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I have this notion that people only want to watch the best in the world. Anything less than the best is generally not embraced by the sporting public.
This is best illustrated using examples. Australia loves international cricket - both ODI and Test matches. But no one supports state cricket let alone grade cricket which is the same representative level as NRL or AFL. People want to watch the best in the world pitted against each other.
Rugby Union is another example. Test matches are well supported. Club rugby is a joke. The ARU introduced Super 12s which allows Test players to play in front of the public at a minimally diluted level. A success.
Sports like basketball, soccer and baseball have a poor following locally because the best players travel overseas to play. Soccer and basketball are up there as the most played team sports in Australia so the idea of lots of junior players flowing through to a successful sport in Australia is a fallacy. i e."look at our Auskick figures"
So what?s my point? Until the Swans came to town the Sydney AFL was the best standard of AFL in Sydney - and hence the 10,000+ crowds of yesteryear. The advent of the draft kills off club pouring money into local development as there is minimal return.
Soccer have canned the idea of many teams(4 in sydney) and gone for the one-team-town idea. Rugby Union stagger their competition to allow the top players to play at all levels.
Rugby League has a good lower league with the Jim Beam Cup which is a host of teams with budgets of 6 figures on players which is funded by poker machines at regional/local clubs. This is a crucial point. Look at successful competitions with no media support (and thus sponsorship) and a financial licensed club is a big part of this. Does this not pertain to the ACTAFL and other leagues, particularly in Queensland? The issue is that restructuring of the club industry in recent years ie. pokie tax, has killed off any possibility of local AFL teams building clubs and becoming financially secure and viable.
AFL in Sydney will always be quashed by the Swans as people clammer to watch "the best". There aren?t enough AFL licensed clubs in Sydney to go the money money money route. I honestly cannot visualise how AFL can expand in a local competition without change. Just amalgamating teams wont do it. Increasing juniors wont do it.
Without going down the "Sydney AFL bashing" road again on this forum, does anyone have ideas???
Let's look outside of the circle(footy people love clich?s). Maybe we ought to have an expanded pre season U23s competition to showcase the best young talent. Sydney would field only 2 or three teams chosen like a rep team. In a 6 team competition, the BDAFL may also field a team and maybe Canberra. Not a full state league but something special which would give former RAMS players or NSW players and others something to come to Sydney for. This could run from February through to April(allowing the regular season to follow). It may give young players some hope of getting drafted after missing on out on the National draft. This might gain interest from teams in AFL circles. It may attract young players from interstate who will then hang aroung for the regular season. The concept is a cross between the Soccer U23s Olympics and the Super 12s Rugby - both successful at a tier below the best.
This idea is a little different and may be bashed by everyone. It is meant only as a thought provoker. It may be contradictory to my earlier comments.
I reckon when the best people in a job need answers they often go looking to see what has worked elsewhere and use other peoples experiences. I realise it is difficult to adapt foreign models to Sydney footy but it may be a starting point. Comments required.
This is best illustrated using examples. Australia loves international cricket - both ODI and Test matches. But no one supports state cricket let alone grade cricket which is the same representative level as NRL or AFL. People want to watch the best in the world pitted against each other.
Rugby Union is another example. Test matches are well supported. Club rugby is a joke. The ARU introduced Super 12s which allows Test players to play in front of the public at a minimally diluted level. A success.
Sports like basketball, soccer and baseball have a poor following locally because the best players travel overseas to play. Soccer and basketball are up there as the most played team sports in Australia so the idea of lots of junior players flowing through to a successful sport in Australia is a fallacy. i e."look at our Auskick figures"
So what?s my point? Until the Swans came to town the Sydney AFL was the best standard of AFL in Sydney - and hence the 10,000+ crowds of yesteryear. The advent of the draft kills off club pouring money into local development as there is minimal return.
Soccer have canned the idea of many teams(4 in sydney) and gone for the one-team-town idea. Rugby Union stagger their competition to allow the top players to play at all levels.
Rugby League has a good lower league with the Jim Beam Cup which is a host of teams with budgets of 6 figures on players which is funded by poker machines at regional/local clubs. This is a crucial point. Look at successful competitions with no media support (and thus sponsorship) and a financial licensed club is a big part of this. Does this not pertain to the ACTAFL and other leagues, particularly in Queensland? The issue is that restructuring of the club industry in recent years ie. pokie tax, has killed off any possibility of local AFL teams building clubs and becoming financially secure and viable.
AFL in Sydney will always be quashed by the Swans as people clammer to watch "the best". There aren?t enough AFL licensed clubs in Sydney to go the money money money route. I honestly cannot visualise how AFL can expand in a local competition without change. Just amalgamating teams wont do it. Increasing juniors wont do it.
Without going down the "Sydney AFL bashing" road again on this forum, does anyone have ideas???
Let's look outside of the circle(footy people love clich?s). Maybe we ought to have an expanded pre season U23s competition to showcase the best young talent. Sydney would field only 2 or three teams chosen like a rep team. In a 6 team competition, the BDAFL may also field a team and maybe Canberra. Not a full state league but something special which would give former RAMS players or NSW players and others something to come to Sydney for. This could run from February through to April(allowing the regular season to follow). It may give young players some hope of getting drafted after missing on out on the National draft. This might gain interest from teams in AFL circles. It may attract young players from interstate who will then hang aroung for the regular season. The concept is a cross between the Soccer U23s Olympics and the Super 12s Rugby - both successful at a tier below the best.
This idea is a little different and may be bashed by everyone. It is meant only as a thought provoker. It may be contradictory to my earlier comments.
I reckon when the best people in a job need answers they often go looking to see what has worked elsewhere and use other peoples experiences. I realise it is difficult to adapt foreign models to Sydney footy but it may be a starting point. Comments required.
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