EDFL in 10 years

[Next Of Kin]

While the EDFL is going strong at the moment I can't stop to think where it will be in 10 years. Clubs are spending a lot of money on players while it does not seem that attendances have increased proportionally. While I am not privy to the finances of any clubs I would assume that the money of some would have to run out in the not to distant future. Where will that leave them. A very poor team may see them lose supporters on a permanent basis. Take Cora Lynn for example. I am not impying in any way that they are short of funds, however what were to happen if they were to field a poor team, they may end up losing loyal supporters and potential junior players.

Another problem seems to be the alsolute power held by the VCFL. It seems that they can do what they want. With neighbouring leagues such as Alberton in dire trouble, the VCFL may change the composition of the EDFL. We have already seen the effect of the introduction of Lang Lang, Kooweerup, Cora Lynn and Nar Nar Goon on the Warragul based clubs. I know that topic has already been done to death on here but I personally can't see the Warragul-based clubs being able to compete with their more metropolitan competitiors unless they spend up big, which in itself would be a death trap.

I know that everyone seems to think that it is a cycle thing , just like the interstate teams in the AFL dominating and now the Victorian clubs fighting back. However I can honestly see the league returning to more of the old West Gippsland structure. It may not be in the next 5 years, or even 10, but I can see that happening eventually.

 

[Stamp]

While the EDFL is going strong at the moment I can't stop to think where it will be in 10 years. Clubs are spending a lot of money on players while it does not seem that attendances have increased proportionally. While I am not privy to the finances of any clubs I would assume that the money of some would have to run out in the not to distant future. Where will that leave them. A very poor team may see them lose supporters on a permanent basis. Take Cora Lynn for example. I am not impying in any way that they are short of funds, however what were to happen if they were to field a poor team, they may end up losing loyal supporters and potential junior players.

Another problem seems to be the alsolute power held by the VCFL. It seems that they can do what they want. With neighbouring leagues such as Alberton in dire trouble, the VCFL may change the composition of the EDFL. We have already seen the effect of the introduction of Lang Lang, Kooweerup, Cora Lynn and Nar Nar Goon on the Warragul based clubs. I know that topic has already been done to death on here but I personally can't see the Warragul-based clubs being able to compete with their more metropolitan competitiors unless they spend up big, which in itself would be a death trap.

I know that everyone seems to think that it is a cycle thing , just like the interstate teams in the AFL dominating and now the Victorian clubs fighting back. However I can honestly see the league returning to more of the old West Gippsland structure. It may not be in the next 5 years, or even 10, but I can see that happening eventually.

I heard an interesting one today, that KWR are about $50 k in debt and arent going to pay any more players for the rest of the year? Any truth to this? I remember a few years back, they spent up big to try and get a flag.

 

[goodie]

i heard something along the lines of all paid players are getting the ass???

guess we'll have to wait and see the team sheets this week....

 

[Cobra2008]

Last year i read an article in the pakenham Gazette about all of this. I thought that gazette hit the nail on the head. This is how it went.

West gippsland/Ellinbank League/Casey Cardinia
Not sure what you would name it though

Division 1
Pakenham
Beaconsfield
Narre Warren
Berwick
ROC
Cranbourne
Doveton
Hampton Park
Garfield
Warrigul

Division 2
Tooridan
Devon Meadows
Cora Lynn
Nar Nar Goon
Longwarry
Lang Lang
Catani
Nyora
Kilcunda Bass
Drouin

Division 3
Ellinbank
Buln Buln
Dusties
Nerrim South
Nilma Darrum
Poowong
Koo Wee Rup
Bunyip

I think this way the league would be so much stonger. You would make it Promotion/Deligation also (Grand finalist from lower division go up the next year and the bottom 2 sides go down a division) this would help the clubs that are struggling now to get success in a lower division and would also give clubs somthing to play for even if they dont make finals because if they finished bottom 2 the club gets dropped down.

It would also give some of the now ellinbank stronger teams a chance to test themselves out against the power house side. e.g. Cora Lynn, Nar Nar Goon, Nyora and Catani against the likes of Pakenham, Narre Warren, Beaconsfield and Doveton.

In conclution i really think this would give Gippsland Footy a boost and make it alot more competitive for all clubs in all divisions. Gippsland Footy would be very stong and healthy if this was to happen. Cheers

Any Thoughts

 

[EDFL follower]

Last year i read an article in the pakenham Gazette about all of this. I thought that gazette hit the nail on the head. This is how it went.

