AFL Ontario returns this weekend

Welcome to World Footy News Sunday, December 22 2024 @ 03:42 am ACDT

AFL Ontario returns this weekend | 6 comments | Create New Account

The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.

This site requires you to be logged in to post a comment. If you have an account already (or need to create one), please login here.

AFL Ontario returns this weekend

Authored by: Brett Northey
on Tuesday, May 27 2014 @ 11:07 pm ACST

Unless there's a regional area crying out for a team I don't particularly think there would be a need for another division one club anyway. I don't think leagues like that should be mimicking the AFL, they should be aiming for a model more like metropolitan Australian amateur and community leagues.

For me, real consolidation is when the existing 10 clubs grow to all have division two, juniors and then division three etc. Then you have the safety of large numbers that can survive downturns, survive the departure of key off field personnel, have bigger fundraising and social events, grow a past players association that can support the club and develop a stronger local community footprint.

It also allows the development of elite players who move up to Div 1 but just as importantly allows the retention of not so good or purely social players who can still have fun playing in a lower grade - those people are often also the heart and soul and drivers of a club. It also allows Div 1 to become a polished product at the top of a genuine pyramid structure to footy.

So when a league goes from say 4 to 5 teams I get excited. But when they get up to 8 or 10, I'm actually more excited to hear that there's growth of a reserves or a second division... that says permanent roots are being put down.

Keep up the good work everyone across Canada.

---
Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

AFL Ontario returns this weekend

Authored by: Cam Homes
on Wednesday, May 28 2014 @ 08:28 pm ACST

Have to agree with you, Brett, having a reserves grade makes it easier for a new team/club to start up if they join the reserves competition at first thus avoiding regular thrashings by the Div 1 'stars' whilst learning the game (especially since the locals taking up the game haven't had the game bred into them from birth).

It would appear that the Ontario League could well be the most stable(don't want to put the mocha's on them here) league set up outside Aussie. Ten clubs, 18-a-side with a pretty strong reserves competition backing them up and locality/suburbs based to boot. AND a women's comp.

Greater Western Sydney started playng in a lesser grade before they entered the AFL(the league), Central District and Woodville did it in the SANFL and German AFL did it in 2009 with Stuttgart playing their first season in the 2nd Division (the league reverted to a single division the next year).

Still on Kanuck footy, I notice that the newly formed Nova Scotia AFL played a mini season last year (9-a-side) between Halifax Dockers and Halifax Giants. They also hosted the Toronto Dingos in an "exhibition" match (and performed admirably agin seasoned players apparently) in October last year. All encouraging signs of further (all be it slow) growth of footy in Canada.

---
Brett Northey - Co-founder and Chief Editor of WFN

RSS news	RSS events
Twitter	Facebook

World Footy News

Search

Translate

User Functions

Events

Featured Sites

Older Stories

Friday 08-Nov

Tuesday 15-Oct

Monday 23-Sep

Saturday 21-Sep

Friday 13-Sep

Sunday 08-Sep

Friday 06-Sep

Saturday 31-Aug

Friday 30-Aug

Socials

Who's Online

What's New

Articles last 2 weeks

Comments last 2 weeks

Links last 2 weeks

Advertisements