My Expat horror story

On the website I talk about the inspiration for The Footy Expat being the pain I experienced when first arriving in Queensland over 20 years ago. I use the expression “AFL-free zone” because that’s basically what it was and, coming from Melbourne, it was a massive shock.

When other Expats ask how bad it was, I can usually scare the pants off them just by talking about the AFL coverage “back in my day”. It actually does sound a bit like the stories you hear from older generations about the ridiculous hardships they went through and there’s good reason for that I suppose – it was tough!

AFL on the television (circa 1994)

With AFL on the television, the average weekend would kick off with a shortened-replay-come-highlights package of the Friday night game at the prime time of around 11:30pm. If it wasn’t a big clash, you’d sometimes be lucky enough to miss out altogether! Things got better on Saturday and Sunday as they generally had a live match each, but living in Queensland meant at least one of those would involve the Bears. 

Overall, the chances of seeing your club play on any given weekend were slim, especially if they were having a bad year. As for any extended programming like the Sunday panels or special events like the Brownlow – forget it!

AFL on the radio (circa 1994)

On the radio, the AFL coverage was even worse. Instead of tuning into Rex Hunt losing his marbles on 3AW every week, the only coverage I could get in my area was a scratchy ABC broadcast. 

People laugh when I tell the story of sitting by my old clock radio for the Collingwood v West Coast elimination final in 1994, just weeks after becoming an Expat, constantly fine-tuning the reception to hear whatever I could. What makes it even “funnier” is the darn thing dropped out right at the death and only came back to reveal we’d lost by two points! 

It sounds like a very cruel and unusual punishment to put myself through, but the AFL coverage in those days meant I didn’t have a choice.

AFL in the newspaper (circa 1994)

Finally, AFL in the newspaper. For someone whose weekly routine was built around these things, the local editions were a massive disappointment. A paragraph or two and maybe a ladder at the back next to the local golf results were all you could expect. Sadly, I’m not kidding. Eventually I was able to sniff out a newsagent that imported copies of the Herald Sun to get me by. It took two days to get to me, which meant I was reading Sunday’s paper on Tuesday, but I didn’t care. Every word was like heaven for a starved, homesick Expat.

You’ve got to remember this was a time when the internet was a mere dream and pay TV was something they did over in the US. What was or wasn’t covered depended entirely on the local media and what they deemed newsworthy at the time. 

Lucky for you and I, times have changed and fans no longer have to re-live this horror story. The power is now well and truly in your hands when it comes to AFL coverage and getting enough footy is only a matter of being shown how. 

For those wanting a bit of a leg-up in this department, head to the Expat shop and grab a copy of my book. Not only is it a handy practical guide bracing you for what to expect as an Expat, it gives you all the tools for following footy in the expansion states.

Do you have your own Expat horror story? I’d love to hear how it compares to mine!