New AFL teams for Sydney & Gold Coast

[Hardly_super]

Why not increased it to 20, a nice round number

Seriously increasing the number of clubs to 18 is a joke, and there shouldn't be more teams in the Northern states until more Victorian clubs roll over. I'd say the talk about the Gold Coast and West Sydney clubs entering is more to do with reaching certain targets for Dumbetriou and therefore getting him a nice little pay bonus.

You said it first and i like it!
great post the league shold be looking to expand but make it a 20 year plan not a 10 minute happy ending!

[CUTTERMAN]

Sounds like a crock of sh.. to me. If 18 teams is what the AFL need to do in securing another big tv deal and the future of the game then why were they so keen to move North Melb.? It would've only made it a 17 team comp., with a bye! Sounds like alot of excuses. Also they are talking about a 2 conference format, how many non Vic teams do you think will be in Collingwood's conference. Disaster looming, what a joke!

[Psyber]

It is in the papers now - more games per weekend means more games on Foxtel, not more on free to air, and more chance of not seeing your team if you don't subscribe. So, I either follow VFL here or move back to SA if it gets too hopeless.

What do we do when ALL games are on Foxtel and the subscription is $150/month or more?

[Dirko]

What do we do when ALL games are on Foxtel and the subscription is $150/month or more?

**** 'em. If that ever happens I couldn't justify spending the money as well as membership, travel costs, merchandise etc etc...

The SANFL would get a lot of people jumping on IMO, especially if they play the cards right and keep the comp for the people....

[Hondo]

I think TV money will pay for as many teams as the AFL wants ..... or at least another 2. Footy is big business, look at the record amounts already being paid for AFL TV rights. TV money will save the 10 clubs for Victoria too IMO.

For every footy supporter who claims they do or will boycott the TV coverage .... there seems to be another 100 happily watching as much as they can based on current ratings.

We'll need another 80 AFL players across the country ..... which isn't a lot really when you look at it I suppose. And we probably thought 14 teams was too many, and then 16 .... so we'll get used to 18 in time too.

Who knows ... we'll see how it pans out!

[rogernumber10]

It is in the papers now - more games per weekend means more games on Foxtel, not more on free to air, and more chance of not seeing your team if you don't subscribe. So, I either follow VFL here or move back to SA if it gets too hopeless.

What do we do when ALL games are on Foxtel and the subscription is $150/month or more?

Federal government legislation says the AFL, like a few other major sports, must deal with free to air networks

[Psyber]

It is in the papers now - more games per weekend means more games on Foxtel, not more on free to air, and more chance of not seeing your team if you don't subscribe. So, I either follow VFL here or move back to SA if it gets too hopeless.

What do we do when ALL games are on Foxtel and the subscription is $150/month or more?

Federal government legislation says the AFL, like a few other major sports, must deal with free to air networks

Yes but when the private networks can't bid high enough, and Telstra get their way....?
In the meantime free-to-air will only show so many games and more teams means more games elsewhere - Telstra's technique is Fabian, aimed at wearing them down eventually.

[Roylion]

Not many of us like Mike Sheahan, but some of you might find his article on new teams 'refreshing and rational':

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/sport/afl/story/0,26547,23230789-5016212,00.html

I don't find Mike Sheahan's article refreshing nor particularly rational.

The AFL is clearly not 'bluffing' as he claims. Why would they be?

He's also off the mark regarding 'serious concerns' about an extra 88 AFL players for two new clubs. They'll be found easily, through a combination of extra draft selections, retention of older players that might normally be cut when list sizes are a maximum of 38-40, as well as retention of players that are normally cut when clubs are required to cut their lists to 35 to have the minimum three selections in the draft. That's at least 48 players cut that would be available for recruiting by two new clubs.

The only concern might be attracting enough quality players so that the new clubs are competitive from Day 1. Allowing the new club to start recruiting from the end of this season for two three seasons, perhaps in a draft system where the players drafted either play in local leagues until the new club's entry or farmed out to existing AFL clubs and then released to the new club upon their entry into the competition. I'm sure the new clubs will be targetting out of contract players from the other clubs as well.

[Punk Rooster]

This will impact heavily on the SANFL, as potentially, that will remove 70 (at maximum) of our best players.
I realise not all will come from the SANFL, but would impact on the delisted players ending up here.
How would the SANFL be without Centrals & 1/2 of North Adelaide?

[Rik E Boy]

The SANFL is looking better with each media announcement the AFL make...

You can kiss the SANFL goodbye if the AFL expands to 18.

regards,

REB

[Hondo]

The SANFL will be impacted but I'd guess the impact to be at most 1/3 of the 'new' 80 which is around 25ish lost from either existing SANFL lists or potential recruits that don't come over. So, yes it's bad news but not the end of the world?

The WAFL will wear some pain and I would have thought the VFL would bear the brunt of it. But 'brunt' is maybe a bit of an alarming word when we are talking about expanding the number of AFL players across ALL of Australia from 640 to 720. Its not heaps.

I don't think it would have the impact on the State leagues as we think it would (given the MASSIVE impact the AFL has already had on them). It's like saying a cut in your gets 'worse' if it goes from 10cm to 12cm

The SANFL has proved very resiliant so far have faith lads!!!

