AFL Fans Association

[Eastdog]

The AFL fans association website is up. What do you guys think about it. Can it be a success?

http://aflfans.org/

 

[FootyGeek]

They do not seem to have a very clear agenda.

http://aflfans.org/aims-objectives/

An organisation like this should be a vehicle to stand up for the 'rights' of supporters and to fight for better 'rights'. They should stay well away from the politics of the game and concentrate on issues that specifically relate to how supporters can access and enjoy the game. Fixturing, pricing, TV rights, internet access, etc.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Won't work, Australians don't do activism.

 

[Damon_3388]

They do not seem to have a very clear agenda.

http://aflfans.org/aims-objectives/

An organisation like this should be a vehicle to stand up for the 'rights' of supporters and to fight for better 'rights'. They should stay well away from the politics of the game and concentrate on issues that specifically relate to how supporters can access and enjoy the game. Fixturing, pricing, TV rights, internet access, etc.

Yep, it's too general and vague as to what they're actually trying to achieve, and there's very little there about how they actually intend to go about achieving anything.

All seems very seat of the pants and amateurish to me. I give it until mid-season before the creators lose interest and/or the lack of interest from others force them to abandon the initiative.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Yep, it's too general and vague as to what they're actually trying to achieve, and there's very little there about how they actually intend to go about achieving anything.

All seems very seat of the pants and amateurish to me. I give it until mid-season before the creators lose interest and/or the lack of interest from others force them to abandon the initiative.

Sounds exactly like the Players Association

 

[CF]

just looks like a blog to me

 

[Damon_3388]

Sounds exactly like the Players Association

Or the even more redundant Coach's Association.

 

[Ashton Agar]

There is too many fans of AFL for this to work. Say they are having votes for example, it will have to be like a federal election...

 

[Cmarsh]

Fan activism? Would have thought the best way to get your message across as a footy fan was to buy or not buy tickets to games, memberships, merchandise etc. Clubs and the AFL will soon get the message of what your on about. No need for a fan association.

 

[FootyGeek]

Sounds exactly like the Players Association

Over 40 years the AFLPA has achieved a hell of a lot for its members.

It is unusual because as a union it has become more and more powerful over the last 40 years contrasted to the experience of other unions over the same period. Player welfare is just one example, if clubs are left to their own devices they have the capability to implement programs that are detrimental to the health of their playing group.

They have done this through smarts, by using the power they have to good effect. There are no ridiculous proposals like having an AFLPA rep on every club board like the AFLFA is proposing.

The AFLFA can succeed but it will be a much more difficult task than the AFLPA. Players have much more power within clubs than the fans.

For the AFLFA to blossom you would need a very smart operator to be running it.

Based on the evidence of the website shown the current AFLFA board don't know whether they are arthur or martha.

 

[Powerstufff]

The AFL fans association website is up..... Can it be a success?...

You can see why coaches and players need representative bodies as employees, or I can anyway. I've always been a member of my appropriate trade union.
But to be either a general fan or even an active supporter of a club is a voluntary thing. What need does the AFL fans association meet that sites like BigFooty don't? Or that can otherwise be met by belonging to your club's cheer squad (where geographically convenient)?

 

[treefingers]

Should be called the AFL Supporters Association if they want to be taken seriously.

 

[MaddAdam]

Having a Murdoch hack as their press spokesperson makes me wonder a great deal.

A cynic or even somebody who has been around the block a bit, could be forgiven for wondering if this isn't a classic astroturf operation.

The key will be to see how often they get quoted in the Hun etc.

Looks a good way to further bash Demetriou and the league, but this time with the "authentic voice of the outer" angle.

Smells dodgy to me.

Especially given it kicked off in December 2013.

blackcat - astroturf

 

[blackcat]

Having a Murdoch hack as their press spokesperson makes me wonder a great deal.

A cynic or even somebody who has been around the block a bit, could be forgiven for wondering if this isn't a classic astroturf operation.

The key will be to see how often they get quoted in the Hun etc.

Looks a good way to further bash Demetriou and the league, but this time with the "authentic voice of the outer" angle.

Smells dodgy to me.

Especially given it kicked off in December 2013.

blackcat - astroturf

just the name, got the Iraq National Congress and American Enterprise Institute all over it Bernays would be proud.

