Should the AFL reduce the number of teams in Melbourne?

Question

If so - by how many?

Which team should merge?

I think reduce it to 6-7 teams

2 teams should merge within VIC eg Dees and Richmond

1 team should move to Sydney to merge with the new team

1 team should move to Gold Coast to merge with the new team

.

Answer 1

Yes, they should reduce the number of teams

I'd start with two, then two more within a ten year time frame

My guess is the less financially viable clubs.  I am unsure of which clubs, but I am guessing that North Melbourne, Richmond, Melbourne, St Kilda and Hawthorn are candidates.

Collingwood, Carlton & Essendon can survive on their own

For some Vic based teams to survive, they could relocate and Hawthorn to Tasmania would be perfect.  It has worked for South Melbourne and Fitzroy, so Hawthorn could ensure their long term viability by relocating.  

You would think the two new teams will be solo efforts until a merger proposal is put forward to a Vic based team.

As for Rogues idea of going back to the 70s, I'm sure you have a black and white TV or a radio for football.  If you like old fashioned things so much, you can always stick to local comps.  The AFL is national.  Get used to it.  No point living in the past.

Forky, do you want an application for a season ticket for the Melbourne Storm in the NRL?  You may need it mate, if you stand by your protest of no longer watching AFL when a Vic side calls it quits.

Answer 2

You have a valid point. Very good question. In my opinion and many other's would agree, I do think there are to many Vic teams in the comp. I know I am going to get blasted by many Victorians here, but this is the AFL, times have changed and to many Vic teams are struggling to stay alive.Its time that The AFL start making this comp a true national competition and not a league with false pretences.

Answer 3

FIRSTLY LET ME ASK WHY???, mate like it of not Vic sides are the national comp from start to finish,you lot joined us.MOVE ON NOTHING,

you talk about financially -which is rubbish because Sydney and Brisbane both run at a loss and yet the AFL want to add another team to each state at the expense of our clubs here in Melbourne,its a joke

lastly we here in Victoria a have followed these teams our teams for ever and if you start taking them away then the Victorian public will soon turn away from footy in DROVES,e.g if nth melb,hawks,bulldogs,Melbourne were gone and my team Carlton played say gold coast tossers instead -do you think id be watching?....NO is the answer,and if the Victorian public lose interest forget about a national comp full stop.

THERE'S TO MUCH HISTORY IN OUR CLUBS FOR PEOPLE TO SUPPORT A MERGED OR NEW CLUB

id rather see footy die at a national level than follow one with less of our Vic sides

Answer 4

yeah they should get rid of some teams in victoria. it is the AFL now, not the VFL. give one of the teams to gold coast, and the other to Tasmania i reckon. why can't we get them involved? it'd be great for the competition i reckon. infact, im gonna go hav a chat with demitriou about that now

Answer 5

Nope, The AFL is fine the way it is but it will be a loit more worse with 2 extra teams. 16 teams is plenty.

Answer 6

WHY??!!!

I say we flick off the interstate sides and go back to the good 'ol times of VFL - when they played REAL footy!!

Answer 7

Nah.

Melbourne has 4.5 million footy mad inhabitants. More than enough to support the current teams.

If Richmond were gonna move/merge, it would have happened a long time ago. We are one of the big 4 in Melbourne when it comes to support base, and here to stay!

I'm an "interstater" who's supported a Vic team my whole life, so I'm not just sticking up for the Vics. I just love the league the way it currently is.

Edit - lively blue, thanks for the laugh mate

Answer 8

hello, this stared as the VFL as in victorian football league. interstate have already taken southy melbourne(sydney), fitzroy(brisbane), theyr trying to take north melbourne, and hawthorn. lets kee the game where it came from, im all for it sreading to a massivae thing country wide, but the other states should come u with their own teams. S.A did. as did W.A.

the interstate teams are alreday dominating the league, if we get rid of more victorian teams, the AFL will eventually become tottally interstate dominated.

and as for merging teams, melbourne is the oldest team, and richmons is right up there. theres no need to go and destroy history and create new teams, so there going through a rough patch, thats no need to scrap them.

Answer 9

you trying to stir me and arsenal up macca, who do you follow, why dont we make it your team and collingwood or carlton.

thats how stupid that statement is, no way would a team like richmond ever merge, we have far too many supporters.

edit-  well lets make it port and adelaide, look i know what you mean but people have supported these clubs their whole lives, if it's north, footscray, melbourne or st.kilda even, people will go berserk, and i don't blame them, but if the money has gone, it will happen sooner or later.

i do agree the vic teams should be thinned out a bit, but who goes, the ones with the least support or in the worse financial condition.  richmond have made profits for the last few years and they are getting bigger profits each year. so count us out of your equation please macca.lol.

i think about 6 would be ideal, 4 to go, who goes?

they each merge and theres your two new teams.

Answer 10

No. Leave them all there in Melbourne.

Let them have their own little competition amongst themselves! They used to have that but needed to prop up their teams with a heavy influx of interstate players.

Now if we kept the other states as AFL & left the Vics to the VFL they wouldn't be able to recruit players from other states - rules would apply.

Then you would see more Vic teams folding than what has happened in recent years. Mick Malthouse would be happy - he wouldn't have to travel the four times a year that the Magpies currently have to suffer!

Answer 11

No way! they should just leave everything just as it is. get rid of sydney and the gold coast teams.

Answer 12

Hi Macca

I fully agree, there should be fewer teams in melbourne, in fact there should be fewer teams at first level everywhere.

Go back to 12 teams who can play each other twice in a season of reasonable length.

Keep the teams that have consistent strength and support

#Carlton

Collingwood

Essendon

St Kilda

#merge those teams that have devoted following but of limited size and areas that won't grow in numbers:

Richmond and Hawthorn - send to Tasmania, the Tigers

Melbourne and Kangas - the Melbourne Kangaroos

Bulldogs and Geelong - the Western Cats

WCE and Freo - the Quokkas

Adelaide and Port - the Winers

#grow up and accept that some states want and need only one team

Brisbane

Sydney

and formulate a team based in the Riverina at Wagga or Canberra - where support for AFL is the highest - and call them the Ferals (Federals) - shocking pink guernseys and sox!

22 week season and everyone plays everyone at home and away!

Answer 13

n

0

!

Answer 14

no why the fact that the afl are putting new teams in loss making states puts paid to that arguement