, for $25 a month, while Watch AFL is exclusively AFL (basically it's the Fox Footy Channels) for $33 a month, plus the cost of the VPN, which is about $60 a year.
• Kayo has other features that benefit it. Both platforms allow the user to hide scores of active games (i.e., no spoilers) but only Kayo has multi-screen views and the timeline highlights. I wouldn't have thought so, but these functions are great on Friday and Saturday night when there is a lot of sport on.
• In Watch AFL's favour, there are no ad-breaks during play, even when it is a Channel 7 game. Kayo carries Channel 7 ads on the games produced by Channel 7.
• Similarly, Watch AFL will include the score-bug in the bottom right hand corner of the screen for other games that are going on, even for Channel 7 games. Kayo only has this feature for the games it is producing.

However, the experiment was worthwhile for several reasons.

Firstly, it proves that AFL geo-blocks can be defeated by a VPN. It's relatively easy. It's relatively affordable.

It also demonstrates how far Foxtel has come in recent years to develop products for OTT audiences, and it demonstrates how far pricing has come down over that same time.

It also demonstrates what areas these products need to work on. Instability is a big issue for Kayo. Fidelity is an issue for the Watch AFL app.

I believe the Watch AFL app could also be more affordable, with introductory trial periods, or a half-year subscription - I have no idea why they got rid of this, although I believe it may have something to do with the fact that this was not an auto-renewing subscription. 

Ultimately, the AFL and Kayo may want to look at improving their product so it can't be beaten by a VPN, although I imagine Foxtel don't care too much about this, because it means people are probably paying more for it than Kayo, although I would also think the AFL gets some cut of the subscriptions.

Conversely, the AFL may need to look at how this product is being used to avoid other paid portals, and possibly eroding the value of their other rights.

Overall an interesting period, but I definitely found myself thinking of using Kayo first when it came to watching games of AFL.

Participant Summary 15/7/19 - Watch AFL vs Kayo

As I've done each of the last few years, I have again purchased a short subscription to Watch AFL, the AFL's OTT service for people watching the game overseas.

The reason for the subscription is to see if the geoblocking of AFL games in Australia can be circumvented by using a VPN service with the Watch AFL app. The subscription also allows me to access games that are not on free-to-air television in Australia.

And I can report that using Watch AFL with a VPN still works!!

Here's a few other observations I noticed:

Firstly, the Watch AFL service I think is more stable. I don't think I had a single drop-out for the first two games I was watching on. However, the maximum resolution on the service is only 720p. This is fine, but obviously not as good as you want. The resolution probably drops down a little more often than you would like, but it doesn't completely drop out like Kayo seems to.

The functionality for the Watch AFL service is not as good as other OTT services. Changing games requires closing down windows, navigating back to the home page, etc, rather than having an active menu inside a currently playing game that would allow you to live switch between games.

The feed is the national Fox Footy feed. This is better than some other services, because Kayo and Foxtel Now for example take the Channel 7 feed of the games, meaning there are adds after goals, and they don't have the pre-and post game shows, and the half-time show is Channel 7 coverage. With Watch AFL, all of that content is Foxtel's content and there are no ads after goals. Also, the advertising in the Watch AFL product is also national brands, whereas Kayo and Foxtel Now tended to be NSW-based.

Kayo is really good functionality for sports watching, because it has features like 'no spoilers', multi-screen options, and embedded highlights, but I found the service to be a little bit fragile. I think in one afternoon, the signal would have dropped out about 8-10 times. Also, Kayo tends to offer programming in blocks. So for example, after a game ends, the feed will stop and go back to the home page. The only way around this is to select a 'live' channel, which then stays as the active channel throughout. Although, as mentioned, when the stream drops out, the user goes all the way back to the home screen anyway, and the 'live' channel options are buried all the way at the bottom of the home page. These differences may seem small, but I think they are deliberate. I think Foxtel don't want Kayo to feel too much like Foxtel Now, and some functionality isn't fully realised, so that there is still some incentive for users to upgrade to a more expensive service to be able to access the better functionality. Similarly, Kayo also lacks the ability to switch channels while you are watching coverage - instead, you have to go back to the home page and navigate from there. With Foxtel now, you could minimise the viewer and access the TV guide/channel list with the game still going on without having to go all the way back to the home page.

