17th side

[ashy_magpies]

AFL clubs step aside, bigfooty members its up to you; should the AFL introduce a 17th side?

We need 75% of the vote to grant the 17th licence..

[Penski]

I think you should also add:

If Yes, then where should the side be located?

[ShanBoi]

I don't like the idea because it leaves an uneven number of teams. I hate the gap week as it is. Having a bye on top of that every year will just be annoying. Good for players who need rest, but annoying for supporters

[Jakko]

I like it. Hopefully it will mean a Vic club dies on the vine and doesnt get shipped off to some place in Aus and told "heres your new local team, oh btw the Vics will claim its still their team when youre successful". :thumbsu:

[FoxC]

No, just relocate Collingwood.

[Funkalicous]

We need a Gold Coast, West Sydney, and Perth team. The sooner we expand this great game the better. :thumbsu:

[Murray]

No, just relocate Collingwood.

Then about 6 clubs would go broke

[Funkalicous]

I don't like the idea because it leaves an uneven number of teams. I hate the gap week as it is. Having a bye on top of that every year will just be annoying. Good for players who need rest, but annoying for supporters

On the contrary, a bye would eliminate the split round and give us 7-8 game per week.

[Murray]

On the contrary, a bye would eliminate the split round and give us 7-8 game per week.

And it worked OK when we had 15 teams

[BABYBOMBERS2007]

A 17th side would be good except for the bye round-bring in an 18th at the same time and that would be good.

[FlyingCrow]

We need a Gold Coast, West Sydney, and Perth team. The sooner we expand this great game the better. :thumbsu:
Perth team??

West Coast Eages are based in Perth

[McCrann]

Perth team??

West Coast Eages are based in Perth

Have you seen the patterns of growth in Australia? Particularly Western Australia?

Perth is booming, and looking at how many Chinese there are - Perth is going to be booming for a long time yet.

It is good with 2 teams over there at the moment - but I hear they're about to build a new stadium in Perth.

What better idea than to put a 3rd AFL team in Perth, it would get 30,000 members in no time - Fremantle and West Coast basically can't have any more members because Subiaco is not big enough!

Think about it a little.

With 3 teams in Perth, there would be 6 "Derbies" every year. They would attract huge interest in the WA Media. There would be even more rivalry between all the 3 teams about who would be top dog each year.

As well, if one of Fremantle and West Coast has a bad year at the moment, then the other team just streaks ahead - with 3 teams this is more unlikely to happen.

Also, every 2nd week there'd be 2 matches in Perth! That would be great for the AFL and great for Perth.

Honestly, I think introducing an 18th team in Perth in 2012 (In time for the new AFL TV Rights Deal) would be the perfect fit for the competition.

9 matches a weekend, 198 matches in the Home & Away. It will up the TV rights, provide more money for the game and ultimately provide greater benefits flowing back to the existing clubs.

The existing clubs would be incompetent to reject a 17th team on the basis of diluting the talent pool - can't they see the bigger picture, and the increased revenues 1, and then 2, more professional teams would provide?

Particularly for players as wellCurrently we have about 700 AFL players (including rookies) running around, with 2 new teams the AFL could support around 800 players.

[diablo14]

I don't like the idea because it leaves an uneven number of teams. I hate the gap week as it is. Having a bye on top of that every year will just be annoying. Good for players who need rest, but annoying for supporters

The bye is also another thing for the clubs to constantly whinge about too.

"Bye too early in the season"

Bye too late in the season"

"We want the bye in the last round"

"We don't want the bye in the last round"

and so forth.

[FOOOOTY]

I don't like it,

Pauline Hanson style.

[Margim]

I don't like the idea because it leaves an uneven number of teams. I hate the gap week as it is. Having a bye on top of that every year will just be annoying. Good for players who need rest, but annoying for supporters

Perhaps the gap week will no longer be necessary because of the bye.

