Analysis Would relegation make the AFL better?

Would relegation make the AFL better?


  • Total voters
    99

NetworkNerd

Brownlow Medallist
Sep 6, 2011
12,838
21,180
Melbourne
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Other Teams
AFL Member so all clubs I guess.
The set-up would be a 1st division has 10 teams, 2nd Division 8 teams .

The bottom two teams in Div 1 are relegated and the the top 2 in Div 2 go up every year.

The premiership is obviously only won from Div 1.
Tigers wouldn't have won 2017 flag under that proposal. They could at best finish 9th to qualify for div 1 in 2018
 

NetworkNerd

Brownlow Medallist
Sep 6, 2011
12,838
21,180
Melbourne
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Other Teams
AFL Member so all clubs I guess.
Also dogs 2016 wouldn't have happened. They lost the elimination final in 2015 hence would have been relegated to div2 in 2016
 
in the words of a wise man:

Low_Q_-_Yeah_Nah_Navy_Men-1159_1100x.jpg
 
A million times no.

Relegation would mean that free agents/players would only ever sign with the same few teams on the top of the ladder. It would create absolute disparity in the league.
 
Also dogs 2016 wouldn't have happened. They lost the elimination final in 2015 hence would have been relegated to div2 in 2016

The Dogs finished 6th at the end of the 2015 H&A season? 9th and 10th would have been relegated under the OP's proposed model, but yeah I disagree with a 2 tiered comp
 
A million times no.

Relegation would mean that free agents/players would only ever sign with the same few teams on the top of the ladder. It would create absolute disparity in the league.

There already is. North has not been able to secure a big fish in a decade of trying.

They and the other VFA clubs could access the draft ahead of the Melbourne based but not the interstate Clubs.

Imagine the broadcast ratings in a last round where say North, Dons and Hawks needed the result. Imagine the VFA Grand Final with promotion as the big prize.

We could admit Tassie and keep the AFL comp at 18.
 
Jul 20, 2008
1,060
384
Melbourne
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Having a Final Series is effectively a relegation system in itself....and a better one than EPL. It's like 2 seasons in one....all teams (most importantly their supporters) involved in the first and then if you don't win enough games your team is out for the second season (Finals).
EPL has no Finals series......that is a problem.
 
Sep 20, 2009
9,662
28,066
NSW
AFL Club
St Kilda
Relegation and any other attempt to take any rule change from Soccer is not needed in Aussie Rules.


Our sport is fine without trying to shape it to resemble an international sport. We don't need a night Grand Final because the Super Bowl does it. We don't need relegation because soccer does it. We don't need conferences because the NBA does it.


We've got a good sport here without trying to emulate other sports.
 
Feb 13, 2010
20,087
40,700
Melbourne, Victoria
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Other Teams
Coney Island Warriors
The financial impact on memberships would be huge, I'd imagine.
I, for one, am not shelling out what I do for reserved seating and guarenteed GF tickets if we're playing in the little league.
(granted we're probably not featuring in the GF this year, but the reserved seating argument still stands! :p)
 
May 30, 2006
17,516
10,291
Canberra
AFL Club
North Melbourne
Not yet.
If we get to 24 teams, two divisions of 12 would start to make sense. A lot of things would need to change - probably the end of the draft (which should happen anyway IMO), contracts and salary caps become an issue, revenue distribution as second tier teams very likely won't have the same opportunity for football revenue.
 
Mar 3, 2022
4,538
5,922
AFL Club
Adelaide
It only makes sense if the AFL opened up to private ownership. You need private money to take on the burden of losses associated with relegation.

I think we are just too small to make it work.

Soccer handles it because you can feasibly get talent from all over the world. We don't have that.

But of course we know that private ownership will mean a core group of teams rise to the top and stay there.

No, as undoubtedly as interesting as relegation would make footy, it isn't a good idea.

I'd also make the point that crowds go way down in AFL when teams are bottom half. Imagine what would happen if a team was relegated.

You also need to think about stadia. If a MCG tenant gets relegated where do they play? Scheduling nightmare unless they went to a suburban ground but then the financial losses are compounded.

American sport doesn't suffer for lack of relegation and I don't think we do either.
 
Back