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

[crazybear]

Premier c, D1 and D2 premierships all won by district clubs in 2010.

 

[Erek Shun]

Premier c, D1 and D2 premierships all won by district clubs in 2010.

Good point. How long since a district club has been a powerhouse tho. Ormond way back when? District clubs mostly hang around the mid to lower sections. Beauwie is the only one I can see threatening to match it in Premier in the foreseeable future and that's a long shot. Face it, the VAFA is an old boys comp. That's not a criticism, it's just the way it is.

 

[Fish 20]

Good point. How long since a district club has been a powerhouse tho. Ormond way back when? District clubs mostly hang around the mid to lower sections. Beauwie is the only one I can see threatening to match it in Premier in the foreseeable future and that's a long shot. Face it, the VAFA is an old boys comp. That's not a criticism, it's just the way it is.

Sadly this is the opinion of many including those at the VAFA HQ, it's good that some are starting to admit it. (Even if I do "have a chip on my shoulder")

Good point you brought up Crazybear I wonder if Beauy do make it to A Grade how well they'll be received

 

[Rooster 24]

Sadly this is the opinion of many including those at the VAFA HQ, it's good that some are starting to admit it. (Even if I do "have a chip on my shoulder")

Good point you brought up Crazybear I wonder if Beauy do make it to A Grade how well they'll be received

Beaumaris will be recieved just fine. And Oakleigh may just get there before them. So while your club was not up to it don’t write off others who might be. And do you really think Lyndale, Dandenong, Moorabbin Kangas etc are going to threaten St Kilda City, Chelsea Heights and St Pauls in the near future? Naturally the better resourced clubs with access to quality recruits are going to be hard to shift from the top grades. That is the same in any competition. But if clubs are happy to play at their own level and still enjoy their footy and all that goes with it then what’s the big deal? I have always maintained there is room for improvement in the VAFA. It is not perfect but on the whole is a fantastic comp. In the SFL the size of your cheque book dictates your level of success. That's not a criticism, it's just the way it is. So good luck with that.

 

[AM]

Sadly this is the opinion of many including those at the VAFA HQ, it's good that some are starting to admit it. (Even if I do "have a chip on my shoulder")

Good point you brought up Crazybear I wonder if Beauy do make it to A Grade how well they'll be received

Before you get another ad hominem response from BS, I’ll jump in. You’re wide of the mark there. No question that district clubs have a harder road to hoe because old school teams have the benefit of having a pool of talent readily available to tap. Notwithstanding that, the mere fact that so many district clubs participate in the competition – many with a long history of doing so – shows the VAFA is more than merely an old school comp. Whether it's progressive is open to question but not that it is merely an old school comp.

 

[Fish 20]

Yeah point taken.
Both Rooster & yourself Ammo make a lot of sense, I just hope the VAFA HQ are reading this thread & taking notice of your posts. A big thumbs up to you

 

[Jascave]

Do you think the VAFA might've dropped their guard-not so much in terms of playing standards, after all Old Xavs could easily beat St Kilda City-but in regards to administration standards instead, which allowed AFL Victoria to look on more favourably to the SFL as a merger partner to the MSJFL?

 

[superfreak]

Wouldn't think that Xavs would easily beat St Kilda City. Would be closer than many think. Xavs would still just win tho

 

[bedford]

Wouldn't think that Xavs would easily beat St Kilda City. Would be closer than many think. Xavs would still just win tho

They would beat them easily next year, now that the monies dried up

 

[superfreak]

Spot on bedford but we have heard these rumours before and they have turned out to be false.

 

[Jascave]

It'll be interesting to see how the merger vote will go on Thursday night. While the SFL is all for the merger between the two leagues, the MSJFL is borderline in accepting the merger. Seeing that 75% of the MSJFL members vote is needed at the MSJFL for the merger to go ahead,I reckon it'll only reach between roughly 35-50% of the vote.

 

[1969]

It'll be interesting to see how the merger vote will go on Thursday night. While the SFL is all for the merger between the two leagues, the MSJFL is borderline in accepting the merger. Seeing that 75% of the MSJFL members vote is needed at the MSJFL for the merger to go ahead,I reckon it'll only reach between roughly 35-50% of the vote.

From what I can tell there are 25 clubs in the MSJFL with 8 being affiliated with the Ammo's.Assuming the Ammo clubs vote as a block that leaves them with 68% of the vote.The Waverley Hawks are affiliated with the EFL so they may not be excited about the SFL taking over the MSJFL.
They should leave the MSJFL alone and let the SFL and the Ammos and even Football Victoria have representatives on the Board (along with some cash) to help guide and oversee the competition.The current Board have been around for a long time.They need some fresh ideas.

 

[muesli]

From what I can tell there are 25 clubs in the MSJFL with 8 being affiliated with the Ammo's.Assuming the Ammo clubs vote as a block that leaves them with 68% of the vote.The Waverley Hawks are affiliated with the EFL so they may not be excited about the SFL taking over the MSJFL.

Firstly, there are 27 MSJFL clubs not 25
Secondly, The Waverley Park Hawks have no affiliation with the EFL. The EFL team with a similar name is the Glen Waverley Hawks.

 

[Rooster 24]

Firstly, there are 27 MSJFL clubs not 25
Secondly, The Waverley Park Hawks have no affiliation with the EFL. The EFL team with a similar name is the Glen Waverley Hawks.