Kayo however offers 1080p resolution I think. But another downside to Kayo is that while Chromecasting is an option, it's almost unwatchable. I did some research online, and it seems Kayo is optimised for using the Chromecast Ultra device, whereas I'm on the first-generation Chromecast device. It's unfortunate because when I had Foxtel Now, the Chromecast feature was fine, with basically no drop outs at all. As a result, I'm watching virtually all Kayo on the gaming PC connected to the TV. This in turn means I'm watching less Kayo and more FTA and Netflix content, because it's a pain in the backside to get Kayo on compared to watching via Chromecasting from the tablet. I'm also looking into getting a Chromecast Ultra, but they are like $99 new.

The Watch AFL pass is $33 a month, whereas the Kayo subscription I'm on is $25 a month. Kayo also has more sport and other content, and while Kayo also have a $35 a month service, I don't need it right now. So Kayo, at $25 a month and with more sport is probably a better deal. I also still suspect that Foxtel, who run the Watch AFL app for the AFL, probably know that people can use the service in Australia if they are using a VPN, but are happy for people to do so, because they are still charging for it, and because it might prime those people to take up the Kayo offering anyway.

On the whole though, I don't think I'm missing Foxtel Now very much - at least not until Westworld comes back next year... I still really need to trial going without any form of pay-TV at all, to see how it would change my usage and decision making. Possibly this weekend.

Participant Summary 1/7/19 - The Kayo Switch-over and Pirate Searches

In an effort to get a better understanding of the motivations for consuming games of AFL on television as a hard core fan, I have abandoned my Foxtel now subscription.

I've had Foxtel Now for at least a year, and I've come to like the package, although I don't think Foxtel were treating it with as much attention as maybe they could have, and the quality dropped off in the last few weeks - although I suspect this had more to do with more people using the internet in my area at peak times than anything else.

Also, I would like to go fully without any paid services to fully replicate the free-to-air access only fan, but I need to keep some level of subscription going to share with Joe, as I use his Netflix login. It seems only fair that I pay for something and share it with him rather than just leach off his Netflix.

Also, later this month i'll get a Watch AFL pass again, and see how the experience compares getting access to that with a VPN.

I've had Kayo before during the first beta-stages of testing, but first impressions are that it's ok, but I really would prefer a more traditional style of TV guide than the Netflix style user-interface they seem to be persevering with. Also, the service was having lots of trouble buffering this morning, which is a worry because i don't think there would be a lot of internet traffic at 8am on a Monday morning.

It does allow me to Chromecast though, which is good, because I think during the beta stage, you could only Chromecast if you had the most recent models of the device. Mine is one of the earlier models. Perhaps this explains the buffering issues I had this morning. I'll have to try it again at other times, or when logged in via the gaming PC, to see if the problem persists.

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An issue that came up when searching for prate streams of AFL a couple of months ago is the threat of malware. My old MacBook that I was searching on became infected with two types of malware during the search, so I had to buy some software to get it cleaned off. Not ideal.

however, it does demonstrate the issues faced when trying to get access to content via non-traditional or authorised means.

Participant Summary 17/6/19 - What's at stake for AFL fans? And is it our own reflection, or is it a part of a structured environment?

A bit going on here from a research perspective. Can't help but feel "authentic" fan behaviour and identity is being contested:
Joffa's message: This is our place, leave us alone https://t.co/IRgLPz46fb via @theage

— Ed Reddin (@ed_reddin) June 17, 2019

Posted this tweet after a weekend of AFL where fan behaviour and security of seemed to be the headline.

It feels like agents such as fans, the AFL , police, stadium management, and security companies are struggling to establish acceptable rules of behaviour, power, language, and property.

I also think some of this has been driven by changing social norms, such as the increased visibility of anti-social behaviour, a sense of entitlement and need to be outraged, and safety and surveillance concerns.

In some respects, I think fans are entitled to feel anxious until new norms are established, especially if new norms are radically different.

Also at stake is fan identity, given that so much of it is bound up in established and socially accepted behaviour and language.

I think the rules that are being contested are visibility, intimidation, surveillance, safety, property and ownership.

It also reminds me of Simonton's (?) thesis that some of our fan identity is inscribed by us onto the things we, value so we can see it reflected back to us, and some of our fandom is structured around us, such as the rationalisation of stadiums, capitalism, consumerism, globalisation, and definitely in thsi case, surveillance.

Just writing this all here now so I can come back to it later as a possible research piece or article.

