How is your league shaping up for the future?

[Dogwatcher]

With the AFL playing up its growing player numbers across the nation, how healthy is the game in your area?

Big questions are arising over the future of Mallee and Mid Murray competitions, while the Independents could be on shaky ground in the next decade according to some observers.

The RFL is very strong.

While I understand the West Coast is currently reviewing its situation with the suggestion of four super leagues being formed.

How does it look?

[catfish]

i agree that the rfl is a strong league dw. however a couple of causes for concern could be: league still advertising for umpires one week out from season start; some clubs struggling to get decent B grade sides onto the field.

[catfish]

whilst on causes for concern, i would have to say the quality of riverland umpires is some of the worst i've come across. a couple of the b grade ones are downright ridiculous.

[heater31]

While I understand the West Coast is currently reviewing its situation with the suggestion of four super leagues being formed.

it may well be reveiwing the situation but it will be years away before something actually happens. IIRC there are two leagues on the EP where netball doesn't follow football and one of those two leagues footballer's are reluctant to travel more than 35 mins for a game of footy. plus thier netballer's can't agree to anything......


but it is good to see that they are thinking ahead before it is too late

[Benchwarmer]

Umpiring does seem to be a concern nationwide.

The WAFL ambles along with 9 sides - only 4 of which have a realistic claim to reaching the Preliminary Final - and clubs that are stocked with ex-AFL players and name WAFL players are "somehow" under the WAFL's $160,000 salary cap. As a result, interest is starting to wane and crowds of 2000 are an exception rather than the rule - the recent Fremantle derby between East and South had around 1500 in attendance (at least three times below the regular level) and even in our workplace - last year a hotbed of WAFL talk even during the most interesting parts of the AFL season - has barely rated it a mention in the four rounds so far apart from "Subi won again ... surprise surprise!".

One suggestion raised here is that it's time that Reserves footy at WAFL was looked into. The WAFC initiated a review of football in Perth and is alleged to have suggested that community (grassroots) football needs to be restructured.

Currently, there is only the Amateurs at a reasonable standard underneath the WAFL (the Sunday FL is dying a slow and agonising death with 7 clubs, the WAFA is a Saturday comp played akin to the "wild west 70s" days of footy, the Mercantile FA is for clubs too small to compete in the Ammos - need 2 sides to enter the WAAFL - and the Hills FL struggles with 5 clubs and don't want a bar of footy 'down the hill').

The yet to be released report suggests that the WAFL Reserves should be dismantled and that there should be two main competitions, the Ammos and another competition in which there would be an open form of payment (similar to the SAMFL idea in the 90s) and further increase the playing strength of the top grade of footy outside the WAFL. Naturally, the idea was poo-pooed by the blazers and it looks at though the structure will continue to stagnate.

Very few leagues opt to self promote through the use of a match programme, except the major leagues such as the WAFL (Budget), the slim SFL Gazette (it wasn't published for Round 1 yesterday!), the SWFL/PFL Budget (a combined effort by the leagues) in the Perth and near regional areas. There aren't any radio shows or coverage of grassroots footy below WAFL level which makes the scores in Tuesday's West Australian essential reading (if they bother to put it in ... they don't make money out of putting them in so they put them in if it suits them).

Commerically, the WAAFL's website has been swallowed up into one site for all football in Perth run under the auspices of the WAFC and has lost most of its readable content and interest. There is no promotion of ANY form of the game through TV or radio advertising except promo's for AFL coverage on Ch7, Ch 10, Foxtel, ABC Radio and 6PR. The WAFL Budget is now not sold through WA's newsagents on Fridays (an unpopular move in country areas) and Sport FM has not had their temporary licence renewed affecting many sports (not just Aussie Rules) in terms of coverage.

My personal view is that football in Perth doesn't know where it is going and doesn't know where it wants to go ... a worry considering the fact that it can still pour out highly talented footballers in the AFL system - if only we could get ourselves organised one wonders how many more Western Australians would be playing at that level. Hopefully it can sort itself into shape for the betterment of WA footy.

[Not Scared]

Not sure about how the WAFL could get itself up to the standard of the SANFL, but I'm sure the amateur league could. What is the format of the Amateur League in WA? Sounds like they may need to take a leaf out of SA's book, where there is a 10 division amateur leage in Adelaide, where the bottom two from each league get relegated and the top two promoted. It especially makes for a very strong and even division 1. It is also well promoted, with a radio show, tv show and magazine reviewing all grades, which comes out every Friday. All clubs in the city are in this competition, with the exception of a couple down south, who play in the Southern League.

[Benchwarmer]

Seven divisions (A-G Grade). A to D consist of 10 teams and have League and Reserves with 2 up and 2 down.
E to G Grades are for 3rd XVIII's only.
There are also four divisions of colts.

Two comp's - Mercantile (Sunday) and WAFA (Saturday) cater for single team clubs.
The Sunday League has seven clubs which field teams in League, Reserves and Colts. The Gazette (declining in standard in recent years) wasn't printed last week.

The Hills League is similar geographically to Adelaide's HFL. They have a slim Budget with the minimal features that you expect out of a Budget.

The Peel FL is based in the Rockingham-Mandurah region with 8 clubs in League and Reserves and 10 in the Colts. This league will expand to 10 in all grades in the next 2-3 years. The PFL and South West FL (Bunbury) pool resources to produce a decent quality Budget.