Opinion Make the SANFL great again

[jo172]

The Ammos pay players down to divvy 4 largely due to funding provided by the SANFL for junior development. It's a joke actually. The money from the SANFL is basically paying senior players.

Would love to see any basis for this comment.

I have been heavily involved in an amateur club for near two decades and we've barely received a cent from the SANFL for junior development.

This seems to be a complete falsehood.

SANFL Clubs choosing 100 players for an allegedly "elite" u13 junior development squad and then charging them $500 pp to fund SANFL senior programs I've certainly seen though.

 

[feenix67]

Would love to see any basis for this comment.

I have been heavily involved in an amateur club for near two decades and we've barely received a cent from the SANFL for junior development.

This seems to be a complete falsehood.

SANFL Clubs choosing 100 players for an allegedly "elite" u13 junior development squad and then charging them $500 pp to fund SANFL senior programs I've certainly seen though.

My sons Ammo club has received quite a bit, and a lot of it has been used on player payments.

What you describe, the cross subsidisation between junior and senior levels, is also very true and has led to some clubs juniors parents demanding that separate books be kept. I know this is the case at Unley and Mitcham, to name a couple.

The issue I described regarding the funding threat from the AFL occurred while I was involved in Sturts junior program.

 

[jo172]

My sons Ammo club has received quite a bit, and a lot of it has been used on player payments.

What you describe, the cross subsidisation between junior and senior levels, is also very true and has led to some clubs juniors parents demanding that separate books be kept. I know this is the case at Unley and Mitcham, to name a couple.

The issue I described regarding the funding threat from the AFL occurred while I was involved in Sturts junior program.

For what it's worth I was talking about SANFL clubs in this respect.

If this was occurring on any serious scale the SANFL Integrity Officer would be on it in a second. I can assure you they are worse than the Gestapo.

 

[adelaidecrows]

Kicking out Port and Crows would actually help.
A national reserves competition would make the SANFL more interesting.

Actually no it wouldn't. The best players from the SANFL will run to the reserve league in a heartbeat. This would further diminish the quality of the competition. Both the crows and port would not be bound by the squad restrictions the SANFL places on them.

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[feenix67]

For what it's worth I was talking about SANFL clubs in this respect.

If this was occurring on any serious scale the SANFL Integrity Officer would be on it in a second. I can assure you they are worse than the Gestapo.

It was a big deal with Ammo clubs when I was involved at junior level. Admittedly a few years ago now.

In any event, the point of my post is that the AFL has the SANFL wrapped around its little finger in terms of funding, making it almost impossible for the SANFL to operate as a stand alone, independant league. A situation brought about by the VaFLs quiet self appointment as the governing body of football in this country.

 

[1990crow]

Actually no it wouldn't. The best players from the SANFL will run to the reserve league in a heartbeat. This would further diminish the quality of the competition. Both the crows and port would not be bound by the squad restrictions the SANFL places on them.

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I would still have more interest. At least then it would be a fair playing field and less focus on AFL reserve sides.
As it is now I have no interest in the sanfl other than our second tier player performance.
Take out the crows and I would watch and support WWT.

 

[jo172]

It was a big deal with Ammo clubs when I was involved at junior level. Admittedly a few years ago now.

In any event, the point of my post is that the AFL has the SANFL wrapped around its little finger in terms of funding, making it almost impossible for the SANFL to operate as a stand alone, independant league. A situation brought about by the VaFLs quiet self appointment as the governing body of football in this country.

Yes, and the SANFL's attitude of punching downwards rather than upwards tends to breed antipathy from it's community clubs which results in it getting squeezed from both sides.

 

[feenix67]

Yes, and the SANFL's attitude of punching downwards rather than upwards tends to breed antipathy from it's community clubs which results in it getting squeezed from both sides.

I reckon unless you had a mandate or a vision to improve the league, AND the tools and resources to do it, it would be pretty difficult job to do.

 

[Slippery Pete]

I’m okay with the premise of this thread, but Sturt should be pushed out of the competition, because their supporters are all knobs.

 

[adelaidecrows]

I reckon unless you had a mandate or a vision to improve the league, AND the tools and resources to do it, it would be pretty difficult job to do.

