Autopsy AFLX - The Bigfooty Verdict

[BringBackTorps]

As for stats in the past 4 years, I couldnt tell you however being involved in the junior footy up here for about that same period, we see more players and teams in the U7,U9and U11 grades however the drop off happens at the high school age[?] and often we struggle to field more than 5 or 6 teams in the U13-U17 comps. The senior comp is gernerally made up of blokes (and girls, we have developed a good womens league up here in recent years) who have come from footy playing states. We do get some born and bred kids coming through the ranks- few have gone onto AFL lists, however the development of the older kids is made more difficult by access to facilities[?] and coaches at that higher level. I don't see AFLX as helping the above roadblocks. Primary participation is good but dwindles at the highschool age.

As you say in Townsville district "primary participation is good but dwindles at the high school age", why? Approx. % drop off from U11 to U13 & U15?
Re "facilities", are there insufficient larger ovals to cater for AF players from U13 onwards, & snrs.?

 

[Grozzy]

I live in Sydney. My main passion is NRL, and I have a casual interest in AFL. You'd think I'd be part of their target demographic.
I had absolutely no interest in the AFLX at all. It's just a copy of the Rugby Union 7s and the NRL Auckland 9s. Just a gimmick to attract people with short attention spans.

 

[JoondalupJ]

Just an utter joke. The AFL don't admit failure though so they'll try and force it for another couple of years before it just is suddenly not talked about

Absolutely dog shit commentary though, the fake enthusiasm and selling of the game was just laughable

That's my main beef with the AFL who go into over drive to promote something that is some table sitters idea of a good thing.
When it is absolutely nothing but training circle work.
The guys paid to promote it as its played , must get good money to know that everyone around can see the over done nonsense they sprout. They should feel ashamed but they get paid good money, like all the sycophants who work AFL TV.
And me? I watched about 3 minutes and left it. I won't watch training sessions put up on a rectangular ground ever again, and made out to be some magnificent new discovery ,ALL ITS FOR IS TV MONEY again!

Then they insult the womens' game by saying its good for kids and women. Well somebody did on another forum.

Like hell , those girls play flat out on a big ground and are getting better, only ten teams needed in the end though or the dilution will murder it. Like 18 clubs is dropping the level in AFL.

As for AFLX, I would hope it disappears , I will never watch another 10 seconds of it, let alone 3 minutes.

 

[JoondalupJ]

oh but they do. Mclachlan talking about the possibility of selling franchises to private groups today

McGlachlan is the worst thing to happen to the AFL , he is strictly a money man , and it will be him that sports history will blame for going too far and taking a unique game away from those who own it, we people who live for it, it will be remembered as the killer of the best game on the earth, Gil is a money man nothing more and nothing less , and when money and TV get involved, what happens is, others that know nothing about our game get involved YOU KNOW TV PEOPLE, BUSINESS EXECS, EVEN FROM OTHER COUNTRIES, and that is when the poison gets into the skin of the game, and the stupid changes start being made up, to gear up the sport with stupid ideas like AFLX .

It is simply another money making marketing idea, but these AFL bastards think that we plebeians will just fall into line and start following any type of crud they put up.
The NAB or what ever its called cup, is practice matches too, but they boom it up as something , even with a Premiership , fair dinkum, the old Albert Park South Melbourne night football was more fair dinkum that this pre season stuff now.
And then, these half wits put up AFLX .
If they keep going , you can say goodnight to the real game, maybe its back to the suburbs or the country, or maybe we need a Kerry Packer type to start proper football again. I'd like to see that! Wish I was a billionaire!

 

[JoondalupJ]

It is an abomination as it is, but it wouldn't be too hard to fix it....

- make it 4 quarters of 20 minutes plus time on
- increase the number of players to 18 plus 4 interchange
- scrap the Zooper goal
- play it on larger oval shaped grounds
- scrap the last touch OOB rule
- centre bounce after every goal to allow teams and fans to celebrate them
- keep the play on after a backwards kick rule and the 20 second shot clock
- find a new CEO

Excellent suggestions, I'm not a shot clock person at all, but.

 

[Doashuey]

As you say in Townsville district "primary participation is good but dwindles at the high school age", why? Approx. % drop off from U11 to U13 & U15?
Re "facilities", are there insufficient larger ovals to cater for AF players from U13 onwards, & snrs.?

No plenty of ovals to cater for footy up here.
Probably a mixture of things, one of the big ones would be overall youth participation in sport at that age dwindles once computer games, drugs and chicks come into play- this would be common to all states. Also, being in RL country, the peer pressure to drop footy for RL probably plays a part and diversification into other sports or hobbies.
The development pathways aren't as strong either due to access to high grade coaches and training facilities.
% wise I wouldn't know but hazard a guess at 60% drop from U11 to U17.

 

[dlanod]

No plenty of ovals to cater for footy up here.

The thing up there is that ovals are plentiful - cricket is still huge. They just don't have goal posts on them all. AFLX doesn't fix that - you still need the goal posts. If they adapted it to work with league/union posts OTOH...

 

[Doashuey]

The thing up there is that ovals are plentiful - cricket is still huge. They just don't have goal posts on them all. AFLX doesn't fix that - you still need the goal posts. If they adapted it to work with league/union posts OTOH...

Youd be surprised. There are plenty up here witj 8 posts that dont get used much at all. I guess the point is that oval availability is not a restrictive factor in participation up here.

 

[karen50]

League boss Gil McLachlan has revealed big plans for AFLX.

Fresh from a meeting with AFL operations boss Steve Hocking this morning, McLachlan told Neil Mitchell “the future’s enormous” for the new short-form competition, which divided fans in its first season.

Among the potential changes the AFL boss flagged on 3AW today were:

• A November start date
• Played in Hong Kong
• New line-up rules, including former champions and making a certain amount of draft players mandatory

https://www.3aw.com.au/afl-ex-gil-mclachlan-reveals-ex-stars-could-play-role-in-hong-kong-expansion/
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-03-02/afls-xpansion-plans-asia-on-the-radar

 

[JoondalupJ]

League boss Gil McLachlan has revealed big plans for AFLX.

Fresh from a meeting with AFL operations boss Steve Hocking this morning, McLachlan told Neil Mitchell “the future’s enormous” for the new short-form competition, which divided fans in its first season.

Among the potential changes the AFL boss flagged on 3AW today were:

• A November start date
• Played in Hong Kong
• New line-up rules, including former champions and making a certain amount of draft players mandatory

https://www.3aw.com.au/afl-ex-gil-mclachlan-reveals-ex-stars-could-play-role-in-hong-kong-expansion/
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-03-02/afls-xpansion-plans-asia-on-the-radar

GOOD!!!!! KEEP IT IN HONG KONG TOO!!!!!!
You are a pea brain Gil. Please retire .

 

[The_Wookie]

League boss Gil McLachlan has revealed big plans for AFLX.

Fresh from a meeting with AFL operations boss Steve Hocking this morning, McLachlan told Neil Mitchell “the future’s enormous” for the new short-form competition, which divided fans in its first season.

Among the potential changes the AFL boss flagged on 3AW today were:

• A November start date
• Played in Hong Kong
• New line-up rules, including former champions and making a certain amount of draft players mandatory

https://www.3aw.com.au/afl-ex-gil-mclachlan-reveals-ex-stars-could-play-role-in-hong-kong-expansion/
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-03-02/afls-xpansion-plans-asia-on-the-radar

None of these changes are bad IMO. The lineup rules are what i was expecting to see from the start. He goes to private ownership though and it can kiss my backside