The Last straw

[Banker]

You must have rocks in your head if you think that an AFL game is only 80 mins. It's usually another 10 mins for each qtr and it blows out to 120 mins.

They should look at going 25 mins no stoppage

If you read my post properly the fact is the game is 80 mins. Just because the players are out there more doesnt mean the TRUE game time is increased. If you want to get rid of stoppages you going to have a game that is the pace of a soccer game. One of the main reason people like AFL is the pace of the game, kill the game time/pace you will kill interest as well.

 

[Hollins]

The other critical problem with the sport is the pigs in AFL House keep changing the rules. They shouldn't do this while trying to build an audience because it makes the game too hard to understand.

I agree 100% with everything the OP said but I think the blame for declining numbers lies at the feet of that Greek anal pig demetriou

 

[TW Sherrin]

Mick and Sheeds have been napping during the last qtrs. No wonder they want a shorter game.

 

[Demonic Ascent]

That's odd because attendences are actually 9% up on this time last year.

Has nothing to do with attendances, player welfare or anything else. The only reason they want to shorten games is for the broadcasters. That's it.

 

[Seeds]

70,000 at the G last night champ.

Not really the point of the thread.

 

[basashi]

Please not a shorter game.

It ruins the statistical data for the past century. I hate that they mess with everything... LEAVE IT ALONE!

Its a fallacy you can compare the data anyway.

 

[Sherrinator]

Shorten the players. Too many lanky beanpoles getting games when the smaller skillfull players get overlooked.

 

[Yellow Feathers]

Its a fallacy you can compare the data anyway.

Eh?

 

[shoebox]

TLDR .

Not that I agree with it, but I think it has more to do with over 20% or 140+ Players on the injury list than trying to rip the punter off. The injury list best 22 would flog hawthorn. Injuries are killing the product and they want to protect it.

 

[Experimental]

Was at the Suns vs. Lions game tonight and the 2nd quarter went for 32 minutes. What the ****. It was tedious and uninteresting. When a game ends up going for more than two hours (excluding quarter and half time breaks), it's too ****ing long.

20 - 25 minute quarters with no added time for stoppages would be okay, because at the moment, it's ridiculous. The game has changed from what it once was, and the rule book needs to adapt with it. I see no issue with it.

 

[Furn2]

Just email this to the AFL.

shorter games means less advertising time

Cheers.

 

[vast]

Just email this to the AFL.

shorter games means less advertising time

Cheers.

More a broadcasters issue and they will find a way to squeeze in more ads. Prob just reduce the pre-game and half time analysis.

 

[Damon_3388]

Shorten the players. Too many lanky beanpoles getting games when the smaller skillfull players get overlooked.

Please name these small skillful players that have been "overlooked" recently. I'm sure all AFL scouts and recruiters would be interested to learn that they've missed such "diamonds" during their extensive searches for talent.

 

[Big Bryza]

Not really the point of the thread.

There wasn't really a point.

 

[swiftdog]

Tradition? This wouldn't be the first time the length of the game is changed..

 

[Fat Nyfe]

Surely the AFL is the most amateur professional sporting organisation in the world? So incredibly frustrating that this fantastic sport is in the hands of these morons.

 

[Demonic Ascent]

Not that I agree with it, but I think it has more to do with over 20% or 140+ Players on the injury list than trying to rip the punter off. The injury list best 22 would flog hawthorn. Injuries are killing the product and they want to protect it.

How many injuries happen in the last 5 minutes of each quarter?

 

[Hawkers]

You can't remove time on. It's a necessity

You can get the umpires to stop blowing the whistle to stop the clock. You can get the umpires to stop packs and ball the ball up quicker. You can get umpires to restart the game quicker after a goal.
You can get rid of video review as well.

Seems to me once upon a time the goal umpire signalled a goal pretty much straight away and the ball was bounced in the centre about 20 seconds later. Now the goal umpire takes 10 secs to position himself and signal the goal, then the players wait at least 30 seconds for the ball to get back to the centre and then another 10 for the TV guys say it's ok to play

 

[shoebox]

How many injuries happen in the last 5 minutes of each quarter?

That's a bit simplistic. If they cut off 20 minutes a match its about 500 minutes less a year which drops the workload on players. AFL is the only sport in the world where a 28 year old is a veteran. They want the best players playing for longer, there's too many b grade players getting a game due to injuries.

Like I said, I don't agree with it, and it won't stop knees etc. but that would be the AFLs reasoning

 

[Father Jack]

I can't see the issue if they're merely looking to stop quarters blowing out past thirty minutes. Also, from what I've read, apparently the AFL are simply saying that they're happy to discuss the issue with teams and fans to gauge opinion, which is hardly the sky-falling-in panic scenario as outlined in the OP.

 

[go you pups]

TV Rights deals are the biggest detriment to the game and attendances. I remember the good old days in the 90s when I was a kid when there would be North on a Friday night, 4-5 Saturday afternoon games across traditional Victorian venues like Waverley, MCG, Kardinia Park, Princess Park, Victoria Park, Whitten Oval etc, come home by 6pm and the Footy Replay would be on, then the interstate sides would share Saturday night and Sunday afternoon footy between themselves and these games would get full telecast coverage.

Sure you get the diehards who go to the footy every week at any time, but TV Rights money is what the AFL have prioritised primarily to be self-sustainable. Every game has full telecast coverage now and to squeeze every game on to cater for Foxtel there can be a maximum of only 2 games to be played at any one time meaning plenty of games have to be played at undesirable timeslots (Sunday twilights, Sunday nights etc).

The AFL won't ever go back to the old model with powerful TV stations having the biggest say on the game these days and are too stupid to realise that people, in particular traditional Victorian footy fans don't like Sunday twilight/night football and the "minnow teams" like North, Bulldogs, St Kilda and Melbourne get their home attendances smashed by being asked to play in this timeslot regularly over the last few years, in particular against interstate sides when the WA and SA teams don't play at home in this slot. As an example here, Essendon were given a ridiculous fixturing leg up in 2012 and 2013 having only played 2 Sunday games in 2012 and only 4 in 2013. This year Carlton as we all know were given a stupid amount of Friday night footy (1 Thursday and 6 Fridays) and they will continue to get smashed week in week out that they are on prime time against stronger opposition. Sunday 440 footy is only beneficial for the Western Australian audience as they are 2 hours behind the East Coast and it is an ok timeslot for them at 240 AWST.

 

[go you pups]

Oh and WTF is with this new 435pm Saturday game then it overlaps with the new 720pm Saturday night game like what the round 1 Sydney Essendon game did.

THERE IS YOUR PROBLEM AFL, PUT IT BACK TO 440 AND 740 AND YOU WON'T GET POTENTIAL OVERLAP

 

[go you pups]

Just email this to the AFL.

shorter games means less advertising time

Cheers.

That is a problem also

 

[CharacterFirst]

I would not support a shortening of the game length.

The time of actual action in our great game is part of it's unique charm, and sets it apart from the 'run of the mill' other Football codes.

They shortened it 20 odd years ago when they made the quarters 20 minutes.

Leave it alone.

 

[Porked04]

Hardly surprising; Gil was always the heir apparent for Deimetriou's job and the fat man has been grooming him for years. F@ck the McLaughlan's are ruining footy.

Just stop touching the f@cking game and stop thinking the AFL know what the fans want!!!!!