SFL – MSJFL proposed merger. Has the VAFA been stiffed?

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bedford said:
Now that is a worry, the first thing the new board should be doing is moving away from Moorabbin.
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What, a seemingly professional operation still runs its HQ out of that shanty building, surely not. How could any organisation actually say they operate out of such a run down piece of crap. The whole joint needs to be knocked down.

As for Bentleigh moving from VAFA to SFL, they had to in order to survive after the "ego-train" express went through 2 years ago!
 
THE BEACON said:
Concur
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For a just a fleeting moment I thought he might have been able to make some reasonable contribution but once they start rolling out the tired old cliché about paying players you know that no further rational discussion is possible. He is now denying any links to the SFL. Can’t blame him for that I suppose. If given a choice we would all do the same. I would have liked to hear his explanation about how strong the SFL U18s is again and how 7 from 29 equals 40%. Guess we will have to wait. I twice asked him to name this new MSJFL board. Perhaps he is not as much in the know as he would like us to think.
 

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Rooster 24 said:
It will be junior football that will lose out James not the VAFA.

I took great interest in these developments in the off season as I was curious how it would impact my current VAFA club and my old stand alone junior club. I am now of the belief that if the SFL are intent on this takeover then so be it and that any junior club that joins an SFL managed junior competition deserves exactly what they get. My mail is that VAFA HQ are in fact aware and prepared for these developments. If the MSJFL is not run as a stand-alone junior comp and the SFL essentially takes it over then it is almost certain that 2 junior comps will operate in the south next year. Is it continues as it currently does with SFL admin support then it will be ok but if the SFL are still intent on taking the whole thing over then just like last time the VAFA aligned clubs and many stand alone junior clubs want no part of it. The likely outcome would be is 2 comps would operate which is not a great outcome. Most of the stronger MSJFL clubs are VAFA or stand alone - St Bedes, Hampton Rovers, St Peters, Beauy, Ormond, Oakleigh, Mordi-Brae etc so there is no doubt which will be the stronger league.

Maybe the SFL should try and do something about their own U18 comp before they impose their will on an entire junior competition. Only about a third of SFL clubs have U18s and it alters radically from year to year. The 2011 version has 10 teams made up of 2 from Skye, 1 combined team, 1 team from the DDJFL and 1 from the VAFA (Parkdale). VAFA by comparison has 46 x U19s teams and 8 x U18s. So which competition is best placed to operate a junior league? VAFA is still by the far the competition of choice for juniors coming out of the MSJFL and that won’t change.
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Love your work Rooster 24. But there are a couple points on which we disagree.

It seems we’ve almost completed a full circle with this matter. At the outset I said the VAFA is not a progressive body. It looks after the knitting well and is very good at naval gazing but not much chop at seeing the big picture.

Many at the VAFA still see the SFL as it was years ago. An organisation on the edge of extinction with no idea of how to revitalise itself.

That changed some years ago. And, despite what some people believe, the major strategist and thinker behind the revitalisation is a key member of their board. Tasked with developing a strategic plan to arrest the decline, then progress the organisation, he’s achieved both.

The SFL vision is to be operating along similar lines to neighbours like the MPNFL. A junior feeder league is vital to achieving that. Make no mistake it has never deflected from its goal of having the MSJFL as its feeder competition and they are now back on track to achieving that.

The VAFA had its opportunity to re-develop (because they once had one) a close working relationship with the MSJFL when the majority of the MSJFL voted against the takeover attempt by the SFL but failed to use that opportunity. Just why the VAFA didn’t recruit Phil Stevens to act on its behalf with the task of repositioning itself so it regained the position of being the natural partner of the MSJFL mystifies me.

Not only is the SFL now back in the driving seat it has also managed to ingratiate itself with the new AFLVic regime.

The VAFA is a conservative body that runs amateur football well. It follows rather than leads as can be seen by the advent of the U18 competition which was a reaction to the SFL setting-up there’s and concern it had the potential to bleed players from the VAFA.

My view is that in the medium term the MSJFL will become part of the SFL with the acquiescence of AFLVic and that a competing VAFA junior league won’t see the light of day.

Opportunity missed.
 
