Taking the AFL to the next level !

John Greening

Rookie
May 13, 2021
43
52
AFL Club
Collingwood
The time has come to take the AFL to the next level and bring the competion into the 21st Century.
The game is one of the greatest sporting codes to watch right up there with other international games like Soccer, Basketball, Tennis, Cricket and swimming
but boring and predictably run.
I truly believe all AFL teams should be privately run and owned by private investors/owners.
The Afl should stop being run by the boys club it's to restricted and can't grow any further and there are big monetary issues ahead even with the new TV rights.
Open it up and scrap salary caps salary dumping and let clubs live and progress on their own sword let clubs pay players what they want
like other professional international sporting codes.
Clubs should be able to buy swap and trade players without any AFL involment. No more bigger clubs susidising smaller clubs let them
be run on their own with private investment. Private invested clubs can nuture their own players and have their own acadamys and not worry about players
being drafted to other clubs.
Someone like Eddie Mcguire could be the man to lead this change. Someone who has broad vision and international know how.
Imagine the private investors coming from Australia and overseas.
The more money that comes into the code the better development and progression. The way it is at the moment it's a glorified locally run competion.
 

manicpie

Brownlow Medallist
Jul 19, 2019
10,948
17,633
AFL Club
Collingwood
It seems like you're trying to bring in what happens in International soccer. We don't have the luxury of buying players from all over the world, the pot is shallow in AFL. Even in American football they have millions more athletes to chose from. It's a no from me
 

WakeUpPies

Norm Smith Medallist
Aug 11, 2006
7,825
1,952
AFL Club
Collingwood
I think the AFL could learn a few lessons from the NBA.
  1. Make player contract information public knowledge
  2. Trade players without their permission unless a no-trade clause is in their contract
  3. Allow in-season trades/player signings up until a set deadline
  4. Draft lottery for the bottom 2-4 teams to prevent teams from outright tanking

Edit: With the privately-owned teams idea, myself and the lads back in Year 9 were saying we should pool our lunch money and buy North, and trade all the good players to Collingwood for peanuts LOL

Surely if all BigFooty Magpies members stepped up, we could buy Carlton and dissolve the club.
 
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Markfs

Brownlow Medallist
Nov 13, 2008
25,831
20,669
Fremantle
AFL Club
Collingwood
Other Teams
Sydney Sweeney's Shaving Team...
we should learn stuff from the nba and european soccer..... have huge parts of the game where you're yawning and going to sleep....spend your time at the game yakking with your mates and having pies and beers and turn your attention to the game in the last few minutes when something is happening like in basketball.....or go home bored shitless because neither team has scored as in soccer .... the afl season is about 10 times more interesting than any overseas sport. the only time to watch the nba is in the finals...and in the case of british soccer only a handful of teams can win the competition and most of the interest is gone halfway through the season...and if you like it so much, f$$k off over there...
 
May 27, 2008
25,775
31,853
Wherever I May Roam
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Other Teams
Socceroos, Melbourne Victory
It'd be good if they could do HD in 4K. The picture quality of the telecast looks s**t sometimes.

It would be a step in right direction to get rid of gambling advertising and stuff whatever is lost in revenue.

Growing the game for me isn't about becoming more like other sports or financial windfalls. It needs to keep some soul and community presence.
 

Markfs

Brownlow Medallist
Nov 13, 2008
25,831
20,669
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Sydney Sweeney's Shaving Team...
at some stage we will get some money-hungry billionaires wanting to feast on the income of AFL. In the US, the so-called privatisation of team ownership is matched by government funded stadiums where billionaires hold communities over a barrel threatening to pull up stakes in communities and leave town, if stadiums arent provided to them. I have no doubt that now that stadiums have been provided to AFL, that billionaires will come out of their dens to argue that private ownership of AFL will somehow be efficient or better focused to the sports loving public. It will end up being better focused to making more cash. That is what billionaires do. That is their function in life.
 

Wearmouth

Club Legend
Dec 3, 2017
2,119
2,567
AFL Club
Collingwood
With sport playing such an integral part in Australians lives. It seems logical to think that this may be an avenue to take regarding AFL……..

There are just some serious issues to consider before we make this galant leap. Firstly, AFL is arguably only supported by 1/3 of the population. The other 2/3 are broken up into two other categories. Supporting other sports or not giving a toss about sports altogether.

So let’s say we have just under 9 million people interested. Not a great deal of containers to base the world dominance of this new entrant AFL. And then AFL can’t even claim that it has the most participants in the country. And let’s not even go to the chestnut that AFL is only a domestic competition. That only has any real existent within the confides of this vast land. The only real semblance we can have with the NBA or NFL and even FIFA is that we can proclaim ourselves World Champions from now on. At least our egos can be stroked in the same manner as the US sporting pundits get to laud it over any other sporting nations. We are AFL World Champions. That no one else actual plays it to a level to compete against us is a truth that’s to painful to be broached.

