TOPIC:

Wa clubs playing Sa clubs will not increase attendance.

Less teams in the AFL will

The problem with it Jardine is that the AFL would see it as direct opposition to them, lets just say for arguements sake that channel 9 or 100 did back it and lets say through in 50 million over 5 years. Then the clubs salary cap all increased to say $700k per annum. Lets say crowds did rise by 10%, national exposure and better sponsors.
These second tier clubs could then offer 17-20 year old players more money to stay and play with them until they are about 20 than the AFL do now in that age group. Not all of them but some of them.
Players would drop off AFL lists like Hams,Dick etc because it would be easier to earn a buck without the pressure that an AFL club has.

Make no mistake mate I love your idea and if I could fund it I would in a minute, more to make the AFL understand there is more than one football comp in the country. But lets face it the AFL would not allow this to happen.

Branding would be a big part, and I hate to say it but you will need to get away from the AFL in WAFL.

The game has become known to the general public as AFL, not Australian Rules anymore. This is/was very smart marketing on behalf on the AFL.

A move towards the SANFL or old WANFL names would be better, maybe even both leagues under the banner of the Australian National Football League.

Have a look at the NEAFL - They have the 2014 inter league fixtures up - www.neafl.com.au/

A couple of points. Firstly, a WA team playing a SA team would not attract a big crowd. Secondly, unless I am prepared to travel to Adelaide then I will only get to watch Perth play live in 13 or 14 games in a season.

Im not real surprised hearing WAFL people finding every negative under the sun before finding a positive. it sums up where we are at in mindset, and why any chance of going anywhere wont be easy.

How can watching your club 13 or so times a year (and not forget watching them on the national stage the other times) be so bad ?

If the concept works and it finds a new niche, your club will have life !!!
That is better than facing extinction, because that could very well be the next phase very soon.

To say it wont bring crowds is very naïve. The one thing people on this website always say is the WAFL needs to be promoted to bring crowds. That is absolutely true, however that craved promotion is not coming anytime soon. In fact it never will at this rate. So crowds of 1000-1500 will continue, and as the years go by they will decline and decline even more. Eventually ending in a decrepid mess. You think its bad now, just keep the negative vibes going.

This concept brings that promotion we desire. It will gather promotion otherwise never before possible. Promotion brings crowds and it is the only real way both leagues can gain any continued or new ground with supporter bases. To say it wont work is just a slap in the face with hypocrisy given everyone has been saying for years that promotion is the key.

You have to give them something to actually promote first. Please tell me how we are going to do that with the product in hand right now? You need to spice up the product and then have a plan. Over the past 15 or 20 years I have not seen or heard one single plan that hasn't either already been used, or regularly failed. Yet we are dopey enough to still not work out the ship has sailed.

Us old farts think we are doing our game good by being stubborn traditionalists. We are in fact hurting it even more, when a fresh tact should be attempted. Maybe its just me but I would rather die trying than die wondering.

Just cut the comp to 6 teams, rationalise grounds down to 3, , stick to Friday nights and Saturday Arvos, play double headers at a central venue, play the gf on Saturday , push for pokies as an income stream,

That's it, problems solved.

jardine wrote:

Bazza wrote: sounds good mate

But I would like to see a few WAFL clubs merge to make it financially viable, biggest sponsors - very costly with travel mate

travel costs would be a big part of the exercise as to whether its viable. However with increased profile comes higher revenue, better crowds and in turn - money.

we would be talking a serious change all lines of thinking if it were to become a reality. Clubs would eventually have full time staff too, thinking long term.

The idea is one thing, but first it needs smart heads to cost and package it. Travel is just one part.

Need to get virgin or jetstar or someone like that on board as a major sponsor...

Bazza wrote: Just cut the comp to 6 teams, rationalise grounds down to 3, , stick to Friday nights and Saturday Arvos, play double headers at a central venue, play the gf on Saturday , push for pokies as an income stream,

That's it, problems solved.

Jardine you are just pissed about the negativity. You haven't even address my idea of making the AFL a true AFL getting rid of the excess teams and corrosponding baggage and cost of them and seeing 7 blockbuster AFL games leaving time for people to engage in an interest of a local team.

Freo to take Mandurah dockers and grow the game in Mandurah.

Perth Eagles to form a new team in Joondalup .

Leave the 8 traditional teams alone.

Perth Playing the Mandurah Dockers with all the aligned Dockers with them and same song and jumper and having all docker personal there and haveing stars of the dockers signing autographs will bring the crowds.

The WAFC must demand not another $ to struggling vic teams in the AFL.

West Coast (should be called Perth), Freo, Adelaide, Port, GC, Brisbane and the like should not have to play Hawthorn in Tassie but should get their game on the MCG like those Effing Vics do.

My idea sees benefits to both the WAFL and The AFL

Here is an interesting ladder