Don’t forget goals Coast gws

So it took 2 years for AFL China to fold
It will be 2-3 years until AFLW folds
AFLX has already had open heart surgery, will be 2 more years before that sorry excuse dies.

Pretty shocking strike rate if you ask me, but yea AFL is the National Game LOL

Our money. The kick backs they get from govt are obscene. 

Remember when Mr Football told us that this was the biggest deal in Australian sporting history, then it turned out Port and the tax payer were actually stumping up the cash for this. 

Then the best bit was the presser unveiling in China with the PM - the Chinese didn't even send a janitor down, let alone an offical or even a photographer. 

File this under "failed attempts by the AFL to promote or get anyone interested in their game overseas' - if there is any space left in the file storage warehouse

Creepily enough I was just reading and viewing images of Orwell on BBC talking about the great right wing of Europe dictating in 1936-7
I'm with you re AFL. It's just a puny, parochial game, but I do like them wasting their money!

It's a case of Koch not doing his homework. Adelaide United has played against Chinese opposition many times on Hindmarsh. Depending on who they play the Chiese mob usually buy a couple of thousand tickets and the give them to the Chinese students studying in Adelaide.  Adelaide United has also had Chinese sponsors for a while now. 
Koch and the AFL had their anti-football glasses on again, for them to spend money without trying to couple with AU and learn rather than go in with guns a blazing and with their usual "AFL is the best game in the world" blinkers was moronic and showed their true colours.

Ha ! Very Orwellian concept but you could say the same of any of the codes ,including football.( I assume you had your tongue firmly cheek planted there )

I think we just need to concentrate on getting the already football loving people to games .
There are more than enough of them to sustain our game very healthily if we can make them supporters of the A-League.
We simply need to get back to basics. Put on a good game , clubs engaging with fans etc etc ...and more will come and the game will grow naturally.
Sport is tribal.
The successful clubs have fans who feel part of their clubs tribe.
Make people feel connected and they will support you even if you aren't the best team .

We focus far too much on what AFL is doing ....it just doesn't matter .

Just a slight change, very little care up here (Sydney) of the Sydney derby semis.

The only thing I have seen coming out of the Chinese venture is a bit of an increase in Chinese company sponsorship.  There was little chance the gamble would pay off by having China embrace such a crappy game like Aussie Rules, but a lot more likely was the fact that they will realise Australians actually like this game and anyone with financial interests in Australia might throw some bones

AFL/VFL is not about sport. It is a propaganda machine designed to distract Victorians from their mundane lives.

The PR component stepped up after World War 2. Look at how crowds walk to the AFL on match days. It is like watching lambs go to slaughter.

How convinced are the AFL that their code will take off to the chinese... Do chinese living in melbourne follow the game at all or have the $$$$$ that the AFL is hoping to get a slice of ?
This venture hasnt generated once cent of profit... and it relies on the local state govt ( ALP , who love AFL and hate football ) throwing in 300k at least ...

Well now that Turnbull isn't PM, the AFL may give on trying to associate AFL with China trade for a while.

I heard st kilda was going to play ages ago

It would be interesting to see if any AFL team gets suckered into going over.

Wonder what mr Koch has to say about the above...?

"Locals not interested? but.. but what about the amazing business deals"??

Two years must be some sort of record for an AFL venture overseas?

-----

Gold Coast not keen on a return to China

GOLD Coast has walked away from future AFL matches in China after two years of playing Port Adelaide in Shanghai.

Suns chairman Tony Cochrane used the club's best and fairest awards night to declare the club's interest in the overseas venture over.

"The board have decided that to give the playing group every possible chance in the future that the trip is too onerous and too difficult," he said, reported by the Gold Coast Bulletin.

"(2018) was our last foray to China."

Gold Coast lost both of its clashes with the Power at Jiangwan Stadium, playing as the nominal home team.

This year, it also lost the next seven matches after returning from China, despite the aid of the bye immediately after its return.

The fixture has struggled to create enthusiasm in Shanghai, with lack of local engagement and poor attendance.

Cochrane also took aim at Port Adelaide for a spiteful clash between the two clubs in the lead-up to the first match, when Port asked the Suns not to wear their red and yellow home strip for fear of being more popular with locals.

"We have stepped away from repeating the trip again to China and we will leave the Port Adelaide chairman (David Koch) to argue with someone else about the colour of their jumper," he said.

It remains to be seen whether Port Adelaide will find another opponent to repeat the match in 2019.

