VFL 2021

[CrazyJoeFevola]

Article in Age today suggesting BL, Suns. GWS and Swans to join VFL. AFL to encourage Vic clubs to align with VFL clubs.
Reckon North will align with Werribee or maybe Coburg and we will get 18 clubs. Hopefully they match up the fixture with the AFL. 20 games would be good.

Werribee no chance to go back into an alignment, Coburg also just about zero chance. North have also approached Preston who are looking to re establish, were told they're either going it alone or not at all.

 

[Walshawk]

Werribee no chance to go back into an alignment, Coburg also just about zero chance. North have also approached Preston who are looking to re establish, were told they're either going it alone or not at all.

Can’t see Preston making a comeback after 20 years. Carlton and North will want alignment so things could get interesting.
Although, 2021 will be COVID affected again so we might be talking 2022 before this actually happens.

 

[Town]

LIVE: Vic clubs given three options for 2021 reserves season with interstate teams in the mix

LIVE: Vic clubs given three options for 2021 reserves season with interstate teams in the mix

www.foxsports.com.au

 

[Town]

Fingers crossed Preston can miraculously re enter the comp!

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Suggest VFL and NEAFL are effectively merging to become this “Eastern AFL”.

Would expect at least some of Aspley, Canberra, Redland, Southport and Sydney Uni could instead opt to return to return to state leagues.

 

[eth-dog]

Suggest VFL and NEAFL are effectively merging to become this “Eastern AFL”.

Would expect at least some of Aspley, Canberra, Redland, Southport and Sydney Uni could instead opt to return to return to state leagues.

Sydney Uni already have a team in the Sydney AFL comp with North Shore etc. Would expect all of Aspley, Southport and Redland to go back to the QAFL.

 

[EBERT THE KING]

Would Preston be a chance to align with Collingwood??

The AFL needs to be strong with the affiliation piece. I cant see Geelong being too happy about aligning with a VFL club but i think it needs to be mandatory.

Cant have some clubs aligning and others not.

 

[Walshawk]

Club killed off without notice as AFL ditches entire competition in massive footy revamp

Club killed off without notice as AFL ditches entire competition in massive footy revamp

www.foxsports.com.au

Only the four NEAFL AFL reserves club joining VFL.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Would Preston be a chance to align with Collingwood??

The AFL needs to be strong with the affiliation piece. I cant see Geelong being too happy about aligning with a VFL club but i think it needs to be mandatory.

Cant have some clubs aligning and others not.

In terms of being cost effective it’s pretty dead simple. Make it a 10 team comp (Perhaps North Ballarat is tenth to come back) with every AFL club aligned to a VFL club. Give the VFL clubs back their own jumpers and names as a trade-off for player affiliation. AFL list sizes can be as small as they like as they don’t need to field their own reserves.

But the AFL likes to complicate things.

 

[eth-dog]

In terms of being cost effective it’s pretty dead simple. Make it a 10 team comp (Perhaps North Ballarat is tenth to come back) with every AFL club aligned to a VFL club. Give the VFL clubs back their own jumpers and names as a trade-off for player affiliation. AFL list sizes can be as small as they like as they don’t need to field their own reserves.

But the AFL likes to complicate things.

Box Hill - Hawthorn
Casey - Melbourne
Coburg - Essendon
Frankston - Pies?
Werribee - Geelong
Williamstown - Bulldogs
Port - Richmond?
Sandy - St. Kilda
Preston - Carlton?
Tasmania? - North?

Like it's a hard one to do relative to geography for quite a few. Port Melbourne are closest to North geographically, but would they do an alignment? They'd probably have to bring back the Development League as well.

 

[GrumpyOldMan_NC]

I think some of the stand alone clubs would be very wary of any affiliations, seeing they worked so well in the past!!! Should we be looking at a similar rule to the 10-12 rule that limited only 10 AFL listed players per VFL selected side?

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Box Hill - Hawthorn
Casey - Melbourne
Coburg - Essendon
Frankston - Pies?
Werribee - Geelong
Williamstown - Bulldogs
Port - Richmond?
Sandy - St. Kilda
Preston - Carlton?
Tasmania? - North?

Like it's a hard one to do relative to geography for quite a few. Port Melbourne are closest to North geographically, but would they do an alignment? They'd probably have to bring back the Development League as well.

Would be the best approach for mine, and you’re spot on with the Dev League. That’d be a good thing, somewhere central for younger developing players rather than being al over the state at suburban and country clubs. They’d be training and playing at VFL level, albeit reserves, with the chance to step straight into VFL seniors.

 

[eth-dog]

I think some of the stand alone clubs would be very wary of any affiliations, seeing they worked so well in the past!!! Should we be looking at a similar rule to the 10-12 rule that limited only 10 AFL listed players per VFL selected side?

Think that only applied to when you were playing against stand alone sides

 

[Bunk Moreland]

I think some of the stand alone clubs would be very wary of any affiliations, seeing they worked so well in the past!!! Should we be looking at a similar rule to the 10-12 rule that limited only 10 AFL listed players per VFL selected side?

The AFL want to vastly reduce AFL list sizes, which would take care of this anyway. But they’ve hit some major hurdles with those plans from the players I think.

