2024 Adelaide Footy League - Division 7

[Dutchy]

How many of the Northern clubs have good junior programs?

Only reason I ask is my sons have played a fair bit of SANFLJ and while we are always heading out to the North East (GG, AFC, HV, Modbury) to play the only time up North that I can remember is to Eastern Park 5 years ago.

[Lightning McQueen]

How many of the Northern clubs have good junior programs?

Only reason I ask is my sons have played a fair bit of SANFLJ and while we are always heading out to the North East (GG, AFC, HV, Modbury) to play the only time up North that I can remember is to Eastern Park 5 years ago.

Smithfield has progressively gotten healthier each year over the past 5 years.
Units, Lodge and Mawsons don't have a lot going (pretty hard to establish from zip for BL & ML considering Salisbury, Para Hills, Pooraka and Ingle Farm have had healthy numbers for some time and are all very close).
Salisbury North has always had a very strong junior program.
Elizabeth used to be quite healthy, probably more moderate now.
Angle Vale has an extremely healthy junior program.
Eastern Park has never really struggled in this department.

I might be a bit out of the loop with these opinions, one thing I will say though as I've been on both ends of the stick when it comes to clubs and junior participation, I hate it when people criticise clubs like GG, TTG & Modbury for having multiple sides in the same age groups, rival clubs should be more focused on where they are going wrong not why successful clubs are getting stronger. With juniors, build it and they will come, neglect it and they will leave.

[The Bedge]

How many of the Northern clubs have good junior programs?

Only reason I ask is my sons have played a fair bit of SANFLJ and while we are always heading out to the North East (GG, AFC, HV, Modbury) to play the only time up North that I can remember is to Eastern Park 5 years ago.

Yeah but SANFLJ also try to groups clubs generally in similar catchment areas still until prem grades, then the divisions kick in.

[The Bedge]

Smithfield has progressively gotten healthier each year over the past 5 years.
Units, Lodge and Mawsons don't have a lot going (pretty hard to establish from zip for BL & ML considering Salisbury, Para Hills, Pooraka and Ingle Farm have had healthy numbers for some time and are all very close).
Salisbury North has always had a very strong junior program.
Elizabeth used to be quite healthy, probably more moderate now.
Angle Vale has an extremely healthy junior program.
Eastern Park has never really struggled in this department.

I might be a bit out of the loop with these opinions, one thing I will say though as I've been on both ends of the stick when it comes to clubs and junior participation, I hate it when people criticise clubs like GG, TTG & Modbury for having multiple sides in the same age groups, rival clubs should be more focused on where they are going wrong not why successful clubs are getting stronger. With juniors, build it and they will come, neglect it and they will leave.

Units have been building the past couple years and have a couple of junior sides. They did the ground work and build a foundation through auskick participation first instead of trying the quick fix like some other clubs and going straight for older age groups / premiership teams.

Pooraka neglected their junior program (cricket also) and it fell away quickly - but think this may have been also due to a lack of volunteers - and they've just started trying to rebuild this year, so will take time.

Mawson Lakes junior future is dead. They fell over this year - again too much left to too few.

Angle Vale is booming, and being so close to EP / Eliz / Smith it's also becoming more appealing to pull kids away.

As for the comments about criticism to the big clubs - sure there is a merit in saying clubs should be more focused on improvement and building their kids, and fixing areas of concern.. but reality is as a smaller club you've got to work 10x as hard to keep your kids as well as pick up and new ones. You're kidding yourself if you think some clubs aren't still selling the dream of "making it" to a young family if they jump ship, the allure of higher division sides, the prospect and becoming a supremely better footballer in that environment.

Actually that's probably harsh, in recent years it hasn't been the Modbury / TTG / GG of the world circling our kids, its the middle of the road clubs looking to bolster.

[The Bedge]

I see D7 as getting progressively worse. I understand it's the last division and clubs all need a spot that suits them - but ultimately the way D7 is headed it's just setting up clubs for failure anyway.

No emphasis on long term development, no drive to potentially field a C grade, but if they have success in D7 they go up chances are they are rebounding quickly because the game to D6 is growing larger.

I wonder if a merger between D6 and D7 might one day be on the cards, and for those clubs that just wish to exist to provide a service to the community to just play footy without the stress / pressure / expectation / financial burden find themselves in a form of the C grade competition.

Or bring back D9 North and South

[Dutchy]

How many of the Northern clubs have good junior programs?

