Are you for or against the goldfields superleague?

[bench_warmer]

The push for a "Goldfields League" is gaining momentum. Ballarat and Bendigo to merge to create a super league. Top 5 from each comp in 2009 to be in Div 1 in 2010.

Ballarat
Eaglehawk
Darley
Golden Sqaure
Sunbury
Gisborne
East Point
South Bendigo
Maryborough
Redan

Div 2

Marsh
Castlemaine
Kangaroo Flat
Lake Wendouree
Melton
Kyneton
Nth Ballarat
Melton South
Sebastopool
Strathfieldsaye
Sandhurst


Relegation System - 2 up and 2 down.


Bring the game back to the supporters - the crowds would increase significantly as the standard of games increase.

 

[Kings Army]

100% behind this move. Improve the standard of football, bring the crowds back. There is no negative for not doing this. Maybe travel but who cares if the football is better.

 

[The fatman]

I would be for it being at Kyneton it would give the kids a good incentive to stay and work your way to div 1. The crowds would be alot better you would feel with supporters seeing more even games and would be old rivals and new ones formed

 

[GREENMAN]

Im also 100% behind it.........u will find that only OLLY and Drummy and the BFL board are against it, then only will the clubs know that Bendigo is run poorly compared to Ballarat.......dont agree on the division set up, in the inital stage both final 5 teams in each comp to play div 1 and the balance in div 2.....for the sake of football in the area....lets hope this gets of the ground.

 

[TIMETOACT]

A great idea, Ollie and Drum should be asking the people who pay for their wages and vote them in. Ollie states it is not needed because the League is in good shape. Good shape the League has a teams that cant supply U18 and Netball sides and sides each week have players play more than one game.

 

[Kings Army]

You can set a poll up to see who votes for what. Can the people voting no please expalin why they voted like they have?

 

[The Wombat]

You can set a poll up to see who votes for what. Can the people voting no please expalin why they voted like they have?

Why dont all the major Leagues combine within the four VCFL zones in two seperate Divisions and battle it out to win the conference premiership. Lets put aside 3 weeks for the best 8 club teams in the state from this format to fight it out for the State title in September. Then we would all know who the best team in country victoria is. Interleague Football would be uneccessary, lets face it half the leagues dont give a stuff. But an interleague state final, say Rochester v Eaglehawk would be mouth watering stuff for the fans of both clubs and casual observers alike.

 

[oldmanemu]

You can set a poll up to see who votes for what. Can the people voting no please expalin why they voted like they have?

I'll explain it to you.

To have a football club, you need kids continually coming through the system. Bendigo kids and their parents do not want to have to travel to Ballarat 5 times a year to play football, and I would suggest the same for Ballarat families travelling to Bendigo.

This leaves them with a decision of whether they should just leave a Bendigo League club, and play in the Heathcote, Loddon Valley or even the Maryborough-Castlemaine League, where the travel is perhaps as often, but isn't as far.

Therefore, no kids equals no future.

Just look at the Broadford FNC. They couldn't field a team in the HDFL under 18s this year, because the kids didn't want to travel, and now their senior group would rather play locally in the Riddell district, so they are trying to move leagues, and that's fair enough.

Travelling from Broadford up here every 2nd week, would be like travelling from Bendigo to Ballarat in this Goldfields league. 5 games, 240km round trip, that's 1,200km, and eventually you could have Gisborne, Eaglehawk and 8 Ballarat teams.

Who knows, you may have to travel 8 times, for near 2000km a season, that's a couple of hundred bucks just to travel to play football which is a lot to some families, plus the extra petrol money players would ask for from clubs as part of their match payments. $250 a player x 20 players = $5,000 a club has to find.

So whilst it is a novel idea, it just isn't practical travel-wise, cost-wise or club future-wise.

 

[Kings Army]

I'll explain it to you.

To have a football club, you need kids continually coming through the system. Bendigo kids and their parents do not want to have to travel to Ballarat 5 times a year to play football, and I would suggest the same for Ballarat families travelling to Bendigo.

This leaves them with a decision of whether they should just leave a Bendigo League club, and play in the Heathcote, Loddon Valley or even the Maryborough-Castlemaine League, where the travel is perhaps as often, but isn't as far.

Therefore, no kids equals no future.

Just look at the Broadford FNC. They couldn't field a team in the HDFL under 18s this year, because the kids didn't want to travel, and now their senior group would rather play locally in the Riddell district, so they are trying to move leagues, and that's fair enough.

Travelling from Broadford up here every 2nd week, would be like travelling from Bendigo to Ballarat in this Goldfields league. 5 games, 240km round trip, that's 1,200km, and eventually you could have Gisborne, Eaglehawk and 8 Ballarat teams.

Who knows, you may have to travel 8 times, for near 2000km a season, that's a couple of hundred bucks just to travel to play football which is a lot to some families, plus the extra petrol money players would ask for from clubs as part of their match payments. $250 a player x 20 players = $5,000 a club has to find.

So whilst it is a novel idea, it just isn't practical travel-wise, cost-wise or club future-wise.

The juniors don't have to change. Gisborne still plays in the RDFL against Melton and Sunbury etc. Bendigo and Ballarat can run there own juniors.

Broadford have to travel to Rockbank which is over an hour.

Gisborne travel every 2nd weekend and orgainse a bus to bring players up and back which reduces cost significantly.

Gisborne has thrived by joining a better league even with the extra travel and cost. So if Gisborne can do it why not the Bendigo and Ballarat teams? The league is drowning - the competition is to uneven and the same sides are strong each year. If I was a junior at Kyneton I would also look to play else where. That cannot be good and a bigger threat than some extra travel.

 

[oldmanemu]

By juniors I meant the under 18s.

