SA Footy

After watching the SANFL finals series without a shadow of doubt the SANFL playing style and the umpiring style has made the SANFL a better and REAL game of footy to watch.
There was only 1 close game[ST V CD] but despite that each game were great spectacles

Today was an article in the Advertiser

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Anna Nathan, 20, started supporting Glenelg only this year but said she was thoroughly enjoying the grass roots game.
" We used to be Crows supporters but we gave up our tickets because the game is a bit weak now" she said.
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Anna exemplifies what is a little trend.
People are switching to the SANFL as the product is REAL in terms of footy.
Less overzoning, flooding, kicking backwards, sideways, stopping propping, overpolicing by umpires etc etc.
No significant draft ramifications in the SANFL.
The SANFL allows powerhouse dynastys in our comp [PA nineties, CD this decade]
Great teams like CD can deservedly stay on top for a decade and deserve to becoz of thier efforts
Too often we see AFL sides dominate then diminish within 2-3 years becoz of the draft and salary cRaps [ES/BL]


BAYMAN another example.
Here is a guy that just loves watching footy.
His number 1 priority are his beloved Bays but he is also a Crows follower.
BAYMAN has all but given up going to see the Crows becoz of the style of footy.

MAL another example.
This season for the first time I have actually stopped watching some AFL games because of the style.
Dont get me wrong I still enjoy watching any footy but ...

RICK [a mate] another example
Is sick of watching AFL footy
Never goes to the games, but used to watch MOST afl games on TV
He now spends most evenings watching the Trots and movies
He cant stand teams kicking backwards

SUMMARY
On behalf of Anna/Bayman/Rick and myself the AFL must identify its game
AND
SAGREAT

Mal have you been talking to my Lad(almost 20).He is so totally bored with the AFL.
SANFL all the way.

Does anyone have Anna's phone number?

Some good points MAL, fully agree about dynasties and the umpiring.

Find it somehow ironic that the AFL enforces these "socialist " policies of equalisation, including clubs having to pay a certain percentage of the salary cap so average players get paid more than they're worth, yet this allows these players to take advantage of living in a capitalist society eg business, propety investment, etc etc.

Found both finals series a little non-plussing. The Adelaide v Collingwood final and the GF were the only games that I found interesting, the rest were a bit ho-hum. The first week of SANFL finals were the best, and yesterday was reasonable.

Still find it hard when watching AFL games to think of the players as full-time professionals rather than footballers out for a kick on the weekend - perhaps that is part of the Australian psyche in comparison to the Americans.

Will be interesting to see what happens if Australia goes into a recession - the AFL has enjoyed huge growth over the last 15 years which mirrors the economy. Will people be willing to spend and able to afford the ticket prices to continue to see that brand of football?

FlyingHigh wrote: Will people be willing to spend and able to afford the ticket prices to continue to see that brand of football?

That brand of football doesn't warrant the high ticket prices now, I've been to 2 AFL games in the past 5 years, both were with free tickets, and I'm watching less AFL on the telly year by year, they have totally lost the plot.

Keep up the good work SANFL

Ian wrote:

FlyingHigh wrote: Will people be willing to spend and able to afford the ticket prices to continue to see that brand of football?

That brand of football doesn't warrant the high ticket prices now, I've been to 2 AFL games in the past 5 years, both were with free tickets, and I'm watching less AFL on the telly year by year, they have totally lost the plot.

Keep up the good work SANFL

That's about how many I've seen too Ian, though I think I paid for one (weekend in Melbourne). And am watching less and less on telly, especially on Saturday nights if there's something decent on other channels such as the 1970's British comedy classics.

FlyingHigh wrote:

Ian wrote:

FlyingHigh wrote: Will people be willing to spend and able to afford the ticket prices to continue to see that brand of football?

That brand of football doesn't warrant the high ticket prices now, I've been to 2 AFL games in the past 5 years, both were with free tickets, and I'm watching less AFL on the telly year by year, they have totally lost the plot.

Keep up the good work SANFL

That's about how many I've seen too Ian, though I think I paid for one (weekend in Melbourne). And am watching less and less on telly, especially on Saturday nights if there's something decent on other channels such as the 1970's British comedy classics.

I must admit Saturday night has turned in to watching Crime shows on Fox for me .
AFL has lost the plot.
SANFL should still be on ABC2 so we who are at the games get a chance to watch some great footy on the TV.

Didn't the AFL break the record for most attendances ever in a season this year? They must be doing something right?

The gap between the SANFL and AFL continues to widen, but this is a good thing for the SANFL IMO. They can now clearly target a market that is being ignored by the people that run the AFL - the people that love the actual game for what it's meant to be.

I've been to 6 AFL/VFL games in 44 years, SANFL ROCKS!

