LuvsFooty wrote:Something has to give, because country clubs surely cant continue to pay large sums year in year out. I think we have it a lot easier with drawing sponsorship because of the identification to the town, but there has to be a tipping point with many businesses struggling.
I am as big a culpritt as anyone because we pay very good coin for recruits, but our hands are tied. If we dont keep up with the high paying clubs you either a) get wiped off the park to the tune of 20+ goals each week or b) you dont attract the numbers to maintain senior teams. Rich clubs in the country have set a dangerous precendent. All of a sudden $1500 in the South East equates to $800-$1000 in the Barossa, GSFL and Hills and you either pay it or fade away to nothing.
It will take a couple of clubs per league to start folding before everyone wakes up. I can tell you that this is not far away from happening in a few leagues.
And you can talk about junior development and culture and all that stuff. But you throw $200 at someone and sell the dream vs $1000 cash, tax free and you know who wins.
We need a statewide solution without the f#*k you city or F#*k you country attitude beacuse it affects everyone. Our targeting of city players leaves gaps that you have to fill with points and dollars.
That is quite possibly the most balanced perspective on this, and one that I totally support.
I'ts so much bigger than league vs league. This issue impacts us all, in every league. To be competitive these days, players hold the majority of the cards. Breed quality juniors, and you still need to import players to complete your side to be successful at a higher level...This comes at a price, and more than just dollars and cents. Your quality juniors then want some cash to feel like they are appreciated, and within a couple of years the bidding wars begin and you find yourself being held to ransom by teenagers, no matter how good your club environment is.
Club loyalty, although still present, is waning at the higher level, and at the end of the day the majority of players have their price.
Yes, we lost our ruckman for next year, but if I was in Angaston's position with the money available, then I would invariably find myself doing the same thing. It is unfortunately the nature of the beast these days. The pressure on administrators by existing players, supporters, sponsors, etc to get the best players for the success of the club is huge and sometimes the temptation to pay over market prices can be way too hard to resist.
The pressure on the only true 'amateurs' in football these days (committee members, etc), is ever increasing as more and more people look for a slice of the pie that is harder and harder to find.
The sooner all clubs and all leagues can come together as one to find some semblance of a solution the better. There will always be clubs and/or leagues that exploit rules, but the sooner the CFL (heaven forbid), flexed its muscle and actually viewed their position as one that can help football in this state at a grassroots level for the better, then the battle may begin. being proactive and consultative may be unfamiliar to some in the upper offices, but there are many within club land that would be more than willing to lend a hand and put their own clubs interests aside for the benefit of football as a whole if they just asked. This problem is a big one, and one that won't be solved overnight, but to see the wheels turning would give tired administrators a bit of hope.
Rest assured those clubs with money will not always be in such a flush situation. We have all been in football long enough to know that the wheel turns eventually, and when clubs start struggling fiscally things can fall apart rather quickly. I don't wish this on any club or league, but if things keep going the way they are, then the result is inevitable for some.
Anyway, just my thoughts. Make no mistake, I'm not having a go at any club or league in particular, as we are all as guilty as the next club or league, and we all know that there are still some clubs out there that all play for the love of the guernsey, but my argument is that if things keep heading the way that it is currently, these clubs will soon be a thing of the past.
Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 5:46 pm