Anyone who thinks they can expand this game by selling the ownership rights to private individuals and hope that they act conscientiously for the betterment of the game and selflessly give of themselves to expand the games horizons into other markets and wishfully into other countries. Also believes in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. The only reason the AFL has any success in this country. Is because it controls the narrative by which everything that happens in this game, can happen. The fixtures, the players, the stadiums and the media.

The privatization of the Clubs has only one undeniable outcome. Within two decades there will be no AFL. Once the carcasses have been picked clean. And once the money has dried up. It’ll be competing with the home shopping channels like DanOz direct for the late night evening/early morning slots to broadcast its top games of the 20th century.

Tread very carefully down this path. As all that glitters isn’t gold.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Markfs

Brownlow Medallist
Nov 13, 2008
25,831
20,669
Fremantle
AFL Club
Collingwood
Other Teams
Sydney Sweeney's Shaving Team...
Just think what would have happened to the AFL over the last 2 or 3 years if it was owned privately during the covid crisis.

Would members not demanded their membership monies back? I know I would have during that first year. Too bad if the billionaires owning the clubs had squealed poor and tried to play on my heart strings....as has been said recently, hardly a member asked for their money back. Would that have happened if Gina Rinehard owned the Beagles or Emirates owned the Pies???? I would have joined a joint action to sue these corporates for pain and suffering...
 

Countrypie

Premiership Player
Apr 10, 2012
3,852
6,022
Rowville
AFL Club
Collingwood
The time has come to take the AFL to the next level and bring the competion into the 21st Century.
The game is one of the greatest sporting codes to watch right up there with other international games like Soccer, Basketball, Tennis, Cricket and swimming
but boring and predictably run.
I truly believe all AFL teams should be privately run and owned by private investors/owners.
The Afl should stop being run by the boys club it's to restricted and can't grow any further and there are big monetary issues ahead even with the new TV rights.
Open it up and scrap salary caps salary dumping and let clubs live and progress on their own sword let clubs pay players what they want
like other professional international sporting codes.
Clubs should be able to buy swap and trade players without any AFL involment. No more bigger clubs susidising smaller clubs let them
be run on their own with private investment. Private invested clubs can nuture their own players and have their own acadamys and not worry about players
being drafted to other clubs.
Someone like Eddie Mcguire could be the man to lead this change. Someone who has broad vision and international know how.
Imagine the private investors coming from Australia and overseas.
The more money that comes into the code the better development and progression. The way it is at the moment it's a glorified locally run competion.

I tend to agree with a lot of what you propose in principle. The risk though is that several clubs (Nth, St Kilda, possibly GWS) would not survive the transition.
One of the game's enduring legacies is the loyalty of its core supporter base and I see an inevitable rationalisation of clubs occurring if clubs were given free rein. We'd probably be OK and potentially more successful but we nearly committed sporting club suicide in the 80s splashing cash about like confetti.
A gradual loosening of restrictions and artificial evening up constraints like the salary cap (which Geelong make a mockery of)would be most welcome. Private ownership is maybe now a bridge too far. The clubs are owned by the members.
 

John Greening

Rookie
May 13, 2021
43
52
AFL Club
Collingwood
OK Looks like the majority of comments don't want the next level of AFL so that means the same ol same ol.

AFL power clubs will continue to subsidise lower based interstate clubs.
Subsidise GWS !
Subsidise GOLD COAST !
Subsidise New Tasmanian Team !
Subsidise Kangaroos !
Subsidise Saints !
Subsidise DOGS
Who else ?
Players can be salary dumped !
AFL will still be run inhouse with no intervention from clubs "The Boys club!"
The rules will keep changing month to month with no explanation
Grass roots footy will stay unchanged like it has for last 20 years with limited financial assistance from the AFLeet.
I was involved in 3 junior local clubs for 10 years and it was a struggle and battle to keep these clubs functioning
I only ever saw a handful of AFL players come to training in 10 years to meet and greet kids, when questioned why the excuse
was because the AFL couldn't afford to pay the players.

This is how the AFL allocated all the takings from 2021

AFL releases 2021 financial results​


Key AFL financial summary:
The AFL’s revenue increased by $63.3 million to $738.1 million, due to increased broadcast revenue and improved commercial returns. This revenue assisted in covering the following costs:

  • $300.9 million to AFL clubs;
  • $29.5 million on the administration of the 2021 men’s and women’s season, including travel costs to relocate clubs impacted by state border restrictions and administer Covid-19 testing protocols;
  • $53.0 million to Game Development; an increase of $21.0 million in line with increased activity at Community level nationally through 2021;
  • $60.2 million to the AFLPA;
  • $18.5 million in running the NAB AFL Women’s competition;
  • $23.0 million to infrastructure comprising of elite and community facilities and contributions for stadia redevelopments; and
  • $0.9 million to corporate and social responsibility initiatives.