[MagpieGirl_13]

I've seen this posted before, I've posted this before & I'll post it again.
Once the AFL can have 16 fully functioning and profitable teams, THEN they can create another team. I doubt it will get enough supporters & it will be the kangaroos all over again... Yes, I'll admit it would be good for expanding the game but then when/if this new club goes broke, the AFL will be in the news for all the wrong reasons again.
This idea for a 17th team is a stupid idea & I don't want it!!!!

[brockbruiser]

The bye is also another thing for the clubs to constantly whinge about too.

"Bye too early in the season"

Bye too late in the season"

"We want the bye in the last round"

"We don't want the bye in the last round"

and so forth.


True, and which sides would get a double bye??

[ManWithNoName]

Hell no. It'll dilute the talent pool even more. 16 teams is fine.

[magpie_militia]

The bye is also another thing for the clubs to constantly whinge about too.

"Bye too early in the season"



That is a good point. It would be unlucky for the team that gets the bye in the first round. Considering their players wouldn't even get a rest technically.

[PieLebo87]

No, just relocate Collingwood.

Yeah, and there goes half a million dollars down the drain each year for the Cats :)

[estibador]

I want to see teams in the Gold Coast and Western Sydney eventually. For the sake of growing the league and the game as a whole.

I'd prefer not to have 17 teams with all the accompanying messiness of byes and uneven rounds, but if that's what we have to do then that's what we have to do.

[FOOOOTY]

Not even looking close to 75%.

BigFooty says no.

[McCrann]

Can't believe some of you guys are so negative! This is a battle to grow the game in the face of competition of other sports.

Sure, it may always seem that introducing new teams will dilute the talent pool! Those are arguments that have been heard before when Adelaide entered the comp, and Fremantle for that matter as well. The fact is the competition needs to expand to grow support, grow interest, grow revenues and all the attendant benefits that come along with it.

If it isn't growing it is stagnating.

Take a look around Australia - are you all aware that Australian Football, as represented by the AFL, is the only major sporting code in Australia that has not grown at all (in terms of new teams) during the past decade!

On Andrew Demetriou's watch we are yet to see any new teams, any meaningful expansion of the competition at all!

Fact is, Demetrious needs to get cracking if he wants to leave a legacy of the growth of the game during his time in charge. Look back at all that Ross Oakley achieved and you can marvel at home much his work contributed to the AFL being the pre-eminent sporting code in the country.

We have a lot to thank Ross Oakley for.

[thetigerman]

While we're at it, why not any a team out of New Zealand along with the Gold Coast team, the AFL is stupid enough to do it.

[McCrann]

While we're at it, why not any a team out of New Zealand along with the Gold Coast team, the AFL is stupid enough to do it.


Why is that so stupid?

Not tomorrow, but someday - maybe 2020/25 or so?

Do you want the game to grow - or are you happy for it to just stagnate?

[millane1990]

strategically, the afl should be looking long term towards a 20 team competition (possibly 22 team)

organising such a comp poses some interesting logistical issues - for example

1. do you go down the USA path and set up conferences - either east/west or north south

2. do you schedule a comp where each team plays everyone else once - this has obvious appeal in removing a lot of scheduling bias evident in the current comp but has the obvious downside where 10 teams will have 1 less home game every 2 years

my personal preference is for suggestion 2 with

- 19 game home and away season with 2 split rounds of 5 games per weekend built into the season proper ensuring season runs over 21 weeks

- each game in each round becomes an event game such as the coll v carl mccallum trophy

- retain top 8 and return some exclusivity to the finals series

- build compensations into season memberships where a team has a reduced number of memberships

new teams in perth, adelaide, sth queensland (my suggestion for a name is gold coast sharks altho i would be just as happy with southport sharks), west sydney (west sydney rangers - link it with the blue mountains)

if 22 teams are a possibility - perhaps look at locating a team in wellington nz - ready made stadium, large pop base - the town is somewhat culturally different to the rest of nz which makes it a more viable mkt to penetrate (one from left field i guess but 20 years u just never know)

[estibador]

You lot can keep your third WA team. We're quite happy with two thank you very much. It's worked out perfectly - we've got the good wholesome team and the evil soulless team. Something for everyone.

