Strategy What Would Happen if the AFL Raised the Draft Age to 21?

[moses]

Interesting topic but will never happen.

Why?

It's a restraint of trade and age discrimination.

Saying an adult cannot apply to participate in your industry until they are 21. When they can join the Army at 18?

As a side note what happens in the year the rule comes in to all the draftees under 21 already in the system?

They will obviously never raise the draft age for all the reasons given on this thread, but certainly interesting to ponder what impact it may have.

 

[jdstorm]

This is a StKilda President/Eddie McGuire level of dumb idea.

would break all current developmental pathways for no benefit

 

[AstonSouffle]

Only work if you worked out a way to reward the employer they had during ages 18 to 21.

 

[Choogler]

The simple answer is there would be restraint of trade litigation that would completely destroy the whole draft system and thereby the whole of the AFL's equalisation strategy.

Like it or not, the AFL is already a "business" that is compromised because of salary caps, draft restrictions, draft concessions, the fact it props-up some clubs and not others and a multitude of other factors.

If the draft/trade system was ever tested in court, the AFL would lose because no-one has a right to tell uncontracted workers like draftees where they can work or even how much they can earn and they most certainly can't tell clubs how much they can spend on payments to their staff (workers).

We would see players refusing to go to clubs and ultimately it would see the big clubs with the prestige and financial power dominating the less wealthy and less successful clubs. I would also think that some clubs would just fade away because in a proper and open competitive environment, without AFL prop-up funding, the smaller clubs would not have the resources to compete successfully... and would just die or have to merge with other smaller clubs.

As it is, the AFL draft is already a perilous venture that survives only on the goodwill of the clubs and draftees. Taking a potential 3 years earning capacity from workers would be fraught with danger and would see that goodwill evaporate.

Having said that, I do believe increasing it by 1 year and forcing potential draftees into a year of senior footy and further development would stop a lot of the heartache associated with kids seeing their AFL dream evaporate after 2 years.

 

[caveman72]

Interesting topic but will never happen.

Why?

It's a restraint of trade and age discrimination.

Saying an adult cannot apply to participate in your industry until they are 21. When they can join the Army at 18?

As a side note what happens in the year the rule comes in to all the draftees under 21 already in the system?

I signed up at 17 for the Army

 

[Atomboy]

Interesting topic but will never happen.

Why?

It's a restraint of trade and age discrimination.

Saying an adult cannot apply to participate in your industry until they are 21. When they can join the Army at 18?

As a side note what happens in the year the rule comes in to all the draftees under 21 already in the system?

Don’t tell that to kids in the US who are free to get their legs blown off in Afghanistan but can’t get a beer at the bar !.

 

[Seedsfan]

Would be an interesting comp.

You finish high school and just turned 18.

You can focus on playing SANFL or WAFL or VFL as a 19 year old. That one year of development makes a huge difference. That one year of improvement in strength and endurance can be huge too.

Would be interesting if you are drafted as a 21 year old.

3 more years of experience, fitness and strength and conditioning. 3 full seasons of development.

Rather than breaking down at 30, you could play solid footy at 35 or even 40 years old

You have NFI, 3 part times seasons of development will prepare you better than being a full time athlete. lol

 

[rgauci]

The northern academies would need to wait slightly longer to get freebies

 

[TheLastCall]

I thought the COVID years were the time to move the age back.
2020 and 2021 they could have pushed the draft age back 6 months each.

Would have pushed the draft age to 19. I think giving players a year in the state leagues would not have hurt.
Rarely do first year players hit their strides and a year of development would give them a normal year to develop, rather than just leaving school and straight in to a club system.

Only some of the Top picks get to play in their first year. These are the exception rather than the rule.

 

[SurreyBlue]

A lof of talented kids will not be able to play AFL until 21? Just think about that for a minute.......

 

[borderbarry]

How would this have effected Robert Harvey and Tim Watson among others, who started their careers as 16 yr olds.

 

[MarcMaverick]

TBF the AFL isn't forcing recruiters to draft 17 year olds. Their have been mature agers.

 

[harper2bastinac]

Well if that had of happened this year, will Ashcroft would have been talked about as the raging favourite to go number one, and Brisbane probably would have still won the last two flags, but obviously with a different norm smith medalist both years