Participant Observations 9/5/18 - What makes my fandom mine?

As part of my practitioner based enquiry for my research project, I've decided to log four experiences as an AFL fan this season:

• Watching a Swans game on TV alone
• Watching a Swans game on TV with friends
• Attending a Swans game alone
• Attending a Swans game with friends

This idea came about after some of the reading I have been doing for fan studies, and about trying to identify the internal (pathological and cognitive) and external (standardised, rationalised and globalised production) factors contributing to my specific experience and understanding of my Swans fandom.

After reading Sandvoss (2003), I also wanted to identify what I saw in the Swans that self-reflected my own value system, that made them appealing to me.

The first experience I logged was attending a game alone. It was a bit weird, carrying a notebook and camera to the game, and trying to analyse everything you think about during a game is mentally exhausting.

However, while going to the game (Sydney vs Melbourne) I had what I would call a personal breakthrough, because I identified what I felt I see in the Swans that reflect my own value systems back to me, and how that constitutes my Fandom.

Firstly, I was trying to think about the 'team' as an abstract concept, which i think was too divergent and diverse. The team can mean too many different things, and I was struggling to try and pin down one meaning for something. There were some things I identified at this stage however, that I definitely did not associate with myself - for example, Swans fans are notorious for being 'theater-goers'. That is, they aren't 'real' fans who stick by their team when they aren't winning. I did not, and do not consider myself to be a 'theater-going' fan.

So instead, I asked myself, "Who are my favourite players on the team?" and "Why are they my favourite players" i worked my way through some of them - For example, I like Buddy Franklin, but I wouldn't call him my favourite. I respect and admire his ability, and he's a key to our team's success, but that's about where my fandom ends for Buddy.

The breakthrough came when I identified my really favourite players, both in the team now, and fro previous generations, such as Jarred McVeigh, Brett Kirk, and especially Paul Kelly. I would categorise these players as tough, gritty, hard workers who are humble and do not seek admiration. This is what I like to try and think about myself. And when the Swans have been most successful, this is what they have been known for - unrelenting tackle pressure, team before individual, no 'dickheads' policy.

I think my attitude about a player like Zac Jones reinforces this. When he first arrived in the team, he was seen as being another hard unit, in-and-under player that charactersised the Swans. But over the course of his career, I've come to see him as a player who drifts in and out of games, who is too easily distracted by a bit of opposition niggle, and who goes missing in the big moments. He is now one of my least-like players.

Externally, there are elements that also shape my fandom that I observed. For example, being a 'member' has special privileges that I enjoy, and further feeds into my identity as a Swans fan, as does merchandise and knowing cultural elements such as team songs, and the ritual of walking to the stadium through Surrey Hills. The stadium tries to prioritise spending as part of the experience, and you would find it difficult to go to a game and not have to spend a decent amount of cash. The entertainment factor is also pronounced at games, with pre- and half-time entertainment, music, and video packages on the big screen.

There were other breakthroughs that came when I watched a game at home by myself, most importantly how central the phone is to the consumption experience. My friends and I exchanged no less than 100 text messages over the course of the game. During the game, I visited almost no social media, except maybe at half time, and I visited stats sites maybe once, but more so after the game was over. Viewing stats was also done to inform my text-based conversations with others.

So next is the two consumption experiences with others. Really looking forward to finding out more about this, because I can potentially already see some business opportunities where my fandom intersect with broadcast production.

I really enjoy my research project.

Participant Observations 20/4/19 - The End is Nigh for Foxtel Now

Well, for me at least...

It's often been rumoured that Foxtel are going to one day cancel the Foxtel Now service, instead offering a low-price version of Kayo but for drama, but I've made the decision to this year cut off my Foxtel subscription anyway.

The reason is to run a bit of an experiment, and to see what it's like, as a hardcore AFL fan, to try and access AFL games without it. These are the types of questions I'll be looking to answer:

1. How motivated will I become to search and use pirate streams of games that are not shown on free-to-air
2. Will consuming the free-to-air coverage of the game change my expectations and experience of watching AFL? If so, how?
3. How will my fandom be enabled via VPN use? And how will this way of watching games change my experience of watching AFL and my AFL fandom?

I anticipate switching the Foxtel Now subscription off after round 12. This is because the AFL/Fox Sports usually introduce their half-year option for Watch AFL, the overseas portal for watching AFL games that I can access via VPN. This half-year option is not only cheaper than a full year option, but it also doesn't auto-renew like the other forms of Watch AFL subscription.

