New academy zone

[FitenFitenWin]

Are Pre'enders happy with the zone allocated to Richmond - which includes most of northern Victoria but no zone in the Northern Territory? The NT has been given to Essendon, Hawthorn, Collingwood, Geelong and Melbourne - along with sections of Victoria as well.

 

[Tony Braxton-Hicks]

I would imagine more draftees come from our zone than the NT.

And it's easier to keep on eye on our backyard than a remote zone, particularly given some of our historical links and past players from Sunraysia and Central Victoria.

 

[Tigaman]

Dons would have had a shoe in with ex Don Long pushing the Indigenous barrow.

 

[Ghost of 29]

Am really disappointed in the academies. I always felt it was going to be the AFL's way of competing with soccer and basketball and setting up some elite pathways for the younger kids, but in the end it is just another social engineering program. You can already see the the first news reports and pics of young muslim girls in full garb, northern african, asian etc... with the associated misty eyed reporting of how wonderful it all is. Go forward 12 months to the same kids and the bulk will have moved on with no interest in footy.

I just wish that the AFL would focus on its core product and making it better rather than being the social justice organisation it thinks it is.

The recruiters have been very vocal in stating that the overall quality of kids coming through is getting weaker and getting these kids at a younger age was critical.

I feel there is a real disconnect from AFL House and what is happening at the local level. There are so many clubs (mine included) that have gone from fielding 2 teams U/8's - U/17's (20 teams) 6 years ago to struggling to get 10 teams up this season with the added bleak outlook for future years.

 

[joegarra]

I feel there is a real disconnect from AFL House and what is happening at the local level. There are so many clubs (mine included) that have gone from fielding 2 teams U/8's - U/17's (20 teams) 6 years ago to struggling to get 10 teams up this season with the added bleak outlook for future years.

the opposite to that is both my girls (only one played last year) have gone to preseason grading at Point Cook Soccer Club. U13/14 had 20 girls show up (only need 15-16) and the U 11 had 20 as well. Their junior boys have multiple teams per age group.

 

[graystar1]

Am really disappointed in the academies. I always felt it was going to be the AFL's way of competing with soccer and basketball and setting up some elite pathways for the younger kids, but in the end it is just another social engineering program. You can already see the the first news reports and pics of young muslim girls in full garb, northern african, asian etc... with the associated misty eyed reporting of how wonderful it all is. Go forward 12 months to the same kids and the bulk will have moved on with no interest in footy.

I just wish that the AFL would focus on its core product and making it better rather than being the social justice organisation it thinks it is.

The recruiters have been very vocal in stating that the overall quality of kids coming through is getting weaker and getting these kids at a younger age was critical.

I feel there is a real disconnect from AFL House and what is happening at the local level. There are so many clubs (mine included) that have gone from fielding 2 teams U/8's - U/17's (20 teams) 6 years ago to struggling to get 10 teams up this season with the added bleak outlook for future years.

Good post Ghost. Many sports here in Victoria are suffering the same fate. I happen to play lawn bowls pennant, and it is a struggle to fill teams. We do have a few young ones, but a lot of clubs have hardly any. Seems soccer and Rugby League are getting along very well, and maybe the concentrated TV exposure has a bit to do with it. Have not seen any AFL news on the ABC for zoncs, but it is filled with soccer and ARL, plus soccer from England and overseas.

Love it or hate it media exposure is critical in today's life and that includes sport.

 

[Columbo]

Media is saturated with AFL (particularly in season)....soccer is still treated as an outsider by mainstream media, there's no doubting that.

 

[MurrayValleyTiger]

So de we have first tabs on gun Murray bushrangers forward/midfielder jy simpkin now seeing that he is an indigenous lad from mooroopna and a level 2 afl academy player? If so, very happy!

 

[The_General]

No, not happy.

If I understand we'd been doing work previously in the NT, as had Melbourne.
But sure, exclude us from any participation there.

 

[Bullarto Tiger]

Fewer boys playing football means that AFL clubs will start investing even more heavily in the smaller available pools of talent in the 14 to 16 age groups ... interesting times ahead for the standard/quality of AFL in ten to twenty years time as the projected numbers of young males playing Australian Rules football is expected to decrease exponentially.

 

[Ghost of 29]

Don't get me wrong I am all for trying to reach as many people as possible, but the model that Basketball and Soccer use of getting the kids on the pathway programs at a young age is still a missing gap in talent development.

 

[Brodders17]

No, not happy.

If I understand we'd been doing work previously in the NT, as had Melbourne.
But sure, exclude us from any participation there.

we did some stuff in Alice Springs in Millers time but i dont we have done anything in the NT for 5+years.

 

[The_General]

I was of the (potentially mistaken) belief that we continued our relationship with the NT through the Korin Gamadji institute. I know it's not exclusively about the NT, but there's a lot of good work being done.

 

[Harry]

Do we get draft concessions for these areas? Otherwise what's the point

 

[Ghost of 29]

It is still being worked out but it will be something along the lines of what GWS etc.. do where they nominate an academy player and they have to give up the pick equal to the pick that another clubs bids for that player.

 

[Ian4]

Am really disappointed in the academies. I always felt it was going to be the AFL's way of competing with soccer and basketball and setting up some elite pathways for the younger kids, but in the end it is just another social engineering program. You can already see the the first news reports and pics of young muslim girls in full garb, northern african, asian etc... with the associated misty eyed reporting of how wonderful it all is. Go forward 12 months to the same kids and the bulk will have moved on with no interest in footy.

I just wish that the AFL would focus on its core product and making it better rather than being the social justice organisation it thinks it is.

The recruiters have been very vocal in stating that the overall quality of kids coming through is getting weaker and getting these kids at a younger age was critical.

I feel there is a real disconnect from AFL House and what is happening at the local level. There are so many clubs (mine included) that have gone from fielding 2 teams U/8's - U/17's (20 teams) 6 years ago to struggling to get 10 teams up this season with the added bleak outlook for future years.

great post. i'm not gonna get into an AFL v Soccer debate because my view on that is rather clear, but this social engineering the AFL have been trying to champion for years drives the fans crazy. get back to your grass roots FFS.