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Footy First wrote: I have always thought that for years the draft age is too low, all the kids know it's 18 or bust, the AFL is pushed so hard most of the young kids wouldn't know there local wafl club at all unless they are picked in a development squad, all the kids know if they don't get picked in the development squad at 15 or 16 they have no chance of being drafted to the AFL, so they give footy away, they are programmed now to want to play for the AFL clubs so if they miss out on that they don't give a toss about the wafl because it isn't something that they have been bought up with as being important enough to strive for.........

SPOT ON and a huge factor, we are now a generation into a group who know nothing or care about WAFL, they only know it as a clapped out minor comp not worth the hassel.

Was gunna mention this a while ago, but thought id better wait for someone "in the system" to mention it. There have ad are a lot of excuses re the drop off in junior footy, funding seems themost "popular". I always thought the elephant in the room was soccer. Jako today mentioned "it is killing us at junior level at the moment" Jako is onvolved in the footy acadamy i believe

Listening to Steve Hargraves (footy commission ?) the other day on the radio,they wanna introduce a new $ levy on every junior player next season.thats gunna stuff a lot of families regardless of the kids sports funding..where does all the millions $$ from the tv rights go? not to us at junior level it seems

Soccer is also way cheaper to play as well, another factor.

I have previously been part of a DFDC Committee and I can tell you there are numerous influences causing the drop in numbers
The WAFC is cutting funding and has basically said the current Districts will need to find their own funding to support themselves, your Development Officers etc. do not want to know about the day to day running of the competition this is left up to the volunteers on the Committees, this poses the questions as to why any junior club should pay a levy to the WAFC they would be better off forming their own league or speaking with the Amateur League and work in with them
In the Claremont District I can not field a side for the next 4 weeks due to boarders going home for school holidays and then going on camps as soon as they return
In addition to this kids playing in the 1st eighteens have been also been told community footy i a no no
Soccer to is a big influence as any young kid can pick up a soccer ball and run and kick it but a lot seem to struggle using hands and feet together
It is all money generating for the WAFC I honestly do not believe they really care too much about Junior Footy, it is time to be done with them

Doug wrote: I have previously been part of a DFDC Committee and I can tell you there are numerous influences causing the drop in numbers
The WAFC is cutting funding and has basically said the current Districts will need to find their own funding to support themselves, your Development Officers etc. do not want to know about the day to day running of the competition this is left up to the volunteers on the Committees, this poses the questions as to why any junior club should pay a levy to the WAFC they would be better off forming their own league or speaking with the Amateur League and work in with them
In the Claremont District I can not field a side for the next 4 weeks due to boarders going home for school holidays and then going on camps as soon as they return
In addition to this kids playing in the 1st eighteens have been also been told community footy i a no no
Soccer to is a big influence as any young kid can pick up a soccer ball and run and kick it but a lot seem to struggle using hands and feet together
It is all money generating for the WAFC I honestly do not believe they really care too much about Junior Footy, it is time to be done with them

Funny eh, i always found footy easier to play than soccer, ball in hand in footy, easy to look up etc, ball on the ground in soccer, harder to look up at when ya dont know where the ball is, after you run with it

Its a disgrace that the WAFC cannot fund junior football enough to keep kids in the game. Yes there are other factors that especially affect youth footy but we need to find ways to keep them involved. Some very strong holds in junior footy in the EF zone like Bullcreek Leeming do not field a year 12 side...unbelievable!!!

On another slightly different note. Its amazing to see most colts players leave straight after their presos and not hang around to see the league team play. Back in the day you would stick together as a team and aspire to one day be able to play at that level.

Another issue is body size. Aussie rules is not the game for every body type that it used to be. Nowadays if you are not 6 foot and 80 kilos at 17 years age you will not get a look in. At the elite level it has become a game for big blokes. This is fine, but it does take away the dream for alot of younger players and when they lose that dream they either quit or they look for a sport where size doesn't matter as much as skill. Like soccer.