Covid 19 and footy - season (suspended) now resumed

[Swansongster]

Yes the purchase of Marvel Stadium has proven to be a master strike for the AFL. The loan places the AFL in a much stronger position to recover over time than the NRL who appear to face much less palatable options to survive. Rugby league will survive but some clubs may face extinction. While some commentators are foreshadowing the merger of some Victorian clubs in the AFL, the huge loan means the AFL can potential continue to cross-subsidise the less wealthy clubs. I'm not sure the NRL has this luxury?

With some luck, in the NRL, Manly will go to the wall and when competition resumes in 2022, they'll need the Mighty Bears to make up the numbers as they will still be liquid thanks to lack of debt in the present and the support of the Leagues Club and Central Coast Leagues Club.

Meanwhile, as far as the AFL is concerned, I thought they owned some of the other real estate around the Docklands Stadium. Can anybody confirm or deny this? Maybe they already sold it off to fund GWS and Gold Coast and to prop up some of the Melbourne clubs?

And, yes, owning the stadium was a master stroke.

[barry]

I think ANZ and NAB own it now.

[Mel_C]

If footy ever comes back and continues into October, we won't be able to use the SCG. What other grounds are available? We might have to play on the Giants ground ????.

[707]

If footy ever comes back and continues into October, we won't be able to use the SCG. What other grounds are available? We might have to play on the Giants ground ????.

Isn't there some kind of cricket world cup hogging the main grounds October onwards?

The last thing that will happen in this saga will be allowing international visitors as it would appear that large swathes of the world won't get this under control for some time whereas we might. So the cricket cup might be delayed freeing up grounds

[neilfws]

Shots fired by Carey in the "North to Tassie" debate

Hands off North, expansion clubs should be the ones in the gun


Rather mixed messages. Headline: "expansion clubs should be the ones in the gun". Further down: "That's not to try to spell the end for those expansion clubs." But then: "Right now, I don't think we have enough talent for 18 teams."

Amusing sentence: "Even at the Suns, I'm sure everyone is striving to get better."

It will be interesting to watch the next few months, will we see a shift from the current official position that the goal is to maintain 18 clubs.

[Blood Fever]

Shots fired by Carey in the "North to Tassie" debate

Hands off North, expansion clubs should be the ones in the gun


Rather mixed messages. Headline: "expansion clubs should be the ones in the gun". Further down: "That's not to try to spell the end for those expansion clubs." But then: "Right now, I don't think we have enough talent for 18 teams."

Amusing sentence: "Even at the Suns, I'm sure everyone is striving to get better."

It will be interesting to watch the next few months, will we see a shift from the current official position that the goal is to maintain 18 clubs.

Carey makes a good point about how the present predicament can no longer mean pouring millions into subsidising the 2 newest clubs.

[Ruck'n'Roll]

Always seems to be about the 2 newest clubs doesn't it.
Presumably subsidising the 9 clubs packed into Melbourne like unsustainable sardines (and they have all needed help at one time or another) is fine?

[707]

Always seems to be about the 2 newest clubs doesn't it.
Presumably subsidising the 9 clubs packed into Melbourne like unsustainable sardines (and they have all needed help at one time or another) is fine?

I saw the AFL handouts to clubs for last season, think St.Kilda and Norf were at the top of the list with GC & GWS. I'll see if I can find it rather than rely on old memory. We were mid table.

Carey is correct that there's not enough talent for 18 clubs, never was, just that the AFL became bloody minded after Norf refusal to relocate to GC so created two new teams.

Gut feel is that the next TV contract won't be as rich as this time, everyone needs to tighten belts, except for Pies, WC & Richmond who have plenty of cash.

[Ruck'n'Roll]

I don't get the "not enough talent to go around" argument either 707.

I'd have thought the extra clubs would be bringing more talent in, because of the increasing exposure the sport gets throughout Australia.
Before the VFL expansion many players (Barrie Robran and Stephen Michael just off the top of my head) stayed in their own leagues, their 21st century equivalents now play in the AFL.

