Fizzler
BBTB
- Dec 26, 2013
- 12,656
- 16,225
- AFL Club
- Port Adelaide
- Other Teams
- OKC, Coburg, Werribee, Storm, QPR
The UNIFOOTY logo, the three trails represent the three values of the league, Academia, Football and Talent Development
The NAB League has seen small attendances for the majority of its' existence, and a lack of money being generated, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic bringing the stability of State Leagues and their underage competitions into question. Following this pandemic, the AFL and the state governing bodies for the sport discussed a potential new pathway to the league, with one new key player in the room: the universities.
The pros for a university-based football league were enormous: pre-existing fanbases, an opportunity for players to prepare themselves for retirement, a fallback plan for players who suffer injuries,
The decision to establish the new league was a no-brainer, with one little obstacle left to climb, to convince elite prospects to go to school for another year. Surprisingly, the vast majority of players in the next few draft classes were onboard, provided they were involved in football-related classes and along with their scholarships they received some form of money. After some negotiation, the league decided that each player should make $1800 as a base season payment.
So now they had the players, they had the AFL on their side, everything was ready bar one small detail... the teams.