General footy chat No Confidence in the AFL

[dimelb]

Rather than adding this issue to the existing threads and taking their discussion off thread I thought it bet to start a new thread which consummately picks up a frequent gripe. The link is to an article by Martin Flanagan and is the most scathing summary of what is wrong with the AFL I have read

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/a-vote-of-no-confidence-in-the-afl-in-tasmania-20180412-p4z9as.html

A comment that sums up much of what is wrong:

"The AFL clearly thinks it's pretty good at what it does. In 2016, the AFL had 12 executives making nearly 50 per cent more than the Prime Minister in terms of salary."

[Bloods05]

Rather than adding this issue to the existing threads and taking their discussion off thread I thought it bet to start a new thread which consummately picks up a frequent gripe. The link is to an article by Martin Flanagan and is the most scathing summary of what is wrong with the AFL I have read

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/a-vote-of-no-confidence-in-the-afl-in-tasmania-20180412-p4z9as.html

A comment that sums up much of what is wrong:

"The AFL clearly thinks it's pretty good at what it does. In 2016, the AFL had 12 executives making nearly 50 per cent more than the Prime Minister in terms of salary."

Fantastic.

[dejavoodoo44]

Rather than adding this issue to the existing threads and taking their discussion off thread I thought it bet to start a new thread which consummately picks up a frequent gripe. The link is to an article by Martin Flanagan and is the most scathing summary of what is wrong with the AFL I have read

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/a-vote-of-no-confidence-in-the-afl-in-tasmania-20180412-p4z9as.html

A comment that sums up much of what is wrong:

"The AFL clearly thinks it's pretty good at what it does. In 2016, the AFL had 12 executives making nearly 50 per cent more than the Prime Minister in terms of salary."

Just googling the PM's salary, it's almost $530,000. That means that the AFL has 12 people on around $800,000 or more. Seems a touch excessive. It would be interesting if somebody could ask each of them, what benefits they have brought to the game: just to see if any of them, could come up with something other than corporate gobbledygook.

[Levii3]

Did you have any confidence in the AFL before?

[dimelb]

Did you have any confidence in the AFL before?

A long time ago I did have some confidence - like back in the 90s when I rediscovered the Swans and started watching the game on a regular basis. But the confidence has been eroded over time, the most disturbing items being the failure to act on the booing of Adam Goodes until the horse had well and truly bolted, the sheer spite over the signing of Buddy, the total silence in regard to the umpiring of the 2016 GF - I could go on, as I am sure others could also. A shame, as the game remains a wonderful experience, despite the League's shortcomings. I don't have confidence that this will be so in time to come without a few changes to the administrative side.

[Danzar]

All this while they continually hike ticket prices and consequently lock those less fortunate out of the game. Their chief reason for existence is to make the sport more accessible, not less.

[barry]

Maclaughlin is sending the sport under. I just learnt he signed the worst stadium deal in Australian sport for the sun's, and a non negotiation period of 20 years.

He wants the national comp to fail.

[Papernick]

Maclaughlin is sending the sport under. I just learnt he signed the worst stadium deal in Australian sport for the sun's, and a non negotiation period of 20 years.

He wants the national comp to fail.

Do you have a reference you can point? Easy to make slanderous allegations with no backup

[top40]

A long time ago I did have some confidence - like back in the 90s when I rediscovered the Swans and started watching the game on a regular basis. But the confidence has been eroded over time, the most disturbing items being the failure to act on the booing of Adam Goodes until the horse had well and truly bolted, the sheer spite over the signing of Buddy, the total silence in regard to the umpiring of the 2016 GF - I could go on, as I am sure others could also. A shame, as the game remains a wonderful experience, despite the League's shortcomings. I don't have confidence that this will be so in time to come without a few changes to the administrative side.

100% agreement. The 2016 GF umpiring was pure and simple deliberate bias officiating in order to give the Dogs a Premiership. I?m still bitter and with consequently never trust the AFL.

And the decision.to have a team in the ?Bermuda Triangle? Gold Coast rather than the footy mad Tasmania was an example of a poor strategic policy.

[Boddo]

Face it all the non-Victorian clubs are there for one reason n one reason only, to make money for the Melbourne clubs.

Perfect example is this article

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/afl/inside-story-how-the-mcg-won-the-grand-final-for-the-next-40-years-20180413-p4z9jq.html

The whole contract for the premier game of the year to determine the best side of the year was used to allow Victorian clubs to gain a few bucks.

Ahh well I?m happy I watched my local sides game yesterday n had a ripping time.

As for Sydney I still have a big soft spot for them n if they are on tv n I?m home I?ll watch but what I?ve seen of the AFL over the last 4 years has totally destroyed my love for that league.

The added bonus was that everything I cancelled due to losing interest in AFL has saved a lot of money.

Hope you all enjoy the season. Cheers

[liz]

I am losing faith in the AFL's vision of a truly national competition. The Vic centred bias seems to have strengthened in recent years, particular under Gillon's watch, not diminished.