Correct about Waverley Park Hawks. Totally different club to the EFL mob. I reckon it’s now 26 clubs in the MSJFL. I might be wrong but I thought that Clayton Juniors wound up in 2009. Of these at least 8 are ‘junior only’ with no defined affiliation with either the VAFA or SFL. In this weeks Leader the VAFA have bought into the argument and have made a counter offer of sorts. If nothing else it might cause a long overdue shake up of the MSJFL but I just can’t see this merger (or takeover) happening now.

 

[Cardio Carl]

YAWN

This club, that club - this league, that league - their umpires, our umpires, goodness, its all becoming a wee bit tedious.

make a decision so we can all move on for CS.

 

[AM]

Correct about Waverley Park Hawks. Totally different club to the EFL mob. I reckon it’s now 26 clubs in the MSJFL. I might be wrong but I thought that Clayton Juniors wound up in 2009. Of these at least 8 are ‘junior only’ with no defined affiliation with either the VAFA or SFL. In this weeks Leader the VAFA have bought into the argument and have made a counter offer of sorts. If nothing else it might cause a long overdue shake up of the MSJFL but I just can’t see this merger (or takeover) happening now.

Thanks for another sensible post Rooster and for drawing attention to the Leader piece. It appears the VAFA has awoken from its slumber on this matter and realised the significance of the proposal. We live in interesting times.

 

[bedford]

That happened a few weeks ago and for CC go to another thread

 

[Fish 20]

So the proposed merger meeting went ahead last night? Do we have an outcome?

 

[members section]

Wouldn't think that Xavs would easily beat St Kilda City. Would be closer than many think. Xavs would still just win tho

would not get within 10 goals, your talking about the best club in the best or 2nd best comp v's a good side in the 5th best comp in metro melb

 

[AM]

So the proposed merger meeting went ahead last night? Do we have an outcome?

The meeting was postponed to this Thursday I understand.

 

[Jascave]

The meeting was postponed to this Thursday I understand.

That could probably mean that the pro-merger clubs in the MSJFL clubs might have more time to get clubs to vote their way. However, there are those who are concerned that it could actually mean a takeover by the SFL rather than a merger. The SFL would give little recognition to the MSJFL's history (both on and off field) and would also decree that MSJFL clubs must be linked to a SFL side. So what this would mean for AJAX, Beaumaris & Hampton Rovers?

 

[muesli]

However, there are those who are concerned that it could actually mean a takeover by the SFL rather than a merger.

Most of the time there is a dominant partner in any merger & lets face it, a senior league would dominate a junior league in any merger.

 

[Cardio Carl]

The meeting was postponed to this Thursday I understand.

Great!

Another week of riveting stuff.

 

[AM]

That could probably mean that the pro-merger clubs in the MSJFL clubs might have more time to get clubs to vote their way. However, there are those who are concerned that it could actually mean a takeover by the SFL rather than a merger. The SFL would give little recognition to the MSJFL's history (both on and off field) and would also decree that MSJFL clubs must be linked to a SFL side. So what this would mean for AJAX, Beaumaris & Hampton Rovers?

"Merger" is a euphemism, Jase.

Wayne Holdsworth did a great job as Ormond Prez as he has at the SFL, but he must have had his tongue firmly in his cheek when he suggested the Ammos haven't done much for the MSJFL in the Leader article.

 

[les argen]

OK - slap me with a wet fish and call me Clarence but (having now read the Code Report), I am think the following points are relevant.....

* the Terms of reference expressely refer to a review of the MSJFL and SFL, with the aim to make recommendations for stengthening footy in the inner southern region of Melbourne.

* the VAFA expressed, during the course of the consultation, that it had 9 clubs with partner/junior clubs in the MSJFL, and was concerned as to the potential impact on those clubs from any change in governance which may involve integration of the SFL and MSJFL.

* The report concludes that there are significant benefits from one entity representing all parts of football currently under control of the SFL, MSJFL and women's football.

* Every other region of suburban metropolitan Melbourne has a sucessfully integrated senior/junior goernance system, with one entity governing both.

* shared management of the MSJFL with either the DDJFL or the VAFA was considered as an alterntaive to vertical integration with then SFL, but subsequently ruled as a less attractive option.

* the SFL and MSJFL have improved their links enormously through shared administration over the past 3 years

* until recently, the VAFA had not expressed an interest in managing a junior league and whilst having a significant presence in the inner southern region, the demonstrated commitment of the SFL makes it a more logical partner of the MSJFL

Frankly, I think if the VAFA has been stiffed (which I seriously doubt), it happened 3 years ago when AFL Victoria identified both the SFL and MSJFL as needed serious intervention to generate the turn around which appears to have started. Two wrongs somehow seem to have made a right, but I can't see what, if anything the VAFA should have been doing when it has for 100+ years been a senior football competition covering 100's of kms of Melbourne, with U19 and more recently U18 sides coming on board as and when required.

The synergy between the SFL and MSJFL seems logical to me, and frankly the administrative integration of the leagues won't damage the current VAFA senior clubs one iota in my view. It's only administrative, and as for the side issue of umpires, well the VAFA have dozes of old boys clubs whom they should be approaching to see if they can recruit good 16 and 17 year old kids who have umpired junior games of APS/AGSV/ACC schoolboy football and bring them onto the VAFA roster.

The key to all this is the recruitment of the cream of MSJFL players each year by the private school system, which then flows into the Old Boy teams. The SFL get left with the scraps (as do the district clubs in the area). This is why the SFL are working so hard to get into bed with the MSJFL. The VAFA are already in a strong position in this regard so don't need to beat themselves up.

Would think junior umpires who have any aspirations will also want to umpire the best standard of footy available. Given the above this will continue to be the VAFA in the Southern suburbs regardless of any merger.