VFL to merge with NEAFL, under-18 comps revamped in massive changes to AFL’s second tier

[The_Wookie]

They didn't even bother telling at least one of the NEAFL clubs. First Canberra heard of it was reading it in the media.

Wookie got this one spot on.

Look, I know Im thought of as an AFL shill by many - I cant stand the SANFL, but the WAFC has been an outstanding manager of the sport in its area in many respects - but the management of state competitions has been an utter travesty by the league and every change has gone pear shaped. The NSW and QLD AFL sides should have had their reserves playing in the VFL from the start and the QAFL, SydneyAFL and ACT leagues should have been left alone. the only thing they did do right, they've canned - and that was the NT Thunder, who probably should have played SANFL not QAFL but whatevs.

 

[Pessimistic]

are you in touch with developing a truly national comp.?
Developing States need academies at the junior level to get the talent UNLIKE heartland States with long established junior comps.
Heartland clubs dont need 1st dibs on the kids the junior kids, they should go into the draft.

‘these clubs only take the cream via a cademies. There’s no uplift of the general footy population. It’s just a rort

 

[Great8]

Are SANFL clubs still acting as if a national comp doesnt exist.

No
The SANFL clubs just want the reserves to go and join a national comp.
The SANFL clubs know where they sit in the grand scheme of things

 

[FootyJunkie]

Port Melbourne and Williamstown to stick around in this?

 

[Tackle Bag]

Afl have dropped Brad Scott in as head of afl Vic.
With all due respect to Brad, local football in Victoria is in disarray and needs experienced guidance.

It’s time the AFL handed back the keys of state/ local football to an independent state body.
They have absolutely destroyed Victorian football and this is likely to be the final straw for the once proud VFA/ VFL stand alone clubs.

Victoria will now have no premier state level competition.

 

[PowerBaz]

No
The SANFL clubs just want the reserves to go and join a national comp.
The SANFL clubs know where they sit in the grand scheme of things

So maybe they will stop bleeding the two AFL clubs here during the season then? That’s the elephant in the room for me, the Oval deal is a luxury they are gifted that needs to end.

 

[Pessimistic]

Afl have dropped Brad Scott in as head of afl Vic.
With all due respect to Brad, local football in Victoria is in disarray and needs experienced guidance.

It’s time the AFL handed back the keys of state/ local football to an independent state body.
They have absolutely destroyed Victorian football and this is likely to be the final straw for the once proud VFA/ VFL stand alone clubs.

Victoria will now have no premier state level competition.

Went better under Schwab

 

[Walshawk]

Next year will be COVID affect3d again, so AFL listed players will not be able to mix with state league players. Southport, etc will return to QAFL, and Syd Uni players to Sydney premier and Can era to AFL Canberra. The eight VFL/VFA clubs will try to get a comp going, but it will be difficult for Casey and Preston and maybe Box Hill to get a team together without AFL partners. 2021 will sort a few clubs out.
North was a new alignment, so at most in 2022 we will have the 15 VFL clubs from 2019 less North, plus GC/BL/GWS/SS. 18 games so play each once plus one derby. Each Vic club only two interstate trips so manageable.
They could align the fixture with the AFL so the VFL team travels with the AFL team.

 

[Bombermania]

A national comp could work by creating divisions with each divisional winner playing finals. That would keep travel costs down because sides would only play teams in their area pretty much like the state leagues are now.

 

[SaltPeter]

As long as they leave the SANFL and WAFL comps alone it seems reasonable; but sadly that wont happen.

I don't think the AFL has any control over the SANFL. Not so sure about the WAFL

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Confirmed AFL is paying travel.

As expected, Southport at least will probably participate. Money won’t be an issue there.

Seems a very expensive exercise all round.

 

[legend166]

Confirmed AFL is paying travel.

As expected, Southport at least will probably participate. Money won’t be an issue there.

Seems a very expensive exercise all round.

How much does the travel actually cost? Let's say $250 a head return (probably cheaper with their deals with Virgin, etc, but seems a reasonable estimate). You're probably flying what, 30 people? 22 Players, travelling emergency and 6-7 coaching/support staff? Let's be safe and say 32? $8000 per team, you might have what, 8 travelling interstate any given round? Throw in a nights accommodation at $100 a head, 22 rounds a year and you're looking at $1.9 million per year. That's about what Gil gets paid in a normal year.

I really don't know why they don't just create a national reserves competition. They're already halfway there. Becomes easier to package the rights and sell it too which would easily account for the cost. No one probably cares watching if it's the Collingwood reserves vs Southport, but if you have Collingwood Reserves vs Carlton Reserves you'll get a few eyeballs.

Just leave the state leagues to their own devices.

 

[Dr Tigris]

What I want to know is what is the plan/strategy/vision?

The AFL always seems to drop these things without any discussion and then wonder why it doesn't work as intended.

Just have a national reserves comp. Strengthen the state comps and put work into the QLD/NSW/ACT/Tas compes to ensure their is a top line state league option.

Put heaps of resources into junior footy, then add a bit more with a long term strategy.

Right now it seems to be ad hoc bits and pieces, slowly trashing the middle tier of football.

 

[RUNVS]

Confirmed AFL is paying travel.

As expected, Southport at least will probably participate. Money won’t be an issue there.

Seems a very expensive exercise all round.

