National Seconds Competition

[deck]

My biggest gripe with the VFL is the alignment of the season with the AFL season.

The season starts 2 weeks after the AFL. Each team is allocated 3 byes plus there is a week off for a inter-league game. Quite often over the years the AFL team has had the bye while the VFL team didn't.

At the end of the day the AFL clubs need it as a feeder competition to serve the seniors. As it sits now it isn't doing a great job at it. With a reserves comp it would simply mimic the AFL.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

Fremantle basically break even each year with one of the least AFL funded club plus paying royalties to the WAFC. Funding a second team would push Dockers into the Red and cuts would be needed to be made to survive. It's in the interest for both the Dockers and Thunder to be aligned.

The royalty is not a nice gift you give out of the generosity of your heart. It is a royalty rightfully going to the owners of your AFL licence. It should be increasing that royalty.
How are Freo not making money? You get good crowds and you got good membership numbers. Who is wasting all your money?

 

[eastfreo75]

The royalty is not a nice gift you give out of the generosity of your heart. It is a royalty rightfully going to the owners of your AFL licence. It should be increasing that royalty.
How are Freo not making money? You get good crowds and you got good membership numbers. Who is wasting all your money?

Over 20 years Fremantle is 18th in AFL funding.

West Coast revenue is twice the amount that the Dockers is.

Only the WA clubs pay a royalty.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

Over 20 years Fremantle is 18th in AFL funding.

West Coast revenue is twice the amount that the Dockers is.

Only the WA clubs pay a royalty.

The WA clubs don’t own their licences the WAFC does and it does so to protect WA football.

 

[eastfreo75]

The WA clubs don’t own their licences the WAFC does and it does so to protect WA football.

Where did I say that the clubs weren’t own by the WAFC.

Protecting WA football they are doing a really bad job at that. Percentage of drafted players has been declining.

WAFC refused to restructure the elite pathway because of WAFL clubs tunnel vision.

Back my point is Fremantle can’t afford a seconds team and Peel can’t complete in the WAFL.

By the way, East Fremantle fans supporting West Coast are not true supports of the sharks.

 

[greatwhiteshark]

The WAFL is the best place for the Eagles and Dockers seconds in my opinion.
Wasting money playing in the VFL is just simply that, wasting money.

 

[eastfreo75]

The WAFL is the best place for the Eagles and Dockers seconds in my opinion.
Wasting money playing in the VFL is just simply that, wasting money.

100% I agree.

 

[Bjo187]

How much would this reserves comp cost extra per year? The costs on the competition would be massive. That's less money going to grassroots and expansion areas, promotion of the game etc. The cost base of the AFL is already way too much compared to other sports. More teams, more players, women's comp taking a large amount and with massive losses.

I like the idea if it was no extra cost, but the game will feel the impact of this additional burden.

 

[Kram]

Yep, waste of money.

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

How much would this reserves comp cost extra per year? The costs on the competition would be massive. That's less money going to grassroots and expansion areas, promotion of the game etc. The cost base of the AFL is already way too much compared to other sports. More teams, more players, women's comp taking a large amount and with massive losses.

I like the idea if it was no extra cost, but the game will feel the impact of this additional burden.

Would it cost much more than it currently costs to run the VFL and include teams from NSW and Qld?

 

[Coolangatta]

The WAFL is the best place for the Eagles and Dockers seconds in my opinion.
Wasting money playing in the VFL is just simply that, wasting money.

Would like to see the Dockers join the WAFL and maybe Bunbury or someone new joins to make it 12 teams.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

Would it cost much more than it currently costs to run the VFL and include teams from NSW and Qld?

Only non-reserves team in the VFL from up north is Southport, who pay their own way by having more pokies than any footy club outside the AFL.

Four Northern clubs need proper higher quality opposition plus the costs for VFL are tied in with the costs for the Academy anyway. Who should pay for the four non Eastern teams' reserves to play eastern teams when they have completely adequate opposition without having to take a flight?

 

[Johnny Bananas]

Or just fold the AFLW, which IMO should not be a national competition yet. The product isn't attractive enough to be a viable business for the moment and I think it would be better to invest in 2nd + 3rd tier men's comps and leave the women's comp at a T2 level until there's more grassroots experience - it's concerning when some of the best AFLW players are converts from other sporting codes.

Why do you hate women playing football?

 

[maskmcgee]

Are the AFL willing to fund private charters to and from WA for the Reserves as well ?

Private charters? Don't the AFL teams still fly on regular public fights? Even if they dont they're no reason the reserves cant do that.

 

[Andyy]

Why do you hate women playing football?

I never said that I do?

I just don't think the market for a national/professional league is there yet and the AFL has pushed it too quickly.

 

[M Malice]

I never said that I do?

I just don't think the market for a national/professional league is there yet and the AFL has pushed it too quickly.

I agree re the bolded.

However IMO there is a market for the AFLW, what they have done terribly wrong is expand the competition far too rapidly and that has spread the talent way too thin, I haven't watched it for a couple of years but in the small glimpses I do see the overall standard/skill level is poor and borderline laughable.

The AFL should have embedded in a circa 8 team competition for a good 10-15 years or so before even thinking of a small expansion.

 

[WilloTree]

The WAFL is the best place for the Eagles and Dockers seconds in my opinion.
Wasting money playing in the VFL is just simply that, wasting money.

Agree 100%

No logical reason to include WA teams.

 

[Andyy]

I agree re the bolded.

However IMO there is a market for the AFLW, what they have done terribly wrong is expand the competition far too rapidly and that has spread the talent way too thin, I haven't watched it for a couple of years but in the small glimpses I do see the overall standard/skill level is poor and borderline laughable.

The AFL should have embedded in a circa 8 team competition for a good 10-15 years or so before even thinking of a small expansion.

100%

AFL mens is expanding too quick IMO also.

Was better quality with 16 teams.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

This conversation always makes me laugh.

Everybody just says how great national reserves would be… just cos

There’s actually very few reasons why you’d want it. It’s not a good model.

 

[kreuze_missile]

While we’re at it can we introduce relegation so North/Eagles can be somewhat competitive.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

Private charters? Don't the AFL teams still fly on regular public fights? Even if they dont they're no reason the reserves cant do that.

I thought they only used charters when there was no direct regularly scheduled Virgin flight or the direct flights are not suitably timed.
With reserves, use of charters for all but the most highly trafficked routes might need to be more common.