The other underage teams of clubs will/may remain the same.

Buses aren't that cheap and I would suggest Gisborne has a more substantial bank balance than other clubs too. Will be interesting to see how Gisborne go without M.Barham, Davis and perhaps J.Barham next season.

 

[Kings Army]

By juniors I meant the under 18s.

The other underage teams of clubs will/may remain the same.

Buses aren't that cheap and I would suggest Gisborne has a more substantial bank balance than other clubs too. Will be interesting to see how Gisborne go without M.Barham, Davis and perhaps J.Barham next season.

Hiring a bus 8 times a year would not break a club. The Goldfields league could sponsor with the extra revenue generated with the returning crowds. Don't be scared of change - sometimes it is a good thing! Unles you are an BFL adminsitrator??

 

[GG Rides Again]

The juniors don't have to change.
Gisborne has thrived by joining a better league even with the extra travel and cost. So if Gisborne can do it why not the Bendigo and Ballarat teams? The league is drowning - the competition is to uneven and the same sides are strong each year. If I was a junior at Kyneton I would also look to play else where. That cannot be good and a bigger threat than some extra travel.

KA. The issue with Bendigo junior footy is that a few of the teams are not aligned to a senior team unlike Gisborne.
Also supplying juniors to now 6 local teams and finding more senior players in the area to get Storm off the ground, the numbers are a challenge.
Gisborne has a growth corridor out of Melbourne and people have moved there and commute to work. As such junior numbers are great.
If you had to come up with 2 teams in the BFL based out of Gisborne how do you reckon they would stack up? I believe it would e a fair strain and similar to the pressure of bendigo clubs.
In saying all that, I would support the league but it would have to have 3-4 clubs out of Bendigo with at least 1 merger and maybe 2 to be sustainable.

 

[WeHateTheDrummer]

All for it!

There plenty of arguments to suggest against but don't be scared of change.

Couldn't think of anything better than to have the opportunity to be the best side in the goldfields area.

Have some balls and go with it!

 

[Shagford]

It might sound good for teams in both leagues who are doing well, but the bottom or division 2 sides might find it harder and harder to recruit making success out of reach?
Isnt the VFL where players head if seeking a higher level of footy?
There might be more crowds at the division 1 games, but then less at the division 2.
Add to that players changing teams every year cause they wanna play in division 1 rather than 2 and there is less loyalty and ongoing club spirit.
Everyone wants more crowds but for a supporter to follow one team they will have to travel heaps more so doubtful this would help?

 

[Norfolk & Clew]

It might sound good for teams in both leagues who are doing well, but the bottom or division 2 sides might find it harder and harder to recruit making success out of reach?
Isnt the VFL where players head if seeking a higher level of footy?
There might be more crowds at the division 1 games, but then less at the division 2.
Add to that players changing teams every year cause they wanna play in division 1 rather than 2 and there is less loyalty and ongoing club spirit.
Everyone wants more crowds but for a supporter to follow one team they will have to travel heaps more so doubtful this would help?

Or players who are at a Div 1 team that are sitting in the reserves but thinking they aren't getting the opportunity in the seniors. They move to a div 2 club, play seniors, help the club push up a division and prove their old club wrong. It works both ways mate

 

[danielkerr]

It might sound good for teams in both leagues who are doing well, but the bottom or division 2 sides might find it harder and harder to recruit making success out of reach?
Isnt the VFL where players head if seeking a higher level of footy?
There might be more crowds at the division 1 games, but then less at the division 2.
Add to that players changing teams every year cause they wanna play in division 1 rather than 2 and there is less loyalty and ongoing club spirit.
Everyone wants more crowds but for a supporter to follow one team they will have to travel heaps more so doubtful this would help?

the crowds would increase across both divisions because their teams can be more competitive...people who support teams that are struggling in the leagues would be more willing to go to games if they are playing against more even competition...

 

[Shagford]

the crowds would increase across both divisions because their teams can be more competitive...people who support teams that are struggling in the leagues would be more willing to go to games if they are playing against more even competition...

I see that players would find this idea good to increase standards and create a more even competition but i just wonder where the extra crowds are coming from??? most supporters attend games even when a team is struggling. there is a percentage of people who will go to the local games regularly, i cant see how combining the leagues will increase that percentage.
There is already aprox 15+ games going on in ballarat and surrounding leagues each saturday, bendigo would be the same. Combining will add extra games within the region and could result in lower crowds, but thats just what i think and im no expert.

 

[oldmanemu]

Hiring a bus 8 times a year would not break a club. The Goldfields league could sponsor with the extra revenue generated with the returning crowds. Don't be scared of change - sometimes it is a good thing! Unles you are an BFL adminsitrator??

Do you know how much it costs to hire a bus for a day? I would expect $500 or greater, so that's $4,000 a year for clubs to find.

It's also good for clubs to develop rivalries. For eg, everyone v Elmore hahah. If clubs are chopping and changing leagues it is harder to keep players on, and it is hard enough already.

Imagine say Kangaroo Flat win div 2, then are promoted. They go up, and get smashed every week in div 1, and then are demoted again. What is the good in that? That is why the VFA disappeared.

 

[stacksonthemill]

The VFA's decline was caused by the VFL encroaching into Sundays from 1981 - firstly with two matches hich both attracted over 65,000 and then having Sydney matches beamed fortnightly from 1982 meant that Channel 10 pulled the pin on live weekly coverage.

As a consequence, sponsors did not renew agreements with the VFA and money became tougher - especially for Division 2 sides like Oakleigh, Sunshine, Yarraville, Kilsyth, Berwick, Camberwell, Moorabbin, etc. who either folded or joined lesser leagues.

The mooted third division in 1982 never occurred and actually became a one division competition by 1990.