Dockers, Eagles reserves plans collapse

[dockshark]

Need to be entered as an official WAFL team.

Won't happen, and nor should it. We have been fighting extremely hard to keep WCE and Freo out (at EFFC), and will continue to fight. The last thing the WAFL needs is half bit, non competition teams, that have entered the comp on a poorly conceived deal, whilst I hold an official capacity at a WAFL club I'll continue to fight......

Personally I find the lack of respect for our state league by some on this board to be astonishing. I actually understand how the Victorians felt about expansion.....

What's really annoying is the people pointing the finger at WAFL admin for trying to protect their interests. If Freo and/or WCE want to enter teams in a reserves league then good for them......

 

[chinggis77]

I think it's more a question of cost. It isn't cheap flying 22 players and coaching staff around the country and putting them up in a hotel overnight. Double that to 44 players and it adds significantly to the cost without contributing (much) extra revenue.

Surely any cost would be covered by a tv deal putting the reserve league games one of the many digital channels, plus some additional sponsorship deals. A lot of fans would watch the games IMO, I know i would. Heck a lot more people would watch an AFL reserves league than currently watch the NBL or A-League. Would be great for game development also as you can send the teams to play in Bunbury or Ballarat in low cost stadiums as well.

It would result in less people watching WAFL, but big deal, its going to happen eventually. Revenue of the WAFL, SANFL clubs should be linked to how well they do in player development to stop leagues like the SANFL who are obsessed with being the best second league in the nation with the resultant effect that lots of kids don´t get a look in.

 

[Avid_Avenger]

The cost of moving 50 players a week should be less per-head than moving the 25 we currently do but you are right, there is an added cost in there.

It would require a big shift in the AFL but I think the pressure that AFL House was putting on the WA and SA teams to have their own reserves team and the Foxtel Cup are signs that a national reserves competition is on the horizon. I want us to be in the box seat to contract those 20-25 best mature aged players to fill our squad so that we are competitive, at the moment we are behind the pack, everyone else has a reserves side.

If we own our own license, we have the money to do it. We can have full control of our club and it's players.

An extra TV rights deal plus an NAB-type sponsorship would mostly cover the extra costs for clubs. Plus, as you said, not having to offload millions of dollars to the WAFC (for no direct benefit) more than offsets any expenditure to jet a reserves side around Australia.

Plus, a reserves league could and probably should be reduced to an 18 game season plus finals. Each team plays each other once with no need for pre-season games.

A national reserves league would suit all parties. AFL teams get to manage/develop their own players and mould them to their game plan. And the integrity of the state leagues are protected and the opportunities for mature-age players to be drafted into the AFL are enhanced about ten-fold.

The flow-on effect from that could be monetary bonuses for local sides that have players picked to top up the reserves teams, and ultimately drafted at the end of the year.

Plus you could put a cap on the number of games a top-up player can play, i.e. ten games plus finals, thereby reducing the effect on local leagues and ensuring plenty of opportunities for top up players to show they can have an impact in the AFL system.

A mid-season draft where AFL teams were allowed to select a '1 season' rookie from the top-up players would be another way of enhancing the links between all comps and ensuring some sort of monetary compensation/bonus filters back to the local sides from the loss of key players to the AFL ranks.

 

[blue shark]

I dont get this idea about reserve teams, Wc have won 3 grand finals, and played in 5, with the current system.
All the kids taken in the draft are playing against Men, not boys of the same age.
What happens if you have two or three players who play in the same position?
Over east they are now complaining that WA kids are more advanced because they compete with men.
How many kids drafted actually become AFL footballers.
Id rather see a scratchie every year aganst Wc, with all the WAFL kids.

 

[Kram]

A lot of fans would watch the games IMO, I know i would. Heck a lot more people would watch an AFL reserves league than currently watch the NBL or A-League..

Yourself and many other BF posters might but most on here are hardcore footy fans, I highly doubt that the general public and sponsors would give a shit about it. It would cost an absolute fortune to fly all these extra players around the country, the current set up is fine and far more cost effective.

 

[Taylor]

Our reserves team;

FB: Suban, Faulks, Silvani
HB: Wilson-King, Grover, Roberts
C: Pitt, van Berlo, Morabito
HF: Menegola, Bradley, Croizer
FF: Walters, Anthony, Lee
R: Griffin, Blackwell, Lower

Int: Suttcliffe, Sheridan, Schoithe, Crichton

Then you add in all the mature WAFL, SANFL, VFL and NEAFL players we can contract.

That's not a boys league. It would be 18 reserves sides full of the best AFL listed players and the best non-listed players in the country, not the 30 teams they are currently spread over.

I believe the quality of the reserves competition will increase the benefit to our players.

 

[estibador]

Plus, a reserves league could and probably should be reduced to an 18 game season plus finals.

If you were going to have it it would have to be the same length as the AFL season so club always have reserves form to choose from.

 

[Wigarus]

I don't think the WAFL cares about more people attending the matches anyway. I mean most of the games are on the exact same time each week so if they wanted to increase their attendance / viewing they could quite easily.

 

[Avid_Avenger]

If you were going to have it it would have to be the same length as the AFL season so club always have reserves form to choose from.

I agree it would make more sense from a scheduling viewpoint. That way people can also pay a slight premium or something and view back to back reserves/AFL games.

Or you could potentially reverse the home and away situation so there is always either a reserves game or an AFL game at Patersons each week.
(Only issue with that is the reserves game would be a curtain-raiser to the Eagles home game).

 

[dockshark]

I don't think the WAFL cares about more people attending the matches anyway. I mean most of the games are on the exact same time each week so if they wanted to increase their attendance / viewing they could quite easily.

How would changing game times increase attendance? Are you suggesting that people are going to go to two games in a weekend? How many people are going to really actually do that? Actual WAFL Fans would rarely be interested in teams other than their own, and you see how many people don't attend WAFL but claim that they would watch/attend a national reserves comp. So tell me, how exactly would changing certain game times 'easily' increase attendance?

 

[mightymouse75]

Would it be beneficial to the AFL clubs to seperate the WAFL clubs into Fremantle or Docker feeder clubs.

There could be between 5 & 6 players spread over 4 clubs, Eagles could spread over 5 clubs because it was my idea

Benefits:
-It would be much easier to have a good relationship with 4 clubs instead of 9 allowing themselves to have more influence in player positioning, training etc
-Player development coaches could keep on eye on games or wafl training far easier with only 4 clubs to deal with
-Freo players would have the chance to form better bonds with more fellow Dockers in their WAFL clubs while striving to play for the Freo seniors, by playing together in the WAFL they would also learn to read each others games and transfer this into the big league if they should make it. Could even end in a bit more competitve spirit in pushing for AFL selection
-Less travel, if Freo could have Peel, East and South Freo & Claremont with the exception of Peel they are all with in pushbiking distance.



Disadvantages:-There will be 1 or 2 weekends when abc will have no Freo players on the match of the week if they fail to schedule it correctly (schedlue it correctly it would be like watching a mini derby every weekend)

Any thoughts?

 

[Ktrain]

It has merit as a next best solution if no reserves