No Confidence in the AFL

[Danzar]

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.

A good response, except for your opening line (in bold above). I'm not liking the way you keep having a dig at the quality of other people's posts or the traits of the posters themselves. You don't need to do this, you can disagree constructively or say nothing. '

Otherwise, you make a good contribution here, so please 'let's all be friends' as they say.

[Danzar]

The whole structure of the fixture is rooted too. Only one home twilight game (already played v Port) one home day game (Rd 18 v GCS), the rest are night games. I've met a number of people at home games over the years who travel a very long way with families to get to the footy, and will book a hotel if it's a late one. That works when there's only a handful of night matches, but is punishing when it's not, even more so with Thursday and Friday night games.

Is this part of those 'changes' we're seeing from broadcast rights, as suggested in the article?

[Ludwig]

I'm not a pro wrestling fan. I have the AFL instead, and I imagine that I think of it the same way as pro wrestling fans think of their sport. You know it's a fix, but it's still entertaining. You just pretend that it's real.

I would love the Swans to win another premiership, but just getting the GF is like a premiership for a Victorian team. I want to see the Swans play high quality entertaining football and get as high up the ladder as possible. I won't let myself get too emotionally invested in the premiership cup.

Noam Chomsky wrote a book called Necessary Illusions. It would have been a good title for a book about the AFL.

[Blood Fever]

Marx called Religion the opiate of the people. Another good title for a book on AFL, especially in Victorian bookshops!

[barry]

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

Slanderous?. Are you serious?.
It was in qld Sunday mail newspaper, in an article about all qld stadiums.

[mcs]

The whole structure of the fixture is rooted too. Only one home twilight game (already played v Port) one home day game (Rd 18 v GCS), the rest are night games. I've met a number of people at home games over the years who travel a very long way with families to get to the footy, and will book a hotel if it's a late one. That works when there's only a handful of night matches, but is punishing when it's not, even more so with Thursday and Friday night games.

Is this part of those 'changes' we're seeing from broadcast rights, as suggested in the article?

Yeh I agree. Part of it is definitely increased popularity for our club, but the balance just isn't there this season in our draw. We usually come up for 5 homes games a season (I have an 11 pass membership to keep premiership club, while my wife and our good friend have country five) from Canberra, but this year probably will only make 3 or 4 of them in the end (the two arvo games are weekends where other events are already on ). I am all for better outcomes for our club commercially, but the fixture needs a better balance.

And that's without even going into the argument around it being a 'fixture' and not a 'draw'...

[barry]

There was an interesting exchange on footy classified a week or so back between Judd ( on board of Carlton) and the panel. Two things caught my ear:

1) Carlton are advertising a role on seek.com.au. the other panelists couldn't believe it. There disbelief reeks of the old culture of jobs for the boys, rather than opening it up to outside football through seek.

2) Judd also responded to a management question with " have you played at the highest level" to hutchy or Caro as a way to shut them down. This again emphasises the closed insular mentality of AFL. Jobs for the boys. What qualifications does kicking a football have for management or sitting on boards Mr Judd?

[Ludwig]

Here's an article in the Age which also says the AFL is unfair and don't expect that to change: https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/...=rss_sport_afl

There's a bigger hurdle for some to jump over than others. That's just the way it is.

The good news is that there is likely to be a new venue for the 2058 Grand Final, but it will still be in Melbourne.

[crackedactor]

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

Agree 100 percent. My story is the same. Play grand final on your home ground and know if the game is close you will get at an extra 10-12. Free kicks. Yes it happens every time! Vic clubs always get the Anzac Day games, good Friday game, nearly all Friday night games. Great for revenue. I was a Swans member last yea r but decided not to continue because that would be saying I support the corrupt Gil mcg. I just hope one day the rest of Australia have a breakaway league and the vic clubs can go back to their VFL days again.


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[chalbilto]

I don't disagree with the grand final being played at the MCG. It is a great ground has fantastic atmosphere and I equate it to Wembley Stadium in London in the fact that the FA Cup final (and other finals) are played their. I do acknowledge that Wembley Stadium in not a home ground for a particular Premier League club unlike the MCG which has Melbourne and Richmond as tenants plus the fact that other Melbourne clubs play a lot of games there. I feel that to overcome some of the inequity of interstate clubs not playing there, The AFL should mandate that all of the interstate should play on the venue at least a minimum of 10 times over a 2 year period. As an addendum I also believe that all clubs should have a least 1 Friday night game every season, just like The NFL does in America with their Thursday night fixtures.

[bodgie]

Is this deal signed and sealed, with the MCG getting guaranteed number of games each week? Surely Melbourne can afford a third stadium so the MCG can be shared more equally with visiting teams. Sydney and South Queensland support 2 each. Surely with 9 teams they can work that better down there.