Also, there's always been a difference in talent levels, not every centre half forward has Carey's talent, yet I love Troy Luff (for example).
I suspect if the number of players was reduced, we'd be seeing more and more homogenous-cookcutter-athletes and even less interesting players than are going around now. Viva Le difference Shane Mumford, Andrew Dunkley, Will Gould etc.

Finally I'm pretty sure our perceptions of the talent level of currant players isn't objective. Tactics, fitness levels etc. make it difficult to know how much more / less talented past and present players are.

[Legs Akimbo]

The solution is simple. Halve the salary cap permanently. Players will still be paid stacks more than the average person. I think this happen by necessity as will permanently reducing the softcap.

[KTigers]

Not enough talent? I think what has happened in footy over the last fifteen years or so is that the spread of talent is more even.
Most likely it has to do with the game styles the teams play these days that mean there are a lot more players around the fall
of the ball and less one-on-one contests when players can stand out. The training they do these days is more uniform, likewise
the size and body shape of players (everyone is 188CM & 88KG these days). None of these things has anything to do with the
number of teams. Martin, Dangerfield & Fyfe might be the best players now, but they are only a tiny bit better than the next
rung (Bontempelli, Coniglio, Pendlebury etc). In the 90s Carey, Lockett & Ablett Snr were in a league of their own. Probably
the recent player at their level this century was Buddy at his peak.

[dimelb]

I saw the AFL handouts to clubs for last season, think St.Kilda and Norf were at the top of the list with GC & GWS. I'll see if I can find it rather than rely on old memory. We were mid table.

Carey is correct that there's not enough talent for 18 clubs, never was, just that the AFL became bloody minded after Norf refusal to relocate to GC so created two new teams.

Gut feel is that the next TV contract won't be as rich as this time, everyone needs to tighten belts, except for Pies, WC & Richmond who have plenty of cash.

And add in Hawks, all those pokies!

[mcs]

I saw the AFL handouts to clubs for last season, think St.Kilda and Norf were at the top of the list with GC & GWS. I'll see if I can find it rather than rely on old memory. We were mid table.

Carey is correct that there's not enough talent for 18 clubs, never was, just that the AFL became bloody minded after Norf refusal to relocate to GC so created two new teams.

Gut feel is that the next TV contract won't be as rich as this time, everyone needs to tighten belts, except for Pies, WC & Richmond who have plenty of cash.

Plus the scoundrel pokie barons at the Hawks too.

I reckon next tv contract will be way down - Foxtel will be lucky to survive if the whole of season 2020 is wiped out, and was struggling big time before this anyway. I just can't see how any of the codes will be able to replicate the money they were previously commanding. Indeed, this could be the event that breaks the nexus completely - and leads to AFL/NRL taking control of their own TV rights completely in time - moving to a platform where they deliver and control all of the production, with a Free to Air TV partner. AFL delivers content directly through their website/app etc for broadcasting, and there is no PayTV element. Would not suprise me one bit.

[sprite]

Plus the scoundrel pokie barons at the Hawks too.

I reckon next tv contract will be way down - Foxtel will be lucky to survive if the whole of season 2020 is wiped out, and was struggling big time before this anyway. I just can't see how any of the codes will be able to replicate the money they were previously commanding. Indeed, this could be the event that breaks the nexus completely - and leads to AFL/NRL taking control of their own TV rights completely in time - moving to a platform where they deliver and control all of the production, with a Free to Air TV partner. AFL delivers content directly through their website/app etc for broadcasting, and there is no PayTV element. Would not suprise me one bit.

MCS - I think you are right about the AFL/NRL wanting to take back control of their own TV rights. The way sport is heading around the world, my thoughts are that there will be limited FTA involvement and sporting bodies will spread broadcasting through SVOD. Partnering with the likes of Amazon/Netflix etc, who are keen to get into sports. Possibly, clubs will negotiate their own additional deals to deliver content as well.

[Ludwig]

And add in Hawks, all those pokies!

Won't clubs with pokies and social clubs suffer the most, since the social clubs will be closed, but much of the overheads will remain.