Are you trying to turn us into another overcrowded market with clubs struggling for members and dollars like Victoria?

[MaxHunt]

Should be two teams. GC and West Syd. Perth - Not now, Freo is strong but only recently, they need another 5 years to consolidate that. Should be a 26 rnd season with one split round. Each team plays the other home and way over 2 year period. Only fair way. Scrape preseason NAB cup or make NAB the sponsor for the first 3 rounds of the real season. Increase player list to 50 and salary cap to cope for it. Standard will drop a bit but not that much. May also let the Champion players play for another season or two with more players on the list.

[eagles06]

!7 sides is probably too many. I think there are way too many Melbourne temas. 9 teams in the 1 city is too many. We need to get rid of a couple of those teams. It would be hard for the clubs to do but we need to.
One goes to the Gold Coast
One goes to Sydney
Really it is unrealistic to have 9 Melbourne teams and expect them to survive.
After all, this is the Australian Football League.

[hayesy_27]

Does the AFL need to expand and have a team in the GOld Coast? YEs. Is a 17th team the way to go about it? NO
With the draw every year unfair to a few teams making a 17th team makes the draw even more unfair to teams. Some teams will get 2 byes which may help or hinder them. Imagine your team going into the last round and having the bye and you miss the finals because the AFL gave them 2 byes and another team only one.
Will it be 4 points win, 3 points bye 2 points draw?
8 teams will make the finals and 9 will miss out now.
The biggest problem with introducing a 17th team is how un even it will make the game. ANd frustrating for fans who may only get to watch there team play 20 times a year instead of 22. DO they get cheaper membership because of this?
The league is set up well at the moment 16 teams 8 make the finals 8 do not. There is no bye just a split round.
As a fan of the game i think a 17th team will only make the game worse and harder to watch.

[Kangas_Div]

No

Will screw up the draw. I'm not a big fan of the bye

[Howard Littlejohn]

Perth team??

West Coast Eages are based in Perth

WA needs a 3rd team imediately. The problem I see is that 19 seems to be the limit.
GC (doubtful value but definite starter), 2nd Sydney team (would start behind GC but has a ctahcment of 2.5m meaning it needs just 20% of the uptake of a GC team; and only about 30% when the GC's 2030 population is considered) and another WA side (which would be profitable inside a decade).
Can't see where a 20th would fit. Its 40-50 years too soon for Darwin, Tas has no money and a proportion of national economy and population is slipping further behind. Which would give 19 and a bye in perprtuity. 20, 10 Vic, 10 non-Vic would be a good balance. (Maybe a 3rd Sydney team? Or even a 4th Perth team if WA keeps up the growth rate.)

[Rory]

North Melbourne wont be able to stand on their own two feet for much longer so by the time this new team were to come in. So we would only be facing 2 or 3 years with a 17 team comp.

[Willow_2000]

Everyones complaining about the bye week. Im more pissed off that if they create a 17th team the clubs that WE support will have to give players to make this team, just like when Port came into the comp. Even worse, they take good players.

[Esky Lid]

Screw it !! Lets have 24. 23 Games each a Season ( Invert the season the Season The Following year) 288 Qualifying Games !



# 17 Based on the Gold Coast - Gold Coast GoofyFooters ( Gold & blue - Opposite to West Coast.

# 18 Based in WA. ( Karratha ) - North West Narly Dudes ( Ocre & Black)

# 19 Based in Western Suburbs of Sydney - West Sydney River Pigs (Green & Gold, Dunno why, we just don't for some reason have this Colour Combination)

# 20 Based in Tassie. - Tassie FatRat Clackers ( Green & Gold - Why not, I am on a Roll.)

# 21 Based in Darwin - NT Magpies ( Black'n'White Stripes) Becasue the people ever to win an Argument in history against Collingwood has been the Darwin Indigenous Community !!

#22 Based in Auckland - Bro Town Underarmers ( Silver & Black) Just get over it and move on !

