One Division or Two?

[lion heart]

very good options LH. The only thing I can see not happening is Kenilworth coming over after there Premiership success last year, and this year they are looking even better.

Yeah fair enough only a suggestion - no harm in the league approaching them.

Chances are most on the list i mentioned wont be interested - Kangies definitely are.

[Waterboy]

Not a bad suggestion lion heart. What would you propose as far as a promotion criteria? Div 2 A grade flag and full compliment of junior teams?

Also as an 8 team comp, play each other home and away is 14 rounds. I think it has been mentioned earlier that a 2 x 10 team comp is the ultimate aim, which would be good as it would make an 18 round minor round, all playing each other twice.

Spot on MatteeG.

Re the 10 teams it would be nice but i think Christies and Hackham are the only other clubs with a full deck of teams?

Hackham don't have 14s

[lion heart]

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/afl ... 6061903638




Great article about time something is done about this farce of a league. Instead of having 2 good relatively even competitions we are forced to put up with this crap. The 'one division' trial has been a miserable failure and things are getting worse after 9-10 yrs. Time to fix the problem and make things right SFL

[1983]

Great article in the SOuthern Times. Surely if the two divisions idea is being pushed in mainstream media and 90% of SFL members want it the SFL board has got to do something. Heard a rumour the other day that Kangarilla would be keen to come back into the SFL if it went back to two divisions. Anyone know if there is any truth to this?

[Straight Line]

I heard talk that the hawks were looking at hills country

[lion heart]

Great article in the SOuthern Times. Surely if the two divisions idea is being pushed in mainstream media and 90% of SFL members want it the SFL board has got to do something. Heard a rumour the other day that Kangarilla would be keen to come back into the SFL if it went back to two divisions. Anyone know if there is any truth to this?

More than just a rumour

[lion heart]

I heard talk that the hawks were looking at hills country

The SFL hasn't got its finger on the pulse or maybe they just dont care if clubs leave the league or fall by the wayside. I know of at least 3 clubs looking at other options. The SFL have sat on their hands for way too long on this matter and clubs are sick and tired of beating there heads against a wall .

[1983]

HFL and GSFL have been reluctant in recent times to take on struggling clubs from the SFL so the only real option for bottom 8 clubs is to stay in the SFL. There is plenty of talk about changing the SFL to two divisions but is there anything that can be done to see it actually happen? If the majority want the SFL to return to two divisions then why can it not be changed back? Is it purely up to the SFL executive board on what happens to our league? If the executive board will not listen to the people who elected them to their positions should they be ousted or made to explain their actions? It seems that the SFL exec board have really been dropping the ball in recent years e.g. bewildering 2011 draw, debacle with our current sportsware and guernsey suppliers whom I wont name, problems with Edwardstown being allowed into the league with poor junior setup, etc. etc. Being actively involved at my own club I realise the hardships that are involved with such a position but the SFL appears to be stagnant or even regressing. Two divisions is an old idea but it did work quite well. Return to two divisions and then work upon that to build up the league. The league will not be able to be improved until this is done.

[lion heart]

HFL and GSFL have been reluctant in recent times to take on struggling clubs from the SFL so the only real option for bottom 8 clubs is to stay in the SFL. There is plenty of talk about changing the SFL to two divisions but is there anything that can be done to see it actually happen? If the majority want the SFL to return to two divisions then why can it not be changed back? Is it purely up to the SFL executive board on what happens to our league? If the executive board will not listen to the people who elected them to their positions should they be ousted or made to explain their actions? It seems that the SFL exec board have really been dropping the ball in recent years e.g. bewildering 2011 draw, debacle with our current sportsware and guernsey suppliers whom I wont name, problems with Edwardstown being allowed into the league with poor junior setup, etc. etc. Being actively involved at my own club I realise the hardships that are involved with such a position but the SFL appears to be stagnant or even regressing. Two divisions is an old idea but it did work quite well. Return to two divisions and then work upon that to build up the league. The league will not be able to be improved until this is done.

Great post 1983. I think pride maybe getting in the way of a return to 2 divisions. 1 division was not voted on by the clubs but was forced by the league. 1 division has been tried and it has failed, the SFL has to realise that. There is no shame in the SFL saying we tried our best but we are returning the league to 2 divisions. I know SFL board members read this forum id be interested to hear their views? Why are changes not being made, give us some pros for 1 division and i will give you 5 cons!

The poll IS a true indication of how participants in the SFL feel. Outsiders look at the paper and laugh at the score lines in our league. The current board need to restore the SFL to the proud force it once was. The only way of doing that is 2 divisions.

