Being reported by multiple SA media outlets that a decision has been made in the last couple of days to axe the SANFL Reserves competition, details are still vague but some sources are suggesting this will be the last season the Reserves competition will be played.
1 Like
Just when you think the SANFL does it better,it doesn’t.
1 Like
Expect the WAFL to follow suit in the next 1-3 years
You mean the WAFC to Force the WAFL Reserves Teams to Shut Down!
Things just get Worse!
It’s WA Football now not the WAFC so try to keep up. TT is right I suspect, it is inevitable. It will be a tragic day but this one is driven by economics I suspect, rather than a conspiracy by the AFL “deep state” as some tin foil hat wearers seem to believe. It’ll ripple through the PFL as well which I don’t think they’ll be too happy about.
No, I think there are already WAFL clubs looking at the cost of supporting a Reserves competition, both financially and volunteer hours, and assessing if it is sustainable.
The current discussion between SANFL and the Players Association over below minimum ‘wage’ claims averaging $8/hr, has put significant pressure on the SANFL to raise the salary cap, but without a significant increase in revenue then the only option available is a reduction in club operating costs, which puts the Reserves competition future in jeopardy
1 Like
Be interesting if the SANFL does axe the Reserves and increases its League Salary cap, how quickly the WAFL will follow rather than risk a talent drain to the SANFL as players chase better coin.
You can call 'em that if you want.
I DON’T!
All they have done in that regard is shift the Deckchairs on a very leaky ship!
Yeah,I agree about the economic angle.But I daresay the same people looking at shutting down the SANFL Reserves are ever eager to climb the rungs of Administration in Australian Rules Football.
Younger Administrators,who might be qualified for their positions,that’s fine!
But once again,do these guys canvas the opinions of those who play Reserves,or follow it as opposed to trying to impress a future employer?
I’m not sure they ever do.Happy for them to come out in the press and say why such a move is being made,…maybe there is a way to rescind such a decision.
This is a very worrying development if confirmed
I’ll have to understand what support network would need to be implemented so that players not selected actually play somewhere for continuity
This game has become far too top heavy to sustain local leagues
Here is a result brewing
This has been spoken about for some years on this forum.
Its was on the way and sounds like SANFL will be leading the way.
Reserves are the casualty of the Womens Comp and Costs are just not sustainable to have it all.
It’s just like the same scare mongering when people say what’s the future of the WAFL, the WAFL is on life support blah blah blah….
Ok
- How do WAFL clubs track, manage, monitor their full squad of players? They going to form or align with a PFL club or spread them out among several PFL clubs? So PFL clubs take stats, are PFL games filmed? Do WAFL clubs just call the PFL coach and say how did our players go? What a shit show.
- No WAFL, scrapped.
How do AFL scouts monitor the talent coming through WA? Ditto above for WAFL clubs monitoring players not in league side.
The sooner the AFL and AFL clubs get off their ass and respect the feeder comps that supply the talent the better off the game will be. The AFL seems scared feeder comps might thrive.
College comps and the G League in the NBA thrive. Especially college comps they play to filled out stadiums and so much so now NBL players are seeking to get college contracts or scholarships in the US college system because salaries are exploding.
2 Likes
Apparently Port Adelaide are leading the big push for like a national reserves comp. Not sure how it will work. If the Sanfl are seriously considering, you can bet your sweet fany our reserves competition is in peril.
Next season could be the last of the reserves games?
Every PFL game is filmed using the same platform, Huddl, that the WAFL uses. That includes colts, 3rd and 4th grade through to all League and reserves games.
All PFL A Grade games get stats taken including individual player stats and rankings points via Premier Data.
Werribee in the VFL are a stand alone team with no AFL affiliation, they have ~40 players on their squad, and play for a variety of local clubs if not selected to play VFL.
Given the PFL has an effective player points cap, WAFL listed players would need to be spread out across several PFL clubs rather than WAFL clubs aligning with a single PFL club.
1 Like
I saw an article online news that the SANFL are moving to abolish their ressies comp as they continue to look at ways of making their comp financially sustainable!!
Now we all consider the SANFL to be a very well run comp compared to the snouts in the trough mob at the WAFC. Given that, I would say that there’s no way the WAFC will consider doing the same because they have never taken much notice of anything the SANFL did, good or bad, they only listen to AFL house & the 2 local AFL clubs.
We would all be saddened if the ressies dissappear but, is the WAFL sustainable in its current format. What research has the SANFL done thats lead to this decision. They are normally very proactive and try and be ahead of the game, compared to our reactive (or non reactive) WAFC.
Thoughts?
1 Like
Excellent and sensible perspective from East Perth CEO James Sansalone on the prospect of following SA and axing the reserves comp. My thoughts exactly. Near the backend of this interview.
Not only that TT, if a club pushes a player to go to WAFL and they don’t get selected, I’d be pissed if they sent them to another club.
It has taken years to get that shit out of Swans when others were running the show and when called out on it they would all duck for cover saying we didn’t say that even with a parent standing there listening to them say it. Even some of the league players would chime in on the act telling reserves players the only way to play WAFL is go to “X” club as that’s where I came through.
The Football Commission need to put the Squeeze on the AFL Clubs here,to ensure those 2 are paying the Annual Returns they are supposed to,instead of trying to minimise them,on greater revenue.
Townsend(despite some recent anger from fellow Dees)can fill us in what they should be forking out and returning to the Football Commission and get on their case if they Don’t.
Even a portion of those returns could easily cover proper funding of our Reserves,…
Up to the Football Commission though to Pull Rank on those 2,which immediately is a cause for concern,…
Coaches and players are always going to have a bias towards clubs they’ve been involved with.
All of Werribee’s VFL players are on permit to Werribee from their community club. The complete opposite to here, where players are registered with their state league club and then permitted back to a community club, and as you’ve pointed out some WAFL clubs don’t push them back to their original community club.
The PFL player points system has slowed that down a bit over the last few years but Colts players aren’t really restricted given they don’t attract many points in League and PFL colts teams don’t have a points cap.
Key metrics the SANFL and WAFL should be looking at to determine if the Reserves competition is sustainable:
- How many players play League footy each season?
- How many senior squad players outside of the protected 40 play league footy?
- How many senior squad players are just on the list to have viable numbers for the reserves team?
- What’s the cost to put a reserves team on the field for the season? Coaches, Umpires medical, etc and what volunteers hours are required?
- Can the Clubs reduce FT staff? Ie only 1 Football Manger looking after League and Colts.
- What revenue is impacted if the reserves competition is axed? Gate, Bar, Sponsorship?
Ultimately though the SANFL have been forced to look at how their competition operates when the SANFL players Association, showed the average League player recieved $5k per season which equates to $8/hr and were pushing for it to be $18k average per season based on minimum wage.
We could end up seeing another unevenness similar to zones where some clubs have a stronger alignment with some of the stronger PFL clubs than others.
Perhaps we could have a draft where ammo players go into a draft where the lower clubs have first crack.
I’m just wondering if a player like Jett Hewer who has come in from the clouds literally from playing C4 and just bagged 8.1 on the weekend for our reserves gets noticed and gets a chance playing C4.