I'm certain all clubs get a vote on any changes to the league. That's why nothing will ever happen. They complained after they voted in the crows because they thought fans would come. But they didn't make crows fans welcome. But at the same time they want magpie fans, all 5 of them. Because you them it's tradition. See how dumb they are acting.

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[feenix67]

I’m okay with the premise of this thread, but Sturt should be pushed out of the competition, because their supporters are all knobs.

No you!

 

[glengowan]

I've always thought for the most SANFL to become more relevant in this era it needs to move/remove the weaker clubs and either bring in promotion relegation or have a Hills team/Victor Harbor/ Mount Gambier type teams to appeal to the masses.

Or have Norwood, Centrals, South and the Eagles (that covers each area, but happy to debate which teams )approach a breakaway group of the VFL and set-up a southern league

In my opinion, SANFL in its current form really has lost its relevance

I'd like to see the following:

• A nation wide AFL Reserves competition with top up players Under 20.
• 4 New Elite U18 Teams involved in the NAB Cup and play against each other locally (from my calculations, 4 SA teams would have about the same population per team as the 4 country Vic teams currently have).
• Together with the Adelaide and Port Adelaide Football Clubs, this is the elite pathway.

• SANFL to become purely grassroots and merge with Adelaide Footy League, retain the SANFL name and traditions (Magarey, TS Hill Cup etc) and the Adelaide Footy League divisions with promotion and relegation
• A 10 or 12 team SANFL which is the premier competition in the State
• All country and Adelaide Footy League competitions in the state to have their season finished by the end of August
• The SANFL Finals through September to coincide with a Premiers Cup Series to determine who will replace the SANFL wooden spooner, who would be relegated either back to Division 2 or to their Country league.
• The Premiers Cup to consist of the 8 best Premiership teams in the State playing in a knockout finals series with the Final being played the same day as the SANFL Grand Final on the October Long Weekend (i.e. Premiers of Adelaide Footy League Div 1 / Barossa League / Hills Div 1 League / Great Southern League / Southern League / Best of the EP and YP and Mid North / Best of the Limestone Coast and KTNFL / Best of River Murray and Riverland)
• On that same weekend, turn Memorial Drive into netball courts and have a statewide Premiers Cup Netball competition
• Make the October Long Weekend the celebration of grassroots footy and netball at Adelaide Oval and maintain the large crowds that an SANFL Grand Final always attracts. A grassroots gather round for our own state.

If the SANFL premiership is for the best club in the state and every club in the state has an opportunity to get there one day if they are good enough, it will remain relevant and interesting to the spectators. There will be a constant feeding of players who have played two seasons of top up footy for the AFL Reserves teams who will rejoin full time along with delistings. It gives a chance for some of our regions to either back a current club or form a new club that has a chance to represent their region at a state level week in week out, if they're good enough.

 

[Redline]

I'd like to see the following:

• A nation wide AFL Reserves competition with top up players Under 20.
• 4 New Elite U18 Teams involved in the NAB Cup and play against each other locally (from my calculations, 4 SA teams would have about the same population per team as the 4 country Vic teams currently have).
• Together with the Adelaide and Port Adelaide Football Clubs, this is the elite pathway.

• SANFL to become purely grassroots and merge with Adelaide Footy League, retain the SANFL name and traditions (Magarey, TS Hill Cup etc) and the Adelaide Footy League divisions with promotion and relegation
• A 10 or 12 team SANFL which is the premier competition in the State
• All country and Adelaide Footy League competitions in the state to have their season finished by the end of August
• The SANFL Finals through September to coincide with a Premiers Cup Series to determine who will replace the SANFL wooden spooner, who would be relegated either back to Division 2 or to their Country league.
• The Premiers Cup to consist of the 8 best Premiership teams in the State playing in a knockout finals series with the Final being played the same day as the SANFL Grand Final on the October Long Weekend (i.e. Premiers of Adelaide Footy League Div 1 / Barossa League / Hills Div 1 League / Great Southern League / Southern League / Best of the EP and YP and Mid North / Best of the Limestone Coast and KTNFL / Best of River Murray and Riverland)
• On that same weekend, turn Memorial Drive into netball courts and have a statewide Premiers Cup Netball competition
• Make the October Long Weekend the celebration of grassroots footy and netball at Adelaide Oval and maintain the large crowds that an SANFL Grand Final always attracts. A grassroots gather round for our own state.

