2020 VFL season - standalone focus only

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good News looks like a 2020 vfl season is now looking likely
expect an announcement by end of next Week
likely start date August 1
 

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AFL announced late today that 2020 VFL season will go ahead

dates number of rounds fixture still to be determined

No news on VFLW as yet
 
Northern Blues to join Sandringham for 2020 VFL Season

players they would have been playing for now defunct Northern Blues have been given the opportunity to play for SandrIngham for 2020 VFL season
 
Northern Blues to join Sandringham for 2020 VFL Season

players they would have been playing for now defunct Northern Blues have been given the opportunity to play for SandrIngham for 2020 VFL season
Makes sense as Sandy still had a link to have St.Kilda players with them so without those players that needed to fill the gap there from somewhere.
I assume something similar might happen with Box Hill getting some Casey players eventually.
 
The Northern Blues/Sandringham partnership is a great stop gap solution, as it means Sandy don't have to scramble to find available players and the Blues players have a lifeline to stay in the VFL and hopefully form the core of a revived stand alone Preston for 2021.

I wonder if they'll stay branded as Sandringham or form some sort of merged identity.
 
The Northern Blues/Sandringham partnership is a great stop gap solution, as it means Sandy don't have to scramble to find available players and the Blues players have a lifeline to stay in the VFL and hopefully form the core of a revived stand alone Preston for 2021.

I wonder if they'll stay branded as Sandringham or form some sort of merged identity.
It will stay as Sandringham
Adrian Connolly named coach for the year
 

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I assume something similar might happen with Box Hill getting some Casey players eventually.
This assumption will end up being wrong as forgot at time, that unlike Preston no longer around, Casey have not closed down as a club for good and sound like will continue in the standalone comp this season when it starts up in late July or early August.
 
All parties are mad if they don't seize on this opportunity to create a strong VFL in 2021 and beyond.

Port, Willy, Werribee, Coburg, Frankston, Casey, Box Hill, Sandy, Preston and North Ballarat.

10 clubs each aligned to an AFL club. 18 game H&A season plus finals, with agreements for scratch matches to be played where AFL clubs are still finals and their affiliates aren't.

No AFL reserves required, huge cost saving.

Full flexibility on AFL list sizes as they can send as few players as they like to their VFL affiliate every week. If AFL clubs only have 35 players it wouldn't matter. They'll only send 5-10 players to the VFL each week, with the affiliate to fill the rest of the team.

Throw the VFL clubs a bone and create some good news - have a league-wide agreement that allows them to have their own nickname, colours and jumpers. Nice historic link for the AFL which is often accused of crushing this stuff. The return of the Scorpions, Mustangs, Zebras and Bullants!

Reform VFL reserves or make the reserves an U23 league - that boosts VFL squads by 22 players, giving current VFL-listed players at AFL clubs somewhere to go. And plugs a big gap in the development system by giving undrafted TAC Cup players somewhere to play permanently - directly under the eye of VFL and AFL club, instead of farming them out to the bush or the suburbs immediately.

The northern states thing is a furphy. Spend the money on improving their local state leagues which should be the aim anyway. The Lions, Swans and Giants have all had plenty of success under the current system so it hasn't hurt them. IF the focus is on development then the NSW and Qld state leagues will improve.

Preston - Carlton, Sandy - St Kilda, Box Hill - Hawthorn, Casey - Melbourne. Four are already done, the other six can sort out their affiliations.

It saves the VFL clubs, saves the AFL clubs money, and reinstates a crucial missing step in the development pipeline.
 
VFL season to start August 1
7 round season - 3 weeks of finals
Competition bye weekend Aug 29/30
Grand final either October 10 or 11
(Fixture hopefully out by end of the week)

VFLW Season cancelled - replaced by an all stars series in September
 
The idea of a totally independent VFL is appealing.

Ideally I'd like to support Brisbane in the AFL, Fitzroy Football Club in the VAFA and maybe the Coburg Lions in the VFL. Supporting an AFL reserves side by paying a membership to a "VFL club" has never really grabbed me.
 
The idea of a totally independent VFL is appealing.

Ideally I'd like to support Brisbane in the AFL, Fitzroy Football Club in the VAFA and maybe the Coburg Lions in the VFL. Supporting an AFL reserves side by paying a membership to a "VFL club" has never really grabbed me.

When you say you’d “maybe” support Coburg however, that’s the issue with the whole independent VFL thing. Very few actually actively support them. You have your local club and you have an AFL club. Something in between where the clubs no longer have much connection with their communities, just doesn’t draw any support.
 
When you say you’d “maybe” support Coburg however,

May support a VFL club financially. The VFL competition as a whole didn't hold much interest when the competition was essentially an AFL reserves. I was an active member of the Coburg-Fitzroy Lions in 1999-2000, but gave it away when the club effectively became the Richmond reserves as the "Coburg Tigers'. I wasn't particularly interested in helping support Richmond with my membership dollars.

Very few actually actively support them. You have your local club and you have an AFL club. Something in between where the clubs no longer have much connection with their communities, just doesn’t draw any support.

That is true. But if the VFL can find its own niche as an top level Victorian competition independent of the Melbourne AFL clubs then it could generate more interest. I certainly wouldn't be interested in supporting an aligned club such as Box Hill and the stand-alone clubs for the most part struggle against those sides that have AFL listed players. That also doesn't really generate an interest either.
 
Where is the Junction Oval, Geelong West, Dandenong, Preston, Prahran and second division clubs ?
Well obviously a cut down version ie 8 old VFA clubs with no AFL listed players involved. Probably closest we’ll ever get to it
 

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