Another benefit with switching off in about 7 weeks time is that it will allow me to finish watching Game of Thrones on Foxtel Now! And hopefully Veep as well.

Participant Observations 20/04/19 - Festival of Footy

Due to Easter and Anzac Day being close together this year, rounds 5 and 6 in the AFL season are only one day apart, meaning there are 18 games of AFL in 11 days.

Obviously, this is a dream scenario for a footy head such as myself. Adding to the excitement is the fact that it coincides with the University break, so I can watch most of the games uninterrupted.

Also adding to the excitement is the fact that there's some huge games in this period, such as the Easter Monday game, the Anzac Day Eve game, and of course Anzac Day itself.

Fox Footy have tapped into the excitement of fans like me, with this promo:

I shared this video on Instagram and Twitter. I love it. I have something planned for hopefully every day when the footy is on over these rounds.

Participant Observations 25/3/19 - #TaylaKickChallenge

The first round of the AFL men's season has finished, and I'll add some thoughts about it at the end of this post, but something else I've been thinking about a lot the last week or so is the reaction to the Tayla Harris photo on social media. This was posted by AFL photographer Michael C Wilson online after the round 7 game of AFLW:

Some idiots went online and commented about how close it was to showing female genitalia, and if it was trans footballer Hanna Mouncey that you would see her penis.

Channel 7, who posted the photo, succumbed to the trolling and removed the post, saying it was too negative and they didn't want it to be a platform for cyber-bullying. I understand that response, having worked in PR, but obviously people then reacted to Channel 7's response, saying they had let the trolls win by getting the photo taken down, which is correct.

Fortunately, the reaction to Channel 7's decision to pull the photo motivated them to re-post it, and now this image has become widely celebrated as a win over cyberbullying.

Not only that, the image has become the unofficial logo of the AFLW (in silhouetted form), it's been made into t-shirts, badges, and male players and broadcasters have also supported the image. I've made a copy and stuck it to the window in my office.

Best of all, Tayla has now created a the #TaylaKickChallenge competition, where she asks for people to post videos of themselves trying to kick like Tayla, with the winner getting a pair of Nikes.

I’ll choose the best impersonation to win a pair of @Nike boots 🤙🏼#TAYLAKICKCHALLENGE pic.twitter.com/4I528XSuhh

— Tayla Harris (@taylaharriss) March 21, 2019

I have no problems with this being corporatised by Nike. There has always been a relationship between commerce and culture, and more corporations should be active in denouncing antisocial behaviour.

I also went online and voted in the NAB Mini Legends competition, where you vote for what AFL players should be made into 'legends' by having little AFL AusKickers dress up as them in a NAB commercial. You can see an old one here:

Tayla Harris MUST be a mini legend. It's a changing moment in the women's game. It's really affected people, like the journalist Sam Lane.

It's such a positive, and Harris seems to have handled it like a champ, and you only hope it doesn't have a lasting negative impact on her or her family.

----------------------

First round of AFL is in the books. So glad to have it back (no disrespect to the AFLW, AFLX, or JLT Series intended). Some observations after round 1:

• Skills were rubbish. Lots of dropped ball and fumbles.
• Rule changes are ok, but heard an interesting observation that the play-on from fullback rule might reduce scoring, instead of increasing it. This is because under the old rule, a turnover from a kick-in was within a shot at goal, whereas under the new rule, the turnover is about 70-80m from goal, making harder to score from turnovers.
• Swans are disappointing. They are a slow starting team traditionally, but we almost had our best team on the park last week, and lost to a very average team.
• Happy for Brisbane and GWS and Freo and Port. I'm ok with the interstate teams being competitive.

Off to the Swans game this Friday night, against Adelaide. My membership arrived in the mail. Looking forward to it!

Participant Observations 25/2/19 - AFLXtra

A few friends came over for a BBQ and to watch AFLX on Friday night, and while I didn't watch the game closely (with so many distractions happening with the BBQ), here are some of my observations on it.