If the SANFL premiership is for the best club in the state and every club in the state has an opportunity to get there one day if they are good enough, it will remain relevant and interesting to the spectators. There will be a constant feeding of players who have played two seasons of top up footy for the AFL Reserves teams who will rejoin full time along with delistings. It gives a chance for some of our regions to either back a current club or form a new club that has a chance to represent their region at a state level week in week out, if they're good enough.

I don't mind that.

The SANFL clubs don't see alot of the best juniors in their draft year between the squads, carnivals and College Football. The SANFL.club is their base they come and go a fair bit.

I do think the sport needs what I would call a semi-professional comp like most sports do. Having seen first hand the professionalism of a SANFL club in most areas is a huge jump from grass roots.

I think the two reasons, firstly it gives a player a chance to get back into the AFL but more importantly it allows those players who want to get the best out of themselves the chance to do so. I think the sport should provide for say a mid twenties player who maybe won't make AFL but wants to be around a more professional environment.

You see it in other sports but for some reason football doesn't see the value. Not a perfect comparison but in Cricket terms District Cricket and Turf Cricket are separated. Inthink think a AFL reserves comp fills that void.

 

[chazwazza]

I'm certain all clubs get a vote on any changes to the league. That's why nothing will ever happen. They complained after they voted in the crows because they thought fans would come. But they didn't make crows fans welcome. But at the same time they want magpie fans, all 5 of them. Because you them it's tradition. See how dumb they are acting.

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This is nonsense. Yes there is animosity towards both reserves teams, there’s also animosity and jibes thrown towards all clubs from all clubs.

The animosity towards Adelaide is largely due to Trigg’s bull$hit figure of bringing 4000 Crows supporters to the game then backtracking to 4000 as a total crowd figure. There was no initial flood of Adelaide supporters who then decided that it was an unwelcoming atmosphere….they never turned up in the first place.

The attitude towards Port has always been of hatred but begrudging respect until the One Club nonsense and the PAFC double speak that ensues with their revisionist history.
I’ve never had an argument with an Adelaide supporter but nearly every time I’m at Alberton there’s a narky feel and bitter arguments….not so much now as they hardly turn up anymore.

The dissatisfaction with both reserves teams is pretty equal I’d think and largely due to how it came about with Trigg, Norwood President Joe Tripodi backflipping on his vote to get draft restrictions removed and SANFL clubs having salary caps reduced and a requirement that all clubs turn over a minimum $40k profit or face further salary cap restrictions enforced…..none of this the reserves teams face. I think most clubs were threatened with funding (I dare say this came down from the AFL), if they didn’t vote to let in the reserves teams.

I prefer a day at the SANFL as compared to the AFL, but I gave up investing my time and money in the AFL years ago and refuse to consume much of its media too. I just can’t stand the bull$hit that comes with it, the gossip, sensationalising of minor stories and the rank hypocrisy from the AFL and its sycophantic media.
In fact one of the things I enjoy most with the SANFL is the complete lack of media, I can go to a game and not have any gossip and bull$hit media thrown at me for the next week, then head to another game and go for the pure enjoyment of following my club.
While I’d love for more people to get to games I also enjoy the easy game day vibe at the SANFL, go to a pub for lunch, wander to the game, see the footy, go home, without worrying about parking, full buses, big crowds and morons yelling into microphones trying to hype up the crowd and incessant noise trying to sell shit to me……I really just want to see a game of footy.

Unfortunately I don’t see any positive future for the SANFL with or without the reserves teams. The comp has been constantly undermined by the AFL largely by Demitriou, this is the football landscape now thanks to the AFL crowning itself as the caretaker of Aussie Rules. I honestly would embrace the AFL imploding tomorrow.

 

[feenix67]

Hmmm jo172 couple of weeks on from our discussion about player payments, and Gaza get fined the GDP of a small african nation for salary cap breaches... did you get salty and put your detective hat on?

 

[jo172]

 

[radiojake]

This is all possible because the AFL quietly dissolved the NFC in 1995 which was the national body, representing ALL states, overseeing aussie rules. The AFL, under Oakley and later Demetriou, quietly hijacked the sport in this country.

