Hey Guys, this is a very external opinion from someone that does not attend Perth games or support WAFL in anyway, but is very disappointed in the demise.
Firstly everyone gets on here and blames the AFL for the demise and have seemed to have put up the white flag and surrendered. There is no doubt the AFL has changed everything and made it harder for the WAFL clubs to draw crowds and succeed financially. But like everything in the world you need to move and change or you will be left behind. There are many great things about going to a WAFL or amateur game compared to the AFL, so why aren’t people being exposed to these and getting to enjoy these experiences.
I am from a Perth District club that we ourselves are going through as big a change including the demographics of the area and the drop in kids playing footy now which later on impacts the senior side of things. Which are making things a lot harder for the club to succeed and thrive than ten years ago when you had a team in every age group and kids coming out of your ears. You can either sit there and let things get worse or stand up as a committee and fight and try and come up with new ideas to help your club improve on and off the field. In the past you didn’t worry about players they would just come, now you almost need to sell your club to get new players in for us smaller clubs.
I don’t believe anyone at my club would support Perth and want to go watch them or strive to play for them from anything they have done for that person or our club, well I know they definitely aren’t selling themselves to me in anyway. The eagles and dockers are making it easy for you, they don’t care about community football, when was the last time they sent someone out to my club. You need to go get your hands dirty and get out to your local community and start building relationships and make these kids want to wear a Demons jumper one day and want to come and watch their heros play or it will continue to go down the path it is. By the way I don’t believe sending one of your paid district workers to a local club to spin their yarn and do their paid job is building the relationships.
I have never seen a Perth Coach at my amateur club in 15 years, so unless you are in the system why would you want to play for Perth. Surely every amateur club has at least a couple of players that could have a crack at WAFL level. Mature age recruits seem to be the in thing in the AFL, a quick chat to a kid could be all he needs after seeing him play or train. A quick call from Earl Spalding to the senior coach asking how everything is going and even offer to take a training session or give some advice, wouldn’t that build a bit of a relationship and could lead to the community club starting to look up to the Perth Demons. Imagine a local club being invited to train at Lathlain and use the facilities and throw in a sausage sizzle and chat from a coach or senior player afterwards. When you have a player go down to Perth and get told they should go play for a different amateur club if they don’t get picked for Perth, well that is really going to encourage your club to support them.
In the juniors what support does Perth give in encouraging kids in your local area to come and play footy. How about they do a coaching clinic at all the local schools a week before registration and promote your registration day. Does anyone from Perth come out to your registration day how about sending Clint Jones out with some footies and some posters. Trust me the kids don’t want to see Bruce the E Grade Full Back at registration day. I believe every WAFL team should have a Marquee player who was a former AFL star and is paid a good wage to play for that WAFL team but also promote that club in the district by doing the things I have mentioned above and get out into the community full time during the week. My highlight of the respect they show the local clubs is they did send one of their players to our juniors training and he was a player that couldn’t get a WAFL reserves game and was playing for us on the weekend and was later told not to come back. So no offence but if the Eagles sent Corey Adamson to Hungry Jacks the kids probably wouldn’t be over excited.
A guy rang up the radio the other day and said his young son got a call from Melbourne player Jack Viney and said thanks for being a member and they get all the junior members to do a guard of honour on the MCG before a Melbourne game. That 30 second phone call would make that kid a Melbourne and Jack Viney fan for life, pretty simple really.
There are families out there that simply can’t afford to go and watch an AFL game, work with that market and start selling yourself. Having a kick at half time and a full strength beer and getting the option to sit where every you want at a very affordable price is quite appealing, but people aren’t just going to turn up. You need to get these kids to want to convince their parents to take them to the WAFL, yes it isn’t easy but how about trying.
My question is why would my son want to play for Perth or go watch them play when he gets older. This is not solely aimed at Perth, but I am in this district and I haven’t been regularly to a WAFL for probably 20 years due to playing amateurs on a Saturday. The WAFL needs to start throwing itself into the community or it will be the end. The hours all of us volunteers put into our local clubs for free, if your paid employees could find half the passion I think you will start to strive.
