No-one posts here anymore...

[Tubz]

I would prefer to see the team that finishes first over the course of the season go on to be promoted because I think it takes a consistent effort for the entire season and is a true indication of the teams depth rather than a club that, for example, scrapes into the finals and then their senior team fails to make the finals. The club can qualify some senior players into the finals bound team and win a flag when they are not necessarily the best team in that division, IMHO.

[Hole In Bucket]

Of course, Tim is correct, Divisionalisation is a disaster for any decent footy club. It spreads resources thin and takes away all club spirit.

In fact it is like Auskick for seniors. The weak, whinging pathetic,clubs whocounldnt organise themselves to compete at an equal level cause head office to change the rules so every little kid/club gets a prize because all those out west were sick of losing.

Another 2 years and all comps will be completely devoid of interest and it will change beck to how football should be. The strong survive and prosper and the weak can please themselves.

[DLH]

Of course, Tim is correct, Divisionalisation is a disaster for any decent footy club. It spreads resources thin and takes away all club spirit.

In fact it is like Auskick for seniors. The weak, whinging pathetic,clubs whocounldnt organise themselves to compete at an equal level cause head office to change the rules so every little kid/club gets a prize because all those out west were sick of losing.

Another 2 years and all comps will be completely devoid of interest and it will change beck to how football should be. The strong survive and prosper and the weak can please themselves.

Maybe you might want to consider why those out west were sick of losing, because to a large degree it was for reasons outside of their control.

Not sure how you can be a "decent" club if that's all it takes for you to lose your "club spirit"?

Now who's whinging and pathetic........

[tara]

Of course, Tim is correct, Divisionalisation is a disaster for any decent footy club. It spreads resources thin and takes away all club spirit.

In fact it is like Auskick for seniors. The weak, whinging pathetic,clubs whocounldnt organise themselves to compete at an equal level cause head office to change the rules so every little kid/club gets a prize because all those out west were sick of losing.

Another 2 years and all comps will be completely devoid of interest and it will change beck to how football should be. The strong survive and prosper and the weak can please themselves.

Ill bite - my club was one of those so called week whinging clubs that couldnt compete at an equal level - I guess you would whinge too when you are competing against clubs who field three teams in the same division rather than moving up to a division they should have been competing in.
Is that they way you would like to see it again?

[Norris Lurker]

From what I've seen around the traps, what causes the loss of club spirit is when the seniors are getting belted every week.
Divisionalisation has helped, in that more clubs have a realistic chance of getting a senior premiership - and the feeling around the club when the seniors are finals contenders does help boost numbers. We've seen clubs like Moorebank and Penrith take on extra teams on the back of that.
But when the seniors are getting flogged every week, it doesn't help morale; and it spreads through the club, especially when it happens nearly every week for several years in a row.
That's why the number of lopsided games in Premier Division is a concern; and why extending promotion and relegation to Premier Division may be helpful. All clubs go through phases where they bottom out, but if they can have competitive games while they bottom out, it does help them to regroup and get back to the top division as a stronger club.

[Tim Freedman]

Pretty sure last time I checked Bruce Purser Reserve in Rouse Hill was out West? Or do we call it NorWest these days to try and make ourselves a little more upper class?

[Hard Times]

If I accept that it is only coincidental that Divisionalisation has occurred at the same time local footy crowds have dropped so significantly then what do Sydney AFL people believe is the cause?

[Hole In Bucket]

If I accept that it is only coincidental that Divisionalisation has occurred at the same time local footy crowds have dropped so significantly then what do Sydney AFL people believe is the cause?

There is no answer. The defenders of divisionlisation are all from clubs with no sole or spirit who couldnt get full teams to a game because they lost more than they won. waa waa waa.

Instead of trying to improve and get to a decent level we have gone to the kindergarten method of rewarding mediocrity and penalising those who actually know how to run football clubs.

At least all the whining little Jonnies win a game every now and then so they receive their gold star, so they will turn up next week.