Rooster 24 said:
Agreeing on a board composition is entirely different from agreeing on the SFL taking over the MSFL. (By the way who is on this new board?) It is two completely separate issues. Everyone, VAFA clubs included, agreed that a shake up of the old MSJFL admin was required and that has been progressively occurring for 4 years now. If you think this is an indication that most VAFA aligned and stand-alone junior clubs are rubber stamping an SFL take over then you are delusional. Just wait and see what happens if the SFL try that on again. It will lead to seperate comps and diluting of the standard. The VAFA are keen to have some input but don’t want or need to run the MSJFL as they have the biggest football competition in Australia to operate. At the end of the day it won’t really matter who is running the MSFL. Most kids will still go the VAFA because it is a far superior competition.
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You must be joking,a shake up progressively occuring for the past 4 years,either you are grossley miss informed or have not had direct contact with the MSJFL in the last 4 seasons.
All of this posturing is just window dressing,the AFL have an agenda and they will get what they want,the decisions have already been made,there are ladder climbing people involved who are just going along with the flow to protect their own positions,the clubs will live to regret agreeing to the new system of no deligates and loosing control of their own league.
 
MATT DILLON said:
You must be joking,a shake up progressively occuring for the past 4 years,either you are grossley miss informed or have not had direct contact with the MSJFL in the last 4 seasons.
All of this posturing is just window dressing,the AFL have an agenda and they will get what they want,the decisions have already been made,there are ladder climbing people involved who are just going along with the flow to protect their own positions,the clubs will live to regret agreeing to the new system of no deligates and loosing control of their own league.
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I agree with everything you say MD and for what its worth I have a had a long association with a strong MSJFL club for many many years, although admittedly less so in recent times. A club driven shake up has been occurring since about 2007 and I agree it could and should have been more vigorous. It has been occurring none the less and since that time significant improvements have occurred. I think essentially we agree that the clubs should have a big say in running of the MSJFL, not a board, the SFL, the VAFA or the AFL alone. It was not the delegate system that was the problem, rather those in positions of power staying way to long.
 
Rooster 24 said:
I agree with everything you say MD and for what its worth I have a had a long association with a strong MSJFL club for many many years, although admittedly less so in recent times. A club driven shake up has been occurring since about 2007 and I agree it could and should have been more vigorous. It has been occurring none the less and since that time significant improvements have occurred. I think essentially we agree that the clubs should have a big say in running of the MSJFL, not a board, the SFL, the VAFA or the AFL alone. It was not the delegate system that was the problem, rather those in positions of power staying way to long.
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We can agree on clubs having more say and people in power staying too long also that change should have been more vigorous,that change had occurred I cannot agree with,all I saw were people at the top that coasted along,no vision for the future,lack of knowledge of the rules that they laid down[which cost one side a finals game] and we'll act if we absolutely have too attitude.If the attitude shown by some clubs deligates at the AGM last year where questions were asked and procedures put under the microscope had been present a long time ago then none of this would have occured,it made some uncomfortable but it should have happened along time ago.
 
Cardio Carl said:
What, a seemingly professional operation still runs its HQ out of that shanty building, surely not. How could any organisation actually say they operate out of such a run down piece of crap. The whole joint needs to be knocked down.

As for Bentleigh moving from VAFA to SFL, they had to in order to survive after the "ego-train" express went through 2 years ago!
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Would you care to elaborate?
 
Ammo Man said:
Love your work Rooster 24. But there are a couple points on which we disagree.

It seems we’ve almost completed a full circle with this matter. At the outset I said the VAFA is not a progressive body. It looks after the knitting well and is very good at naval gazing but not much chop at seeing the big picture.

Many at the VAFA still see the SFL as it was years ago. An organisation on the edge of extinction with no idea of how to revitalise itself.

That changed some years ago. And, despite what some people believe, the major strategist and thinker behind the revitalisation is a key member of their board. Tasked with developing a strategic plan to arrest the decline, then progress the organisation, he’s achieved both.

The SFL vision is to be operating along similar lines to neighbours like the MPNFL. A junior feeder league is vital to achieving that. Make no mistake it has never deflected from its goal of having the MSJFL as its feeder competition and they are now back on track to achieving that.

The VAFA had its opportunity to re-develop (because they once had one) a close working relationship with the MSJFL when the majority of the MSJFL voted against the takeover attempt by the SFL but failed to use that opportunity. Just why the VAFA didn’t recruit Phil Stevens to act on its behalf with the task of repositioning itself so it regained the position of being the natural partner of the MSJFL mystifies me.

Not only is the SFL now back in the driving seat it has also managed to ingratiate itself with the new AFLVic regime.

