AFL Utopia, what does it look like?!

A bit of a random thread, and it might just get sucked into the BigFooty blackhole, but we all obviously love football, and I want to see what people would love to see the game evolve into (if at all).

Get creative. Think a bit left field. In your ideal world, what would the AFL competition look like and how would it run.

To get the ball rolling, I think the AFL would be far more interesting if we had a little bit more of an exciting entrance for our teams. Theme songs are great, but the oversized banners are just a novelty and a bit useless really. My ideal AFL world would have a bit of an NFL/NBA style entry!

In regards to fixturing, I would have a 17 round season, where each team only plays each other once, and the cycle would be over two years. EG. Collingwood v Port at the MCG in 2013, Port v Collingwood at Adelaide Oval in 2014. Therefore there would be no fixturing inequality. To stretch the season out, I would have a 3 week mid year break. For example after round 10, the teams get a week break, the middle weekend would be an 'All-Star' style weekend with an All-Star/State of Origin game, followed by another week off, then commence round 11.

Finals would work essentially the same, however split the 18 teams in 3 pools of 6 (1-6, 7-12, 13-18) Teams 1-6 get a rest, Teams 7-12 play off in a mini round robin, and two teams win a finals berth. (Now we have a final 8, and the finals are played as per usual), and Teams 13-18 play off for some sort of shield/trophy, and to to win the number 1 draft pick. This way, every team has something to play for all the way up until the last game.

This is just my AFL utopia, a bit farfetched, but hey! this is what the threads about. Let rip :)
 

Ketchup

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snax

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AFL needs more cheerleaders IMO.
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22 week fixture, with the extra 5 being
1 rivalry game (perhaps not utopian, but realistically, the non vic clubs will always get to play the other team in their market twice).
4 games rotating (so you play all other teams twice over 4 years).

When teams play is done by one of two methods.
1) The AFL comes up with which teams play each other (predictable due to the above), and what the timeslots are. Teams take it in turns to put their teams into the slots (times, days and which weeks you play each team). Order of selection is initially random and rotates every year.
2) The AFL comes out with which teams play each week, and what the slots are and the clubs have an auction between them for who gets which slots, with the proceeds being spread evenly. Result being that clubs pay for friday nights (and blockbuster slots) and subsidise the bad slots like sunday twilight games.

The AFL is broken up, or at least the divisions within it are made broader and more clear, each answerable to a commision that isn't beholded to the clubs.
The League
Judiciary (umpires and MRP)
Integrity (drugs, gambling and ensuring the administration is fair).
Development (expansion teams and other leagues - any assistance for expansion teams comes from here, NOT the league as it needs to treat all teams equally).
 

West Coast Weasel

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Every team plays each other twice and travels every second week.

Also allowing fans to somehow remove television commentators or at the very least implement a feather and tarring system that can be operated by our remote controllers.
 

Silent Alarm

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I'm kickin' snaggas in a long sleeve for Fitzroy and not training anything more than half-paced circle work.
 
Jun 19, 2007
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nil
14 teams (hawthorn definitely one of them)
26 rounds, play each team twice. (No fixture handicapping).

Rule changes restricted to one every two years.

Grand final hosted in home state of the highest ranked qualifier.

Free agency either eliminated - or allowed for all players regardless of how long they've been at a club.

MRP to use precedent from last 2 seasons to increase consistency.
 
May 3, 2013
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Australian Cricket Team,
14 teams (hawthorn definitely one of them)
26 rounds, play each team twice. (No fixture handicapping).

Rule changes restricted to one every two years.

Grand final hosted in home state of the highest ranked qualifier.

Free agency either eliminated - or allowed for all players regardless of how long they've been at a club.

MRP to use precedent from last 2 seasons to increase consistency.
14 teams? Is it just the first 14 to be established?
 
Oct 3, 2007
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My football Utopia would of been the AFL being formed out of the 3 major State Leagues VFL/SANFL/WAFL

Premier League - Salary Cap (In Todays Money) 10 Million
6 x VFL sides
3 x WAFL Sides
3 x SANFL sides
1 x Brisbane side
1 x Sydney side

Division 1 - Salary Cap (in todays money) 7 Million
5 x VFL Sides
5 x WAFL Sides
5 x SANFL sides
1 x Tasmanian Side

Relegation and Promotion 2 up and 2 down.
Zone and Draft, each club can take 1 priority pick from their area and the rest go into a national draft.
Both leagues fully televised and promoted.

Could never happen now, but it is my utopia and I think footy would of been much better for everyone if we had of gone down this path.

Anyway, time to wake up from the dream and here we are with the current AFL.
 
14 teams? Is it just the first 14 to be established?


12 IMO, all brand new: 3 from WA, 2 from SA, 1 from TAS, 1 from QLD, 1 from NSW, 4 from Vic.

Because this is 'Utopia', the AFL disbands, all the clubs go to their State leagues and all the best players move to a new comp based on the above. No history stopping decision being made, a proper salary cap, proper trading and FA markets, a clear set of rules that can't be changed without input and trial and a head commission system that is answerable for its decisions
 

JapanFootball

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I
My football Utopia would of been the AFL being formed out of the 3 major State Leagues VFL/SANFL/WAFL

Premier League - Salary Cap (In Todays Money) 10 Million
6 x VFL sides
3 x WAFL Sides
3 x SANFL sides
1 x Brisbane side
1 x Sydney side

Division 1 - Salary Cap (in todays money) 7 Million
5 x VFL Sides
5 x WAFL Sides
5 x SANFL sides
1 x Tasmanian Side

Relegation and Promotion 2 up and 2 down.
Zone and Draft, each club can take 1 priority pick from their area and the rest go into a national draft.
Both leagues fully televised and promoted.

Could never happen now, but it is my utopia and I think footy would of been much better for everyone if we had of gone down this path.

Anyway, time to wake up from the dream and here we are with the current AFL.

I agree with what you say and think a complete restructuring of the league is necessary long term. There need to be clear and direct pathways from the lower leagues to the professionals and a structure like this would be a great method for doing so. The various country and metropolitan leagues could receive a rating based on standard. To say it's too late to do anything is a cop out akin to the Itish saying it's too late to start paying players properly.

Regarding cheerleaders, the Japanese AFL has recently been running with some home grown girls. Check these girls out.

201310062318_11.jpg
 

IanW

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Nov 18, 2011
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I

I agree with what you say and think a complete restructuring of the league is necessary long term. There need to be clear and direct pathways from the lower leagues to the professionals and a structure like this would be a great method for doing so. The various country and metropolitan leagues could receive a rating based on standard. To say it's too late to do anything is a cop out akin to the Itish saying it's too late to start paying players properly.

There is a straight forward pathway - the players nominate for the draft and are picked.

We dont want to move entire clubs because - as we've found from Port Adelaide - if you make the mistake of moving East Perth up from the WAFL, than all the West Perth fans would refuse to show up and cheer for them.

Therefore, we start new clubs, that everyone can cheer for.

Could things have turned out differently ? Yes, but the clubs of the SANFL and WAFL were (and still are) run by idiots, and only the VFL clubs were brave enough to hand their power over to a commission that would act for the good of the game as a whole.
 

Barry_Badrinath

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In my AFL utopia there is:

-No handicap draws.
-No priority picks.
-No rule changes.
-No weekly changing of umpiring interpretations.
-No unjustifiable COLA
-No extended salary cap for the Gold Coast and GWS (20-30 first round picks is enough, they don't need the cap space too).
-No Essendon.

Basically just get rid of anything that gives a team an unfair advantage over others.
 
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