Where does your footy loyalty lie?

[Beutbrute]

The AFL is the most successful sporting body in the country. It has great attendances, a loyal supporter base, good media rights deals and the best players available. It controls Australian Rules Football with an iron fist and has the rights to the club names, jumpers and venues.

As a hypothetical, my question to you is;
If there was a breakaway competition, who would you support?

Personally I'm ambivalent to the AFL as an organisation. It does some things well, but I disagree with other things it does. I feel the same about my club, but am illogically loyal to it. The players come and go over the years so my loyalty doesn't lie there. At the end of the day I think I would follow the club, regardless of the competition it was in as long as it was a national competition.

Would you follow the AFL if your club was no longer in the competition
Would you follow your club if it rebranded and was in a new competition
Would you follow wherever your favourite players play, regardless of what competition or club that might be, or could it be something as simple as following whoever is telecast in HD on free to air tv, or whoever plays at your local stadium?

 

[hotkorma]

AFL til I die #afl4lyf

 

[largebus]

This is why AFL-X exists

 

[Slats]

#StandByGillon

 

[JVseven]

Ummmmmm your club.

/thread.

 

[Beutbrute]

Ummmmmm your club.

/thread.

If the AFL implemented a relegation rule similar to the EPL would you follow your club to the VFL and stop following AFL?

 

[Mofra]

If the AFL implemented a relegation rule similar to the EPL would you follow your club to the VFL and stop following AFL?

It would be interesting to see Western Bulldogs take on Footscary

 

[donkeypunchd]

If the AFL implemented a relegation rule similar to the EPL would you follow your club to the VFL and stop following AFL?

Surely that goes without saying?

 

[SilentHunter_]

Club

 

[donkeypunchd]

If the AFL implemented a relegation rule similar to the EPL would you follow your club to the VFL and stop following AFL?

And technically if relegation were introduced it would still be an AFL comp, just a different level f the pyramid.

 

[M Malice]

Would follow wherever the club took us.

Players come and go, you have your favorites but I do not become too invested in them, the fact is that most players are only at your club because of the random chance that a draft pick gives you.

In short support the players but totally and loyally invest in the club.

AFL hierarchy- Meh.

 

[Brunswick Trap King]

It would be interesting to see Western Bulldogs take on Footscary

It'd be very frightening.

 

[didaksrightfoot]

It would be interesting to see Western Bulldogs take on Footscary

If we followed the soccer example then Footscray would then be automatically relegated to the 3rd tier as you couldn't have both directly competing. (Is VFA around still?).

For example, Real Madrids reserves team (Castilla) play in the Spanish 2nd division and are ineligible for a promotion even if they win the league. (And would theoretically would automatically drop if Real ever got relegated).

(This doesnt apply to the Premier League when the "reserves" have their own informal competition seperate to the FA's leagues)

You'd think if we ever went to a promotion/relegation system then a ruling would have to be made - or just end all affiliations.

 

[Fat Nyfe]

Go AFL! clap clap clap

 

[Great8]

If the AFL implemented a relegation rule similar to the EPL would you follow your club to the VFL and stop following AFL?

Of course you should.
I'd watch a few games on TV but wouldn't attend any games.
If my club folded or ceased to exist I definitely would have no interest in the AFL

 

[raskolnikov]

Club. I was a Rugby League fan til they kicked my team, the North Sydney Bears, out. Have hardly watched it since. Origin and Grand Finals basically. I'd be the same with AFL if Essendon ever got kicked out.

*Waits for "They should have been."*

 

[Ricky Vaughn]

Just like, I assume, every other poster on this site, I'd just support whoever Joel Selwood plays for.

 

[Animus]

AFLs mission has been to create a cult of the personality ala NBA.

Did you follow Miami or did you follow LeBron? Sure the people in those particular places still followed the team but for the fans in other parts of the country or even more lucratively, overseas you may find yourself changing teams a little easier.


There is huge money in superstars. AFL has always had superstars but has done well to make them the 'superstar of the team' rather than their own entity. Until the last few years where the process has changed. In conjunction with media and commentators, you see certain players become immune to criticism, every random act is described as amazing and if anyone is brave enough to call them out that person is hounded.

Danger, Rance, Dusty all examples.

You will soon see signature boots coming out. Little jonny from Geelong will be the poor prick of his U8s unless he has Paddy35 boots on.

Danger wont just call midweek pressers he'll be sitting next to the coach or on straight after. Regularly.

This is the future driven by $$$$.

Welcome to the jungle.

 

[ferrisb]

If the AFL implemented a relegation rule similar to the EPL would you follow your club to the VFL and stop following AFL?

It's a reasonable question.

But I followed Carlton through the early 00s and through the Malthouse years. So surely there is no level of shitness that would overpower my love for my club.

Hell, we might even be able to kick more than 8 goals a game in the VFL.... maybe...

 

[Deep]

Gotta pick the AFL even though they do nothing right and continually screw my club over because I'm an interstate member as it is and my current club does nothing for me whatsoever. Awful coach, no second game plan, bends over during trade negotiations. To me no club is bigger than the sport just like no player is bigger than the club.

You know you're lost when you're a GA member of both SA teams just to watch footy live and regularly skip watching your own team play on TV because watching a game live is just better to me.

 

[Beutbrute]

You will soon see signature boots coming out. Little jonny from Geelong will be the poor prick of his U8s unless he has Paddy35 boots on.

Paddy McGinnity likes this

 

[Ned_Flanders]

It would be interesting to see Western Bulldogs take on Footscary

Bulldogs are cowards, and would be intimidated just by the name footscary

 

[Ned_Flanders]

It's a reasonable question.

But I followed Carlton through the early 00s and through the Malthouse years. So surely there is no level of shitness that would overpower my love for my club

Could trade in Mayne and Wells?

 

[Beutbrute]

It's a reasonable question.

But I followed Carlton through the early 00s and through the Malthouse years. So surely there is no level of shitness that would overpower my love for my club.

Hell, we might even be able to kick more than 8 goals a game in the VFL.... maybe...

Reason I asked is I was a die hard East Fremantle supporter, but with the AFL becoming a national competition, the introduction of the WC Eagles, the WAFL becoming a second tier competition and games rarely being telecast I've lost a lot of interest in a club I was once supported. That would point to me following the AFL as a competition rather than my club

 

[fumbler]

Those pov clubs would have to thank the afl big time