The VAFA is a conservative body that runs amateur football well. It follows rather than leads as can be seen by the advent of the U18 competition which was a reaction to the SFL setting-up there’s and concern it had the potential to bleed players from the VAFA.

My view is that in the medium term the MSJFL will become part of the SFL with the acquiescence of AFLVic and that a competing VAFA junior league won’t see the light of day.

Opportunity missed.
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Great post AM. I think you have hit the nail on the head from both sides (VAFA and SFL).
 
superfreak said:
Great post AM. I think you have hit the nail on the head from both sides (VAFA and SFL).
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Respect your opinions AM (and acknowledge your balanced views also SF) and while much of what you say is spot on I really think you are over stating the ‘vision’ of the SFL admin. Some of their decisions have been questionable at best. The handling of the Doveton Eagles situation was embarrassing. Kick them out mid season then fall over themselves to reinstate them. They even allowed the prez who was supposedly such a terrible influence to take over as coach! There is also whisper about existing player suspensions being expunged and that has apparently already come back to bite them. While the issue of Colts has been done to death, in its 5th year ? there has been a very poor take up by clubs and it is still battling to get a foothold. I can just see a vibrant and successful juniors comp in the MSJFL propping up the colts as they try and establish themselves. At the end of the day the size of your chequebook still dictates the level of your success in the SFL. Does anyone genuinely think that anyone apart from St.Kilda City or Chelsea Heights is going to win the flag this year?

Make no mistake there is still significant feeling about the SFL actions last year. If there is to be breakaway comp (which I hope does not happen) the stronger MSJFL club, who are aligned to VAFA clubs, don’t want any part of it. That we would be terrible outcome for junior football. The best scenario is a stand-alone junior comp similar to the YJFL - the best junior comp in Melbourne.

Just a final observation about this new board. On the basis of what was said on here I was expecting a bombshell about some SFL dominated group hell bent on merging the 2 competitions. Looking the appointments it is actually anything but. A significant VAFA representation with most of the others from junior stand alone clubs.

Maybe the VAFA did miss a trick here but to say that the SFL is going to waltz in and take over is really overstating things. Personally I think there is plenty of room for the VAFA, SFL and the MSJFL to all operate successfully and independently without cutting each other’s grass. A standalone junior comp is the best outcome and the SFL should concentrate on getting a viable colts grade operating before they consider taking on the responsibility of running an entire juniors competition.
 
Rooster 24 said:
Does anyone genuinely think that anyone apart from St.Kilda City or Chelsea Heights is going to win the flag this year?
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I'd say that from what I have seen so far, East Brighton are the best side in it. We play City this week so that opinion could well change.

Having said that, EB aren't really a poster boy either for building through juniors...
 

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superfreak said:
I'd say that from what I have seen so far, East Brighton are the best side in it. We play City this week so that opinion could well change.

Having said that, EB aren't really a poster boy either for building through juniors...
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It would be great for the SFL to see a different name on the trophy but I don't reckon EB are likely to be the ones. (a few from my club down there so would be happy to see them have some success) You are quite correct – these days nothing comes through the EB juniors to seniors with the gulf between the clubs as wide as ever. A complete separation of the 2 occurred in the off-season. The topic being discussed here had a bit to with that I’m told.
 
Ammo Man said:
See the Moorabbin Saints Junior Football League is now the South Metro Junior Football League. Handy having a former SFL administrator running the SMJFL and working within shouting distance of that august body. Just saying............;)
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That happened months ago AM, it won't make any difference to the kids, some playing at one club now will play elsewhere when they are older for any number of reasons.
 
Not wanting to be cynical but the SMJFL GM is about to be named the SFL CEO...... could this be the link to enable the 2 to get together, President thinks so..
 
1 August 2012

GM Announcement

The South Metro Junior Football League Board has today reluctantly accepted the resignation of
its General Manager, David Cannizzo who has accepted another role at a different organisation.

David has spent the past two seasons providing exemplary service to the SMJFL, having taken
on the role of General Manager during a period of significant change.

“David has done a fantastic job during the past two seasons” said SMJFL Chairman Roger Teale.
“He leaves the organisation well-positioned to continue working towards becoming the premier
independent Australian Rules Junior Football League in Australia, having guided it through a
difficult period of growth and reorganisation. He has demonstrated an ability and dedication way
beyond his years, and we wish him well in his new role”.

David will leave on 28 August 2012 to take up his new role.

The SMJFL Board are now working towards the appointment of a new General Manager
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SFL – MSJFL proposed merger. Has the VAFA been stiffed?

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