UK Fan wrote:RB wrote:LMA wrote:saintal wrote:A legend. In recent years have particularly appreciated his honesty when it comes to the afl interlopers and refusal to toe the party line. Much respec
A pretty poor comment I would have thought, even by your standards.
Anyway, well done to Roy Laird on a great coaching career. Forget about the premierships - merely coaching the same side for seventeen seasons is a monumental achievement and one that'll probably never happen again in the SANFL.
The amount of work he has put into Centrals whilst working full time over that period would be phenomenal. And old style coach who has earned great respect from across the SANFL.
I apologise but when I opened the thread title and clicked on the CDFC link which summarises his stellar career and then see a few posts down AFL and "interlopers" mentioned, the thread had already strayed towards you know what. I should of known better, anyway like I said in my original post. A fine contribution to Australian Rules Football
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_ ... 9922526%2FPeople are referring to this LMA.
I was referring more to this type of active concern (apologise for formatting/ cut and paste)
I CENTRAL District coach Roy Laird’s fears for the future of the state league have been revealed in a passionate letter to the club’s board.
The highly respected seven-times premiership coach used the letter to lament the declining reputation of the league as well as the lack of urgency among the decision makers.
Laird is also concerned the rich history of the competition is being lost amid the huge success of the AFL.
Such was the impact of the letter on the Bulldogs’ board, it was forwarded to the SANFL commission as well as all the club directors and chief executives.
“The lack of urgency with the current plight of the SANFL is eating at me!” Laird wrote. “This treasured and history filled competition that has given me and many others decades of
memories now sits perilously close to a point of no return.
“Clubs which once were the pinnacle of sporting prowess and community pride now solemnly reflect on what once was and stare blankly into a future of dwindling supporter groups and financial stress which if not arrested right now, inevitably could lead to the demise of one of our great ‘Football Clubs’.”
Laird admits there will be those who shrug off his thoughts as scaremongering and the coach being “way over the top”, but he noted the comments of Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett on the demise of traditional Tasmanian state league clubs in Burnie and Devonport.
Kennett said he was worried about the declining health of football in Tasmania and he laid that at the feet of the previous administrators and AFL quite firmly.
“I am an admirer of sport at its elite levels,” Laird said. “The corporate juggernaut and the success of AFL is the envy of all sporting codes in this country.
“Australian Rules Football would become an even more powerful force if second tier competitions felt they were a valued stakeholder in the game.
“At this critical junction in our SANFL landscape, those in positions of power must set agendas to one side and be uncompromised in their decision making. Our clubs must think outside the square in promoting and building new revenue streams, and our supporters must do as they always have, and follow their club in our ‘Tribal Wars’ and protect our glorious history and revitalise a great competition.”
LAIRD’S LETTER
The lack of urgency with the current plight of the SANFL is eating at me!
This treasured and history filled competition that has given me and many others decades of
memories now sits perilously close to a point of no return.
Clubs which once were the pinnacle of sporting prowess and community pride now solemnly reflect on what once was and stare blankly into a future of dwindling supporter groups and financial stress which if not arrested right now, inevitably could lead to the demise of one of our great ‘Football Clubs’.
Central coach Roy Laird has last minute instructions for his players.
‘Scaremongering, and way over the top Laird’, some will idly shrug off. Recently I took particular note of Jeff Kennett’s observations following the removal of 2 traditional Clubs in Burnie and Devonport from the Tasmanian State League. ‘I am worrying about the declining health of football in Tasmania and I lay that at the feet of previous administrators and AFL quite firmly’, he said. Sound Familiar?
Our Clubs’ foyers and hallways are littered with the photos and memorabilia of heroes of yesteryear.
The 1976 shots of Sturt’s Rick Davies sparked premiership over Port, the 1973 team photo with iconic Glenelg men in Kerley, Carey and Cornes, nostalgic 1978 images of the Wynne / Oatey clash and Norwood success and the achievements of the Mick Nunan led Roosters through the 80s and 90s.
I fear a fading appreciation for their and all our past heroes based on the decreasing level of interest and reduction in foot traffic through the doors of our traditional Clubs. What a sad day it would be should our ‘walk down memory lane’ be limited to a visit to the Adelaide Oval and SANFL Museum instead of an appreciation by supporters within our own Clubs.
I am an admirer of sport at its elite levels. The corporate juggernaut and the success of AFL is the envy of all sporting codes in this country. Australian Rules Football would become an even more powerful force if second tier competitions felt they were a valued stakeholder in the game and as a result also rallied behind the AFL competition. That is certainly not the thoughts of many within State Leagues as the strong grow stronger and others are left to fend for themselves, division and AFL sentiment will continue to grow.
Over the past decade, I have had a front row seat to the challenges, disappointments and mental illness of those who have been spat out of the AFL system or missed out on their dream of an AFL opportunity. This highlights the need for a strong 2nd tier competition for these people to feel relevant in their most exciting sporting years of their lives.
Due to the increasing differential in Salary Caps and falling crowd numbers, the mass exodus of players towards lower levels of football will continue increasing the rate of our overall demise.
At this critical junction in our SANFL landscape, those in positions of power must set agendas to one side and be uncompromised in their decision making. Our Clubs must think outside the square in promoting and building new revenue streams, and our supporters must do as they always have, and follow their Club in our ‘Tribal Wars’ and protect our glorious history and revitalise a great competition - ‘WE ARE PROUDLY SANFL’ – lets hope we continue to be!
Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2019 6:53 pm