That's about the time they hijacked the name of the sport too - annoys me to no end

"My son/daughter plays AFL"
A 10 year old playing in the professional league? **** off they play Aussie Rules Footy

 

[relapse]

The comp has been constantly undermined by the AFL largely by Demitriou, this is the football landscape now thanks to the AFL crowning itself as the caretaker of Aussie Rules. I honestly would embrace the AFL imploding tomorrow.

It depends how you look at things.

SANFL fans complain about the Crows/Port/AFL etc, but never seem to acknowledge that the SANFL is now largely funded by AFL generated revenue.

The SANFL are making millions a year from stadium revenue and I have only been able to find info from 2018, but from what I can find they apparently made 12 million dollars from Adelaide Oval revenue for that year. If those numbers are right then based on the SANFL's total revenue for 2018 it works out that both clubs appear to contribute roughly between 35-40% of the SANFL's total revenue via Adelaide Oval generated revenue. That's a huge chunk and yet SANFL supporters act like both clubs are a scourge on the league, whereas it's actually the other way around.

You take that source of revenue out of the equation and the league just wouldn't exist in the form that it's currently in.

 

[Golumless]

The SANFL will never relevant again in that facet, but it has a place as a solid feeder league for the AFL - and eventually, reserves.

 

[feenix67]

It depends how you look at things.

SANFL fans complain about the Crows/Port/AFL etc, but never seem to acknowledge that the SANFL is now largely funded by AFL generated revenue.

The SANFL are making millions a year from stadium revenue and I have only been able to find info from 2018, but from what I can find they apparently made 12 million dollars from Adelaide Oval revenue for that year. If those numbers are right then based on the SANFL's total revenue for 2018 it works out that both clubs appear to contribute roughly between 35-40% of the SANFL's total revenue via Adelaide Oval generated revenue. That's a huge chunk and yet SANFL supporters act like both clubs are a scourge on the league, whereas it's actually the other way around.

You take that source of revenue out of the equation and the league just wouldn't exist in the form that it's currently in.

The SMA deal was to replace the licenses

 

[rocket18]

It won't be too far down the track the SANFL will be the fourth ranked comp played in SA.

AFL
AFL - reserves
AFLW
SANFL

I can't see it being 'great again'.

 

[George Kramer]

It depends how you look at things.

SANFL fans complain about the Crows/Port/AFL etc, but never seem to acknowledge that the SANFL is now largely funded by AFL generated revenue.

The SANFL are making millions a year from stadium revenue and I have only been able to find info from 2018, but from what I can find they apparently made 12 million dollars from Adelaide Oval revenue for that year. If those numbers are right then based on the SANFL's total revenue for 2018 it works out that both clubs appear to contribute roughly between 35-40% of the SANFL's total revenue via Adelaide Oval generated revenue. That's a huge chunk and yet SANFL supporters act like both clubs are a scourge on the league, whereas it's actually the other way around.

You take that source of revenue out of the equation and the league just wouldn't exist in the form that it's currently in.

How is that revenue being earnt?

 

[relapse]

How is that revenue being earnt?

Do you mean the AFL sourced revenue?

Basically the SANFL has full control over Adelaide Oval during the footy season so corporate box/event revenue, advertising, alcohol, food, drink, AO memberships etc.go to the SANFL. The SMA runs all the catering and bars so it's basically just money for jam.

There is a arrangement in place with Port and Adelaide where the matchay revenue is shared, but the SANFL get the lion's share of it and by all accounts it's apparently one of the worst stadium deals in football.

 

[PeterSalt]

Do you mean the AFL sourced revenue?

Basically the SANFL has full control over Adelaide Oval during the footy season so corporate box/event revenue, advertising, alcohol, food, drink, AO memberships etc.go to the SANFL. The SANFL runs all the catering and bars so it's basically just money for jam.

There is a arrangement in place with Port and Adelaide where the matchay revenue is shared, but the SANFL get the lion's share of it.

Interesting. For some reason I thought the AO memberships went to the SACA

 

[relapse]

Interesting. For some reason I thought the AO memberships went to the SACA

No, the SACA signed away their rights to the ground.

That's why it had to go out to be voted for by the SACA members because they had to relinquish control over the ground in order for this to happen.

It's technically run by the SMA, which is basically a conglomerate of the SANFL and SACA that oversees everything.

The SACA has exclusive use of the oval and the revenue during cricket season whereas the SANFL has it during winter/footy season.