#23 Based in Canberra - Capital Tossers ( Pink & Blue) Who Knows why, but for once lets tell Canberra what they can & Can't do !!

#24 Based in Singapore - Gateway Grumblebums - This is trulythe way to send AFL International - The Gateway to the World. And They can wear Skins and the opposion are Shirts !!

[Rory]

Everyones complaining about the bye week. Im more pissed off that if they create a 17th team the clubs that WE support will have to give players to make this team, just like when Port came into the comp. Even worse, they take good players.

Yeah I'm sure teams like West Coast were devastated to lose such superstars as Ian Downsborough and Shane Bond. Lets not forget how Geelong crumbled after they lost Shane Bruer :rolleyes:

[MagpieGirl_13]

Screw it !! Lets have 24. 23 Games each a Season ( Invert the season the Season The Following year) 288 Qualifying Games !



# 17 Based on the Gold Coast - Gold Coast GoofyFooters ( Gold & blue - Opposite to West Coast.

# 18 Based in WA. ( Karratha ) - North West Narly Dudes ( Ocre & Black)

# 19 Based in Western Suburbs of Sydney - West Sydney River Pigs (Green & Gold, Dunno why, we just don't for some reason have this Colour Combination)

# 20 Based in Tassie. - Tassie FatRat Clackers ( Green & Gold - Why not, I am on a Roll.)

# 21 Based in Darwin - NT Magpies ( Black'n'White Stripes) Becasue the people ever to win an Argument in history against Collingwood has been the Darwin Indigenous Community !!

#22 Based in Auckland - Bro Town Underarmers ( Silver & Black) Just get over it and move on !

#23 Based in Canberra - Capital Tossers ( Pink & Blue) Who Knows why, but for once lets tell Canberra what they can & Can't do !!

#24 Based in Singapore - Gateway Grumblebums - This is trulythe way to send AFL International - The Gateway to the World. And They can wear Skins and the opposion are Shirts !!

Love your sarcasm!!!! brilliant :thumbsu:

[Metallica_Man]

True, and which sides would get a double bye??
There is a way you can work the draw so that each team gets 2 byes, you can give 3 teams a by in some rounds

[hayesy_27]

3 teams have a by some weeks? sounds like an ok idea as there would still be 7 games but makes the draw very confusing and some fans wont be happy that there team will now only play 20 games. And it once again come down to who is the lucky team that gets a bye in round 22 or unlucky team. 17 teams will stuff up the fixture

[FOOOOTY]

# 21 Based in Darwin - NT Magpies ( Black'n'White Stripes) Becasue the people ever to win an Argument in history against Collingwood has been the Darwin Indigenous Community !!


Hahahahahaha, Collingwood shat themselves when that guy put a curse on them. They feared the bone!

[Willow_2000]

Even better idea!!! Demitriou can go get ****ed and we can leave the comp how it is. I dont see the point of expanded the comp as expanding wont lead to the QLD and NSW public having a sudden change or heart and switching to AFL from NRL.

[Rory]

Even better idea!!! Demitriou can go get ****ed and we can leave the comp how it is. I dont see the point of expanded the comp as expanding wont lead to the QLD and NSW public having a sudden change or heart and switching to AFL from NRL.

The GC is the fastest growing place in Australia. At the moment new people/families/whoever have one choice and that is Rugby. Put an AFL team there before the Titans get a stranglehold on the market. Thats the logic.

[Willow_2000]

The GC is the fastest growing place in Australia. At the moment new people/families/whoever have one choice and that is Rugby. Put an AFL team there before the Titans get a stranglehold on the market. Thats the logic.
So you reckon it could work? I know if i was living up there and followed the NRL i wouldnt be switching to AFL. On the other hand i guess they could support both?

