First class football

[jefffff34]

I was just thinking...why aren't all the VFL, SANFL, WAFL etc leagues known as First Class Football?

Much in the same vain as first-class cricket for state cricket.

I'd also love to know where I could find first-class football () stats of all the AFL players. If the AFL bible thinks it is necessary to publish the fact that Nathan Buckley won the Magarey Medal in 1992 in his honours section, then why not have his career stats at that level of football?

 

[Mobbs]

"First Class Football" sounds pretty cool actually! I'd vote for it.

 

[jefffff34]

Yay!

 

[muesli]

Good idea Hoggy.

 

[OldSchool]

Originally posted by Hoggy
I was just thinking...why aren't all the VFL, SANFL, WAFL etc leagues known as First Class Football?

Much in the same vain as first-class cricket for state cricket.

I suppose because they compete within their state rather than solely against other states the comparison might not be a good one.
Perhaps when they do play interstate football it might be 'first class football.'

 

[Goauld]

This isn't really relevant, but, First class cricket includes International matches aswell as the State matches and County cricket......

 

[the croucher]

A number of people are quite interested in this "career records" subject and have started discussion on how to compile a list of suitable games.

I've been compiling a list of matches played in Tas. which may well be missing from the standard ref. works.

A couple of randomly selected seasons are:

1913

TFL v NWFU
TFL v Melbourne
NTFA v TFL
NTFA v TFL
NTFA v West Adelaide

1935

TFL v St Kilda
TFL v Richmond
Lefroy v Fitzroy
NTFA v TFL
NTFA v TFL
NTFA v St Kilda
NTFA v Richmond
NTFA v Northcote

Nowhere near finished yet as have been concentrating on the league reps. games mainly...but at least we're underway.

 

[pazza]

Given that the AFL is described as the "elite", it would seem only reasonable that the level immediately below that should be described as something. Hoggy, it seems like a good idea to me, describing this level as First Class Footy!

 

[mud n blood]

I do like the theory, but can you classify 'first class' as SANFL, and then also AFLQ or SFL ??? I don't think so.

The inference was the state games, but why bother ? A player will only play a few anyway.

 

[The_Guru]

If the VFL and SANFL is 'first class football' then I can't wait to go to my 'first test football' match

 

[Adrian Shelton]

I guess first class records could be defined as

VFL/AFL
SANFL
WAFL

Preseason/night series involving these leauges(9pt supergoals counted as normal goals for historical purposes)
State and SOO games

'grade' stats would then be

VFA/current VFL
QAFL
ACTAFL
NTFL
Tassie leauges(current SFL and whatever they were before)
Sydney leauge(NSWAFL or whatever it is now)
VFL/AFL,/SANFL/WAFL ressies

plus state and night series stats where state teams(Tas, Qld) played in the Escort cup.

 

[Port01]

Originally posted by Adrian Shelton
I guess first class records could be defined as

VFL/AFL
SANFL
WAFL

I'd tend to not include AFL, and then include the current VFL as a continuation of the old one, as far as 'first-class' goes.

That is if you don't want to include the national league at the same level as state comps, which I wouldnt do.

 

[David Votoupal]

It's very hard to determine what, exactly, constitutes "first class" footy.

If you mean senior or first grade footy, then it could mean any senior competition in the AFL, SANFL, VFL, WAFL, NTFL (NT), SFL (Tas), and so on right down to district leagues. But some might have a stricter definition of "first class" footy and might restrict it to the AFL + the better state leagues.

Some examples from soccer- if "first class" soccer means senior level, then it could be anything from Premier League to, say, Combined Counties or lower district league (8 or so levels down the pyramid). But if "first class" soccer means top flight competition, it could mean the top flight of a league in any country.

In either case, the term "first class" could easily be a misnomer because of the different levels of senior competition which exist in every sport, consequently varying standards. Feel free to discuss.