Time to abandon GWS & Gold Coast

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GC and GWS fit short and long term goals for the AFL. Short term 2 teams in the Northern states for TV viewing. Long term to increase participation there and ensure AFL remains top sport across the country, with increasing numbers of quality youngsters from NSW and QLD as time goes by.

Are there too many teams is a different question. With the answer yes. The teams to get rid of are two of (by merger or letting die) Melbourne, North, St. Kilda and Bulldogs. Two less Vic. teams will make close to zero difference short or long term to numbers following or participating in AFL in Victoria. That we'd move towards being an AFL rather than extended VFL is a bonus.
 
It’s not that I want the death of another club so to speak, but I want what is best for football, the AFL can still invest in the grassroots in these areas without taking away from the clubs that have been around for 100+ years, having 1 top 16 player from GWS and Suns as a top up for each of the remaining teams at least...the standard of football would greatly benefit, also I don’t think there would be rioting in the streets if these two sides were disbanded...
 

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edgie said:
The biggest problem with GC and GWS is the complete lack of away fans. Something no other expansion club has had to deal with due to Melbourne heritage or expats from football states.

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That's why when assessing a Tassie team they should look at what sort of crowds they would draw in Melbourne and affect on Vic teams stadium yield.It never gets mentioned in articles I read and discussions I hear.

Have spoken to a lot of ex Taswegians over the last 3 decades in both Sydney and Melbourne and just about all said they wouldn't change who the barrack for, but would go and watch a Tassie team play and make them their second team.
 
I think we will miss the boat with a Tassie team. The time was now, with a significant Tassie player like Riewoldt around who would be their big signing.

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EvansHodges77 said:
Averaging about 8k people to home games should do it..
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But at least the Giants have been moderately successful, and that looks like continuing for some time yet. The same can't be said of the Suns - I'll barrack for the Crows in a Showdown before they play finals.
 
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edgie said:
I think we will miss the boat with a Tassie team. The time was now, with a significant Tassie player like Riewoldt around who would be their big signing.

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So long as North and Hawthorn are around to try and get their piece of that market, its never too late for a stand alone Tassie team.
 
A side from the NT would never work the weather is an issue, they only have small venues, will never have a big membership base & the NTFL runs in our off-season so they would need a VFL or SANFL presence as well as I can't see an AFL reserves comp anytime soon now.
 
The Victorians will not stand for a scrapping of any of their teams whilst Gold Coast and GWS survive. Forget the TV Deals crap, Gold Coast and GWS at the moment, and probably for a very long time to come add little to the TV audience. I get in the long term it is hoped they will, but as of 2020 they don't.

The whole competition is designed around propagating, promoting and profiteering the top 5 or 6 Victorian clubs first and Victoria in general in second. Everything the AFL does, and that is generally done to make money for the above, is viewed through that prism. GWS and Gold Coast were simply about dominating the entire country to make more money. AFLW has the same intention. Ultimately that money is generated for its central source, the Great and Noble AFL to support its Victorian based burgeoning and bloated administration, bureaucracy, media outlets, management's, consultancies and various other hangers on. "The Footy Industry".

The smaller Vic clubs still generate far and away more interest and money than either GWS or Gold Coast and serve a purpose for the bigger Vic clubs in that they are generally compliant with their interests, provide away support to their home games and means they travel less.

The AFL pumps far more cash into GWS and Gold Coast than it does even to the shittest Vic club. It also gets far less in return as at 2020. In a time of austerity there simply would be zero way a Vic club gets turfed over either of the expansion clubs.
 
Both the GWS and GCS ventures continue to bleed money. Even the NRL has struggled to make its Gold Coast team financially viable. In the medium-long term the AFL's investment in GWS should pay off (particularly given the expected growth in population in that area). After COVID19, the AFL has the opportunity to relocate the Suns to the NT (Darwin) and North Melbourne to Tasmania. Then we would have a truly national competition. A Gold Coast team can be revisited at an appropriate time in the future.
 

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Papa G said:
The Victorians will not stand for a scrapping of any of their teams whilst Gold Coast and GWS survive. Forget the TV Deals crap, Gold Coast and GWS at the moment, and probably for a very long time to come add little to the TV audience. I get in the long term it is hoped they will, but as of 2020 they don't.

The whole competition is designed around propagating, promoting and profiteering the top 5 or 6 Victorian clubs first and Victoria in general in second. Everything the AFL does, and that is generally done to make money for the above, is viewed through that prism. GWS and Gold Coast were simply about dominating the entire country to make more money. AFLW has the same intention. Ultimately that money is generated for its central source, the Great and Noble AFL to support its Victorian based burgeoning and bloated administration, bureaucracy, media outlets, management's, consultancies and various other hangers on. "The Footy Industry".

The smaller Vic clubs still generate far and away more interest and money than either GWS or Gold Coast and serve a purpose for the bigger Vic clubs in that they are generally compliant with their interests, provide away support to their home games and means they travel less.

The AFL pumps far more cash into GWS and Gold Coast than it does even to the shittest Vic club. It also gets far less in return as at 2020. In a time of austerity there simply would be zero way a Vic club gets turfed over either of the expansion clubs.
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Eight Victorian teams is not sustainable, either financially or for team supporter numbers. Victoria has already seen South Melbourne and Fitzroy relocate as "new" teams. The Kangas have always had a low membership number. Relocating them to Tassie should see interest in the team grow significantly.
 
JimmyBeerCans said:
A side from the NT would never work the weather is an issue, they only have small venues, will never have a big membership base & the NTFL runs in our off-season so they would need a VFL or SANFL presence as well as I can't see an AFL reserves comp anytime soon now.
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Yes your right, I think a NT side in the SANFL would be a their only option at this stage
 
the AFL made up shitty franchises in non-footy states to brainwash generations of dullards to follow them, they're not gonna stop until it's done and they're the biggest sports franchises in those states
 
I remember when South Melbourne moved to Sydney in 1982 the home crowds were poor for many years. Now they have more members and bigger attendances than any Sydney NRL club.

This is all a knee jerk reaction. Yes, we have to do the right thing to limit the spread of the virus and stay at home.
Once this pandemic is over then the crowds will come back and football and everthing else will survive and flourish.

Remember it was much worse 100 years ago with the 'flu pandemic, many millions world wide perished. No drugs and poor hygiene standards back then.

Calling for clubs to be axed now, is a joke, especially from Port Adelaide people, whose club was on its knees a couple of seasons ago. Very short memories. Another is for the AFL to sell its biggest assest, Docklands. They would be crazy to do so. They would easily get a loan if and when needed.

Let's be calm, wait and see what happens over the next 12 to 18 months.
 
edgie said:
The biggest problem with GC and GWS is the complete lack of away fans. Something no other expansion club has had to deal with due to Melbourne heritage or expats from football states.

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Got to keep pumping the Vic club numbers up!
Some would look pretty awful if they didn't play their away games to teams who share the stadium and city.
 
Capital Power said:
The time might be ripe for a deep-pocketed billionaire to start Super-AFL, and turn it into a genuine national competition.
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Won't work. The AFL owns the club names and colours. So the club support just cannot transfer to a new competition. I don't think the average Aussie likes the idea of private ownership of sporting clubs with profit making as the motive.
Plus all that club history will be lost.
 
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