Years ago, I saw an advertisement for Recreation Footy, I was very interested with what I seen. But when I looked at it further, it was a concept that was on the right track, but far from a refined game.
Rugby, has Touch Footy. QLD'ers and people in NSW have been playing touch for many years, and it is a very popular game, but AFL, you either play Club Football, or you stay at home, and kick the footy a few times with the kids down at a park somewhere on your own.
Recreation Footy, was a stepping stone into making a game that people could play with their kids, they could play after retirement of Club Footy. There are plenty of kids that find footy with contact a game they wished to not play. There of plenty of Mums, that wrap their kids in cotton wool, and tell them they can't play contact sport. There are plenty of kids, that love footy, but the way society is now, it is important to do all the homework 5 nights a week, and some on the weekend. Two nights of training a week, and a game that takes up half of your weekend, does not fit in with these expectations on our kids now days.
Recreation Footy failed. It is no more. At the time I seen this Recreation Football advert, I came onto this very board and came up with something I called Super 9's. My model you play on a rugby oval, and the position of players is similar to a netball setup. The goals of Rugby, you can make similar to the situation of International Rules, so under the bar = 8 points, and above the bar = 4 points. Soon after this post, I see something called AFL 9's. I will leave out any claim that this was my idea, as I stole parts of their idea of Recreation Footy to start with, and I can't categorically say that anyone developing AFL 9's seen my thread, but the point is, there is a need for a smaller AFL game. The AFL are sort of onto it, and I see it as a huge need in our community.
AFL 9's is popular in NSW, QLD and SA. It has established some decent competitions out in the Northern Suburbs of Melbourne. I can't understand why a game that is bigger in Melbourne than any other state, has less venues than the other states.
A couple of years ago, I seen that they were bringing it to Point Cook in the Western Suburbs, but something happened, and it didn't go ahead here. It is in Geelong, and then the closest next Royal Park. So effectively, the whole Western Corridor is void of this game. The Western Corridor is also the largest growth section of Victoria.
So I wrote to AFL 9's and asked why we don't have the game in the West, and they said they had troubles at establishing at Point Cook, because of some issues with the Saltwater Fields, and their availability. I asked whether they could bring it to the West and stated the fact that the West is the biggest growth corridor, and how I felt this game needed to succeed, to get more people interested in Football in general, and to give people a game that doesn't take up their whole lives.
They advertised AFL 9's at Point Cook again, and seemed to have fixed the problems at the venue. I had enough people to fill two maybe three sides if I tried hard enough. I registered one side to get started. Registration was $90 per side, but then a team for the season was $900. So my first team was 12 people. 12 divided by $990, each player had to pay $82.50. Straight away, when I told my 25-26 players keen to play that this amount was needed up front, we dropped to about 10-11 still keen. Those 10-11 were saying how it was hard to come up with that money up front. They were hesitant because it was only a ten game season, it was played half one side of Christmas, half the other. The competition would not commit to which night it was played. Either Monday or Wednesday was proposed. But despite that, I had one side willing to pay their money to play.
Two weeks out from the season, they ring me, and say that they want to play on Wednesday nights. I had a few girls (As it is Mixed) who played Netball on Wednesday nights, so that effectively reduced us to 7 players. I told them that Monday is the night we could play.
A couple of days later, I was called telling me the whole competition at Point Cook had fallen over. They didn't have enough sides to make it viable. I told the guy of my own issues, how 25 became 10-11 when they heard the payment was up front. I talked to him about the thousands of Netball and Basketball competitions around the country, that have people come with their $6-$8 each week, and play and pay for that one game, and how that was successful. My players dropping out, wondered why that couldn't be the case here. I was told this game was different, in Football clubs, you pay your yearly fee, so why can't these people. He said, they tried it that way, but because people didn't pay up front, there was a huge amount of drop outs. I said this game is new, and it seems to me, given the whole competition has failed, that this method wasn't working either. He said he will pass it on.