• The standard got better as the night went on. It was relieving to say "Good footy..." out loud a few times as the play went on (It's one of my favourite in-game pieces of commentary).
• The scoring was higher than I expected, but the scoring rules are so confusing that I've pretty much given up on trying to understand them/explain them. The AFL also seemed to be introducing rules on the run, because a second Gamechanger was introduced for the Grand Final, which I don't remember seeing as a rule anywhere in the lead up to the event.
• The rules and their unnecessary complexity was a source of mirth for my friends and I, as we would make up arbitrary and deliberately obtuse rules while watching the play. It was fucking hilarious.
• The atmosphere at the ground seemed pretty good, and the players, almost to a man, said they enjoyed playing it. The one downside seemed to be that fans were allowed to stand behind the goals at one end, and whenever the ball went into the crowd after a score, there was the potential for a mosh to develop, possibly resulting in physical danger, and not the look the AFL would be going for with so many young fans there. The whole event was a bit of a sideshow however, with climbing walls, mascots and other attractions happening while play was taking place.
• I had a female friend watching the game at home, and she said it was ok to watch, which I thought was interesting because I'd said to her that she was one of the types of markets the AFL was trying to capture, but I'd put a caveat on that, in that we didn't watch the game very closely/
• I've heard a number of calls now for the State of Origin to be used as the basis for the teams next year, and it seems like a logical fit. There are 4 strong SOO teams that could be used (Sorry Tasmania, NSW, ACT and Queensland), and the players would probably play with a bit more purpose wearing their state colours.
• The reaction of the players on social media during and after the game seemed to be positive, and combined with the positive reaction of the players and the crowd, I'm hopeful the concept will return again next year. Only one injury seemed to come out of it, and this seemed to be a preexisting injury anyway.

Overall, I'll give AFLX a 7/5 out of 10. Reduce some of the complexity in the rules, bring in the SOO concept, and tidy up some of the bits and pieces happening around the game, and I'd watch it again.

Participant Observations 18/02/19 - First AFLW Game and an AFL Fan Day x2

For a while I'd been meaning to get along to an AFLW game, and last weekend was the first time when I had a Saturday free that also coincided with a GWS Giants game in Sydney. Another reason to go down to Sydney was to pick up some old boxes from my mum's place, and then a few days before I left, I received an email from the Swans, saying their Fan Day was going to be on the same morning as the game. The GWS Giants were also hosting their Fan Day just prior to the AFLW game at Blacktown, so there was plenty of reasons to go along.

I arrived at the Swans Fan Day at Moore Park about an hour before it finished. It was at Industrial Hall, their new base in the Entertainment Precinct. It was ok, and pretty much what I expected. Loads of kids, and child-friendly activities. There were more AFL players there than I had anticipated however, and not just the fringe players. Buddy Franklin, Josh Kennedy, Jarrod McVeigh, Dane Rampe, Aliir Aliir, Isaac Heeney, along with many others were all there, and it seemed like most were making an effort to be involved with the fans.

Personally, I didn't approach any of the players, or get involved in any of the activities, although they did have the 4x Swans Premiership Cups there, so I of course had to get my photo taken with them, although they said I couldn't pick them up...

 

It was free, all indoors and air-conditioned, which was good. Music was ok, and it wasn't overcrowded. The space is a good size, and it'll be interesting to see how the Swans utilise it in the future. The downsides to the event were that the food was expensive - $12 for a mini pizza!! -  and the Swans (probably the staff more than the players) seem to have a bit of arrogance about them, although in some ways, you kind of expect that from an elite team. I also think the arrogance comes from not having any elite female representation, which I'll explain a bit later...

After leaving Moore Park and picking everything up from Mum's, I took the long journey out west to Blacktown, which really is in the way out west. You're confronted with hobby farms and open parkland when you get off the expressway in places with names like like Rooty Hill, Doonside, and Plumpton.

But it was easy to find the ground, and even easier to find a park, although I got there about 90 minutes before the game. Entry was free (AFLW games are free anyways), but the refreshments were again expensive - $5.50 for a 600ml bottle of Sprite!! The place was overrun with kids, and the Fan Day events were packed into a relatively small outdoor area, without much shade on a 30-degree day. And there are no AFL Premiership Cups to pose with...

But it had a bit more of a positive vibe about it than compared to the Swans Fan Day, and this is where I think having the elite female athletes at the event made a difference. Aside from the male AFL players, the Giants also had their netballers there, as well as the AFLW players who were not playing in the game that afternoon. I think this makes the male players more humble and fan-friendly, and the female players bring a different attitude and fan response.