Jarrod Harbrow was named the club's best and fairest player in 2018 at the awards night, ahead of Touk Miller and Lachie Weller.

source

the game is in such a fine state at participation levels that the latest innovation to make up the numbers is to get murderers to play...not even kidding

killer inmates are allowed to play

Erin Pearson7 August 2018 — 11:55am

Victorian football clubs say they are unaware of the criminal records of prisoners playing for local clubs following revelations a killer was among those being freed on day release to play footy.Dylan Closter was sentenced to nine years and three months jail with a non-parole period of six years after a one-punch attack which killed David Cassai, 22, in Rye on New Year's Eve in 2012.On Monday it was revealed he’s been allowed out to play senior local football for the Rushworth Football and Netball Club in central Victoria.

Rushworth plays in the Kyabram District Football and Netball League (KDFNL) - the only league in the state to allow prisoners to take part.When asked about Closter’s participation, league operations officer Sharon O'Dwyer said they received no details about the fielded prisoners.

“We don't know anything about individual players,” she said.“You need to speak to the prison.”

00:38

Footballer on parole breaks player's jaw

Playing in 3 ...

Watch the moment a man on parole for armed robbery brakes a 17-year-old's jaw in an off-the-ball incident during a South West District match.Longwood football club president Ricki Shiner said he was shocked to learn violent criminals were among those drafted to play.His team played against Rushworth in round 14 and lost 41 to 91.He said clubs in the league were led to believe they were low-level criminals nearing release.“It’s not the news you want to hear. We were led to believe the crooks were in there for tax fraud and that type of stuff not violent crimes,” he said.“Now we’re hearing more of these guys have been playing against us with similar records.“Three clubs in the league have had this granted to them and it’s really unfair to the other clubs.”Premier Daniel Andrews has called on Corrections Victoria to undertake an urgent review of the decision to allow a one-punch killer to take to the football field."I was like most Victorians, I think, shocked to learn that somebody who had been convicted of such a serious offence, a cowardly offence, was being allowed to play football," Mr Andrews said."The government has directed that an urgent review of those arrangements be made ... That’s not treatment that aligns with the proper punishment that that person should be getting, the time they should be serving for the cowardly, evil act that they undertook."Corrections Commissioner Emma Cassar told 3AW that there were three football clubs using prisoners to bolster their teams with an internal review of the practice now under way.Football clubs who use prisoners include Rushworth, Merrigum and Murchison-Toolamba.Murchison-Toolamba football club president Craig Thompson said his club had allowed three prisoners to play at a time for the last two seasons with no issues.Contrary to concerns, he said he’d found the prisoners to be “model members” of his club who used the opportunity as a vital rehabilitation resource.

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“We have three that play and three that come strictly as volunteers who help with the scoreboard and take water bottles around. It’s been happening for a long time, since the ’80s, but we’ve only resumed it in the last two years,” Mr Thompson said.“During the preseason we go and watch them play at the prison with the two other teams and select three players each.“We understand there’s two sides to every story but we’re giving these people an opportunity and they’re great support for us.”The player code of conduct for Kyabram League states players must ensure their behaviour is consistent with the principles of good sportsmanship, both on and off field.Players must also conduct themselves at a “high level of personal behaviour on and off the field in such a manner so as not to bring your club or the game of Australian Football into disrepute”.Rushworth has deleted its Facebook page and turned off the club’s mobile phone overnight.Mr Cassai's mother Caterina Politi said she had been informed by the media that Closter had played a dozen games in a local league as part of a rehabilitation program run by Corrections Victoria.The decision has left her “horrified” and compounded the anger she felt over the "lenient" sentence.“It threw a dagger in my heart and I'm in shock to think a killer who is not even four years into his sentence is on day release" she told The Age."To think, we weren't even advised.”Ms Politi's comments come days after a man on parole after holding a gun to the head of a shop assistant during an armed robbery injured a 17-year-old in an off-the-ball incident during a senior football match several weeks ago.Victim, Branxholme-Wallacedale’s Sam Lambevski, suffered a broken jaw.Heathmere’s Will Pickett, 28, was charged late Friday night with recklessly causing serious injury, recklessly causing injury and breaching parole.In that case the parole board has decided to take no immediate action.The Corrections Minister and Corrections Commissioner have both been contacted for comment.with Alexander Gluyas

I don't know if this rule still applies, but...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_AFL_season#Semi_Finals
Note: West Coast Eagles played its "home" final at the MCG despite being ranked above Essendon due to the agreement then in place with the Melbourne Cricket Club that at least one game each week of the finals be played at the MCG.

Home advantage isn't what it seems in AFL where 10 teams are from Melbourne or surrounds and share the same stadiums. If a Victorian team finishes 8th they can still technically get a home game at the MCG provided they have a Victorian opponent. It's the most rigged league in the world.

Would teams tank for picks? They already do, so shit yes.

I know it happens in draft leagues but its at the bottom. 

In AFL/NRL you get home advantage in finals. I dont think teams would through that away nor want to lose a string of games just before the finals. Also different teams would want different players depending on squad and injuries. 

So in other words you could throw the last 2-3 games to drop from 2nd to 8th (is that the last place in finals?) so that you could stack your team with better players for the final?