I said to him, for starters, no competition that begins before Christmas, and ends after, in the most busiest time of year is going to work too well. People go away, and have things on at that time of year. Also if you are thinking of having time off, and may miss three or four games, you are not going to pay for those games only to know that you lose that money.
In the Eastern Suburbs, they have the money. In the more richer area's in NSW, SA and QLD, they may have the money, but generally, the game needs to be user friendly. It needs to target people who don't have heaps of money. There are more of those people than well off people.
The AFL 9's system also concentrates too much energies into thinking the game is a game where in the off season, you can play to keep fit. It is advertised with family type people playing, but in reality, it is merely a preseason comp for the Football players. So if you come in with your family side, you will be killed by seasoned footballers, playing for sheep stations.
I believe the AFL are once again, going about it all wrong. The target audience should be schools. Get into schools, and get these young kids who don't like Footy because they get smashed, or their Mums don't like them getting Smashed. Get them to go home with info, inviting parents to join their kids, and have a heap of fun. Sure, target Football Clubs too, but keep them away from the Family's. Get selling to Football Clubs that Preseason Training is all work and no fun. You can do what you love doing, and that is chasing a Football in a competition, and you will get as fit doing that, than doing laps, and the mundane crap that happens in the preseason.
Most Footballers will stop playing in the On Season, but you would keep the comp running, all year round. Retired Footballers who want to turn up one night a week, and play a 1hr game and go home, like the thousands of Women who are part of a one night a week side of Netball or Basketball do it. It could even be played by Footballers who train the other two nights if they wanted to. So three nights of Football, two training, one 9's. OR, have sides excuse players from having to train two nights a week, to play this, especially the younger teams. They are still staying fit, and with the non contact aspect, the injury dangers are just as much as lane work. You also learn how to spot up targets under pressure. Sure, not tackle pressure, but tokem pressure, as you do at Footy Training. Miss your target = turn over.
In conclusion to this long long rant, the AFL need to pull their fingers out, and work hard at establishing this. In the meantime, I have set up my own in Hoppers Crossing. I have two sides at the moment, playing for free against each other. Just going down to a park, and having a bit of fun. If anyone reading is from the Wyndham area, you can join us. No money to play, just have fun with Footy like you should.
Rugby, has Touch Footy. QLD'ers and people in NSW have been playing touch for many years, and it is a very popular game, but AFL, you either play Club Football, or you stay at home, and kick the footy a few times with the kids down at a park somewhere on your own.
Recreation Footy, was a stepping stone into making a game that people could play with their kids, they could play after retirement of Club Footy. There are plenty of kids that find footy with contact a game they wished to not play. There of plenty of Mums, that wrap their kids in cotton wool, and tell them they can't play contact sport. There are plenty of kids, that love footy, but the way society is now, it is important to do all the homework 5 nights a week, and some on the weekend. Two nights of training a week, and a game that takes up half of your weekend, does not fit in with these expectations on our kids now days.
Recreation Footy failed. It is no more. At the time I seen this Recreation Football advert, I came onto this very board and came up with something I called Super 9's. My model you play on a rugby oval, and the position of players is similar to a netball setup. The goals of Rugby, you can make similar to the situation of International Rules, so under the bar = 8 points, and above the bar = 4 points. Soon after this post, I see something called AFL 9's. I will leave out any claim that this was my idea, as I stole parts of their idea of Recreation Footy to start with, and I can't categorically say that anyone developing AFL 9's seen my thread, but the point is, there is a need for a smaller AFL game. The AFL are sort of onto it, and I see it as a huge need in our community.
AFL 9's is popular in NSW, QLD and SA. It has established some decent competitions out in the Northern Suburbs of Melbourne. I can't understand why a game that is bigger in Melbourne than any other state, has less venues than the other states.
A couple of years ago, I seen that they were bringing it to Point Cook in the Western Suburbs, but something happened, and it didn't go ahead here. It is in Geelong, and then the closest next Royal Park. So effectively, the whole Western Corridor is void of this game. The Western Corridor is also the largest growth section of Victoria.
