TOPIC:

anchorman wrote: A question for you jardine.
How will South benefit from the Dockers going to Cockburn?

souths would benefit through having that facility at the hospital end. once Freo get settled at Cockburn & vacate Fremantle Oval, they will have zero need for it. Like Collingwood at Olympic Park they have no need for using previous facilities.

I am sure those facilities made for the Dockers will not be wasted and they are more than adequate for a wafl club. that is what I meant.

anchorman wrote: Only a $10 tax on the Dockers and Eagles members!!!!!This isn't a hand out.So because we can afford to be ticket holders of one of the two AFL clubs we should subsidise a club that will not help itself!!! Yeah good thought.
I do now know how much the Dockers and Eagle put into the WAFL and WAFC coffers every year, but I am sure it is substantial.
A lot of AFL followers do not even have a WAFL side so why should they have to give the clubs a hand out.
Afraid I have yo laugh loudly at you final crack at the Dockers.You know that for sure do you!!!!
Yet again the angst towards the two AFL clubs.
What about a bit of angst towards your own club to get people attend the WAFL games.

If you actually check my posts I am not anti AFL clubs at all. Able to see both WAFL and AFL have worked to do for the benefit of the sport in this state. Unlike you who sees any attack on either AFL tesm as a perdonal attack.

Most AFL members don't have a WAFL side? Maybe that is the point of getting them aligned to a team and $1 a game is not too much to ask from them.

Laugh loudly all you want about the so called crack at the Dockers but try and get them to do one meaningful visit a year to a junior football club midweek training session. Lucky to get a 30 visit once every second year. Even if an ex player of the junior club is willing to come down there are multiple hurdles to go through. Plus dont expect it is easy to get him to sign a jumper and raffle it off using the words "Fremantle Dockers".

Senior Seagull wrote: The other obvious thing that is totally lacking by the WAFC is any reasonable level of promotion. What do we get apart from a qtr page advert once a week in the Worst? Things like sponsored articles in the paper and on radio would put the comp in front of so many more people but the WAFC seems to have no commitment to the comp that is the historical basis for all other levels of comp in WA.

even with such promotion, people these days just don't take it seriously. the problem is the profile the wafl has. It is poor overall due to a complete lack of accountability from those in charge over a long period of time.

Hence why I think going to a whole new aggressive format will actually make a difference to the mindset of the public. Promotion is one thing, but if it is not done right, it makes the product look worse than it did before any publicity. The WAFL themselves have no idea of the damage they do WHEN they actually promote it. A blind pidgeon could do better, or less damage at least.

So what about excelling in the product itself .... like introducing Heritage Rounds and Rivalry Rounds during each season (with any bonuses for spectators - freebies etc etc) clubs could roll their legends out for the kids and hold commemorative functions accordingly

Promotion of the product seems badly lacking

Laugh loudly all you want about the so called crack at the Dockers but try and get them to do one meaningful visit a year to a junior football club midweek training session. Lucky to get a 30 visit once every second year. Even if an ex player of the junior club is willing to come down there are multiple hurdles to go through.
Not sure what the problem is, I have seen AFL players at junior clubs reglurarly, dont go to the AFL clubs to ask them down, go to your WAFL clubs, they organise stuff like that easily (Well Perth Football Clud did previously for all junior sides in their zones - You wanna ll change the comp and you guys dont even know how to get AFL players to junior clubs??????

Plus dont expect it is easy to get him to sign a jumper and raffle it off using the words "Fremantle Dockers".[/quote]


As for this quote guys you can blame the AFL and social media for this ban being bought in. It has nothing to do with the players not wanting to sign things. To many people buy jumpers get them signed and then flog them on Ebay.

This is a rule that the AFL has now bought in for all AFL clubs and players so that it doesnt bite into the bottom line of AFL merchandise. Even staff at AFL clubs now struggle to get jumpers signed when in previous years that was sort of a "Bonus" for working for them. I know someone that has worked at Freo for years and this is the first season since 2000 where they were not able to get a jumper signed by all the players

anchorman wrote: PH what's your solution the the problem.Other than strippers and pole dancers.

Nothing wrong with strippers AM, they might get a few more through the gate better option than most that have been bought up so far. Maybe Perth could even get some toppies in the pig bar??????

As for the solution if I knew that answer id be employed at WAFL headqarters not sitting in my office typing replies on here. I have been saying for years to anyone that will listen - right back to footy goss days - unless clubs and administrators come up with something radical and exciting the WAFL comp is dead. There is nothing new or inventive for families to bring their kids along, its not even cheap admission any more for the entertainment you get - hell when I was grown up the WAFL was saturday footy - now I can sit at home and watch AFL in comfort, save alot of money and ensure my kids get to all their sports every Saturday

The whole comp needs a makeover from the top down. It starts in the people running the comp, flows through to the people running the clubs and needs to change. You need to sut off the head of the snake to change it. There is very little information out in the media even during footy season is this because the WAFL dont advertise, the clubs dont encourage or is it because no one is really interested? -

So some questions to consider before we change this

Question 1 is above because the WAFL wont spend money on advertising or is this because joe public isnt interested in the wafl any more?

Question 2 is Do you ever see the club jumpers sold in sports stores? If no then why not??? - Question 1 might have the answer here

Question 3 is how do you make all that affordable and entertaining without taking away from the action? - Before you answer question 3 Remember you need to come up with something that would encourage mum and dad to attend and be involved, not waste their time and money travelling to WAFL footy grounds when alot of them have local clubs playing close by most weekends, that they are most likely affiliated too and usually know the players or members of the playing group. Mum and Dad wont have to pay to get in (its free to get in to all amature games, Mum and Dad can usually get cheap drinks and can get home alot easier than travelling all the way to Peel or Joondalup to watch players they done.

Unfortunately I think what has been overlooked in all of this debate is amature footy is stronger than ever and has grown considerably in the past 20 years, its cheaper and easier for alot of people to be involved here.

Answer those questions AM and your on your way to solving all the problems in the WAFL, otherwise we will all be at amature grounds in 20 years time watching footy on saturday afternoons

By the way im not being sarcastic or taking the piss, im happy to have a decent debate with you over this. I have been a long time WAFL supporter, but as life changes so do peoples priorites. Unfortunately now people are interested in AFL, not WAFL and as such something has to give.
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You can't get more people would be my answer in all seriousness.

Times have changed people are busy there is pressure on time and finances. The young kids who should be the target of any marketing are AFL mad. People want to watch the high quality football they can do this twenty four hours a day if they like. The WAFL crowds will decrease in the future as old people like us who do care die off. It still has a place but what that will become may change markedly.

Got to attract the families, i dont beleive crowds will die off but clubs must move with ages and reinvent themselves. some do it very well but most do the same old same old