[Punk Rooster]

The SANFL has proved very resiliant so far have faith lads!!!

What about the straw that broke the camel's back?

[Hondo]

The SANFL has proved very resiliant so far have faith lads!!!

What about the straw that broke the camel's back?

Nah .... the SANFL own Footy Park and own the 2 local AFL licences they make enough $$$ from that to keep the SANFL alive.

If the SANFL can survive the Crows and the Power it will survive 2 new teams based in different States. We aren't the only state that produces AFL players.

Longer term, the AFL would hope that more kids start playing AFL in NSW & QLD so that the traditional footy states don't have to keep feeding the player demand across Australia. Well, I hope that's their plan

IMO anyway ...

[redden whites]

The game is so reliant on TV revenue now I wonder what would happen IF
The Networks got together around a table and agreed that .

CH7 could have the AFL uncontested(no other bidders for the tv rights so lets say they bid $20.00 for the next deal and not 1 Billion as rumoured to be the the expected total.Australian Open tennis and Australian Tour Tennis Events

Ch9 could have Cricket,Wimbledon,Rugby League,Olympics,Golf majors all uncontested

Ch10 could have Wallabies, V8's , Formula 1, Superbikes,Moto GP ,Aust Golf ,Swimming ,Spring carnival all uncontested.

Would it be price fixing if you just did not bid???
Networks would have the sports at their knees maybe ???
Foxtel would be the wild card sure but the the anti syphoning rules some sports would be compelled to deal with the the free to air networks .
The networks could never agree but it would cause a major stir if they threatened it?

[Punk Rooster]

The game is so reliant on TV revenue now I wonder what would happen IF
The Networks got together around a table and agreed that .

CH7 could have the AFL uncontested(no other bidders for the tv rights so lets say they bid $20.00 for the next deal and not 1 Billion as rumoured to be the the expected total.Australian Open tennis and Australian Tour Tennis Events

Ch9 could have Cricket,Wimbledon,Rugby League,Olympics,Golf majors all uncontested

Ch10 could have Wallabies, V8's , Formula 1, Superbikes,Moto GP ,Aust Golf ,Swimming ,Spring carnival all uncontested.

Would it be price fixing if you just did not bid???
Networks would have the sports at their knees maybe ???
Foxtel would be the wild card sure but the the anti syphoning rules some sports would be compelled to deal with the the free to air networks .
The networks could never agree but it would cause a major stir if they threatened it?

I'm sure the ACCC would watch this chain of events with more than a passing interest...

[redden whites]

as pointed out above but its only happening if ya get caught

[Sojourner]

The Gold Coast I can see being able to support an AFL side based on the number of ex-patriate SA, WA, Vic people that move there, yet the Western Suburbs of Sydney are a somewhat different proposition. The Gold Coast has the advantage of having Carrara stadium and the fact that several years have been spent promoting the AFL there, yet how much of that has taken place in the Penrith area of NSW?

Penrith own 30+ venues all with poker machines and are cashed up to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars per year in turnover, they have demolished and rebuilt their stands just to have something to do with their money, and this is the case with the various other NRL clubs, I can hardly see them just sitting back and letting the AFL walk into the heartland of Rugby League without one hell of a fight!

If the AFL are serious about going into the Western Suburbs to start a side, then they should be playing some games at a venue there somewhere and doing the hard work for several plus years to make it work.

A side from Tassie would be a far better chance of succeeding, comming from an already convinced AFL football state and with the financial backing of several large companies over their along with the backing of the Tassie Government it is sure to be a better success than walking into Penrith and starting a team from scratch?

[am Bays]

It is in the papers now - more games per weekend means more games on Foxtel, not more on free to air, and more chance of not seeing your team if you don't subscribe. So, I either follow VFL here or move back to SA if it gets too hopeless.

What do we do when ALL games are on Foxtel and the subscription is $150/month or more?

Federal government legislation says the AFL, like a few other major sports, must deal with free to air networks

Yes but when the private networks can't bid high enough, and Telstra get their way....?
In the meantime free-to-air will only show so many games and more teams means more games elsewhere - Telstra's technique is Fabian, aimed at wearing them down eventually.

Psyber under current legislation AFl football can not be syphoned off to the pay TV networks. In other words at least four games per week have to be free to air.

Yes Murdoch doesn't like it or telstra of even the AFL (arguably) for that matter but the fact remains under current legislation you wont have to have pay TV to watch AFL football.

[Psyber]

Psyber under current legislation AFl football can not be syphoned off to the pay TV networks. In other words at least four games per week have to be free to air.

Yes Murdoch doesn't like it or telstra of even the AFL (arguably) for that matter but the fact remains under current legislation you wont have to have pay TV to watch AFL football.

Yes, I accept that once you reminded me, but as I said in the response, "free-to-air will only show so many games and more teams means more games elsewhere" , so that chances of the game you want to see being on free-to-air diminish. [I'm not so committed to watching sport I'll watch any match.]

And they'll keep trying to get rid of or weaken the anti-siphoning laws, just like they are trying to get around the broadband access obligations!

[Jar Man Out]

I'd say the talk about the Gold Coast and West Sydney clubs entering is more to do with reaching certain targets for Dumbetriou and therefore getting him a nice little pay bonus.

100% AGREE.