Do you think it would have been better if the AFL had been created as a stand alone competition?

Question

As a follower of the old VFL I do feel sorry for the position of a lot of the Victorian Clubs now.

Sometimes interstate fans can become very nasty in relation to the old Victorian teams regarding things such as where the grandfinal is played for instance, and also the opinion that Victorian teams "have to go". This makes me wonder how they would have felt if the SANFL or the WAFL had been redeveloped and their beloved clubs had been told to "get" by their interstate rivals.

Wouldn't it have been fairer to have developed the AFL as a new stand alone contest and to recruit the better teams from various states? And why did no one think fo this at the time?

Not intending any offence to anyone, just wondering what people think. I do realise that hindsight is a wonderful thing....

Answer 1

Yes.

Stand alone in Alice Springs would be the ideal situation!

Answer 2

An interesting thought - but I think that it would have been hard to create at the time. The WAFL has lost a lot of supporters with the arrival of the Eagles and Dockers, and the VFL would have too had some new Victorian teams been manufactured.  The reason that the AFL works is because they have managed to retain a lot of the passion by retaining a number of the original teams, and then growing organically. The same has happened in NFL in the US.  Additionally, which teams would have been "recruited"?  The best at that time?  Or the best based on financial situation?  You can guarantee that for all those fans who would have been delighted to be in the elite, there would be many more disgusted at having been left out.

Nah, it's the right way to grow, though Melbourne is still over-represented and they'd have been better relocating a couple of teams than diluting the resource pool by adding more new ones from scratch.  Send the Hawks to Tassie and the "shall we, shan't we" Kangas to - well, no-one would have them anymore.  And its about time that the Swans lost the SMFC of the back of their guernseys.  They're either a NSW team now, or the competition will always be seen to be a parochial Victorian league with add-ons.

Answer 3

the only Victorian team I would NEARLY accept going is Carlton ... but you know .. even with the depth of dislike I have ALWAYS had for Carlton .. they are a part of the AFL tradition ....

Maybe we should start watching the VFL team games and give up on the AFL. let them have it .. and bring the teams , the traditional teams BACK to melbourne (including sth melb and Fitzroy)

Answer 4

Yes I think it would have been better but I have no pity whatsoever for the Victorian clubs. Every single one of them was offered a place in the new league on a sliver platter, so if they didn't make the best of that situation and they didn't even maintain enough members to make a profit then that's too bad, so sad, get over it and nick off...leave the league for those who can run a sporting business and enterprise effectively....and stop accepting million dollar handouts from OUR AFL!

Answer 5

i can kinda get your question, and i think its a good one.

firstly,

back off north everyone

second,

how would you choose the teams to go into the new national league? best over 1 year? 2 years? 3 years?

what if they were up-and-coming team like hawthorn last year?

Answer 6

Just axe a few Melbourne clubs.

They deserve to fold.  Especially North Melbourne and Richmond

Answer 7

newer team supporters are just starting off

just like children at kindy

it will take them a bit longer to stop applauding the coin toss

why do they do that?

Answer 8

No. It wouldn't work.

Just get rid of a few of the Melbourne based clubs & the competition will run far smoother.