[felix]

The crowds are non existent at the few games I have seen this year.
Very hard to get helpers and supporters when a day at the footy now can see your club playing at the Gong, Manly, Blacktown or Campbelltown all on the same day at similar times. Only the diehards want to be involved and with either a Swans or Giants game in Sydney every week the convenience and comfort factor must be having an effect. Swans on top of the ladder is hard to pass up over a long road trip to remote parts of Sydney.
Bring back the Under 19s as has happened in the biggest competitions in Victoria to try and keep the younger ones involved and promote on a club basis to keep them together.

[mountainsofpain]

If I accept that it is only coincidental that Divisionalisation has occurred at the same time local footy crowds have dropped so significantly then what do Sydney AFL people believe is the cause?

There haven't been 'crowds' at Sydney AFL matches for years and years. It's misleading to even use the word.

It's been two man and a dog stuff since well before the divisions were introduced.

[mountainsofpain]

But this isn't a traditional football state. If they hadn't gone the division path, you'd have next to nothing west of Parra.

But you see, that doesn't matter to the opponents of divisionalization, who can't and won't see past their own patch.

Thankfully the AFL sees its responsibility to the senior game is at all levels, not just the top. And it is not just there to service existing clubs, it is also there to grow the game by getting new clubs in.

The previous competition structure had to go. It was inequitable and made it very difficult for club growth and development. So a new structure had to be brought in.

I'm the first to admit the current system has its drawbacks, but reverting to how it was before would be disastrous for the game here in Sydney.

[mountainsofpain]

We also need to get rid of this ridiculous pathway system. Telling a kid where he can and can't play is detrimental to that players development and his morale. It is unheard of in traditional football states to have this system in place. Most clubs in lower divisions wish their players the best when they decide to have a crack at a higher standard of football. In fact it is encouraged. For some unknown reason it is frowned upon in Sydney footy when a higher club contacts a kid in a lower division to see if they are keen to have a crack at the next level.

But we are not in a traditional football state. This point seems lost on you. The dynamics are different here.

Growing the game at a senior level has a greater level of importance here than it does in traditional football states.

This is the AFL running the show, not just a country or suburban league administration. They have a very strong developmental role to play.

An inequitable competition structure stood firmly in the way of the growth of the senior game. Hence a different structure (divisionalization).

Having certain clubs being not satisfied with the amount of local juniors they had and raiding other areas for their junior talent as well - to the detriment of the local senior club more often than not - was also a major impediment to the growth of senior football. I'm guessing that, in part at least, led to the pathway program.

[mountainsofpain]

Of course, Tim is correct, Divisionalisation is a disaster for any decent footy club. It spreads resources thin and takes away all club spirit.

In fact it is like Auskick for seniors. The weak, whinging pathetic,clubs whocounldnt organise themselves to compete at an equal level cause head office to change the rules so every little kid/club gets a prize because all those out west were sick of losing.

Another 2 years and all comps will be completely devoid of interest and it will change beck to how football should be. The strong survive and prosper and the weak can please themselves.

For someone adverse to whinging, you sure seem to do a bit of it yourself.

[Norris Lurker]

If I accept that it is only coincidental that Divisionalisation has occurred at the same time local footy crowds have dropped so significantly then what do Sydney AFL people believe is the cause?

Sydney footy hasn't drawn crowds for as long as I've been around, and probably for decades before that. Any decrease in crowd numbers due to divisionalisation is more than offset by an increase in player numbers.

[Mug Punter]

Divisionalisation is not ideal, I'd like to see it replaced by a 3-4 division promotion/relegation system asap that allows clubs to find their own levels.

My main point with this post was what I perceive to be the complete lack of interest in the SFL, even from football people. With the Bogans coming in plus the two strongest clubs going to the NEAFL to get flogged every week (taking a swag of other club's good players) our local comp has standard that can only be described as dire....

At a time when apparently we are a big enough footy city to sustain two AFL teams (the other mob's pathetic crowds would suggest otherwise) the current state of our local senior football is a complete joke. Talk about a bunch of boneheads, they were FINALLY getting the local comp to a decent level and they destroy it in one fell swoop....