West gippsland/Ellinbank League/Casey Cardinia
Not sure what you would name it though

Division 1
Pakenham
Beaconsfield
Narre Warren
Berwick
ROC
Cranbourne
Doveton
Hampton Park
Garfield
Warrigul

Division 2
Tooridan
Devon Meadows
Cora Lynn
Nar Nar Goon
Longwarry
Lang Lang
Catani
Nyora
Kilcunda Bass
Drouin

Division 3
Ellinbank
Buln Buln
Dusties
Nerrim South
Nilma Darrum
Poowong
Koo Wee Rup
Bunyip

I think this way the league would be so much stonger. You would make it Promotion/Deligation also (Grand finalist from lower division go up the next year and the bottom 2 sides go down a division) this would help the clubs that are struggling now to get success in a lower division and would also give clubs somthing to play for even if they dont make finals because if they finished bottom 2 the club gets dropped down.

It would also give some of the now ellinbank stronger teams a chance to test themselves out against the power house side. e.g. Cora Lynn, Nar Nar Goon, Nyora and Catani against the likes of Pakenham, Narre Warren, Beaconsfield and Doveton.

In conclution i really think this would give Gippsland Footy a boost and make it alot more competitive for all clubs in all divisions. Gippsland Footy would be very stong and healthy if this was to happen. Cheers

Any Thoughts

Looks good only problem is that they have taken 3 teams (Warragul, Drouin and Garfield) out of LV which would stuff that league up.

 

[saint leo]

I dont think the EDFL should merge at all with CC league. It is a stronger league that is now basically a metropolitan league and it should stay that way. If tooradin, Killy Bass, Phillip isand and maybe Garfield wanted to come into EDFL and make a 2 tear comp down the track i think it could work. I think a lot of problems with the west gippy comp was country teams like NNG, Bass etc were trying to compete against Paky, Beacy, ROC which are now basically city teams with far greater resources.
I dont think Nyora, Cora Lynn and Catani could every seriously compete with Paky and Narre etc. Maybe NNG could cos of the growth that will happen there but others have no chance.

 

[Cobra2008]

You make some good points Saint but thats the reason for the 3 divisions the stronger teams play the stong teams and lower teams play each other. I think its a great idea and would please everybody. Everyside has a chance of winning a flag and pushing for the higher divsion also. I belive this will fix all the problems and we should really be pushing for this to happen.

 

[saint leo]

I see your point but i dont think we need to get the CC league involved, i think with the 14 teams we have plus tooradin, garfield, Phillip Island and K Bass there would be enough for 2 divisions and be a very strong and even league with not a great deal of travel.

 

[Cobra2008]

Yeah thats a fair call. I would just love the oppertunity to take on these big clubs in Casey. I really belive that the top 5 or 6 in Ellinbank could take it up to the sides in casey and beat them beside Pakenham and Narre Warren our sides would do suprisingly well i think. e.g. Nyora of 06/07 would take it up to Keysbough who are sitting 3rd in casey this year for sure.

 

[Pluggeroo]

Yeah thats a fair call. I would just love the oppertunity to take on these big clubs in Casey. I really belive that the top 5 or 6 in Ellinbank could take it up to the sides in casey and beat them beside Pakenham and Narre Warren our sides would do suprisingly well i think. e.g. Nyora of 06/07 would take it up to Keysbough who are sitting 3rd in casey this year for sure.

I guess the other idea could be to have an Ellinbank DFL representative side that has 30 players on its list. This club plays in the CC League against those clubs and when players are not required, they travel back to the club they came from. If they are fit to play, they play for the rep side when required. They cant just play for their local club and snub their responsibilities with the rep side. Of course, each player in the rep side would need to actually want to play it. You join it like you would any club. Just when not required, you go back to the club you came from.

Meaning the rep side wouldnt have the best players in the comp, but it may well be a good cross section of what the league has to offer. Probably younger fellas wanting to test the waters for a year or 2, plus the added benefit of some older heads to help guide them.

I guess the pre-requisite would be that you have played a game for an EDFL club in the previous year, or are signed with an EDFL club for the current year.

I dunno, just throwing it out there. For my other response, see http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=465940

 

[Stanley da Russian]

While the EDFL is going strong at the moment I can't stop to think where it will be in 10 years.

So why did you then?