I think the comment about doing it for finals is smart (for AFL).
The mid season loan thing wouldnt be that great for many reasons they have raised. 

I think if you had a draft system after the season where teams choose 3 players from the teams that didnt make the finals. So 8th has 1st, 9th and 17th pick, 7th has 2nd, 10th and 18th pick and so on until 1st has 8th, 16th and 24th pick. Of course you would need to have their PFA on board. You would also need to have compensation, perhaps a win bonus, away from home allowence depending on if players have to go interstate and for how long. And of course written into the players contracts that they have to do it. I guess you could have a free choice or pool of players eg 6 best for the 8 worst teams determined by newspaper votes during the year or something. 

Also I would let each player pick 1 team they do not want to play for before the season starts. You cant expect eg a WCE team playing for Dockers in the finals then back the WCE after kicking 6 goals in the GF for them. 

What it would do it get all the AFL "stars" into the finals. It is no different from what the CEO is already suggeting should happen for AFLX that "stars" can play for different franchise so you will see Dougo and Robbo..... and Smithy all on the same team. 

NRL could do the same really. In theory. 

No point, FFA demands a fee for club friendlies.

There's actually the well-supported football team Bali United FC that was good and legitimate enough to make ACL qualifiers this season and yet no A-League team has had the initiative to organise a friendly or anything else with them.

In before AFL implements a loan rule before the HAL does.....
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2018-03-07/loan-arranger-eplstyle-system-on-the-cards

Some comments from the AFL community, they are becoming self aware and are acknowledging their league's obsession with other sports!
https://www.reddit.com/r/AFL/comments/82lyhu/afl_to_consider_soccerstyle_midseason_loan_system/

of course ... free tickets to locals and only the dumbass expats will pay to attend

Bet they play it Bali just so they don't embarrassed by a shit turnout.

sounds much like  Arena football...

although it doesnt seem to have taken off  that well

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Arena_Football_League_teams

The AFL started play with the 1987 season, featuring the Chicago Bruisers, the Denver Dynamite, the Pittsburgh Gladiators and the Washington Commandos. The Pittsburgh franchise became the Tampa Bay Storm in 1991 – they are the only franchise from the inaugural 1987 season still active as of the 2017 season.As of the 2017 season, 62 different franchises (operating under 82 different names when allowing for a franchise changing city or name) will have competed in the AFL, of which 57 have either left to compete in another indoor football league or folded outright. At its height, the AFL featured 19 teams competing in the same season: 2001, 2004 and 2007.The newest AFL team is the Albany Empire set to begin in the 2018 season.

AFL carnival overseas

 

• Michael Gleeson

   
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The AFL is looking at plans to play a six team AFLX carnival overseas.The idea was raised by AFL chief executive Gill McLachlan and his executives at a breakfast meeting last week with coaches ahead of the season launch.

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No date or country has been proposed yet.The AFL asked the coaches for their thoughts on AFLX and the JLT series.

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The coaches generally appeared ambivalent to the AFLX concept, admitting that they used it in training as a drill to sharpen speed and skill in a low-contact way but were not enthusiastic.Some were keener than others who were more interested in the timing of the competition and whether the eve of the season was the best time to fit it into the calendar. The coaches were also divided on whether to play two or three JLT games a year.  AdvertisementMcLachlan told the coaches there were opportunities for the game to be taken overseas, which he has said publicly before, but he raised the prospect of the six-team carnival to be played overseas.McLachlan said this would have the benefit for the clubs of a team bonding and building exercise, while for the competition  the carnival would build a momentum and interest around the game.Plans for the carnival are no further advanced than the concept stage.The AFL played a game for premiership points in China last year and approaches have been made about spreading the market into India, either through a similar idea of playing for premiership points or else an exhibition match.The league is keen to expand the game overseas and sees AFLX as the vehicle to do so. Naturally the US is one market that would be of interest for commercial reasons, as would Europe.The AFL has already raised the idea of having new and different franchises for AFLX – as opposed to clubs – and having players move at season's end in a free market like cricket's IPL.McLachlan said franchises could potentially buy players for one-off carnivals.“(Franchises) could draft you in for a one-week tournament in November,” McLachlan said adding that it might open possibilities for older players to stay in the game in much the same way retired Test and one-day cricketers stayed on after retirement playing IPL and Big Bash.McLachlan has proposed a debriefing or forum on the concept this year to thrash out where to take the concept.“If it has a place, then it’ll be like: ‘How do the licences work? Where do you play? Is it only international or where does is it in the season?’ It’s all fun to chat about,” McLachlan said on Fox after the first AFLX.It was among the topics of conversation at the meeting in which the coaches were presented with a slide show outlining key issues in the game.

AFL carnival overseas

I'm sure China and India will pick up the cheque.