The Academies in the Northern States were a great (though long overdue) initiative to increase the quality of coaching in the 10-18 year old age group right across those two states, with an increased contribution of elite talent being just one desired outcome. Greater participation at all levels (as the lift in quality filtered down to the sub-AFL tiers and beyond) was just as important, as was giving these clubs as way of connecting with young players and their families regardless of whether these young players went on to become AFL quality players.

Yet we saw the benefits watered down within a few short years, with the Giants' zone in southern NSW diluted and restrictions on how many players could be drafted. At the time the Giants' zone was cut, Gillon commented that he didn't understand why players who fell into the TAC Cup zone were ever eligible. I don't totally disagree with that, but the AFL then proceeded to give Victorian clubs priority access to indigenous and multi-cultural players who all fall into the TAC Cup and private Melbourne school zones. I don't think there has been much real impact of these concessions (yet) but just their introduction smacks of concessions to the Victorian clubs based on no actual contribution to the growth of the game and development of talent.

And over the last few years, two new stand-alone, potential "marquee" fixtures have been introduced into the calendar - ANZAC Eve and Good Friday. There was lots of discussion over many years about Good Friday football and, aside from the "religious considerations", one of the reasons for not having football on that day was that the C7 Children's Hospital Appeal was an integral part of the day in Victoria and they didn't want to detract from that. Fine, but there are four other major population centres in Australia with AFL teams for whom the C7 appeal is not relevant, so why not play football in another state on that day. But just as soon as they got over the religious considerations, they go and establish yet another stand alone game on that day featuring two Victorian teams.

I have no idea how the fixed ANZAC Eve fixture crept onto the calendar. But now it too seems set to stay and again, it's between two Victorian sides. What was wrong with giving Freo, say, the chance to feature in such a fixture. I think they were lobbying the AFL for many years for a second ANZAC day game, something the AFL resisted. So why not give them (or Port) the chance to host the ANZAC Eve fixture every year if any club is going to get a mortgage on certain fixtures?

The news of contract to extend the MCG's stranglehold on the GF really comes as no surprise. To me, it's not purely about where the GF is played (and clearly the size of the MCG provides lots of reasons to play the GF there). It's more that a back room deal has been brokered by the Melbourne clubs, establishment, government and AFL without any open discussion about whether it's in the best interests of the broader competition.

[Daisi]

I enjoy going to the SCG and watching the Swans, but I have no illusions regarding the bigger picture. The cynical creation of GWS, the 2016 Grand Final, and other instances, suggest that this is not a sport but a business. Due to my realisation of this, I am enjoying the game more for what it is, and seeing it more as entertainment rather than sport.

I love the Swans, love going to the SCG and sometimes take a trip interstate, but I don't have any trust in the administration in Melbourne. Basically, whilst I used to watch games involving other clubs, and take an interest in the wider competition, I now only watch the Swans and take an interest in their progress.

[Papernick]

I am losing faith in the AFL's vision of a truly national competition. The Vic centred bias seems to have strengthened in recent years, particular under Gillon's watch, not diminished.

The Academies in the Northern States were a great (though long overdue) initiative to increase the quality of coaching in the 10-18 year old age group right across those two states, with an increased contribution of elite talent being just one desired outcome. Greater participation at all levels (as the lift in quality filtered down to the sub-AFL tiers and beyond) was just as important, as was giving these clubs as way of connecting with young players and their families regardless of whether these young players went on to become AFL quality players.

Yet we saw the benefits watered down within a few short years, with the Giants' zone in southern NSW diluted and restrictions on how many players could be drafted. At the time the Giants' zone was cut, Gillon commented that he didn't understand why players who fell into the TAC Cup zone were ever eligible. I don't totally disagree with that, but the AFL then proceeded to give Victorian clubs priority access to indigenous and multi-cultural players who all fall into the TAC Cup and private Melbourne school zones. I don't think there has been much real impact of these concessions (yet) but just their introduction smacks of concessions to the Victorian clubs based on no actual contribution to the growth of the game and development of talent.

And over the last few years, two new stand-alone, potential "marquee" fixtures have been introduced into the calendar - ANZAC Eve and Good Friday. There was lots of discussion over many years about Good Friday football and, aside from the "religious considerations", one of the reasons for not having football on that day was that the C7 Children's Hospital Appeal was an integral part of the day in Victoria and they didn't want to detract from that. Fine, but there are four other major population centres in Australia with AFL teams for whom the C7 appeal is not relevant, so why not play football in another state on that day. But just as soon as they got over the religious considerations, they go and establish yet another stand alone game on that day featuring two Victorian teams.

I have no idea how the fixed ANZAC Eve fixture crept onto the calendar. But now it too seems set to stay and again, it's between two Victorian sides. What was wrong with giving Freo, say, the chance to feature in such a fixture. I think they were lobbying the AFL for many years for a second ANZAC day game, something the AFL resisted. So why not give them (or Port) the chance to host the ANZAC Eve fixture every year if any club is going to get a mortgage on certain fixtures?