Its bloody heartbreaking seeing the club you love battling to compete with no light at the end of the tunnel. The players, officials and supporters can only take so much.

[Pommy Git]

interesting to see these comments from you guys from struggling clubs.
if you talk to mr warman about this he says that these clubs don't want 2 divisions as they won't be able to attract players or sponsors.
how many divisions in amateurs? they seem to survive ok.
i think that many of the sfl board should excuse themselves from voting on some of these matters that affect clubs at which they are life members or have strong ties with and just leave it to the clubs to vote on this issue.

[MatteeG]

As someone who played in the old Div 2 I reakon the reason it was changed is because we only had 6 teams in that last year, which was sh!thouse to play in as you played the same teams every 5 weeks.

If we can get a handful more teams and make it 2 x 10 teams it would be good.

[lion heart]

interesting to see these comments from you guys from struggling clubs.
if you talk to mr warman about this he says that these clubs don't want 2 divisions as they won't be able to attract players or sponsors.
how many divisions in amateurs? they seem to survive ok.
i think that many of the sfl board should excuse themselves from voting on some of these matters that affect clubs at which they are life members or have strong ties with and just leave it to the clubs to vote on this issue.

Spot on Pommy there are definitely a few with hidden agendas.

RE SPONSORSHIP what a load of BS a sponsor doesnt care what div you are in but would rather see onfield results/success!

RE ATTRACTING PLAYERS - Try getting a recruit to come play for a struggling club - no one wants to sign up to 20 goal + hidings!! The top teams are still poaching from the lower teams also.

Another example of the SFL board having lost touch with reality.

The top 6-8 clubs want 2 divs - it fixes the problems re the program (14/16/18/b/a all @ same ground on same day), competitive games each week which = bigger crowds and more revenue.

The bottom 4-5 clubs want 2 divs it is only 'traditional div 1 clubs' that are in the middle ground that are unsure.

SFL executives need to get out there more and speak to the clubs -keep their fingers on the pulse.

[lion heart]

As someone who played in the old Div 2 I reakon the reason it was changed is because we only had 6 teams in that last year, which was sh!thouse to play in as you played the same teams every 5 weeks.

If we can get a handful more teams and make it 2 x 10 teams it would be good.

That would be a perfect world MatteeG and is definitely achievable if we are pro active. 6 teams is certainly not ideal i know but anything is better than a 40 goal hiding where a team scores a solitary point! I think my earlier proposal of 8 and 8 has merit (even if i do say so myself).

[lion heart]

What do people think of this?

Div 1

Reynella
Brighton
Morphett Vale
Cove
Valley
Noarlunga
PT Noarlunga
Flagstaff

Good competitive games every week and ALL clubs have a full set of juniors and would save all the whinging re programming (all teams could play at the same oval).


Div 2

Edwardstown - Could be div 1 if they decide to bring 14/16's to Southern league
Christies
OSB/Lonsdale
Morphettville Pk
Marion
Aldinga
Hackham
Kangies - would return to a 2 div SFL

Good competitive games most weeks but more importantly no embarassing 50 goal losses. Junior comp wouldnt feature all clubs in all grades but being a more competitive comp would give all clubs a good chance to rebuild their juniors. Most importantly all clubs in both divisions would feel they are only a few years away from a premiership - which is what we all play for.

The league could look at expanding also former SFL teams like Mitchell pk or Meadows could be interested in a return.Kenilworth, Glenunga and Colonal Light Gdns have shown interest in the past. Another longshot could include Plympton?

bump

I cant see any clubs other than maybe Edwardstown and Christies that would be unhappy with this 2 div proposal.

[qwerty]

I reckon you need 10 teams in Div 1, play everyone twice and have the long weekend association match and another bye for the Country champs as similar to the GSFL format, it doesn't get any fairer than that. Top 5 system also is a lot fairer to teams who finish in higher ladder positions unlike the current top 8 system where the double chance isn't really a double chance.

Obviously you would need to attract a couple more teams into the div 2 comp and they could run with an 8 team comp and top 4 system obviously some teams would play each other three times, but this would rotate from season to season as per the SANFL system.

Relegation system is also in place.

The time has come, action must be taken to restore the SFL to the old glory days where the comp was rated highly.

[RedArmy]

What do people think of this?

Div 1

Reynella
Brighton
Morphett Vale
Cove
Valley
Noarlunga
PT Noarlunga
Flagstaff

Good competitive games every week and ALL clubs have a full set of juniors and would save all the whinging re programming (all teams could play at the same oval).