[MAG87]

strategically, the afl should be looking long term towards a 20 team competition (possibly 22 team)

organising such a comp poses some interesting logistical issues - for example

1. do you go down the USA path and set up conferences - either east/west or north south

2. do you schedule a comp where each team plays everyone else once - this has obvious appeal in removing a lot of scheduling bias evident in the current comp but has the obvious downside where 10 teams will have 1 less home game every 2 years

my personal preference is for suggestion 2 with

- 19 game home and away season with 2 split rounds of 5 games per weekend built into the season proper ensuring season runs over 21 weeks

- each game in each round becomes an event game such as the coll v carl mccallum trophy

- retain top 8 and return some exclusivity to the finals series

- build compensations into season memberships where a team has a reduced number of memberships

new teams in perth, adelaide, sth queensland (my suggestion for a name is gold coast sharks altho i would be just as happy with southport sharks), west sydney (west sydney rangers - link it with the blue mountains)

if 22 teams are a possibility - perhaps look at locating a team in wellington nz - ready made stadium, large pop base - the town is somewhat culturally different to the rest of nz which makes it a more viable mkt to penetrate (one from left field i guess but 20 years u just never know)

can we please forget about NZ. not worth even considering it. let them even get an amateur AFL league in their OWN country first before we even consider them in any of our minor leagues.

[FOOOOTY]

Hehehe Richmond supporter rang SEN, and promised if Richmond vote for the 17th team to get the signatures and spill the board.

Gotta love Richmond

[MacMum]

I'm a strong supporter for Southport to represent the GC......but dont agree with a west Sydney team tho.....where are their supporters??......would rather see a Tasmanian or NT team brought in...

[bigunit]

Geez! Everyone is missing the big picture here.... What the hell is going to happen to Dreamteam!

[LondonCalling]

I'm cynical towards the prospect of the Gold Coast being a long-term viable and profitable market.

I support the idea of a 17th and possibly an 18th team entering the competition, but not the idea of re-inventing the wheel for the sake of entering a market that's already been proven shaky at best.

Send a team to Tassie first, which would at the very least give them room for error when bringing in an 18th Gold Coast side.

[CatmanForever]

The bye is also another thing for the clubs to constantly whinge about too.

"Bye too early in the season"

Bye too late in the season"

"We want the bye in the last round"

"We don't want the bye in the last round"

and so forth.

get rid of the breaks in the season and the bye becomes the clubs week break. I think there will be 18 clubs eventually, then it will be a matter of which Melbourne club folds first. It's a shame it will end that way but if Melbourne based clubs are too stubborn to embrace the future then that is their problem.

[Willow_2000]

get rid of the breaks in the season and the bye becomes the clubs week break. I think there will be 18 clubs eventually, then it will be a matter of which Melbourne club folds first. It's a shame it will end that way but if Melbourne based clubs are too stubborn to embrace the future then that is their problem.
That wont work ethier as imagine if your club was to get the break in the first 3 rounds. They will need to play the next 19 or so games straight. At least when they have the mid season break it is not an advantage or disadvantage to anyone.

[RUNVS]

The AFL needs a team at the Gold Coast and since the Kangaroos wont move the AFl has to issue a 17th license. I say issue the 17th license and cut all funding to the Kangaroos. Then in afew years we will have only 16 teams again as the Kangaroos will be no more and the AFL will have a team on the Gold Coast.

[estibador]

The AFL needs a team at the Gold Coast and since the Kangaroos wont move the AFl has to issue a 17th license. I say issue the 17th license and cut all funding to the Kangaroos.

They can't do that without cutting the funding to all the CBF reliant teams. If they do that we could be looking at a team relocating to Western Sydney much sooner than anticipated.

The next few years are going to be very interesting whichever course of action the AFL decides to take.

[Subprime]

This poll's probably redundant already, Demetriou's talking 18 teams tonight. "Its not a matter of if we have a second team in Sydney, but when" to paraphrase him.

The league went from 12 to 14 teams in '87 so to jump from 16 to 18 in say 2010 would not be without precedence. Better to do it in one hit I say.

[markjjj]

No to a 17th team...it only makes it more difficult for every club to win a flag.

I'm a bit of a realist, and i think long term...say 20yrs away there should only be 14 teams.