The news of contract to extend the MCG's stranglehold on the GF really comes as no surprise. To me, it's not purely about where the GF is played (and clearly the size of the MCG provides lots of reasons to play the GF there). It's more that a back room deal has been brokered by the Melbourne clubs, establishment, government and AFL without any open discussion about whether it's in the best interests of the broader competition.

That?s a great intelligent and well considered post unlike some of the others in this thread.

I personally don?t have a great issue with the MCG keeping the Grand Final. It?s an iconic venue on the world stage and I like the tradition of having to win on the bbiggest stage of all.

And from a Victorian perspective it certainly makes good politics and the proposed injection of $500m into the football industry (albeit in Victoria) would be hard to knock back.

Having said that I agree 100% with the rest of your post.

Scheduling is a massive issue and I believe the interstate teams should get at least three away games, preferably four, at the MCG and increased access during the week for those games.

If there?s any further watering down of the academy system then we should just walk away from that system. It?s the only thing that gives us a fighting chance but you just know that when we draft Blakey this year that the squealing will start again and that eventually as soon as the system really statts working that it will be disbanded. And that will be the day I walk aaay from the code.

The only thing coming out of this is that seems to have galvanized all non Vic clubs and perhaps all 8 of us can now stand together on this issue.

[mcs]

All this while they continually hike ticket prices and consequently lock those less fortunate out of the game. Their chief reason for existence is to make the sport more accessible, not less.

Ticket prices are ridiculous at some grounds. We are having a weekend in Brisbane for the lions game and wanted a ticket on the top tier. The ga/telstra thanks tickets are all bottom level, and we bought the top tier cheapest tickets at around $55 each - there were even more expensive tickets beyond that. Pricing in melbourne for decent reserved seating is getting damn steep too. The $$$ while annoying for me and the better half arent a material concern - but god they must stop a lot of more casual fans going to the footy.

[Boddo]

I am losing faith in the AFL's vision of a truly national competition. The Vic centred bias seems to have strengthened in recent years, particular under Gillon's watch, not diminished.

The Academies in the Northern States were a great (though long overdue) initiative to increase the quality of coaching in the 10-18 year old age group right across those two states, with an increased contribution of elite talent being just one desired outcome. Greater participation at all levels (as the lift in quality filtered down to the sub-AFL tiers and beyond) was just as important, as was giving these clubs as way of connecting with young players and their families regardless of whether these young players went on to become AFL quality players.

Yet we saw the benefits watered down within a few short years, with the Giants' zone in southern NSW diluted and restrictions on how many players could be drafted. At the time the Giants' zone was cut, Gillon commented that he didn't understand why players who fell into the TAC Cup zone were ever eligible. I don't totally disagree with that, but the AFL then proceeded to give Victorian clubs priority access to indigenous and multi-cultural players who all fall into the TAC Cup and private Melbourne school zones. I don't think there has been much real impact of these concessions (yet) but just their introduction smacks of concessions to the Victorian clubs based on no actual contribution to the growth of the game and development of talent.

And over the last few years, two new stand-alone, potential "marquee" fixtures have been introduced into the calendar - ANZAC Eve and Good Friday. There was lots of discussion over many years about Good Friday football and, aside from the "religious considerations", one of the reasons for not having football on that day was that the C7 Children's Hospital Appeal was an integral part of the day in Victoria and they didn't want to detract from that. Fine, but there are four other major population centres in Australia with AFL teams for whom the C7 appeal is not relevant, so why not play football in another state on that day. But just as soon as they got over the religious considerations, they go and establish yet another stand alone game on that day featuring two Victorian teams.

I have no idea how the fixed ANZAC Eve fixture crept onto the calendar. But now it too seems set to stay and again, it's between two Victorian sides. What was wrong with giving Freo, say, the chance to feature in such a fixture. I think they were lobbying the AFL for many years for a second ANZAC day game, something the AFL resisted. So why not give them (or Port) the chance to host the ANZAC Eve fixture every year if any club is going to get a mortgage on certain fixtures?

The news of contract to extend the MCG's stranglehold on the GF really comes as no surprise. To me, it's not purely about where the GF is played (and clearly the size of the MCG provides lots of reasons to play the GF there). It's more that a back room deal has been brokered by the Melbourne clubs, establishment, government and AFL without any open discussion about whether it's in the best interests of the broader competition.

The utter contempt shown to non-Victorian supporters is shown in all its glory in that contract extension. It took me a while before I finally accepted that it?s only a national competition in name.


It?s like history repeating itself when it comes to a select few clubs manipulating outcomes like when the Hawthorn & Carlton Presidents manipulated the vfl zoning areas with the promise of alternating zones for everyone that never eventuated. Both clubs went from jokes to world beaters in a matter of time. But in the long run that type of manipulation nearly destroyed the VFL.

Look I?m not saying do what I did n walk away from it cause that?s up to everyone to decide what makes them happy and I truly hope you all enjoy the ride but I?m a lot lot happier and have a considerable amount of extra money with my Australian Rules intake now. I?ll watch Sydney on Friday as I have nothing on that night but I?m honestly more looking forward to our home game next Sunday.

Cheers