 

[Pluggeroo]

4 and a half years on from NoK's first post, where do we think things are at now?

 

[goodie]

4 and a half years on from NoK's first post, where do we think things are at now?

havent changed, probably wont. no one has the balls to make the call!!!!

 

[Leftfoot60out]

Change is hard especially for football club administrators who love to reminisce about the “good old days” reality is with the urban sprawl continuing out East the population growth from Pakenham – Drouin will dictate change clearly a full review of Gippsland footy is required. With the muted changes to the running of the VCFL with the AFL likely to be involved within the next 2 yrs.

A 2 or 3 tier completion with regulation/promotion is the only way clubs will survive.

 

[Doctor Jones]

I was thinking about the stability of the league last night, and as it's been said here, change is highly unlikely, I think what needs to be done is encourage the lower teams to still work hard for reward. In this I mean strive to get at least 7th or 8th spot.

Where I'm heading with this is that with 15 teams in the comp, and the top 6 the most disfunctional finals arrangement of all time, the finals should be a top 8 which then gives reward for all top 4 teams, but means you have to win at least 2 games to get to a grand final, rather than one team not winning a game at all and making a prelim.

If you have a look at this year, Bunyip and Dusties had weaker draws compared to the 4 other teams that made finals, and you may say that they don't deserve a top 4 spot, well with a top 4, they need to win a game to get to a semi final. Then you have a look at the extra two teams that it brings in, it would be last years runners up that had a much harder draw than others in the top 6 and probably deserves to at least compete in the finals, and KWR who in the past month knocked off teams sitting 2nd and 3rd. So they should be rewarded for playing good footy at the right time of the year.

We all know that the EDFL officials don't want to the divide the league, because funnily enough the strongest netball teams (Ellinbank and Poowong) are the weaker football teams. So by haing a top 8 this will add an extra games into the finals equation which will mean more $$$ for the league and a better finals structure.

 

[saint leo]

I was thinking about the stability of the league last night, and as it's been said here, change is highly unlikely, I think what needs to be done is encourage the lower teams to still work hard for reward. In this I mean strive to get at least 7th or 8th spot.

Where I'm heading with this is that with 15 teams in the comp, and the top 6 the most disfunctional finals arrangement of all time, the finals should be a top 8 which then gives reward for all top 4 teams, but means you have to win at least 2 games to get to a grand final, rather than one team not winning a game at all and making a prelim.

If you have a look at this year, Bunyip and Dusties had weaker draws compared to the 4 other teams that made finals, and you may say that they don't deserve a top 4 spot, well with a top 4, they need to win a game to get to a semi final. Then you have a look at the extra two teams that it brings in, it would be last years runners up that had a much harder draw than others in the top 6 and probably deserves to at least compete in the finals, and KWR who in the past month knocked off teams sitting 2nd and 3rd. So they should be rewarded for playing good footy at the right time of the year.

We all know that the EDFL officials don't want to the divide the league, because funnily enough the strongest netball teams (Ellinbank and Poowong) are the weaker football teams. So by haing a top 8 this will add an extra games into the finals equation which will mean more $$$ for the league and a better finals structure.

Very good point, and seems logical in a 15 team comp. But logistically is very hard to have a final 8 meaning extra weeks to to finals or 4 finals on the first weeked. Our final 6 is a shithouse system.

I know GVFL have a final 6 and run it like the old AFL system with 3 finals on the first weekend, not sure how they work it out with clubs that would possibly have 2 teams at different grounds on the sameday. I assume they play the senior finals as schedule and move the lower grades around to fit.

 

[Snoop Dogg]

Why would there need to be extra weeks Leo?

 

[Surkin]

Yeah top 8 is a good idea. Sides that finish 7th and 8th are probably just making up the numbers but it is a huge thing for a football club to have sides in the finals. Why not reward a couple more.

Also as you mentioned the top 6 is the worst system. The difference between finishing second and third is huge.

 

[saint leo]

Why would there need to be extra weeks Leo?

Because it would be hard to schedule 4 finals in one weekend, you couldnt have a club playing u/18s and seniors and one ground and reserves at another. And we have 5 grades of football and 6 of netball making it even tougher.

The league we played in interleague have a final 8 though.

 

[bigpapagman]

Holy s**t. How's the predictions here? You were a campaigner Next of Kin, and I always hated ya. But you did well here, son.

 

[Pluggeroo]

9 years on and NOK wasn't far off the money!