So I wrote to AFL 9's and asked why we don't have the game in the West, and they said they had troubles at establishing at Point Cook, because of some issues with the Saltwater Fields, and their availability. I asked whether they could bring it to the West and stated the fact that the West is the biggest growth corridor, and how I felt this game needed to succeed, to get more people interested in Football in general, and to give people a game that doesn't take up their whole lives.
They advertised AFL 9's at Point Cook again, and seemed to have fixed the problems at the venue. I had enough people to fill two maybe three sides if I tried hard enough. I registered one side to get started. Registration was $90 per side, but then a team for the season was $900. So my first team was 12 people. 12 divided by $990, each player had to pay $82.50. Straight away, when I told my 25-26 players keen to play that this amount was needed up front, we dropped to about 10-11 still keen. Those 10-11 were saying how it was hard to come up with that money up front. They were hesitant because it was only a ten game season, it was played half one side of Christmas, half the other. The competition would not commit to which night it was played. Either Monday or Wednesday was proposed. But despite that, I had one side willing to pay their money to play.
Two weeks out from the season, they ring me, and say that they want to play on Wednesday nights. I had a few girls (As it is Mixed) who played Netball on Wednesday nights, so that effectively reduced us to 7 players. I told them that Monday is the night we could play.
A couple of days later, I was called telling me the whole competition at Point Cook had fallen over. They didn't have enough sides to make it viable. I told the guy of my own issues, how 25 became 10-11 when they heard the payment was up front. I talked to him about the thousands of Netball and Basketball competitions around the country, that have people come with their $6-$8 each week, and play and pay for that one game, and how that was successful. My players dropping out, wondered why that couldn't be the case here. I was told this game was different, in Football clubs, you pay your yearly fee, so why can't these people. He said, they tried it that way, but because people didn't pay up front, there was a huge amount of drop outs. I said this game is new, and it seems to me, given the whole competition has failed, that this method wasn't working either. He said he will pass it on.
I said to him, for starters, no competition that begins before Christmas, and ends after, in the most busiest time of year is going to work too well. People go away, and have things on at that time of year. Also if you are thinking of having time off, and may miss three or four games, you are not going to pay for those games only to know that you lose that money.
In the Eastern Suburbs, they have the money. In the more richer area's in NSW, SA and QLD, they may have the money, but generally, the game needs to be user friendly. It needs to target people who don't have heaps of money. There are more of those people than well off people.
The AFL 9's system also concentrates too much energies into thinking the game is a game where in the off season, you can play to keep fit. It is advertised with family type people playing, but in reality, it is merely a preseason comp for the Football players. So if you come in with your family side, you will be killed by seasoned footballers, playing for sheep stations.
I believe the AFL are once again, going about it all wrong. The target audience should be schools. Get into schools, and get these young kids who don't like Footy because they get smashed, or their Mums don't like them getting Smashed. Get them to go home with info, inviting parents to join their kids, and have a heap of fun. Sure, target Football Clubs too, but keep them away from the Family's. Get selling to Football Clubs that Preseason Training is all work and no fun. You can do what you love doing, and that is chasing a Football in a competition, and you will get as fit doing that, than doing laps, and the mundane crap that happens in the preseason.
Most Footballers will stop playing in the On Season, but you would keep the comp running, all year round. Retired Footballers who want to turn up one night a week, and play a 1hr game and go home, like the thousands of Women who are part of a one night a week side of Netball or Basketball do it. It could even be played by Footballers who train the other two nights if they wanted to. So three nights of Football, two training, one 9's. OR, have sides excuse players from having to train two nights a week, to play this, especially the younger teams. They are still staying fit, and with the non contact aspect, the injury dangers are just as much as lane work. You also learn how to spot up targets under pressure. Sure, not tackle pressure, but tokem pressure, as you do at Footy Training. Miss your target = turn over.
In conclusion to this long long rant, the AFL need to pull their fingers out, and work hard at establishing this. In the meantime, I have set up my own in Hoppers Crossing. I have two sides at the moment, playing for free against each other. Just going down to a park, and having a bit of fun. If anyone reading is from the Wyndham area, you can join us. No money to play, just have fun with Footy like you should.
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