Freo
Eagles

Crows
Port

Swans
+1

Lions
+1

I think Vic can only sustain 6 teams

Carlton
Collingwood
Essendon
Richmond
Geelong

and one of

Dogs
Roos
Saints
Hawks and
Demons.

I know this view won't be popular, but i think it's a reality that we may have to face.

[Bomber32]

I'm not in favour of a 17th side at the present time. Leave things as it stands and consider it again in 10 or 15 years time.

I'm just not convinced a side based on the Gold Coast will work at all.

[boydsno1]

the dogs will stay. we are starting to bring money in and that is even before our new facilities are up and running. and with the western suburbs the fastest growing area in victoria we have room for even more growth. mind you we were just under 30,000 members this yr and are already nearly at 15,000. signs for us are looking good. also were the only west side team.

[boydsno1]

also forget about west sydney. look at tasmania instead. ppl in west sydney will just spit on the afl. that is rugby heartland. they love it and consider afl a gay mans sport. what makes people thik it will be successful if it moves there.

[ams4crows]

if you want a new club then I'm afaid an exsisting two will have to merge 16 is the perfect number we don't really need any nore teams unless one has to fold subsquently mereging with another!

[RUNVS]

if you want a new club then I'm afaid an exsisting two will have to merge 16 is the perfect number we don't really need any nore teams unless one has to fold subsquently mereging with another!

Demons and Kangaroos should merge.

[Bourky23]

i'm in favour of the southport sharks

[FOOOOTY]

Demons and Kangaroos should merge.

The Swans should merge with a blast from a shotgun.

[Rob]

I'm cynical towards the prospect of the Gold Coast being a long-term viable and profitable market.

I support the idea of a 17th and possibly an 18th team entering the competition, but not the idea of re-inventing the wheel for the sake of entering a market that's already been proven shaky at best.

Send a team to Tassie first, which would at the very least give them room for error when bringing in an 18th Gold Coast side.

You're concerned about the Gold Coast being viable in the long term, yet you want a team in the stagnating state of Tasmania? :rolleyes:

[Babylove]

I love how everyone is saying wait 10 or 15 years. It's already been ten since the last change (Fitzroy folded and Port came in). The fact is with GC it's either now or never. If the AFL wait to long the NRL will get a strangle hold and that will be that. The time seems to be right for a team up there now and if the AFL wait they'll miss the boat. And to be honest the more teams there are the less whinging through the year about unfairness because of who everyone plays twice. I also like the suggestion of getting an 18th licence for West Sydney and forming two sides in one hit.

I do agree that eventually some of the more cash strapped clubs in Victoria may have to look at merging or relocating to survive or look at supplimentary means of income to become viable in the long term.

[RUNVS]

The Swans should merge with a blast from a shotgun.

Alright what about the West Melbourne Demondogs :D

[MagpieGirl_13]

I can see it now, there won't be enough supporters.

Who on here now can honestly put up their hand and say that they will follow a new team, wherever it is, and buy a membership & supporter gear etc?

Yes, it may invite new supporters to follow AFL but how many new supporters are going to rush out & buy a membership etc?

I know a Gold Coast NRL team worked, not sure how but it did, & people started following them. I can't see this being the same with AFL, the Gold Coast is big, yes, but not big enough to house an AFL & NRL team, it's not Brisbane. IMO

I will NEVER change!!!! Collingwood is my team & will be forever!

[Babylove]

I can see it now, there won't be enough supporters.

Who on here now can honestly put up their hand and say that they will follow a new team, wherever it is, and buy a membership & supporter gear etc?

Yes, it may invite new supporters to follow AFL but how many new supporters are going to rush out & buy a membership etc?

I know a Gold Coast NRL team worked, not sure how but it did, & people started following them. I can't see this being the same with AFL, the Gold Coast is big, yes, but not big enough to house an AFL & NRL team, it's not Brisbane. IMO

I will NEVER change!!!! Collingwood is my team & will be forever!

You know what they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

[chickens_law]

Hobart donkeys should be the next team.