At first I thought it was a bit disingenuous to have both Fan Days on the same day, and that perhaps someone was trying to sabotage the other. But then on reflection, I think it's likely that there would be many families in Sydney with split allegiances, and having both Fan Days on the same day, but at clearly different times, would allow those families to get to both events, and enjoy the same experience on the same day.

Because the Giants Fan Day was outside, they could also have a few different fan events, such as a water-slide, and a goal kicking setup, although I suspect these were AFLW-driven rather than being unique to the Giants Fan Day. The other positive to come out of it was the fact that, because there were so many people there for the Fan Day, it effectively guaranteed a big crowd for the AFLW game.

Sensing this would be the case, and with only the grandstand offering any shade, I grabbed a seat about 40 minutes before the bounce. The grandstand only really covers one wing, and probably seats about 2,000 people. A lot of seats were also reserved for players and officials, which is understandable given how many of them were there on the day. It was a good decision, because b y the bounce, the stand was about 90% full. The rest of the ground, which is surrounded by a grassed embankment, was also well populated, which was really encouraging. I would have guessed there to be about 3,500 people to be there - AFLW says 3,823 people.

It's a good place to watch footy, and the ground covering looks immaculate. The fans are close to the players on the sideline, although there is a huge distance between the player benches and the interchange gates, which must be inconvenient for teams, especially in terms of communication and making quick interchange decisions. There also appears to be a good corporate area, and two stories of boxes/media facilities. Generally speaking, it looks like a fantastic place to play footy and run a team.

When it came time for the game to start, Carlton were on top almost from the start, and the Giants just couldn't get any clean and clear use of the pill. Their forward pressure was very good, and they structured up behind the footy very well as well. There was some good passages of play, although a few basic skill errors still dog the women's game, particularly dropped marks and overrunning ground balls.

However, there were some good passages of clean play, and the athleticism of the women stands out a lot more in-person than it does on the TV. I was really impressed with Katie Loynes, and fortunately I saw probably the best game from two AFLW stars, Darcy Vescio and Tayla Harris. Harris in particular was very good in the air and dominated the first half, to really set up the win. Amanda Farrugia was probably one of the best for the Giants, and I think Jess Dal Pos might be carrying an injury - she definitely looked a bit restricted at times. Cora Staunton was a crowd favourtie, but she tends to go to ground too often, and the Giants backs were just overrun by the repeat inside-50's by the Blues.

Having said all that, I left at half time, to beat the traffic back to Newcastle. So I missed the massive hit Harris put on Pepa Randall. Having only seen it on TV, I think she'll still get 1-2 weeks for it. She took her eyes off the ball, ran past the footy, and connected with a player who clearly wasn't expecting the hit. The only thing that might save her is that I don't think she collected Randall in the head, who walked off, and if Randall doesn't have a concussion. But it goes to show how hard the women play. there is no doubting the women's ability to go in hard at the footy, and I'm a huge fan of the way they play. Having also watched the Adelaide team destroy Geelong on the weekend, there is no doubt the quality of play is improving.

A couple of further observations about AFLW: There definitely should be an entry fee - even a gold coin donation would be enough to ameliorate some of the costs involved, and I don't think crowd numbers would suffer much. And not enough players can kick on both sides of their body. this is a real issue preventing the quality of play, and it may result in more leg injuries, as players stop and prop a lot to get back onto their preferred side. The sudden stop I imagine would put strain on the knees, rather than being able to kick freely through the ball, but obviously I have no evidence to sustain such an hypothesis.

Overall the atmosphere at the ground was good, although obviously the fans were disappointed the Giants weren't more competitive. There was a good number of Carlton fans there, and they were pretty vocal without being negative to the opposition, which was encouraging. Players from both teams were applauded when they entered the playing arena, and the feeling overall is more encouraging and festive than the men's game, which you're probably going to get in a shorter season that is still maturing.

So I wish I could go to more games! I wish they would play some games in Newcastle, and I wish the Swans had a team - not just to support, but also because I think it would help the culture of the entire organisation.

Participant Observations 13/2/19 - Don't ruin AFLX with gimmicky rules

AFLX is just over a week away, and I'm a big fan of the concept. I know that puts me in the minority, given most of the fan reaction on social media has been largely negative, from what I can tell.

So in the lead up to the second year of the fledgling competition, I find it surprising the AFL would make it harder for fans to embrace the format by introducing some naff features and rules, at a time when trying to convince fans about its merits would seem to be important.