Aerie wrote:Didn't the AFL break the record for most attendances ever in a season this year? They must be doing something right?

They gerrrymander the program to squeeze as much out of it as possible. How many times are two games going at once in Melbourne these days? Looking at a comparison of just the numbers without taking into account the programming gives a false picture.

The growth in the SANFL is fantastic news. I really believe that many of the older blokes who kept the faith and stuck by their club instead of switching en masse to the AFL teams like people did here in Perth is mainly responsible. Not only do their kids get exposed to it, but having some kind of crowd there supplies an atmosphere that allows a new comer to the local game to enjoy it a lot more. Heading along to a WAFL game is dead boring when there's barely a thousand people there, it's a massive difference when you get to a SANFL game and there's 3000+, it gives the game some kind of gravity to pull in extra people.

FWIW: I'd rather stay at home if Sturt are playing and their game is being broadcast on the net than go to an AFL game at Subi, and that's not because it's a Freo membership either.

Only issue here is teh Dogs play more AFL like game style than any other club and while they are successful at it other clubs will try to emulate it

Dutchy wrote:Only issue here is teh Dogs play more AFL like game style than any other club and while they are successful at it other clubs will try to emulate it

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CENTURION wrote:

Dutchy wrote:Only issue here is teh Dogs play more AFL like game style than any other club and while they are successful at it other clubs will try to emulate it

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That was my thought. I thought the Dogs were fairly physical.

the flooding and cluster zones that Central employ are very AFLish

Both comps are on the improve in many aspect but the AFL moreso.
People sometimes get confused that because some Port and Crows supporters change its indicitive of the whole competition.
Far from it.
For every person that stops attending the AFL 2 new ones start going.
Both comps have the greatest game in the world, lets just celebrate our great sport instead of trying to big note one competition at the expense of the other.

not quite right mal, i've never ever barracked for the crows, i have no passion for any team in the vfl whoops afl, the team i want to win is the team playing port the rest of what you said regarding me is 100% correct

Wedgie wrote:Both comps are on the improve in many aspect but the AFL moreso.
People sometimes get confused that because some Port and Crows supporters change its indicitive of the whole competition.
Far from it.
For every person that stops attending the AFL 2 new ones start going.
Both comps have the greatest game in the world, lets just celebrate our great sport instead of trying to big note one competition at the expense of the other.

Hear hear. It is great to hear about the renaissance of the SANFL though.

regards,

REB

What the AFL do is cater for newer audiences, that is why the attendances and memberships increase each season. They don't worry about the existing footy fans because they've got them already. As Wedgie said, for every one person who turns off AFL, two more people jump on board.

Supporters are encouraged to hold onto their memberships because no matter where their club is on the ladder, there is always hope in the next 3-4 years they may be in a Grand Final. Even though my club won the flag this year, I really don't like the game all that much, but I watch out of habit more than enjoyment.

Newer supporters don't care, they love the game because it's what they know. They don't compare it with footy in the 70s & 80s like older supporters do. They just love the game for what it is and can't get enough of it.

The SANFL, although I prefer the style of the game, is stagnating due to the dominance of one club. There are at least 6 clubs in the competition that really has no hope of a flag in the next 5 years, and after the current finals season, maybe 8.

Somehow we have to capture the imagination of people in the south, get Westies up and running, and have supporters of Port Adelaide and Norwood feeling as though they have legitimate chances of competing for a flag.

God only knows how this will happen.

Dutchy wrote:the flooding and cluster zones that Central employ are very AFLish

Quite ironic coming from a Glenelg supporter. Based on yesterdays performance, it was Glenelg who were employing a very heavy flood....

Wedgie wrote:Both comps are on the improve in many aspect but the AFL moreso.
People sometimes get confused that because some Port and Crows supporters change its indicitive of the whole competition.
Far from it.
For every person that stops attending the AFL 2 new ones start going.
Both comps have the greatest game in the world, lets just celebrate our great sport instead of trying to big note one competition at the expense of the other.

THE 2 FOR 1 argument is argumentive in this state
We have a vibrant SANFL comp to compete with the AFL
Other comps are not as good so the peoples interstate lock into the AFL

In SA are the crowds going up or down ?
PP crowds are dropping ?
WHY ?

People like BAYMAN/MAL/ANNA/RICK are SANFLing
How many others are SANFLing and turning off AFL

Dont get me wrong the AFL is a wonderful comp and no doubt this zoning crap will stop soon
BUT at the minute there are several people who are turning to the SANFL to see REAL footy


DUTCHY
You say CD play a game similar to the zoning AFL
They do to a sMALl extent
BUT
How many times in the finals did CD kick the ball sideways/backwards etc ?