Div 2

Edwardstown - Could be div 1 if they decide to bring 14/16's to Southern league
Christies
OSB/Lonsdale
Morphettville Pk
Marion
Aldinga
Hackham
Kangies - would return to a 2 div SFL

That set up does look good lion heart, but there are a few issues:

Would this system involve relegation and promotion between divisions. If so every 2nd year you would have a team like Flaggies, porties, noarlunga going down and winning everygame by 20 goals only to go straight back up the year after.. pretty pointless

What would happen with the juniors?
the div 2 U18s comp would consist of Edwardstown, Hackham and Christies.
div 2 U16s Aldinga Hackham Christies Marion
div 2 u14s Aldinga Christies Marion

The only solution would be to keep juniors as one division, but this cancels out the 5 teams playing at the one club every saturday.

[Down the Hill]

I was an advocate for keeping 1 Division due to the belief that Div 2 clubs would struggle to retain decent juniors to help them improve. However 10 years on from moving to 1 Division we still have A & B grade teams and junior teams copping floggings so I don't think there is any other option than going back to 2 Divisions.

The big issue will be the relegation / promotion model. EG. If Porties finish bottom of Div1 but were competitive in most losses and juniors still fared well, as compared to eg. Christies finishing top of Division 2 with juniors not being world beaters, what happens then ? If one went up and the other went down, fair chance many Porties juniors would be keen to cross to their near neighbour to continue playing Div 1 juniors and could create a downward spiral for Porties. Cove were in a similar rut when they were Div 2 and they have been the one club that has prospered when we went to 1 Division.

The "unlucky" clubs who miss the initial Div 1 will demand a chance to get promoted if they have success in Div 2 but how do you compare that with the bottom team in Div 1. Back in the late 80's and early 90's when Div 2 was made up of predominantly "country" type teams, it seemed most were fairly comfortable with the Div they played but with the exit of the 2 McLarens, Meadows, Kangarilla I'm not sure how this would pan out now.

[vics01]

This situation is like the Southern Express Way a world first.

Every other competition in the world has Divisions but for some reason it wont work in the southern suburbs of Adelaide????

[lion heart]

What do people think of this?

Div 1

Reynella
Brighton
Morphett Vale
Cove
Valley
Noarlunga
PT Noarlunga
Flagstaff

Good competitive games every week and ALL clubs have a full set of juniors and would save all the whinging re programming (all teams could play at the same oval).


Div 2

Edwardstown - Could be div 1 if they decide to bring 14/16's to Southern league
Christies
OSB/Lonsdale
Morphettville Pk
Marion
Aldinga
Hackham
Kangies - would return to a 2 div SFL

That set up does look good lion heart, but there are a few issues:

Would this system involve relegation and promotion between divisions. If so every 2nd year you would have a team like Flaggies, porties, noarlunga going down and winning everygame by 20 goals only to go straight back up the year after.. pretty pointless

What would happen with the juniors?
the div 2 U18s comp would consist of Edwardstown, Hackham and Christies.
div 2 U16s Aldinga Hackham Christies Marion
div 2 u14s Aldinga Christies Marion

The only solution would be to keep juniors as one division, but this cancels out the 5 teams playing at the one club every saturday.

Some good points.

Promotion/Relegation a must but div 2 winner must have a full set of juniors to be promoted.

u18s could be 1 comp as it was in the past maybe even played on sundays - i think the comp is a joke personally would much rather 13/15/17. Most 18 yr olds are good enough for senior footy at that age anyhow.

div 2 U16s Aldinga Hackham Christies Marion plus m park (have sunday side), lions werent too far away this yr, kangys + div 1 2nd sides

div 2 u14s Aldinga Christies Marion plus im sure the sure the hawks would field a side, lions & m park (have sunday 14s), kangys - pretty confident on at least 7 option for div 1 clubs to field 2nd sides also.

Means the div 2 draw could still prove abit of a nightmare but we will cope ..... the thing i most like about div 2 juniors is the fact you get a real chance to grow your juniors without losing kids to 40 goal hidings.

[1983]

Can the SFL board be trusted to do anything about the situation though? The two divisions debate has been going for a few years now. There has been overwhelming support for two divisions but no action or any investigation into the matter has resulted from the board. It seems that the SFL wants to keep with the 1 division regardless what the members want. Will the situation ever change? Do we as members of the SFL need to make an arguement so strong that the SFL have no choice but to act? Does something need to be done, say for example each club puts to a vote whether or not to return to two divisions or should every club be surveyed on their thoughts on the matter? Is this something that the clubs should take upon themselves and not wait for the SFL to act?