Those guys like the preference whisperer, the niche political parties advisor, we dont "do" this stuff. We dont have the critical thrshold like the beltway in US.

by first glance, it looks low-fi. But it might have to look "low-fi". Too much polish, and people would smell a rat. But how are they gonna get the traffic with low-fi, darkweb, invisible addresses (yes, I know there is an address, but merely phone trees/email trees will get them the critical-mass patronage. My guess whould be some communications shtick with some hidden end. I have not much time to peruse it to get to that. It is an anti-AFL administration platform? Who is the new guy running NewLimited Australia after the Opera corpulant ex Kathy Lette husband left?

 

[blackcat]

The AFLFA has been established to give AFL fans a vehicle to express their views and have their voice heard regarding our great game

this line sound scripted straight out of the Burson Marsteller.

The page is too professonially unprofessional professional.

 

[jiphoc]

The second the AFL support this I will join. Until then the only thing I see coming out of it is junk mail to my email address.

 

[Dont be a lemon]

Joffa Corfe, Vice President

http://aflfans.org/structure/

It will go absolutely nowhere.

 

[MaddAdam]

The AFLFA has been established to give AFL fans a vehicle to express their views and have their voice heard regarding our great game

this line sound scripted straight out of the Burson Marsteller.

The page is too professonially unprofessional professional.

Yep, it looks that way.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

The AFLFA has been established to give AFL fans a vehicle to express their views and have their voice heard regarding our great game. We all recognise that Australian football today is a business as well as a sport. However, it’s the fans who keep this business afloat. If we did not turn up week after week to support our clubs, there would be no AFL.

AFL fans already have a vehicle to express views but they never use it. They can elect not to support a game that has been ripping them off for many years. Not much point in paying good money to support a game if you aren't happy with it.

I love the comment about if the fans didn't support the game there would be no AFL. Very quaint. The average supporter is the last person the AFL has to consider because they know they will follow the game like sheep due to club loyalty. If I wasn't cursed with a fanatical devotion to my club, I would have walked away from the game years ago.

The corporate dollar is what runs this game, so the concept of the average fan "having a say" is amusing to say the least.

 

[Chief]

The AFL fans association website is up. What do you guys think about it. Can it be a success?

http://aflfans.org/

Same group?

http://www.backpagelead.com.au/index.php/afl/4441-afl-fans-find-their-voice

 

[ThatsjustDappa]

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[Damon_3388]

Fan activism? Would have thought the best way to get your message across as a footy fan was to buy or not buy tickets to games, memberships, merchandise etc. Clubs and the AFL will soon get the message of what your on about. No need for a fan association.

Exactly what I've been saying for a while. If you really hate footy these days, why are you watching? Vote with your feet and hit the clubs and league where it hurts. And don't pretend that somehow your club is some noble beacon of football purity either, above what other clubs or the league are doing, to try and justify an "I'm only watching to support my club" angle.

 

[1061]

It will go absolutely nowhere.

That's a touch harsh isn't it.

 

[My North]

will it work?

 

[CherylCritchley]

Hi. I'm part of this initiative and it is a genuine attempt to give a voice to footy fans. Why do people have to be so instantly cynical? I'm a lifelong Richmond fan and with the other committee members have watched as many AFL fans have felt disenfranchised and in many cases disillusioned with the game. Sure some things are still great about footy, which we are happy to acknowledge, but fans do not get enough of a say, especially on issues such as corporatisation. As for being a "News Limited Hack" I have been freelancing for almost four years and if you google me you'll see I'm published in a range of publications, including the Herald Sun, which I worked with for 21 years. Unlike the many people who post anonymously on this site, I have nothing to hide. I also wrote a book celebrating footy fans (Our Footy, Real Fans v Big Bucks, Wilkinson Publishing). The other committee members and I care deeply about footy and want others to become involved also. It is early days for the site (the Facebook page has been running for 2 years) and to those who have been quick to criticise its content/look, all of us work and/or have families and have done this in our spare time. Just give us a chance and please don't knock it down until we've at least tried to give fans more of a say. And visit www.aflfans.org to have a look and join up if you think it's a good idea. Thanks. Cheryl Critchley