SANFL and the Mt Burr Mozzies
Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 1:17 pmDo you think that the SANFL and potentially the Glenelg Football Club should have done anything different in this case to compensate the Mid South East Football League and the Mt Burr Mozzies Foorball Club?
From the ABC,
Country footy short-changed by successful Gamble
Friday, 4 August 2006
Taken as pick 43 by Geelong in the most recent AFL draft, Ryan Gamble made history as the first player from South Australia's Mid South East Football League to ever break into the national competition. But the experience has been a bittersweet one, with Gamble's old league and old club feeling short-changed by the SANFL over transfer fees.
Footy in South Australia's Mid South East League is about as grassroots as it comes. It relies on gate raffles and goodwill rather than the pokies' halls and large sponsorship deals available to the big city clubs.
It was in this league, in the green and gold guernsey of the Mt Burr Mozzies, that the talents of a teenage Ryan Gamble were spotted by Glenelg, the SANFL club affiliated with the state's South East.
Gamble only played a handful of games in the Glenelg reserves before being taken by Geelong. Which is why the Mid South East's president, Dennis Mahovics, feels so hard done by over a set-up that means country footy only gets 20 per cent - or $5,000 - of the AFL's transfer fee.
"Unfortunately, the system that has been devised by the SANFL is very biased towards them getting the most amount of money."
Mahovics says the Mid South East has given most of its cut to the Mt Burr Mozzies. But he says the club would be far better off financially from Gamble's success if they were in Victoria. There, he says, the system rewards country and suburban clubs with the lion's share of the AFL payment.
"Unfortunately, the only way to get drafted (in SA) is to come through an SANFL club because we don't have an under 18s competition like the Victorians do."
Why are things so different across the border? "I would suggest that the clubs (in SA) have the opportunity of taking the money. It's a simple as that."
The SANFL is being greedy? "Yes, to a certain extent."
Mahovics, along with his counterparts from the fellow South East leagues, are pushing for a 40 per cent cut of such payments in the future. And they may have an unlikely supporter - the football manager at Glenelg, Ken Applegarth.
"I would like to see the country leagues dispersed more money. There's no doubt about that," says Applegarth.
"Let's not underestimate what Mt Burr and the country footy has done for this lad. Without country footy, there is no Ryan Gamble. And Mt Burr have got to take a lot of credit for nurturing this boy.
"We just sped it up (his development). He could mark and kick and do all those things beautifully."
But the SANFL's general manager of football operations, Glenn Rosser, believes the current system is not only fair, but that it was agreed upon by all parties.
"The (SANFL) league clubs do, in most cases, the majority of work in the development of players."
Rosser says it is unusual for a player, especially a metropolitan player, to only have limited game time in the SANFL before making the draft. At the other extreme to Gamble is a player like Bryce Gibbs, a likely top three pick in this year's draft.
"He's been involved with Glenelg since the under 13s, under 14s, under 15s. He's played a year or two of under 17s football. He's now played a year and a half of league football at Glenelg and played very well.
"This figure (of an 80/20 split) is across the board. So it covers the Ryan Gambles who have limited involvement...whereas a Bryce Gibbs has had a significant involvement."
Rosser also denies the situation is better in Victoria, and says that home clubs in other parts of the country get as little as $500 from transfer fees.
But while the different tiers jostle over money, Ryan Gamble is, most importantly, getting closer and closer to making his AFL debut.
From the ABC,
Country footy short-changed by successful Gamble
Friday, 4 August 2006
Taken as pick 43 by Geelong in the most recent AFL draft, Ryan Gamble made history as the first player from South Australia's Mid South East Football League to ever break into the national competition. But the experience has been a bittersweet one, with Gamble's old league and old club feeling short-changed by the SANFL over transfer fees.
Footy in South Australia's Mid South East League is about as grassroots as it comes. It relies on gate raffles and goodwill rather than the pokies' halls and large sponsorship deals available to the big city clubs.
It was in this league, in the green and gold guernsey of the Mt Burr Mozzies, that the talents of a teenage Ryan Gamble were spotted by Glenelg, the SANFL club affiliated with the state's South East.
Gamble only played a handful of games in the Glenelg reserves before being taken by Geelong. Which is why the Mid South East's president, Dennis Mahovics, feels so hard done by over a set-up that means country footy only gets 20 per cent - or $5,000 - of the AFL's transfer fee.
"Unfortunately, the system that has been devised by the SANFL is very biased towards them getting the most amount of money."
Mahovics says the Mid South East has given most of its cut to the Mt Burr Mozzies. But he says the club would be far better off financially from Gamble's success if they were in Victoria. There, he says, the system rewards country and suburban clubs with the lion's share of the AFL payment.
"Unfortunately, the only way to get drafted (in SA) is to come through an SANFL club because we don't have an under 18s competition like the Victorians do."
Why are things so different across the border? "I would suggest that the clubs (in SA) have the opportunity of taking the money. It's a simple as that."
The SANFL is being greedy? "Yes, to a certain extent."
Mahovics, along with his counterparts from the fellow South East leagues, are pushing for a 40 per cent cut of such payments in the future. And they may have an unlikely supporter - the football manager at Glenelg, Ken Applegarth.
"I would like to see the country leagues dispersed more money. There's no doubt about that," says Applegarth.
"Let's not underestimate what Mt Burr and the country footy has done for this lad. Without country footy, there is no Ryan Gamble. And Mt Burr have got to take a lot of credit for nurturing this boy.
"We just sped it up (his development). He could mark and kick and do all those things beautifully."
But the SANFL's general manager of football operations, Glenn Rosser, believes the current system is not only fair, but that it was agreed upon by all parties.
"The (SANFL) league clubs do, in most cases, the majority of work in the development of players."
Rosser says it is unusual for a player, especially a metropolitan player, to only have limited game time in the SANFL before making the draft. At the other extreme to Gamble is a player like Bryce Gibbs, a likely top three pick in this year's draft.
"He's been involved with Glenelg since the under 13s, under 14s, under 15s. He's played a year or two of under 17s football. He's now played a year and a half of league football at Glenelg and played very well.
"This figure (of an 80/20 split) is across the board. So it covers the Ryan Gambles who have limited involvement...whereas a Bryce Gibbs has had a significant involvement."
Rosser also denies the situation is better in Victoria, and says that home clubs in other parts of the country get as little as $500 from transfer fees.
But while the different tiers jostle over money, Ryan Gamble is, most importantly, getting closer and closer to making his AFL debut.