The AFL has abandoned the club-based format in favour of an All-Star, captains-pick concept. Four autonomous, unaffiliated teams have been created, each with a star player as captain, who then picks their side from the available player pool in a 'draft'.

I don't mind that teams are not club-based, and I like the idea of the All-Star teams. I didn't even mind the draft. It showcased the personalities of the captains, and we picked up on the peculiar (and at times humorous) motivations behind some of their decisions.

The All-Star teams are also a good way to get fan interest over the pre-season, where teams usually play fringe players, who have minimal interest for the fans. Now, I'm looking forward to seeing Nat Fyfe play with Patrick Cripps, Scott Pendlebury, Alex Rance, Aliir Aliir, Isaac Heeney and Josh Kennedy (Yes, I'm on #TeamFlyers).

But I think Leigh Matthews had a really interesting comment, when he Tweeted:

I’m for the AFLX concept even though I’m sure my generation is not the target audience anyway,however competitive sport without caring who wins is meaningless ,what if they dropped the gimmicky team names and made the 4 teams Vic,SA,WA and the Allies?Would increase my interest

— Leigh Matthews (@LeighRMatthews) February 8, 2019

What a innovative idea. We'd get to see the return of State of Origin competition (at least in some format), and captains could still pick teams based on the players available from their state, although there would be much less need for a draft. You could then have a round robin competition, with the top two teams playing for something. It could be done in one day, but might stretch over two days, with a finals series on the second day.

However, what I find really disenfranchising as a fan is what has happened to the rules. I struggle to see the upside of a "Forward Zone", a "Launch Zone", the ball returning to the middle after a super goal, and the "Gamechanger".

I like the idea of a super-goal, but instead of using the "Launch Zone", why not just say, "Any goal kicked from over half-way"? Is it just trying to improve the nomenclature? What is the point of the "Forward Zone"? The only reason for it being there, from what I can tell, is a player can mark a ball kicked backwards in that area, and not be called to play on. Why not just make it that all balls kicked backwards are called play-on, except in the front half, or the front third?

And what is the point of returning the ball to the center after a super-goal? Perhaps attacking players will try to kick more of these goals, but it could just as easily result in more points being kicked, and defenders will work harder to try and stop these goals, possibly resulting in regressive, lock-down play in the midfield. I also like players being allowed to play-on from full-back. I believe it promotes faster play, as seen in the AFLW this year with the play-on from full-back rule.

Another rule that adds complexity for fans, umpires and timekeepers is the "Gamechanger". Yes, it might add more scoring, but I see defenses applying a hard tag to the "Gamechanger" player, so that they don't score, further restricting the action on field. 

Moreover, this rule seemingly has little purpose other than being opportunity to activate sponsorship. The "Gatorade Gamechanger". Seriously? And if defenders do apply a hard tag to the "Gamechanger" player, it could in turn actually reduce the sponsorship recognition that would come with every "Gamechanger" goal.

I could stomach the "Zooper" goal last year, because it was basically an existing rule (i.e., the super-goal) with a brand name thrown on top. But to create an entirely new rule, with little purpose than to activate a sponsorship seems like an unnecessary commercialisation of the game, which fans usually have a distaste for.

The possible implications of this increasing complexity shouldn't be underestimated. If the code is trying to sell this game to new, young fans in non-traditional markets, as they've suggested they are, then I can't think of a better way to alienate those fans than by making the rules of the new format so unnecessarily difficult to follow.

As Max Laughton from Fox Sports explained, imagine trying to get your head around this new game as one of those young players in the target market: "All we need is ten players - oh, hang on, it’s 14 now. And we need to mark out the launch zone, and the forward zone, and nominate our Gatorade Game Changer, and someone needs to watch the clock in the second half for them... you know what, maybe let’s play something else.”

I've played AFL 9's quite a lot, which is also based on a rectangular field, and it's fantastic. One of the attractions in that version of the game is the rules are so simple, meaning any newcomer who joins us for a game can pick the rules up in the first 5-10 minutes of play. But these new AFLX rules could be harder on umpires, broadcasters, commentators, and players, while simultaneously making it harder for fans to embrace a non-traditional version of the code.

As I've said before, I actually enjoyed watching the game last year, and I'm looking forward to watching the star-studded games this year. Just make it easier for fans to follow, and add some substance by building it around the State of Origin format.