Only reason I ask is my sons have played a fair bit of SANFLJ and while we are always heading out to the North East (GG, AFC, HV, Modbury) to play the only time up North that I can remember is to Eastern Park 5 years ago.

Yeah but SANFLJ also try to groups clubs generally in similar catchment areas still until prem grades, then the divisions kick in.

This is all u14 grades and above that my lads have been involved in so its divisional, its a fantastic comp as you get a good game of footy every weekend.

Getting, and then maintaining, a good junior programs is bloody hard work and really is a 10 year job to see the impacts in the senior side of the club, you need great people at a club to make this happen, along with the vision.

Hackam have had u8's-u12's for years but cant seem to get anything beyond that.

[wenchbarwer]

I see D7 as getting progressively worse. I understand it's the last division and clubs all need a spot that suits them - but ultimately the way D7 is headed it's just setting up clubs for failure anyway.

No emphasis on long term development, no drive to potentially field a C grade, but if they have success in D7 they go up chances are they are rebounding quickly because the game to D6 is growing larger.

I wonder if a merger between D6 and D7 might one day be on the cards, and for those clubs that just wish to exist to provide a service to the community to just play footy without the stress / pressure / expectation / financial burden find themselves in a form of the C grade competition.

Or bring back D9 North and South

Would a merged D6/D7 league work? I'd imagine the top D6 sides would hand out some awful thrashings to the bottom D7 sides, which would probably speed up their death spiral.

Additionally, if you were one of the better D6 sides playing a lesser D7 side, and you had a weekend where the weather was horrible and you couldn't put a cricket score on against them, there'd be ramifications with percentages come finals time. It'd be like the SFL a few years ago before Marion & Hackham left.

[The Bedge]

Yeah so if you were to look at the top divisions (boys) they almost always are "big clubs", often with multiple sides and big jnr programs - Pt District, TTG, Goodwood, Henley, SMOSH, Towns, Walkerville, PHOS, Glenunga, Brighton, Unley, Golden Grove.

.. and no surprise those clubs also occupy the upper echelons of the AdFL.

[The Bedge]

Would a merged D6/D7 league work? I'd imagine the top D6 sides would hand out some awful thrashings to the bottom D7 sides, which would probably speed up their death spiral.

Additionally, if you were one of the better D6 sides playing a lesser D7 side, and you had a weekend where the weather was horrible and you couldn't put a cricket score on against them, there'd be ramifications with percentages come finals time. It'd be like the SFL a few years ago before Marion & Hackham left.

Probably not, unless the bottom end clubs dropped off and it forced those clubs at the lower end to vastly improve.

[Lightning McQueen]

Smithfield has progressively gotten healthier each year over the past 5 years.
Units, Lodge and Mawsons don't have a lot going (pretty hard to establish from zip for BL & ML considering Salisbury, Para Hills, Pooraka and Ingle Farm have had healthy numbers for some time and are all very close).
Salisbury North has always had a very strong junior program.
Elizabeth used to be quite healthy, probably more moderate now.
Angle Vale has an extremely healthy junior program.
Eastern Park has never really struggled in this department.

I might be a bit out of the loop with these opinions, one thing I will say though as I've been on both ends of the stick when it comes to clubs and junior participation, I hate it when people criticise clubs like GG, TTG & Modbury for having multiple sides in the same age groups, rival clubs should be more focused on where they are going wrong not why successful clubs are getting stronger. With juniors, build it and they will come, neglect it and they will leave.

Units have been building the past couple years and have a couple of junior sides. They did the ground work and build a foundation through auskick participation first instead of trying the quick fix like some other clubs and going straight for older age groups / premiership teams.

Pooraka neglected their junior program (cricket also) and it fell away quickly - but think this may have been also due to a lack of volunteers - and they've just started trying to rebuild this year, so will take time.

Mawson Lakes junior future is dead. They fell over this year - again too much left to too few.

Angle Vale is booming, and being so close to EP / Eliz / Smith it's also becoming more appealing to pull kids away.

As for the comments about criticism to the big clubs - sure there is a merit in saying clubs should be more focused on improvement and building their kids, and fixing areas of concern.. but reality is as a smaller club you've got to work 10x as hard to keep your kids as well as pick up and new ones. You're kidding yourself if you think some clubs aren't still selling the dream of "making it" to a young family if they jump ship, the allure of higher division sides, the prospect and becoming a supremely better footballer in that environment.

