Wollongong Lions promoted to Premier Division

[Troy G]

At least Norris you're offering something up, an idea that's food for thought, instead of digging your boot tags in....

Seems although others agree that more money, better standard, more supporters, more sponsorship, more recognition, more media coverage, more visibility, better grounds and facilities etc is needed...when push comes to shove the opinion changes to, all is well, nothing needs to change.

It's clear that the only way things will really change at SENIOR LEVEL with SydneyAFL is if the AFL / NSWACTAFLC drives it or the Swans force their hand.

Pity..a small bit of courage and vision could go a long way.

[Rafters]

The best system that I was ever involved with in NSW sport was the "Champion of Champions" tournament that soccer used to provide.

Basically everyone plays in their respective districts ... the winner of each comp then plays in the "Champion of Champions" tournament to decide the overall State champion.

In Ireland they have something similar but take it one step further with the All-Ireland club championship where the best team from each state plays off for the national club title ... sure it is a few extra games & sure NSW prob wouldn't win a title ever ... but didn't we say that a team from Brisbane would never win the AFL ??

This way you get to keep costs down throughout the year ... not bothering about having to travel every second week.

Come to think of it ... European club soccer is another good example ... would you have expected a Turkish team to ever do well??

Could be the idea to draw the media?? Mind you Sydney AFL has a regular show every Friday night on Fox Footy ... a huge step already.

[cos789]

The Canbera -Sydney thing has been much discussed .I'd love to see it happen , but I think for a couple of reasons it is a dicey play .

IMO we need to change tack a little .Let's try and lift the standard of the SFL on our own .Woollongong is now in .We should be looking at a Newcastle or Central Coast side .Starts looking more like a State league then . More interest means more moneyand exposure .Then we might be in the position to re visit the Canberra idea .

[DLH]

Surely from a strategic sense the corridor west from Parramatta to the Mountains is the area that must be represented. The most heavily populated and fastest growing region for young families in Sydney and you'd think the powers that be must be acutely aware of it.

[Pekay]

Originally posted by DLH
Surely from a strategic sense the corridor west from Parramatta to the Mountains is the area that must be represented. The most heavily populated and fastest growing region for young families in Sydney and you'd think the powers that be must be acutely aware of it.

thats true dlh but a few things.1.Penrith is,and always will be,a rugby league dominated area,and with Panthers winning in 03 and going close in 04,would be murder.dont get me wrong,but the AFL wouldnt go there for that reason.2.i have many friends at Penrith,so not to insult the boys(PICKLES ETC) but a move up would require some significant on-field success,of which thr Rams have suffered. im not backing my club(NORWEST) but the best place in sydney for a new Premier Div club is Blacktown.right in between Parra and Penrith would be ideal.Rooty Hill Olympic Zone could produce a ground,andwith the 2nd biggest industrial area in oz,limitless sponsorship potential also.but that s my thought anyhoo.feel free to comment.

[DLH]

Don't ever be worried about insulting Pickles mate

I'd say you're right about Blacktown. Whilst it's just as League dominated an area as Penrith, it's a little more central which is advantageous. The AFL and Blacktown Council have also flagged an interest with Collingwood holding their Community Camps there. There just aren't the resources in the outer west insofar as players/coaching staff/sponsorship is concerned to run a Premier League club, much less a successful Division 1 outfit, and recruiting them from elsewhere is well nigh impossible as people just don't want to travel that far.

For these reasons I'd say Blacktown will be where any future club is located.

[Coastal Boy]

In response to all of the suggestions, in my opinion the SFL has not advanced at all in the past 20 years so I would be supportive of a long-term plan to improve the competition to grow as much as the Swans have over the same period.

A couple of suggestions:
1) Go back to 18 a team and scrap the 6 under 23 players. The introduction of this has only weakened the SFL as experienced players drift to the SFA and elsewhere.
2) Give players an incentive to stay in the SFL by choosing the top, say 5-6 players under 25 each year, to do a pre-season with the Swans. There is stench associated with the SFL that good players must go to the ACTAFL or further south for any exposure and the SFL is a graveyard for players trapped in Sydney due to work commitments.

In my opinion the problem with the SFL is the hierarchy of the NSWAFL and above which, intentionally or not, seem to quash the advancement of senior footy in Sydney. Too harsh????

[peterh_oz]

Can anyone name one "state league" where the competition is based OUTSIDE the capital city?

*pause for answer*

No I thought not.

The State League MUST be Sydney based. NSW media is run from Sydney. What Sydney media is going to report on a Canberra competition with a couple of Sydney teams?

Media coverage in Sydney is restricted to the local News Ltd newspaper - as part of the $500k media rights deal (it isn't only a TV deal!), Fox Footy (for an hour which no-one watches & again is part of the media contract!) plus 1 or 2 radio shows on Community Radio which, lets face it, only the die hards and a couple of dozen players listen to.

It is a long-term thing, NOT a short-term thing. We need to LIFT the standard of the SydneyAFL then maybe invite a couple of Canberra teams to join. Or overtake the ACTAFL as the state's best competition.

State League Soccer & District Cricket get better coverage/money/support than the Sydney AFL.

