Open Letter for Foot-e-Times...
Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2013 12:16 pmNo AFL in the SANFL …
Depending on whom you listen or speak to, this issue has the potential to either destroy or enhance our 136 Year competition. Not since the 1980’s & Port Adelaide’s failed bid to join the then VFL, has an issue evoked so much emotion & feeling from football supporters in this state. If we are to believe the ‘Commercial Mainstream Media’, then PAFC & AFC Reserves teams as part of the SANFL, is imperative to the long-term survival of Australian Rules Football in SA.
PAFC CEO Keith Thomas & Club President David Koch not only want the local Magpies to become their Reserves team but also retain their ‘development zones’ (both metropolitan & country) as well as maintaining their underage teams as part of their ‘One Club’ mantra. Club President David Koch has even suggested that this model be adopted by the AFC – that is, the Crows enveloping an existing SANFL Club & doing the same.
AFC Acting CEO Rob Chapman has suggested (without any statistical analysis or data to support his claims) that “a Crows Reserves team would most likely bring an extra 3000 supporters to the SANFL each week, resulting in approx. $40,000 of added income to each SANFL Club, over the course of a season”.
Whether you agree or disagree with these inferences, the facts are that many existing SANFL supporters & Club Members, are likely to simply ‘walk away’ from the competition should the 2 AFL Clubs ‘get their way’ & field teams in the SANFL League competition, from 2014.
What concerns many supporters of the SANFL (Magpie supporters included) is that this decision has the potential to convert our competition into another ‘feeder league’ such as the newly contrived NEAFL. Or worse, destroy the competition as we know it, as appears to have occurred to the former VFA, now the VFL – where it should be noted that when Collingwood play Essendon (the 2 most supported Clubs in the country), less than 1500 spectators attend these games, assumedly due to a lack of interest in a match between reserve grade players & ‘Top-Ups’ from other clubs.
Yet this appears the preferred model SA’s two AFL Clubs subscribe to. Rob Chapman claims that double this amount of spectators will attend games here in SA. I fear he is somewhat optimistic in this assertion. To steal a quote from the iconic Australian Film ‘The Castle’; “Tell him he’s dreaming”.
What many SANFL supporters question about this proposal, is;
“What will happen to the integrity of the competition?”, &
“How will AFL Reserves teams in the SANFL actually benefit the existing Clubs?”.
These are very pertinent questions, although I would contend that the most important aspect to consider in this debate is; “What happens in 2 to 5 years when the AFL decide to have an AFL Reserves competition (mooted for 2016), & South Australia’s 2 AFL teams decide they want to play in that competition, instead?”
Where does that leave the SANFL & it’s member Clubs?
The WAFL have not helped the situation by allowing West Coast Eagles FC to absorb East Perth FC, whilst Fremantle FC have done the same to Peel Thunder FC.
This move appears to be made due to the financial incentives offered by the 2 AFL Clubs in WA & has for all intents & purposes, provided traction for those in support of the AFL Reserves concept, such as Commercial Radio announcers & some former players.
What some Media Commentators & others in favour of the AFL Reserves proposal fail to recognise is that after the current 2013 season is completed, all AFL listed players aligned to other Clubs such as Subiaco, Claremont, etc. will be required to play for either East Perth or Peel. Some argue that this will sound the ‘death-knell’ of the 130 Year competition of the WAFL, as these 2 Clubs are set to dominate the competition & the integrity of the WAFL will be further compromised.
Our Club Officials have endeavoured to ‘ease concerns’ of their Club Members, by emailing what appears to be a deliberately contrived ‘one-letter-fits-all’ response. Many Club supporters respond that this is not acceptable, as it appears somewhat impersonal & dismissive of those Club Members genuinely concerned about the future of the SANFL competition, as a whole.
The wording used in this quickly contrived statement is akin to telling the Members of their Clubs that they (the Club Officials) will make the final decision regarding this issue & we should trust them that they will make the right decision for our individual Clubs & that the supporters have no say in the matter. Excuse my cynicism, but I think I have heard it all before, don’t you?
The question for our ‘League Bosses’ & Club Officials is this:
Are you prepared to put this issue to your Members before making any decision?
Are you prepared to allow ALL the facts to be canvassed to your supporter base before making a final decision or are you simply going to continue to disregard those of us who have contributed to both financial & physical support our local Clubs, since the advent of the AFL & make your decision without our concerns being aired in appropriate forums such as ‘extra-ordinary meetings of your members?
The AFL has successfully ‘re-branded’ OUR National Game, referred to around Australia as ‘AFL’ not Australian Rules Football, as it was conceived. They have been very clever in doing this.
The AFL has been systematic in it’s desire to remove the integrity of ‘2nd tier competitions’ such as the VFA, QAFL, NSWFL, WAFL & NTFL. Is our Football Commission, our Club Directors & the general football loving public of this State going to allow our competition to suffer a similar fate?
