aceman wrote:blackcat wrote:We as a club have played in 3 different comps, SAAFL, SAFA, CDFA which also went under the banner of NMFA. There are 2 main differences in these and probably other failed comps. Firstly the administration was just about completely volunteer which led to huge problems, secondly and from a clubs perpesctive more impotantly is that these comps did not allow for relegation or promotion to such a standard that a club could find its niche. Yes SAFA and CDFA had 2 divisions at some stages of their life but this still does not allow enough scope for most clubs. Point of fact the Para Hills FC played and competed in SAFA "Div 2" which was made up most other clubs reserves sides one of them being Pooraka. We are now in Div 3 and Pooraka is in div 4. SAAFL believe it or not is run very professionally IMO, although the lower grades do get a bum wrap in the umpiring stakes at least as clubs they have an opportunity to elevate themselves to higher grades and therefor technically better umpires.and C Anyone who can still remember the days of SAFA DFA would agree that we are now in a far better off position.
SAFA was a disaster for a lot of clubs and yes, we are far better off with the SAAFL, even though a lot of people wouldn't admit it!
We were in SAFA, can't remember if it was disasterous, but we dod't win any flags i know that, i think we played in 2gf's... the only reason we were in SAFA in the first place is because we were "escourted" out of the Southern Football League for ellegedly making some "improvements" to Southern Football House on mad monday after the Club's 89 premiership, their third in a row...
From what i can understand the Club was offered a penalty of either no home games for 2 years or get out of the league, they chose wisely to head to what was supposed to be the best comp out of SANFL, SAFA. In the early 90's it was pretty clear that SAFA was struggling.
The only thing that SAFA and SFL had going for it that SAAFL doesn't is rivalries, sure you still have some but not as huge as SAFA or SFL. In SAAFL at the moment, if you stay mid table, your prety much guaranteed you'll see 4 new sides each year two from higher and two from lower. In SFL and SAFA you played pretty much the same sides each year, that gave us the chance to forge huge rivalries with the likes of Morphett Vale SFL, Edwardstown SAFA, Brighton SFL SAFA, Camden SAFA, Flinders Park SAFA from both those leagues.