AFL - Time for 2 divisions?

[Dylza94]

Alas, another week, a few more thrashings, and a growing discrepancy between the good, the bad, and the ugly.

It is time for the AFL to consider taking at least some sort of measures to stop the rot of thrashings every week. While the AFL tries hard to be the NBA, it should take a leaf of football/soccer's book and bring in two divisions with promotion and relegation. Not only would this result in more competitive games every week, it would make it much easier for expansion teams to be brought into the league, starting in the 2nd division and building their way up while not getting flogged as often.
Here is how it could potentially be structured

• 2 divisions of 9 with the current teams, with the potential to expand into Tasmania and Darwin (or wherever) making 10 teams in each division
  
• each team plays each other twice, resulting in 16 H&A games and 18 with 10 teams. Solves the AFL's confusing "everybody plays each other once then plays 5 other teams again" idea
  
• top 2 of div 2 get promoted automatically, and bottom 2 of div 1 get relegated
• 3rd placed in div 2 in a playoff against 3rd last div 1 for another spot (perhaps)
• In division 1 the Top 4 goes into the finals; 1v4, 2v3 etc.
• Draft pick order stays the same, last in div 1 gets pick 9, 1st in div 2 gets pick 10
• Removes favorable fixturing and adds equal home games to each team

If the AFL wants more games (of course they will), they could have an national cup competition separate from the league. This could include the state league teams as well (although this may cause problems with the reserve sides) or just the AFL teams. It would also allow div 1 and 2 teams to verse each other and get the big-crowd games the AFL froths over. If they want even more games, the 16 H&A games would allow good time to bring back SoO (but that is a topic for another thread).

Discuss!

 

[dave123]

No

No

No

 

[Art Vandelay_]

NO.

 

[The Fact]

No
No way
No how

 

[NaturalDisaster]

people are only going to say no because humans are incapable of welcoming any change of tradition

 

[DrEvil_]

Mate, did you even watch Saturday night?

 

[LeverPuller]

No

 

[shoebox]

To quote Colless - 'intellectual Pygmy'

 

[Iskender Time]

Love a good thrashing sometimes.

 

[DylanR]

This isnt the epl

 

[Brutalitops]

Ugh. Every damn year.

 

[JamesJoe]

Alas, another week, a few more thrashings, and a growing discrepancy between the good, the bad, and the ugly.

It is time for the AFL to consider taking at least some sort of measures to stop the rot of thrashings every week. While the AFL tries hard to be the NBA, it should take a leaf of football/soccer's book and bring in two divisions with promotion and relegation. Not only would this result in more competitive games every week, it would make it much easier for expansion teams to be brought into the league, starting in the 2nd division and building their way up while not getting flogged as often.
Here is how it could potentially be structured

• 2 divisions of 9 with the current teams, with the potential to expand into Tasmania and Darwin (or wherever) making 10 teams in each division
  
• each team plays each other twice, resulting in 16 H&A games and 18 with 10 teams. Solves the AFL's confusing "everybody plays each other once then plays 5 other teams again" idea
  
• top 2 of div 2 get promoted automatically, and bottom 2 of div 1 get relegated
• 3rd placed in div 2 in a playoff against 3rd last div 1 for another spot (perhaps)
• In division 1 the Top 4 goes into the finals; 1v4, 2v3 etc.
• Draft pick order stays the same, last in div 1 gets pick 9, 1st in div 2 gets pick 10
• Removes favorable fixturing and adds equal home games to each team

If the AFL wants more games (of course they will), they could have an national cup competition separate from the league. This could include the state league teams as well (although this may cause problems with the reserve sides) or just the AFL teams. It would also allow div 1 and 2 teams to verse each other and get the big-crowd games the AFL froths over. If they want even more games, the 16 H&A games would allow good time to bring back SoO (but that is a topic for another thread).

Discuss!

Yes there should be two divisions.

How bout one division for the teams which get sanctioned cheating like COLA and then one division for the non cheaters?

 

[inbetween]

Yeah we should replace the oblong ball with a round one, ban touching it with the hands. Hell we should just get absorbed into the english premier league while we're at it. Plenty of parity there.

 

[Syd]

To quote Colless - 'intellectual Pygmy'

Pridham even

 

[Ochre]

Alas, another week, a few more thrashings, and a growing discrepancy between the good, the bad, and the ugly.

