AFL Reserves

[Jonts]

Really think that an AFL reserves format should form within the next 5-10 years,

There would be Reserves comp and each week the game would be the curtain raiser for the main game, for instance Essendon V Collingwood

Have reserves game, normal ANZAC procedure warm up, main game

Think this would really help the interstate teams Freo, WCE, Port, Crows in paticular

Don't know what it would do the the VFL though

For team lists perhpas just expand the AFL lists? Lower the mimimum amount of players delisted down to 1/2

thoughts?

 

[FootyJunkie]

The current VFL would go back to how the old VFA was... just an alternative community league, but could suffer now that the AFL would take its thumb out of its pie.

A full mirror reserves league like the old days would be great, but not sure if the AFL are willing to invest in such a venture. The current set up using the WAFL, SANFL, VFL and NEAFL seems to work okay for them.

 

[Rob]

The problem with your proposal is simply cost. Not just travel, but the cost of extra players. An extra 10 or so players on a list would cost in the vicinity of a million bucks a year per club.

Not that you'd need to expand lists anyway. Simply filling up from outside AFL lists would be a lot cheaper.

 

[cos789]

IMO there should be no reserves teams or defacto teams.
All teams should be under the same conditions and have their list play spread over an independant league.
A reserves comp is an unnecessary huge waste of money that detracts from second tier competitions. Gone are the days when people actually watched the reserves competition with interest.

 

[stmookeyj]

I can't see a reserves format coming in, but what I can see is an underage club based competition based on what the NRL does with their Under 20's perhaps coming in. So the Under 23's have their own comp, and those overage can go to VFL clubs.

 

[Kwality]

Who is paying?

No increase in revenue, big rise in cost !!

 

[Eastern Rangers]

IMO there should be no reserves teams or defacto teams.
All teams should be under the same conditions and have their list play spread over an independant league.
A reserves comp is an unnecessary huge waste of money that detracts from second tier competitions. Gone are the days when people actually watched the reserves competition with interest.

It's moving in the other direction and will continue to do so.

 

[Masto]

I like the idea of an U23 reserves team but where will the extra players come from?

 

[Jonts]

I like the idea of an U23 reserves team but where will the extra players come from?

Create short lists, from the AFL clubs aligned clubs at the moment for Vic states, then with others just grab the best U 23 players from that state and split it, give the guys national exposure.

Think the U23 comp could work also with a maximum of 4-6 Over 23 players

Think the money would have to come from different sponsors, or from the AFL match revenue

 

[cos789]

It's moving in the other direction and will continue to do so.

Yes, and it's counterproductive to the longterm future of Australian Football and indeed the AFL. It costs and produces no benefits(except to up the ante)

 

[Rob]

Yes, and it's counterproductive to the longterm future of Australian Football and indeed the AFL. It costs and produces no benefits(except to up the ante)

There are plenty of benefits, both to the AFL clubs and to the secondary leagues, particularly the VFL - which would operate independently and find it far easier to attract supporters that are no longer turned off their local club due to an affiliation with a rival or due to being in competition with their own club.

Whether the costs are worth it, who knows. But to suggest there are no benefits is absurd.

 

[cos789]

There are plenty of benefits, both to the AFL clubs .

The benefits to the individual clubs produce no overall gain.

particularly the VFL - which would operate independently and find it far easier to attract supporters that are no longer turned off their local club due to an affiliation with a rival or due to being in competition with their own club.

But I am saying remove those affiliations as well putting allthe AFL clubs on ther same footing.

Whether the costs are worth it, who knows. .

It will incur large costs with zero income.

But to suggest there are no benefits is absurd.

There are no nett benefits.
It will cost money. It will not produce income.
It will reduce the attractiveness of the second tier competitions by removing quality players and thus reduce their income.
Remove the viability of second tier competitions and football suffers, untimately the AFL in the very long term.

 

[emuboy]

Sending players back to the high standard WAFL (Eagles & Dockers) & SANFL (Crows & Power) works well in those states, but the abolition of the reserves seems to have created a very unstable VFL competition in Victoria.

It is a similar sitution with the second-tier rugby league in NSW. The reserves competition was abolished around the same time, with the NSW clubs putting their reserves teams into the NSWRL along with Newton, but the result since has been great instablility, with clubs leaving, forming joint ventures with suburban Sydney teams, changing allignments etc.

I would like to see a stable second tier competition for teams on the Eastern Seaboard (AFL Championship) with the places of the WA & SA teams filled by teams in areas not represented by the AFL (thus both competions have the same number of teams, and fixtures can be alligned). I know that finance would prevent it, but this is my idea:

CARLTON BLUES
COLLINGWOOD MAGPIES
ESSENDON BOMBERS
HAWTHORN HAWKS
MELBOURNE DEMONS
NORTH MELBOURNE KANGAROOS
RICHMOND TIGERS
ST KILDA SAINTS
WESTERN BULLDOGS
GEELONG CATS
SYDNEY SWANS
GWS GIANTS
BRISBANE LIONS
GOLD COAST SUNS
NORTH QUEENSLAND CROCODILES
NORTHERN TERRITORY BUFFALOS
CANBERRA COMETS
TASMANIAN DEVILS

 

[cos789]

Sending players back to the high standard WAFL (Eagles & Dockers) & SANFL (Crows & Power) works well in those states.

Yes it does.

but the abolition of the reserves seems to have created a very unstable VFL competition in Victoria.

Because of the affiliations. Get rid of the affiliations.

 

[Kwality]

They change the Vic 2nd tier every couple of years & have done since the AFL comp got off the ground.

 

[Peter maxwell]

All very well to suggest reserves teams for non-Vic clubs but will there be some sort of travel equalization fund? Massive imposte in particular on the two WA sides given they would have to travel two full teams + support staff every second week. Hardly fair!

 

[Kwality]

The AFL pick up the travel tag ($) not the clubs.

 

[cos789]

The AFL pick up the travel tag ($) not the clubs.

The AFL is the clubs. The clubs are the AFL.
Ultimately the football public pays.
More cost for no nett gain.