So the AFL is trying to save money and to do that they came up with a solution that is a lot more expensive?

 

[Bunk Moreland]

So the AFL is trying to save money and to do that they came up with a solution that is a lot more expensive?

It’s totally bizarre from a cost point of view. Announced on the same day as they made dozens of redundancies.

 

[crows dude]

As long as they leave the SANFL and WAFL comps alone it seems reasonable; but sadly that wont happen.

No dont leave them alone. Send crows and port over as well so they are no longer in the SANFL.

 

[Walshawk]

So the AFL is trying to save money and to do that they came up with a solution that is a lot more expensive?

AFL won’t was state league sides like Southport or a Sydney Uni team in it. There is no point. They should come out and say it rather than killing them off via stealth like they did the old VFA clubs.
Plus they will be murdered by the likes of Box Hill, Richmond, Port and Willi.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

How much does the travel actually cost? Let's say $250 a head return (probably cheaper with their deals with Virgin, etc, but seems a reasonable estimate). You're probably flying what, 30 people? 22 Players, travelling emergency and 6-7 coaching/support staff? Let's be safe and say 32? $8000 per team, you might have what, 8 travelling interstate any given round? Throw in a nights accommodation at $100 a head, 22 rounds a year and you're looking at $1.9 million per year. That's about what Gil gets paid in a normal year.

I really don't know why they don't just create a national reserves competition. They're already halfway there. Becomes easier to package the rights and sell it too which would easily account for the cost. No one probably cares watching if it's the Collingwood reserves vs Southport, but if you have Collingwood Reserves vs Carlton Reserves you'll get a few eyeballs.

Just leave the state leagues to their own devices.

From what you hear out of clubs, nobody actually wants interstate reserves. There’s just not enough benefit to match the costs. Travelling for any footy club is a hindrance, not an advantage, so having to put your entire squad on planes around the country, rather than just 23 players, is just annoying. A big function of reserves is injury return etc... flying around is not good for that. Plus AFL lists dont accomodate the numbers, so you need to have part-time top-ups and they’re being asked to get on planes.

It’s why this solution is so weird, they’re just so hellbent on getting the NSW/Qld clubs into the VFL that they’re creating this.

In any case it’ll be interesting to see how it works. There‘ll probably be conferences so who knows how much travel will be involved.

 

[RUNVS]

It’s totally bizarre from a cost point of view. Announced on the same day as they made dozens of redundancies.

I know many people would disagree but from a cost point of view what I would do is create a 9 team reserves competition.

Each team is made up of 2 AFL teams since no AFL team would be able to field an entire reserves team filled with AFL players. So something like

Sydney/GWS
Adelaide/Port Adelaide
West Coast/Fremantle
Collingwood/Carlton
Hawthorn/Essendon
Melbourne/St Kilda
North Melbourne/Western Bulldogs
Geelong/Carlton
Brisbane/Gold Coast

That would be a high quality competition and if necessary increase the bench to 6 players instead of 4 so every team is able to have all their reserves players play. Would halve the costs and would probably be the second best league in the country.

 

[mightymouse75]

Afl does not deserve to be a not for profit organisation..
What a waste of money.

 

[mightymouse75]

Rip VFL..

 

[RUNVS]

Rip VFL..

Yep. Can we please stop counting premierships before 1990?

 

[legend166]

I know many people would disagree but from a cost point of view what I would do is create a 9 team reserves competition.

Each team is made up of 2 AFL teams since no AFL team would be able to field an entire reserves team filled with AFL players. So something like

Sydney/GWS
Adelaide/Port Adelaide
West Coast/Fremantle
Collingwood/Carlton
Hawthorn/Essendon
Melbourne/St Kilda
North Melbourne/Western Bulldogs
Geelong/Carlton
Brisbane/Gold Coast

That would be a high quality competition and if necessary increase the bench to 6 players instead of 4 so every team is able to have all their reserves players play. Would halve the costs and would probably be the second best league in the country.

The whole point of the reserves is player development. Players get played in different positions, game plans are worked out, etc, etc. You can't do that if you're combined with another club.

 

[RUNVS]

The whole point of the reserves is player development. Players get played in different positions, game plans are worked out, etc, etc. You can't do that if you're combined with another club.

You can if both clubs employ the same coach, and both clubs ask the coach to try different things. It wouldn't be the coaches main goal to win, but instead play the players in the positions that each team wants. It could be done, and it would also be a much higher quality competition, so you could see how the young players go against better opposition.

 

[The Victorian]

I know many people would disagree but from a cost point of view what I would do is create a 9 team reserves competition.

Each team is made up of 2 AFL teams since no AFL team would be able to field an entire reserves team filled with AFL players. So something like

Sydney/GWS
Adelaide/Port Adelaide
West Coast/Fremantle
Collingwood/Carlton
Hawthorn/Essendon
Melbourne/St Kilda
North Melbourne/Western Bulldogs
Geelong/Carlton
Brisbane/Gold Coast

That would be a high quality competition and if necessary increase the bench to 6 players instead of 4 so every team is able to have all their reserves players play. Would halve the costs and would probably be the second best league in the country.

There is no chance this can work. Imagine Geelong/Carlton in a reserves team together. Geelong want to play one way, Carlton want to play one way.

I'm involved in junior local footy and I have always pushed to keep one club teams then merging two junior sides together for numbers because it just never works.