by Aerie » Thu Nov 02, 2023 12:35 pm
Two ideas below for SANFL senior mens football, based on either remaining a structured pathway to the AFL and holding hands with them moving forward, relying on the AFL subsidising player payments and structuring the AFL Reserves as a development competition, or being properly independent. Either way, both revolve around no AFL clubs in the SANFL which is what it should be.
_____________________
Idea 1
The AFL Reserves should be an extension of the U18 program.
Reduce main list sizes to 32, with 24 Rookie list/top up players under 21 to fill the AFL Reserves side.
Each club picks 8-10 players per year from their own state (Gold Coast gets QLD & NT and GWS gets NSW & ACT) out of the U18 programs on 3 year scholarships, where they train professionally, part-time, but also incorporate a degree/TAFE course/trade as part of it. They maintain, or are also aligned, with a State League club during this time as well and if not picked for AFL or AFL Reserves, can play in the State League or Reserves side.
These young players then get all the support an AFL club can offer in setting them up both within football and for a career outside of playing football, whilst also being connected to a State League club where there is a pathway back to the AFL, if they don't get upgraded to a main list spot during their three year scholarship.
With the reduction of list sizes to 32, that would free up around $37 million dollars that would otherwise have been spent on the bottom 12 players on a list at each AFL club (based on 2027 figures from this latest deal).
Instead, that could be redistributed to the four 2nd tier competitions: 19 AFL Reserves teams, the 10 VFL teams, the 9 standalone WAFL teams and the 8 standalone SANFL teams. A salary cap of $800k, which would supplement a part time footballers income and allow them to dedicate the required time and commitment to maintain a level that would allow them to step in to AFL football, as the players do now. It would also be incentive to play state league instead of ammos/country level as the pay gap would be greater than what it is now.
This would keep the SANFL, VFL and WAFL as semi-professional leagues, with a support base for players in and out of the AFL system.
__________________________
Idea 2
The alternative idea is, the AFL say "f you" to the SANFL, as they always have, then in my opinion, the SANFL should forget about trying to be the next best level of competition outside the AFL and instead focus on crowning the best club in South Australia. Drop back to a sustainable, amateur level, and open up the TS Hill Cup to be achievable to be won by every club in the state and make the SANFL Grand Final a huge event at Adelaide Oval every October long weekend.
Create 4 elite underage programs separate to that of the SANFL clubs, which feed in to the State underage system culminating in the U18 State Championships and being drafted. This looks after the very best junior footballers from all over the state and the population per team are more aligned with those of the NAB Cup country sides.
The SANFL club juniors join in with the "SANFL Juniors" competition currently in place. Scrap all zones including country zones.
All leagues outside of the SANFL have their Grand Final day 6 weekends prior to the October long weekend. Scrap representative football at all senior levels. All premiers from every country league and Adel Footy League Div 1 contest a knockout competition over 5 weekends, culminating in the top 2 teams playing off on SANFL Grand Final Day to crown the Premiers Cup and gain promotion to the SANFL competition.
For the first 4 years, add the Premiers Cup winner to the SANFL competition until the competition reaches 12 teams (and 22 Rounds plus finals). Each year after that, the wooden spooner gets relegated for the winner of the Premiers Cup.
It might be that an existing club, a merged club or a new club is created in a city like Mount Gambier to be that top level club for people in the area to play for at a higher level, while the remaining clubs compete like they always have, meanwhile attracting top talent from south-western Victoria as well. Maybe a Tuna fisherman at Port Lincoln or a miner out of the Iron Triangle can offer attractive incentives for young men to play top level football and tee them up with some jobs that could set them up for the future. Perhaps a club like Golden Grove continue on their upward trajectory and become that representative of the north-eastern suburbs or Prince Alfred OC come up to play against Sturt and their supporters can hobnob together on a Saturday afternoon.
The point being, that the SANFL re-purposes itself as the pinnacle of grassroots level football in this state as opposed to being a stepping stone to professional football. I think this would create greater public interest and commercial support.