To all Club Officials both SANFL & AFL alike I say; “Hands Off Our SANFL … No AFL in the SANFL”
Depending on whom you listen or speak to, this issue has the potential to either destroy or enhance our 136 Year competition. Not since the 1980’s & Port Adelaide’s failed bid to join the then VFL, has an issue evoked so much emotion & feeling from football supporters in this state. If we are to believe the ‘Commercial Mainstream Media’, then PAFC & AFC Reserves teams as part of the SANFL, is imperative to the long-term survival of Australian Rules Football in SA.
PAFC CEO Keith Thomas & Club President David Koch not only want the local Magpies to become their Reserves team but also retain their ‘development zones’ (both metropolitan & country) as well as maintaining their underage teams as part of their ‘One Club’ mantra. Club President David Koch has even suggested that this model be adopted by the AFC – that is, the Crows enveloping an existing SANFL Club & doing the same.
AFC Acting CEO Rob Chapman has suggested (without any statistical analysis or data to support his claims) that “a Crows Reserves team would most likely bring an extra 3000 supporters to the SANFL each week, resulting in approx. $40,000 of added income to each SANFL Club, over the course of a season”.
Whether you agree or disagree with these inferences, the facts are that many existing SANFL supporters & Club Members, are likely to simply ‘walk away’ from the competition should the 2 AFL Clubs ‘get their way’ & field teams in the SANFL League competition, from 2014.
What concerns many supporters of the SANFL (Magpie supporters included) is that this decision has the potential to convert our competition into another ‘feeder league’ such as the newly contrived NEAFL. Or worse, destroy the competition as we know it, as appears to have occurred to the former VFA, now the VFL – where it should be noted that when Collingwood play Essendon (the 2 most supported Clubs in the country), less than 1500 spectators attend these games, assumedly due to a lack of interest in a match between reserve grade players & ‘Top-Ups’ from other clubs.
Yet this appears the preferred model SA’s two AFL Clubs subscribe to. Rob Chapman claims that double this amount of spectators will attend games here in SA. I fear he is somewhat optimistic in this assertion. To steal a quote from the iconic Australian Film ‘The Castle’; “Tell him he’s dreaming”.
What many SANFL supporters question about this proposal, is;
“What will happen to the integrity of the competition?”, &
“How will AFL Reserves teams in the SANFL actually benefit the existing Clubs?”.
These are very pertinent questions, although I would contend that the most important aspect to consider in this debate is; “What happens in 2 to 5 years when the AFL decide to have an AFL Reserves competition (mooted for 2016), & South Australia’s 2 AFL teams decide they want to play in that competition, instead?”
Where does that leave the SANFL & it’s member Clubs?
The WAFL have not helped the situation by allowing West Coast Eagles FC to absorb East Perth FC, whilst Fremantle FC have done the same to Peel Thunder FC.
This move appears to be made due to the financial incentives offered by the 2 AFL Clubs in WA & has for all intents & purposes, provided traction for those in support of the AFL Reserves concept, such as Commercial Radio announcers & some former players.
What some Media Commentators & others in favour of the AFL Reserves proposal fail to recognise is that after the current 2013 season is completed, all AFL listed players aligned to other Clubs such as Subiaco, Claremont, etc. will be required to play for either East Perth or Peel. Some argue that this will sound the ‘death-knell’ of the 130 Year competition of the WAFL, as these 2 Clubs are set to dominate the competition & the integrity of the WAFL will be further compromised.
Our Club Officials have endeavoured to ‘ease concerns’ of their Club Members, by emailing what appears to be a deliberately contrived ‘one-letter-fits-all’ response. Many Club supporters respond that this is not acceptable, as it appears somewhat impersonal & dismissive of those Club Members genuinely concerned about the future of the SANFL competition, as a whole.
The wording used in this quickly contrived statement is akin to telling the Members of their Clubs that they (the Club Officials) will make the final decision regarding this issue & we should trust them that they will make the right decision for our individual Clubs & that the supporters have no say in the matter. Excuse my cynicism, but I think I have heard it all before, don’t you?
The question for our ‘League Bosses’ & Club Officials is this:
Are you prepared to put this issue to your Members before making any decision?
Are you prepared to allow ALL the facts to be canvassed to your supporter base before making a final decision or are you simply going to continue to disregard those of us who have contributed to both financial & physical support our local Clubs, since the advent of the AFL & make your decision without our concerns being aired in appropriate forums such as ‘extra-ordinary meetings of your members?
The AFL has successfully ‘re-branded’ OUR National Game, referred to around Australia as ‘AFL’ not Australian Rules Football, as it was conceived. They have been very clever in doing this.
The AFL has been systematic in it’s desire to remove the integrity of ‘2nd tier competitions’ such as the VFA, QAFL, NSWFL, WAFL & NTFL. Is our Football Commission, our Club Directors & the general football loving public of this State going to allow our competition to suffer a similar fate?
To all Club Officials both SANFL & AFL alike I say; “Hands Off Our SANFL … No AFL in the SANFL”