It CAN'T be done on crap grounds, which close for wet weather when a pidgeon pisses on it.

It CAN'T be done in a competition where the full forward has a beer & a smoke @ half time, and who's son is playing on the ball! (I must admit this has gone now but isn't that far into our history).

It CAN'T be done where coaches, players & facilities are "stuck in Sydney due to work committments" or aren't good enough for the Canberra competition.

It CAN'T be done where players are living their hobby.

It CAN'T be done where clubs and other officials spend their life protecting "their patch" from change. That nearly killed the VFL and is still keeping the SFL from growing.

It CAN'T be done where amateur umpiring (both on AND off the field) destroys matches (I'm an umpire - I've seen it. I'm allowed to say that).

It needs decisions to be made - both here AND in Melbourne. Here's how it could work:

Year 1:
Top 4 from each competition play the new NSWAFL State League, with 14 home & away rounds.

Year 2:
Bottom Sydney side and bottom Canberra side drop down to the local competition. Top 2 from each local comp (from year 1) come up to the NSWAFL. This creates a 10 team competition - 5 from Sydney & 5 from Canberra.

Year 3 & onwards:
Bottom 4 sides drop down to their local competition (wherever that may be ie Sydney or Canberra) and top 2 in each competition come up to the NSWAFL.

A similar promotion/relegation system occurs between the SFA/SFL and the Wagga/Riverina/ACTAFL competitions to ensure correct numbers are in the premier local competitions (whatever "correct" is deemed to be after this begins).

I know promotion/relegation isn't part of the Aussie culture, but it is happening anyway. If you're good (ie Wollongong) you come into the Premier League. If you're not, you get dropped to SFA (that name MUST be changed!).

It would even itself out over time, and those players currently living in Canberra hoping to be drafter OR wanting a better competition would be able to stay in Sydney.

It would need to be part of a 10yr plan, backed by the AFL, to cover setup & running costs etc until a proper sponsor is found. It would take a while to bring the competition up to a higer-than-QAFL standard. It CAN be done, no club would lose their identity, and would be better in the long run.

By the way, for the record I'm not criticising the work the AFLNSWACT is trying to do here - I know part of what they're up against. I remember the outcry when the Sydney u16 concept (ie play as a squad in the u18's) was first floated. But look how many draftees or near-draftees have come from Sydney in the last 5yrs, compared to the previous 5!

By the way, I wish AFL clubs & the footy record (& other media eg tv) would include the club AND previous club when listing where someone is drafted from. Eg Murray Bushrangers & Albury Tigers, or NSWACT Rams & Pennant Hills etc. I know the Rams aren't an entity as such, but to see someone came from Penno or St George ratherthan "ACTAFL" or "NSW" makes a dfference too but showing they are LOCALS not just "somewhere in NSW".

[stellation]

Originally posted by peterh_oz
By the way, I wish AFL clubs & the footy record (& other media eg tv) would include the club AND previous club when listing where someone is drafted from. Eg Murray Bushrangers & Albury Tigers, or NSWACT Rams & Pennant Hills etc. I know the Rams aren't an entity as such, but to see someone came from Penno or St George ratherthan "ACTAFL" or "NSW" makes a dfference too but showing they are LOCALS not just "somewhere in NSW".

That is something that has been on my mind for ages and I am glad to see I am not the only one who thinks it would be an important change!

Do we know who the appropriate parties are to take such suggestions to? Do we get a voice in NSW/ACT AFL?

[Rafters]

If ye go ahead & run a State league based in Sydney, will the NSWAL increase the salary cap for Sydney based clubs so that they can compete with Canberra clubs in recruiting players due to the cost of living by say $600kpa?????

[Jacks]

Peterh, The hour show on Foxtel is not part of any media agreement but rather is on due to the hard work of some at the league and interested parties around the SydAFL.
Foxtel do supply the airtime each week but are not required to and could refuse to stop running the show if they felt it was not up to standard or was not rating well enough.
You have some good ideas but just thought I would point this out. Also the SFA is now the SydAFL First Division with the SFL being the Premier Division.
Agree with alot of your points now it is just a matter of getting omeone at a higher level to do something about it.

[peterh_oz]

Originally posted by Jacks
Peterh, The hour show on Foxtel is not part of any media agreement but rather is on due to the hard work of some at the league and interested parties around the SydAFL.
Foxtel do supply the airtime each week but are not required to and could refuse to stop running the show if they felt it was not up to standard or was not rating well enough.
You have some good ideas but just thought I would point this out. Also the SFA is now the SydAFL First Division with the SFL being the Premier Division.
Agree with alot of your points now it is just a matter of getting omeone at a higher level to do something about it.

Cool - thanks for that. Who pays for the SydneyAFL show? NSWAFL or is it a freebie from ex-baulko player & umpire Craig Abercrombie & Co? BTW they used to video our NorthsideJAFL Grand Final Day (all games) and sell the tapes (players/families etc wanted a memento of their son's grand final - a great idea). Maybe they still do - I'm not sure who does it now. Was very professionally done considering the market.

[Jacks]

The NSW Commision pays for the show.
Digital Sports did used to do the Northside juniors but had to stop due to the clash in Grand Final scheduling with the Premier Division Grand Finals.