AFL allocates Zones to Victorian Teams

[Seeds]

Have to be African, Asian or non-English speaking by the sounds of it.

Wow. Sounds like a policy from the 1960s.

 

[POBT]

That's players who have not played a game for three years. Very simple. This will be very different.

Why?

Q1. Were you born outside Australia?
Q2. Have you played school or club football before?

 

[Hollow Knight]

I think fellow supporters of expansion clubs need to be careful about getting too hysterical here. Academies are about growing the talent pool. If these new academies do that, it's great for everyone.

Let's not immediately lose our shit until we see how it all plays out. Keep your powder dry until a situation of genuine rorting appears, otherwise you just look like a pathalogical ranter.

 

[RUNVS]

Here's a look at the migrant stats of Melbourne, can't locate one for all of Victoria.

I could be wrong but doesn't Hawthorn benefit a lot from that?

 

[sataris]

I think fellow supporters of expansion clubs need to be careful about getting too hysterical here. Academies are about growing the talent pool. If these new academies do that, it's great for everyone.

Let's not immediately lose our shit until we see how it all plays out. Keep your powder dry until a situation of genuine rorting appears, otherwise you just look like a pathalogical ranter.

Academies in areas with low engagement/participation rates makes sense. Academies in victoria not so much.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Academies in areas with low engagement/participation rates makes sense. Academies in victoria not so much.

Depends if we are talking "geographically" or "culturally". If the AFL keep the Vic academies true to the spirit of the latter, it makes sense to me.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Hawthorn get two plum areas plus an NT zone. It's strange and seems rushed.

Strange and rushed.....but I like it.

 

[master bate]

I could be wrong but doesn't Hawthorn benefit a lot from that?

The Demons should be the big winners with Dandenong right in the middle of the hot zone. But it depends who qualifies, Majak Daw, Lin Jong and Gach Nuyon might be the only 3 on AFL lists who would qualify which would mean one each for WB/North, Coll and Melbourne with all 3 rookies as it is.

The Indigenous distribution seems more relevant than African and Asian so far. But like the Northern academies you never know what you might find once you are allowed to start developing.

 

[Testekill]

I could be wrong but doesn't Hawthorn benefit a lot from that?

Gotta get the fourpeat somehow. After all, their president departed in disgrace because they haven't won a match since mid October.

 

[sataris]

Depends if we are talking "geographically" or "culturally". If the AFL keep the Vic academies true to the spirit of the latter, it makes sense to me.

I hope so too. But I just don't see the point of this move at all. What are the benefits? Do they outweigh the costs? Is there a more effective way of expanding the talent pool? I think there are but i'm just a flog on an internet forum.

 

[Kwality]

The AFL has allocated Victorian teams (at this stage, SA and WA clubs to follow) zones in Victoria and in NT in order to push their brands and potentially set up similar academies to the 'Northern Clubs' with a particular focus on those with Indigenous or diverse backgrounds.

The zone(s) for each club are as follows;

Western Bulldogs – Western Melbourne, Wimmera, Mallee, South West Victoria, Ballarat, (North Ballarat Rebels & Western Jets)

Essendon – North West Melbourne (Calder Cannons), West Arnhem (NT)

Melbourne – South East Melbourne (Dandenong Stingrays), Alice Springs (NT)

Collingwood – Central Melbourne (Oakleigh Chargers), Barkly (NT)

St Kilda – Inner Southern Melbourne (Sandringham Dragons), Frankston LGA

North Melbourne – Melbourne and Wyndham LGAs (Calder Cannons & Western Jets)

Hawthorn – Eastern/Whitehorse LGAs (Eastern Ranges), Gippsland (Gippsland Power), Katherine (NT)

Carlton – Northern Melbourne (Northern Knights)

Geelong – Geelong /Hampden (Geelong Falcons), East Arnhem (NT)

Richmond – Goulburn Murray, Bendigo, Sunraysia, North Central (Bendigo Pioneers and Murray Bushrangers)

Strange array of areas and zones, with some clubs given multiple, some single with some given areas of NT as well with some not. Original zoning areas aka Carlton - Bendigo area seemed to have been cast aside with 'all clubs consulting and agreeing on zones', or say the AFL says.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-02-03/victorian-clubs-handed-afl-funding-for-academies


What do we make of this? Seems to have come fairly out of the blue...

Seems like we are going to further muddy the purity of the draft and continually undermine the AFL's staunch stance on equalisation. Can see the richer clubs doing considerably better out of this and talented juniors and their families looking for a sea change, to name a couple of things.

IF its good enough for the SA & WA clubs to do this sort of work for nothing, WHY would the Vic Clubs get any priority in drafting?

The developing States need priority, need local heroes - the traditional states need to put in.

 

[bigblackboz]

Two new teams, Tassie and a 3rd WA team???? Tassie to get northern WA??? Mathematically it works.

 

[pazza]

Essendon effectively getting the Tiwi Islands means one thing - more Riolis and more Longs! You can almost see the cheeky grin on Sheedy's face!

 

[The_Axeman]

Gotta get the fourpeat somehow. After all, their president departed in disgrace because they haven't won a match since mid October.