Actually that's probably harsh, in recent years it hasn't been the Modbury / TTG / GG of the world circling our kids, its the middle of the road clubs looking to bolster.

Yeah sorry, I just like hearing myself type.

[The Bedge]

I like to hear you type.

[wenchbarwer]

Get a room

[Lightning McQueen]

Get a room

Jealousy is a curse wenchy!

[LaughingKookaburra]

Lonsdale flying as we speak with the inclusion of Hodge. Really hope they get up this year with some good mates that deserve the ultimate success for that club at senior level. Dan Loveridge has always been underrated and I don’t know why as he is a great player and better bloke.

[JimShoes]

Interesting round this weekend.
Another top 2 battle. OSB had the wood over Para Hills the last 2 games Para Hills just unable to convert. You'd imagine it's a GF preview all things going expected. OSB at home will be tough to beat

Hackham and Flinders fight it out for double chance. Rematch from the week before. Could be an interesting game given the last scoreline. I think Hackham get it done this weekend.

Mawson lakes and Brahma is an interesting one. ML getting over the line last week. Should be another close one. You would anticipate the winner of this game probably goes on to finish 5th, but Mitchell Park and Smithfield have shown they're no easy beats recently against any side bar the top 2.
What does everyone else think?

[Lightning McQueen]

Interesting round this weekend.
Another top 2 battle. OSB had the wood over Para Hills the last 2 games Para Hills just unable to convert. You'd imagine it's a GF preview all things going expected. OSB at home will be tough to beat

Hackham and Flinders fight it out for double chance. Rematch from the week before. Could be an interesting game given the last scoreline. I think Hackham get it done this weekend.

Mawson lakes and Brahma is an interesting one. ML getting over the line last week. Should be another close one. You would anticipate the winner of this game probably goes on to finish 5th, but Mitchell Park and Smithfield have shown they're no easy beats recently against any side bar the top 2.
What does everyone else think?

Mozzies by 27 points, Marcellina's and Smitty to draw.

[Chappy]

Interesting round this weekend.
Another top 2 battle. OSB had the wood over Para Hills the last 2 games Para Hills just unable to convert. You'd imagine it's a GF preview all things going expected. OSB at home will be tough to beat

Hackham and Flinders fight it out for double chance. Rematch from the week before. Could be an interesting game given the last scoreline. I think Hackham get it done this weekend.

Mawson lakes and Brahma is an interesting one. ML getting over the line last week. Should be another close one. You would anticipate the winner of this game probably goes on to finish 5th, but Mitchell Park and Smithfield have shown they're no easy beats recently against any side bar the top 2.
What does everyone else think?

Hoping for a Hackham win this week. I can see ML winning 3 so the reality is If Hackham lose this weekend they likely miss out on a home final.
Would be nice to see them Host week one! From an outsider perspective that wandered down the road occasionally I would think its a nice reward for some good people. I mean wont go any further than week 2 but still

[rooman]

Interesting round this weekend.


Hoping for a Hackham win this week. I can see ML winning 3 so the reality is If Hackham lose this weekend they likely miss out on a home final.
Would be nice to see them Host week one! From an outsider perspective that wandered down the road occasionally I would think its a nice reward for some good people. I mean wont go any further than week 2 but still

I am under the impression that ML is not able to go to 4th and Hackham go to 5th in the Div 7 structure, irrelevant of win and percentage. The top for will stay top 4 and currently battling for their positions and the bottom 4 are fighting for 5th spot, Then the finals will happen with Hackham getting home final because they finished in the top 4 after 14 rounds.

[Chappy]

Interesting round this weekend.


Hoping for a Hackham win this week. I can see ML winning 3 so the reality is If Hackham lose this weekend they likely miss out on a home final.
Would be nice to see them Host week one! From an outsider perspective that wandered down the road occasionally I would think its a nice reward for some good people. I mean wont go any further than week 2 but still

I am under the impression that ML is not able to go to 4th and Hackham go to 5th in the Div 7 structure, irrelevant of win and percentage. The top for will stay top 4 and currently battling for their positions and the bottom 4 are fighting for 5th spot, Then the finals will happen with Hackham getting home final because they finished in the top 4 after 14 rounds.

I've flown the coop interstate, So have not exactly kept up with the structure.
I think if that's the case that's a good idea in keeping the table in balance

[Lightning McQueen]

I've flown the coop interstate, So have not exactly kept up with the structure.
I think if that's the case that's a good idea in keeping the table in balance

I think it's sheer brilliance from the AdFL.