Predicitions

[Mightyswans2005]

What is everyone's predictions for Top 5 in all leagues, and reasoning behind them.

[Rafters]

Would need to see the make-up of the grades first ... Campbelltown & Balmain could be competiting for the 2nd grade title if the promotion/regulation system is to occur.

[Mightyswans2005]

Originally posted by Rafters
Would need to see the make-up of the grades first ... Campbelltown & Balmain could be competiting for the 2nd grade title if the promotion/regulation system is to occur.

What system is this?

[Pekay]

Originally posted by Mightyswans2005
What system is this?

i'd post said system,but the AFL keeps a good eye on this,and what i have to say as well,so i'll wait n see if someone else puts it up first,preferably not a club administrator.Its what came out of the recent Presidents Meeting. Very tough to make it happen,but also very exciting at same time.

[peanut]

From the factory...

Possibly up to 5 divisions next year!

[DLH]

How on earth would a club who has sides in, say, 2nd, 4th and 5th Division manage to properly resource those teams given that they would most likely play at different venues, often on the same day? The AFL can try their best with the fixturing, but it would be nigh on impossible to make it workable.

I can see where they're coming from but it won't work given that most clubs are resource poor.

[Rafters]

Originally posted by DLH
How on earth would a club who has sides in, say, 2nd, 4th and 5th Division manage to properly resource those teams given that they would most likely play at different venues, often on the same day? The AFL can try their best with the fixturing, but it would be nigh on impossible to make it workable.

I can see where they're coming from but it won't work given that most clubs are resource poor.

Seems to work pretty easily in park cricket every Saturday during summer.

Also junior clubs are getting used to having sides in different age groups playing at different venues most Saturday mornings.

The better administered clubs will shine through.

[DLH]

Originally posted by Rafters
Seems to work pretty easily in park cricket every Saturday during summer.

Also junior clubs are getting used to having sides in different age groups playing at different venues most Saturday mornings.

The better administered clubs will shine through.

I take your point but in park cricket you don't need to provide runners, physios/strappers, goal/boundary umpires, manager etc. Footy is a lot more resource intensive, with cricket you can score and umpire the game if necessary whilst you bat.

You can administer your club as well as you like, but if you don't have the human resources available it makes it extremely difficult. I'm sure the Uni's would cope but I'd say there'd be plenty of other clubs that would struggle.

The other issue is the revenue gap between say 1st and 2nd Division. At present a Premier Division club would turn over about five times more than a club in First Division, roughly $250,000 to $50,000 to the best of my knowledge. This would be an extremely difficult task to build your revenue base to the extent where you could compete.

[Coastal Boy]

Originally posted by DLH
I take your point but in park cricket you don't need to provide runners, physios/strappers, goal/boundary umpires, manager etc. Footy is a lot more resource intensive, with cricket you can score and umpire the game if necessary whilst you bat.

You can administer your club as well as you like, but if you don't have the human resources available it makes it extremely difficult. I'm sure the Uni's would cope but I'd say there'd be plenty of other clubs that would struggle.

The other issue is the revenue gap between say 1st and 2nd Division. At present a Premier Division club would turn over about five times more than a club in First Division, roughly $250,000 to $50,000 to the best of my knowledge. This would be an extremely difficult task to build your revenue base to the extent where you could compete.

I would hate to be on the volunteer staff for 3 games at 3 different venues. What about the weekly scenario of players "playing up" a grade to help out when numbers are down?? What about first grade - teams will have to name 23 players in case 1 unexpectedly dosent turn up. The problems are endless. Honestly, Is this for real?????????

[Rafters]

I have never seen the make up of the suburban leagues in Vic, but I was under the impression that something similar occurs done there.

The idea does have some restrictions but it also has some merit & is worth considering.

I think it would provide the opportunity for keeping more in the game once they are over 18s age bracket ... it may encourage some junior clubs to start a senior team in say 5th or 6th grade even.

Whilst I do acknowledge that there is a difference in the turnover between SFL & SFA clubs, there are a few things worth noting:
- some clubs use very creative accounting when calculating turnover (eg showing the gross amounts of fundraising activities & showing the expenses against those fundraising separately) & the $250k figure is more realistically at $100k-150k
- I do know that Wollongong's turnover increased dramatically due to their participation in premier league this year & the sponsorship opportunities that this created. Why couldn't promoted sides do the same?

If uni teams can attract the players, I am sure they can attract the support staff as well to cater for them. If they can't then those players should be encouraged to play at other clubs that can cater for footy.

I am sure that if a club has sides in 2nds & 4ths it can be co-ordinated that their home games are on the same day ... as home games are where the greatest strain amongst clubs needing volunteers.

Junior soccer works pretty well.

Also park rugby league works really well & they probably have the similar requirement for volunteers to aussie rules. Also injuries would mean the need for players to move up & down grades on a regular basis. Player payments/turnover/sponsorship also provide similar scenarios - just a different sport. There is something like 650 senior rugby league clubs in Sydney compared to our 30-40. The Penrith District comp alone would be bigger than Sydney AFL & yet it is regarded to being well run & organised. They have sides in different grades - why couldn't we do it?

Like in park cricket, umpires can be biased when umpriing their own team - but I always thought the LBW & Deliberate Out of bounds rules are overrated anyway!!

[Coastal Boy]

I see your points Rafters. Lets look at what we know. The U/18s went "solo" this year. What is proposed is this X2. I would guess only half of their games were played before the seniors.

Would someone who had a close association with the U/18s and the seniors like to comment on the problems they noticed and their opnion on the workabilility of this??

[Tiger Cub]

Coastal Boy,

The Under 18 only played half of the proposed competition. After the preliminary rounds it was decided the model would not work as one of the sides pulled out (leaving only four in the bottom half of the division).

There were two divisions with the top four from each division going into division one half way through the season and the other half going into division two.

This process should work in the coming years with an increased number of Under 18 sides entering the competition.

[Coastal Boy]

Originally posted by Tiger Cub
Coastal Boy,

The Under 18 only played half of the proposed competition. After the preliminary rounds it was decided the model would not work as one of the sides pulled out (leaving only four in the bottom half of the division).

There were two divisions with the top four from each division going into division one half way through the season and the other half going into division two.

This process should work in the coming years with an increased number of Under 18 sides entering the competition.

Fair enough TC, but were there logistics problems playing the seniors at different grounds and days to the u/18s and all over Sydney. I accept the u/18s competition structure will work but does it impact negatively on the other grades. Local cricket plays clubs in a grade system and that works, but each game is at a different ground anyway unlike AFL. Touch football plays sides in different competitions, but they are all at the same ground. I think AFL is more difficult to handle. How can you drop a first grader from the Premier league into reserves from 1st division because your club does not field teams in the middle grades. Too messy for me.

[The Crows Nest]

I reckon Saints to win Reserves and go close in Firsts. So many kids coming through like Dougal( McDougall ) , Egg ( Santarossa) , Homo( Holmes) and others the future looks bright.

[the bull]

...

But your not biased at all are you CN?

I reckon East coast to win Reserves, Penno to win seniors and the redbacks to win u/18s, but its to ealier to call.