Incorrect. I was at training last week where they played an intra-club match. Hawthorn won. Even in the off season we keep winning.

 

[ferrisb]

THe problem is who do we count as "indigenous" because that sort of racial profiling can be problematic.

Looks like you've learnt your lesson, Andrew Bolt...

 

[LeverPuller]

The Demons should be the big winners with Dandenong right in the middle of the hot zone. But it depends who qualifies, Majak Daw, Lin Jong and Gach Nuyon might be the only 3 on AFL lists who would qualify which would mean one each for WB/North, Coll and Melbourne with all 3 rookies as it is.

The Indigenous distribution seems more relevant than African and Asian so far. But like the Northern academies you never know what you might find once you are allowed to start developing.

AFL seems to be rewarding areas clubs are putting time into as well. Dees getting the Casey corridor and the Alice, both areas getting a huge amount of time from the MFC.

Maybe that's what the issue is with Carlton - too slow to try and push boundaries means the smallest zone.

 

[Tulip]

How the **** do Victoria teams get anything to do with the NT? Traditional Aussie rules links to SA.

Thanks to the VFL for reminding me of the true nature of this comp. I needed reminding.

This is a bullshit system, mostly because South Australia and the cream of the SANFL will be split between two teams and Melbourne between eight.

 

[Watsclarkosmob]

I could be wrong but doesn't Hawthorn benefit a lot from that?

Yeah Hawthorn, St Kilda and Essendon seem to have well-populated zones of migrates.

 

[Hollow Knight]

This is a bullshit system, mostly because South Australia and the cream of the SANFL

Cream of the SANFL's indigenous or non-English speaking players who were recruited from non-footy backgrounds.

Doesn't quite have the same ring to it... soz.

 

[Kwality]

actually good luck to any Mebourne based team outside geelong, i'm assuming WA and SA get split up between two clubs????

How would a Vic based club handle the Kimberley, here is what is going on now:
https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/afl/a/29780391/kimberley-footy-talen-spills-over/
... Boys from the Kimberley region have the opportunity to transition to their designated WAFL club, Claremont.
there is much more to the program than football.
“With someone like Roy, we’re talking about as much raw athletic ability as you can get,” ... “ This is a boy who lives out in Looma* community who’s never been exposed to that next level of coaching and technique.

Bit out of the way the Looma community, here it is on Google Maps
*https://www.google.com.au/maps/sear...17.1946873,122.0818845,9z/data=!3m1!4b1?hl=en

“In the past, we've sent boys down to Claremont based purely on their football ability and they haven't necessarily been equipped with the life skills to have a sustainable life down in Perth.
“What we're trying to do now is expose them to that lifestyle and those expectations so if they're able to transition to Perth, it’s smooth.”

Is this about clubs putting in time, effort & money or just grabbing any talent they can?

 

[Seeds]

Why?

Q1. Were you born outside Australia?
Q2. Have you played school or club football before?

How do you qualify can't speak English?

 

[Sydney Bloods]

The academy model and bidding system only works if it's limited to a few clubs. Open it up to everyone, and all of a sudden it becomes pure luck where the good young players live.

We can only hope the AFL sees sense, but given their track record, it seems unlikely.

should put and end to tanking though.

the point of these zones goes beyond a few draft picks as other have said its about enticing clubs to spend their money on the local area and improve talent rather then hoarding it away, for facility's. It will also help strengthen support for a proper seconds comp to develop talent from and hopefully reduce the costs of young people taking up footy, as long term its becomes in the clubs best interests to take over and subsidise local teams, meaning more kids can stick with the game longer.

its a good idea, i doubt think many vic clubs will take things seriously and would rather rig the system, but as long as the age restrictions are set right it should be pretty much under control.

the racial profiling aspect is a big issue, the academies should be restricted to time spent playing the game rather then racial background. many sports from baseball to soccer to rugby league show that race or even language are not barriers to playing particular sports. the issue is attracting people to give it a go in the first place.

 

[iBeng]

How do you qualify can't speak English?

Some of the kids during the pre-draft chat videos seemed like they'd have come close...

 

[Kwality]

WA have been rather shit for a few years now in the U18's. The AFL may want to give the Eagles and Dockers more incentive to get more involved and also get more out of WA, as we know it can produce a lot more than it currently is.

The priority picks of Jesse Hogan, Jaeger O'Meara & Jack Martin do tend to get overlooked.

 

[Teagueeee15]

Are you serious in saying victorian teams will get part of WA ans SA?
Have you ever looked at a map of either state at where towns are and population sizes?

Where did I say Victorian teams will get given a part of WA or SA?

I said that maybe they will based on Evans comments that WA, SA and Tasmania are still being worked through and that historical links to the past are being considered in choosing who gets what zone (eg: St Kilda gets an academy somewhere in Tasmania due to historical links there). The fact that half of the Victorian teams have been allocated a non-victorian zone today and the rest haven't would seem to indicate that it's still a possibility that those who weren't given an interstate academy today may be given part of SA, WA or Tasmania instead.