Sfl/safl/wafl/qfl/tfl

[Rowdy#8]

Theres no point getting more umpires etc until you raise the standard of player in the comp.

I'm thinking the exact opposite. Poor umpiring levels are probably more likely to deter decent players from playing in Sydney.

At the moment they play in the canberra league, smash teams week in week out. Cant see any point in that.

Not that I disagree with your fundamental arguement, but they lost to Queanbeyan last week ...

http://www.sportingpulse.com/comp_info.cgi?a=ROUND&round=1&client=1-1051-0-65344-0&pool=-1

[burley]

Is it all SFL Club Financial Positioning that is restrictng Sydney Football. If all Clubs had financial structures ($150k+ player & coaching budgets) like all the other major State Comps, the professionalism & level would increase.

- player payments would increase attracting all quality players who entered Sydney
- clubs would be in a financial position to mentor, support & assist development of talented juniors coming through
- Paying all players significant match payments would demanding higher levels of commitment, performance & professionalism.

Solution to getting all Clubs to that level - Decades of effort & development from NSWAFL & all Club Administrations.

[Hard Times]

Suggest pay players nothing in the SFL - zero salary cap and when caught cheating take points off the team.

[The Insider]

That was one of the smartest suggestions by Burley, followed by one of the most ludicrous suggestions by Hard Times. How is the standard of footy supposed to increase by removing incentives for quality footballers to play in Sydney. The improvement of Sydney footy is not going to happen overnight, but with a lot of hard work, combined with the money being invested in the state by the AFL, it will eventually occur.

[tara]

Is it all SFL Club Financial Positioning that is restrictng Sydney Football. If all Clubs had financial structures ($150k+ player & coaching budgets) like all the other major State Comps, the professionalism & level would increase.

- player payments would increase attracting all quality players who entered Sydney
- clubs would be in a financial position to mentor, support & assist development of talented juniors coming through
- Paying all players significant match payments would demanding higher levels of commitment, performance & professionalism.

Solution to getting all Clubs to that level - Decades of effort & development from NSWAFL & all Club Administrations.

I agree to a point but quite simply if player payments is the be all and end all in attracting quality you are right and wrong.


I have a friend plays 1st grade in the VFL where match payments are $400 per game and $150 in ressies. He has been offered and turned down $20k to drop to a club in a melbourne metro league. He is only 20 at the moment and in his 4th season. Obviously there are some high profile and young ex afl players on contracts worth more money at his club but he has chosen to play at the next highest level outside the AFL in Victoria over the lure of money.

Do you think higher $ will attract talent like him to our state league with the looming specture of two more clubs and therefore the requirement of more players and he was unluky not to get drafted first time around?

I personnaly think more money will attract broken down hacks like Whitnall or other players who have blown their shot at things by their attitude.

The standard would improve but at what cost - putting big names infront of local talent when it comes selection time?

The real key in my opinion is getting more and more juniors and ensuring a transition into senior football is available for all of them not just the so called elite. When we have cracked the schools market and every school in Sydney has AFL teams then you will see a rise in the overall playing standard.

[Coastal Boy]

Remember only 10 years ago the league gave a grant of about $30K to each club to employ a full time GM with the ambition of building sponsorship and becoming self sufficient??? (To my memory some of the clubs "squandered" the money using it to get a "GM/player" with a duel role.) Anyway, for many reasons the swans left the league and the money was withdrawn and IMO the powers that be think the SFL is a basket case and have no plans to help the clubs or the competition. You hear the AFL speaking of developing a local team/structure on the Gold Coast over a few years before entering an AFL team there....has any similar suggestion been made about the Sydney AFL?????

I suggest people look a little closer at the history of the Sydney competition in the last 30 years to get a better grasp of what has been tried and failed or worked and what the "powers" have previously forgone/suggested to better predict the future.

IMO the leagues idea of "positive change" is limited to such enterprises as altering the name of the competition trophy to the "Davis Cup" - and we dont play tennis!!!!

[Bert]

The real key in my opinion is getting more and more juniors and ensuring a transition into senior football is available for all of them not just the so called elite. When we have cracked the schools market and every school in Sydney has AFL teams then you will see a rise in the overall playing standard.[/QUOTE]

Yes Tara this is probably correct. I believe that the AFL are targeting the wrong schools. Instead of visiting schools that are from poorer Western and Southwestern areas, they should be targeting Catholic and private schools. I know of at least one Catholic school in my area, that had the Swans vist in 2001. Not good enough AFL.
By targeting poorer areas, you come up against inbred Rugby League mentality, that you can never change.

[T-Rock]

I don't think you can restrict where the AFL should be targeting schools. To say they shouldn't target poorer areas is a little narrow minded. Yes, western sydney is a strong hold for rugby league, particularly with the young polynesian kids coming out of that area, but if the AFL seriously wants a side out there they need a fan base- and the kids should be the target. It should also be noted that a lot of the catholic and private schools are very strong in rugby league and union.

I don't really think it's where you target, it's how the AFL targets primary schools and junior clubs to develop the game. No point a few nuff-nuffs turning up once in a blue moon, giving out a few footies and shirts...then see you later.

I think you also need to improve the quality of the senior competition, give the kids something to aim for. More money for clubs to spend should do this but it may also increase the number of clubs who try to "buy" flags.

[YoungKanga]

Couldn?t agree with u more T-Rock.. playing for a club that lies deep within league territory.
The avenue between junior football and senior footy had been poor between 2000 and 2006.
A under 13?s Macarthur rep team that made it to the Sydney final against North Shore, saw only 2 out of 22 players go on to play under 18?s a few years after, let alone play senior footy.
Thankfully more recently an avenue from my old junior club Camden where the AFL is flourishing has been set for younger players to move onto the top division Sydney footy.

The hardest thing at present is trying to get kids between the ages of 14 and 17?to continue to play the game?.
As kids seem to get older the likes of social and work commitments seem to overtake that of football? a majority not seein the benefit in playing football thereafter.

If Sydney football was held in I guess u could say a higher esteem within the whole Sydney community?kids may continue to play for a longer period with ultimately a higher goal to achieve.
There lies the challenge?.

I remember getting Sydney football scores, ladders and future fixtures during halftime of a Sunday AFL match on channel 7 during the late 90?s ?wat ever happened?

[Pace To Burn]

It goes something like this.....

SANFL>>VFL>>>>>>>WAFL>>>>>>>QFL>>>NTFL>>>Under 12's>>Sydney and Canberra C grade amateurs

A WAFL club recruited one of the better players from the ACT comp and he is a modest reserves player for South Fremantle. So still a long way to go.

Jason Fleming from Campbelltown has been picked to play for Swan Districts for this week after playing three games in the reserves after moving over this year. He has only been playing footy for the last 5 years and after winning the Rising star for the League and two b&f for us has taken the next step. Congrats to him, Maybe there is some talent in our league despite all the knockers