It is time for the AFL to consider taking at least some sort of measures to stop the rot of thrashings every week. While the AFL tries hard to be the NBA, it should take a leaf of football/soccer's book and bring in two divisions with promotion and relegation. Not only would this result in more competitive games every week, it would make it much easier for expansion teams to be brought into the league, starting in the 2nd division and building their way up while not getting flogged as often.
Here is how it could potentially be structured

• 2 divisions of 9 with the current teams, with the potential to expand into Tasmania and Darwin (or wherever) making 10 teams in each division
  
• each team plays each other twice, resulting in 16 H&A games and 18 with 10 teams. Solves the AFL's confusing "everybody plays each other once then plays 5 other teams again" idea
  
• top 2 of div 2 get promoted automatically, and bottom 2 of div 1 get relegated
• 3rd placed in div 2 in a playoff against 3rd last div 1 for another spot (perhaps)
• In division 1 the Top 4 goes into the finals; 1v4, 2v3 etc.
• Draft pick order stays the same, last in div 1 gets pick 9, 1st in div 2 gets pick 10
• Removes favorable fixturing and adds equal home games to each team

If the AFL wants more games (of course they will), they could have an national cup competition separate from the league. This could include the state league teams as well (although this may cause problems with the reserve sides) or just the AFL teams. It would also allow div 1 and 2 teams to verse each other and get the big-crowd games the AFL froths over. If they want even more games, the 16 H&A games would allow good time to bring back SoO (but that is a topic for another thread).

Discuss!

No

people are only going to say no because humans are incapable of welcoming any change of tradition

No

 

[Adelaide Docker]

It's a no from me

 

[The Brabazone]

Would be interesting to see how the TV rights would work with division 2 games. No doubt channel 7 would want all divvy 1 games, not sure foxtel would agree. Would be possible for foxtel to buy the rights and then sell division 1/2 games to free to air stations though. But I think a tiered system where half the games are devalued would see the TV rights revenue decrease. Also while I think crowds would maintain or even rise in division 1, I think division 2 crowds and ratings would fall significantly, and the AFL wouldn't accept that risk. Clubs would also suffer dramatic membership drops in division 2, to the extent that traditionally smaller teams in division 2 would suffer so much that they would remain there for a long time, and with players leaving division 2 teams via free agency for division 1 teams it would make promotion from division two to division one even more difficult for smaller clubs. Furthermore not only would the season be shortened, but finals would be significantly shortened (from 9 down to 3 plus another promotion play off) and this would also financially hurt the game. Finally from a competitive standpoint I do not agree. GWS are a genuine premiership contender but would be languishing in division two this season handing out routine thrashings, and there are numerous other examples of teams flying up the ladder from the bottom half into premiership calculations, but under your system this wouldn't be possible. Overall:

TV rights: -
Crowds&membership: -
Equalisation and financial stability of clubs: -
Shortened season and finals: -
More competitive and greater week-to-week spectacle: +

Overall I would say while your point is valid about the lack of competitive games week-to-week, this is outweighed by the aforementioned cons.

 

[Rod Stroker]

Why stop at 2 divisions? Make it 18 divisions, so each team gets 1, and it's fair for all.

 

[Billy ray]

I like turtles

 

[Furn2]

Not enough teams yet but could definitely work.

The 3 issues people have is

1. No one will follow teams of they can't win the flag.

( this is no different to now for half the league who don't have any realistic chance )

2. Teams won't survive in div 2

(as long as the draft and salary cap remain and teams get afl funding from the AFL this won't be the case.

Tv money will be less for div too but that would be made up by more money for div 1.

3. Teams can improve dramatically so the best side might get stuck in div 2.

This rarely happens as far as premierships go. Geelong in 06 would have been relegated but with that's about it. With more teams that would basically never happen.

It's not as bad an idea as people make out but you'd want 11-12 teams per div.

 

[Stevi_Tigers]

not this american sports bullshit again

edit lol me not this european soccer thing again our game is fine as is

 

[demondavey]

Love a good thrashing sometimes.

And watching my team lose

 

[Barry_Badrinath]

Alas, another week, a few more thrashings, and a growing discrepancy between the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Bullshit. This quote gets thrown up all the time but nobody ever proves it. There has always been thrashings. There will always be thrashings. In a game that lasts for 120 minutes with 44 players on the field, there are simply too many variables to produce 18 teams that are all of similar ability and never beat each other by large margins.

Show me some proof that the "discrepancy between good and bad" is growing and I will read the rest of your post. Maybe start with average winning margins.

 

[im_a_lazy_sod]

not this american sports bullshit again

They do conference in the states mate. Divisions is what they do in Europe

I prefer divisions to conferences as an option, but conferences are a far more logical option for Aussie rules if the league ever decided they wanted an alternative system than the obviously broken system it has now

But at least with divisions you could have everyone playing each other twice in that division so a true H&A season plus then you could have a inter-division cup competition that could be knock out like the FA cup or any of the other football cups played in Europe

 

[dave123]

No no no

Anyone can go from bottom to top very quickly

Last season Geelong missed 8...now flag chance a year later

West coast finished last then made top 4

Freo minor premiers then 0-8 and I reckon with draft picks, Weller and Mcarthy they could go 16-6 next year

Carlton looked terrible ...now four wins

Do I need to go on?

...as bad as Essendon are they pushed north the top side

The only concern I have is Queensland footy is basket case scenario right now .......

Each week a Botton side is upsetting teams above them