  • So $738 Million Revenue Minus Listed Expenses Equals $253 Million Left Over !

  • Plus By The Way The Afl Does Not Pay A Cent In Taxes !
 

Mollythedolly

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 21, 2021
5,573
6,098
AFL Club
Collingwood
OK Looks like the majority of comments don't want the next level of AFL so that means the same ol same ol.

AFL power clubs will continue to subsidise lower based interstate clubs.
Subsidise GWS !
Subsidise GOLD COAST !
Subsidise New Tasmanian Team !
Subsidise Kangaroos !
Subsidise Saints !
Subsidise DOGS
Who else ?
Players can be salary dumped !
AFL will still be run inhouse with no intervention from clubs "The Boys club!"
The rules will keep changing month to month with no explanation
Grass roots footy will stay unchanged like it has for last 20 years with limited financial assistance from the AFLeet.
I was involved in 3 junior local clubs for 10 years and it was a struggle and battle to keep these clubs functioning
I only ever saw a handful of AFL players come to training in 10 years to meet and greet kids, when questioned why the excuse
was because the AFL couldn't afford to pay the players.

This is how the AFL allocated all the takings from 2021

AFL releases 2021 financial results​


Key AFL financial summary:
The AFL’s revenue increased by $63.3 million to $738.1 million, due to increased broadcast revenue and improved commercial returns. This revenue assisted in covering the following costs:

  • $300.9 million to AFL clubs;
  • $29.5 million on the administration of the 2021 men’s and women’s season, including travel costs to relocate clubs impacted by state border restrictions and administer Covid-19 testing protocols;
  • $53.0 million to Game Development; an increase of $21.0 million in line with increased activity at Community level nationally through 2021;
  • $60.2 million to the AFLPA;
  • $18.5 million in running the NAB AFL Women’s competition;
  • $23.0 million to infrastructure comprising of elite and community facilities and contributions for stadia redevelopments; and
  • $0.9 million to corporate and social responsibility initiatives.

  • So $738 Million Revenue Minus Listed Expenses Equals $253 Million Left Over !

  • Plus By The Way The Afl Does Not Pay A Cent In Taxes !

.....and?
 

John Greening

Rookie
May 13, 2021
43
52
AFL Club
Collingwood
.....and?
And with vision and foresight the VFA became the VFL and the VFL became the AFL ! And i'm sure there was plenty of doubters and dooms day people who believed the game would dissapear .
The game will never dissapear every 100 years there's been a change
it will continue to evolve .
And my point is the game needs to evolve to survive and if that means private investors and owners so be it.
 

Mollythedolly

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 21, 2021
5,573
6,098
AFL Club
Collingwood
And with vision and foresight the VFA became the VFL and the VFL became the AFL ! And i'm sure there was plenty of doubters and dooms day people who believed the game would dissapear .
The game will never dissapear every 100 years there's been a change
it will continue to evolve .
And my point is the game needs to evolve to survive and if that means private investors and owners so be it.

The game is evolving and growing. Doesn't need to sell it's soul as you've suggested to continue to do so.
 

pugsville

Club Legend
Nov 28, 2001
2,404
1,715
leningrad
AFL Club
Collingwood
Other Teams
collingwood
The time has come to take the AFL to the next level and bring the competion into the 21st Century.
The game is one of the greatest sporting codes to watch right up there with other international games like Soccer, Basketball, Tennis, Cricket and swimming
but boring and predictably run.
I truly believe all AFL teams should be privately run and owned by private investors/owners.
The Afl should stop being run by the boys club it's to restricted and can't grow any further and there are big monetary issues ahead even with the new TV rights.
Open it up and scrap salary caps salary dumping and let clubs live and progress on their own sword let clubs pay players what they want
like other professional international sporting codes.
Clubs should be able to buy swap and trade players without any AFL involment. No more bigger clubs susidising smaller clubs let them
be run on their own with private investment. Private invested clubs can nuture their own players and have their own acadamys and not worry about players
being drafted to other clubs.
Someone like Eddie Mcguire could be the man to lead this change. Someone who has broad vision and international know how.
Imagine the private investors coming from Australia and overseas.
The more money that comes into the code the better development and progression. The way it is at the moment it's a glorified locally run competion.

More money is not always "better". The More money in the game the more decisions are made on the basis of money,.
 
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