 

[Johnny Bananas]

I think some of the stand alone clubs would be very wary of any affiliations, seeing they worked so well in the past!!!

Do you (or anyone else) mind telling me what the issues with affiliation were?

 

[Johnny Bananas]

Werribee no chance to go back into an alignment, Coburg also just about zero chance. North have also approached Preston who are looking to re establish, were told they're either going it alone or not at all.

They'll be a great chance to go back into an alignment if their options are:
A. Align
B. Form your own separate league
C. Drop down to the district leagues

Several people on this forum have said option B isn't going to be financially viable. If Williamstown et al prefer option C, it shouldn't be too hard to find another district club to take their place, given the right financial incentives.

 

[The Nostradamus]

Do standalone vfl clubs have the funds to survive and continue on after this year?

 

[Who are ya]

Do you (or anyone else) mind telling me what the issues with affiliation were?

Just a few I could think of.
- AFL clubs trying to force the vfl club to play players in certain positions.

- Basically taking over vfa clubs with name changes, jumper changes etc. Think Carlton/Preston, Hawthorn/Box Hill, Melbourne/Springvale, Richmond/Coburg.

Wish the VFA had never allowed the AFL to become involved in their competition in the first place

 

[Johnny Bananas]

Just a few I could think of.
- AFL clubs trying to force the vfl club to play players in certain positions.

- Basically taking over vfa clubs with name changes, jumper changes etc. Think Carlton/Preston, Hawthorn/Box Hill, Melbourne/Springvale, Richmond/Coburg.

I suppose these problems could be rectified by the AFL keeping their clubs on a leash and ensuring they don't pressure the affiliated clubs in this way. But that would require the AFL to actually care about something beyond money, so it might not happen.

Wish the VFA had never allowed the AFL to become involved in their competition in the first place

Correct me if I'm wrong, half the VFA clubs died off in the 80s and 90s. Sounds likely that others would have too, had it not been for the AFL intervention. Or been reduced to a district league, but with extra travel burden. Nothing stops them dropping back to the districts now, so long as they cut their expenses accordingly.

 

[Who are ya]

I suppose these problems could be rectified by the AFL keeping their clubs on a leash and ensuring they don't pressure the affiliated clubs in this way. But that would require the AFL to actually care about something beyond money, so it might not happen.


Correct me if I'm wrong, half the VFA clubs died off in the 80s and 90s. Sounds likely that others would have too, had it not been for the AFL intervention. Or been reduced to a district league, but with extra travel burden. Nothing stops them dropping back to the districts now, so long as they cut their expenses accordingly.

A lot of clubs died or moved down to local leagues. A fair bit of it would’ve been due to money issues but there was also other factors like changing demographics etc. Also the VFL starting to play Sunday games once South Melbourne moved to Sydney was another big factor in the gradual demise of the VFA

 

[Johnny Bananas]

In terms of being cost effective it’s pretty dead simple. Make it a 10 team comp (Perhaps North Ballarat is tenth to come back) with every AFL club aligned to a VFL club. Give the VFL clubs back their own jumpers and names as a trade-off for player affiliation. AFL list sizes can be as small as they like as they don’t need to field their own reserves.

But the AFL likes to complicate things.

This could be done pretty easily with the northern clubs too.

Brisbane - Aspley
Gold Coast - Southport
Sydney - Sydney Uni
GWS - Canberra

 

[Rickee]

In terms of being cost effective it’s pretty dead simple. Make it a 10 team comp (Perhaps North Ballarat is tenth to come back) with every AFL club aligned to a VFL club. Give the VFL clubs back their own jumpers and names as a trade-off for player affiliation. AFL list sizes can be as small as they like as they don’t need to field their own reserves.

But the AFL likes to complicate things.

It's not that simple. The stand alone clubs are fiercely protective of their identities, and the AFL cannot just force them into an alignment. I'd daresay if they try to force alignments that Port, Williamstown, Werribee, Coburg and Frankston will just up and leave for suburban comps, and Sandringham, Casey and Box Hill will be right behind them as soon as they can extricate themselves from their takeovers.

 

[Rickee]

Do standalone vfl clubs have the funds to survive and continue on after this year?

Port had to set up a go fund me to help cover costs this season, so it's touch and go. I'm almost 100% certain we can in no way survive if forced to travel interstate half a dozen times.

 

[Rickee]

Do you (or anyone else) mind telling me what the issues with affiliation were?

The main issue has been AFL clubs coming in and trying to dictate terms to the aligned club, up to and including changing their identity. Port is very successful, and has been around for 120+ years, and did not take kindly to North Melbourne trying to tell them who to play in what position, and pressuring them to change their iconic and beloved home strip to blue and white stripes, so they told them in no uncertain terms to bugger off.

 

[Rickee]

Can’t see Preston making a comeback after 20 years. Carlton and North will want alignment so things could get interesting.
Although, 2021 will be COVID affected again so we might be talking 2022 before this actually happens.

Preston have a VAFA club and a strong junior program, plus a council that doesn't want to lose football being played at it's main venue. They'll be applying for a VFL licence, whether they get it or not is the question