The AFL will NEVER understand grassroots football

[Benchwarmer]

(from the VFL Footy website)


AFL plans to take over lower levels of game


From The Age


AN INTERNAL feud between the AFL and its Victorian heartland has threatened to erupt over the AFL's push to overthrow the VFL's governing body and replace it with an advisory board hand-picked by the competition's head office.


AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou has outraged key directors on the board of AFL Victoria — the independent body that runs the game across all levels below the AFL, including the VFL, the amateurs and at community level — by recommending it be disbanded.


The historic push from the game's head office came in a written request from Demetriou in the belief that a push towards a national governing body would be better equipped to oversee the game at its second-tier level.


The move would mean the game in its traditional state of Victoria would be restructured and commanded from head office via a chief executive who reported to an advisory board in the manner of the game in developing states NSW and Queensland.


Peter Schwab, the recently appointed chief executive of AFL Victoria — previously known as Football Victoria — would run the competition under the new model.

[Dogwatcher]

South Australia's management structure is being reviewed too.

Could be interesting times ahead.

[smac]

Have said before we are a lot closer to "AFLSA" than we would all like to think.

The competition will remain "SANFL" but the office at West Lakes will be run by the AFL and badged as "AFLSA". The money attached to such a deal will be too hard to refuse.

[Hawks22]

You can kiss goodbye SANFL as we know it when all this takes place. Like smac said .... it's only a matter of time .. unfortunately

Would the AFL have the power to disband our SANFL or would our Power Brokers need to roll over ???

[cd]

The SANFL is an incorporated body with its own constitution with 9 clubs providing League Directors so would be difficult for SANFL to become a branch office.

[smac]

Which is why the competition will remain the SANFL, Col. The rest of the operation (development, umpiring, coaching courses etc etc) will be run by AFLSA. That's my tip anyway. I hope it's not true but I fear it is.

[Sojourner]

I have a feeling that if the AFL make any moves to try and be in a controlling capacity in the SANFL that they might well get a fight from many of the supporters.

My concern is the current SANFL managment rolling over to them, yet I feel that we have the numbers to stop that if it should become neccessary.

[am Bays]

I have a feeling that if the AFL make any moves to try and be in a controlling capacity in the SANFL that they might well get a fight from many of the supporters.

My concern is the current SANFL managment rolling over to them, yet I feel that we have the numbers to stop that if it should become neccessary.

Hmm but have we got the numbers to recompense the SANFL for the loss of development $$$$

I think SMAC is on the money and in the modern day marketing age of branding and $$$$ the days of teh SANFL as we know it administering footy in this state are numbered.

[Benchwarmer]

The rising of the SAFA phoenix anybody? Surely we couldn't handle the AFL's nose being stuck in state league backyards - they can't even get relatively simple issues resolved at their own level without trying to fix unbroken wagons interstate.

It they tried to tamper with the WAFL, I'd be straight off to the Amateurs or a bush competition.

[Aerie]

I wouldn't see it as a big issue if the AFL took over the umpiring, marketing, coaching courses, administration etc. and unified football from the ground up. However, the big concern is exactly what Benchwarmer has his title as - "they don't understand grassroots (or league) football". So basically, I don't mind the idea of a unified football administration all over, but I don't trust the current AFL administration one iota to be able to pull it off. Football in Tasmania is the perfect example.

[Benchwarmer]

Indeed Aerie!

Tasmanian football is a shambles especially south of the midlands. The Oatlands Association is now nothing more than a shell of its former self with four single team clubs (just over a decade ago it was an 8-club two-team league) and the Huon League lost its heritage when renamed the Southern FL and was soon after absorbed into the shell of the former State Wide League after the northern club left.

The NTFL and NTFA are still in reasonable nick but the Devils have relegated the SFL to little more than the equivalent of SAAFL football in terms of coverage and its standard is not a patch on what it used to be.

God help us if the AFL gets their hands on the SANFL or the WAFL and try the same stunts here.

[bayman]

i read the title & i dont think they (afl) understand any level of football