This mutation of a game to the main body of the game may eventually infect and diminish the main game 

How crap is AFLX.
Utter rubbish.

What has been the reaction from 'footy' people? Is there any love for this Frankenstein abomination?

It would be interesting to see if the closeness to the action and atmosphere of a smaller stadium had any positive effect on these AFL fans and ultimately draw attention to the atmosphere provided at a proper football match.

We can land a huge blow here but we prefer to chase the mickey mouse route.

Been overwhelmingly negative

The tiny bit I saw, the "fans" looked bored out of their minds.  I doubt they'd be inspired to do anything after that.

The other thing I noted was how poor the pitch looked.

The FFA should get on the front foot and start thanking the AFL for bringing a new group of supporters to our grounds. Try and jump on the back of the free promotion and turn it into our favor.
AFL might then think twice about invading our grounds.

fox rtings of 82k, not sure if they would view that as good or not

A couple of things I'd say about the game. The main point seems to be that it can be played overseas without altering pitches (i.e. can play it on a soccer pitch).

I would have thought one of the first things you'd do then is use a soccer goal as your basis (as most of these pitches will have soccer goals already). Growing up in Sydney a lot of schools had soccer goals with rugby posts above them (allowed for rugby or soccer to be played). I would have thought AFLX would similarly use such a set up. You don't need a net but at least use soccer/rugby posts.

I thought you'd also eliminate the behind posts.

I would have looked to make it a hybrid of soccer, Aussie rules, basketball and netball. I am guessing that is what the X stands for.

Use a soccer pitch and goal, basketball scoring (that is point bonus for further out or in the soccer goal portion, but no behind goals) and 3 seconds in the "paint" (goal / penalty box as it were) ... that way you stop goal keepers from lurching in front of the soccer goal portion, netball in the essence of players restricted to areas of the pitch (or increase the number of players), and then Aussie Rules for the general rules (maybe a heavier ball, at least for pros).

I'd say the lines also need to be aligned more with soccer (so probably across the field rather than rounded). Again if the idea is to sell this overseas it needs to be something that the grassroot players can simply adapt to play on a soccer pitch ... no rounded markings, no behind posts etc. etc. for them.

It’ll be terrible tonight Etihad is not a good stadium to watch a league it’s been so refreshing to see the afl get this and the women’s league so wrong

Interestingly, it's been over 100 years since a sport similar to as you mention was proposed. In 1914 the aussie rules camp explored merging aussie rules with rugby league. 20 years later they tried again.

http://www.footyalmanac.com.au/unification-rules-attempts-to-surmount-the-great-divide-between-australian-football-and-rugby-league/

15 a side. Rugby style goals. Goals and tries can be scored. Scrums replaced with aussie rules bounces. Off side rule. It actually sounds interesting, unlike this AFLX gobshite.

Seems like a massive miscalculation on the AFL's part

I was surprised by how badly things panned out but in retrospect it makes sense

The AFL's national cup failed because a David vs Goliath battle without Goliath is just somebody standing there with a slingshot
The All stars match was canned before it even saw the light of day because assembling the best players from a league doesn't make sense if there is nobody to play against

Sports often try to take fans from other games by copying elements but how many people say "I feel like KFC tonight, I might try that rubbish alternative chicken place down the road". Better to let people choose between hamburgers, fried chicken or pizza and be the best at what you offer

In retrospect its no surprise that AFL fans did turn up in large numbers for the Fremantle AFLW which is what their fans love and are familiar with but have shunned this unfamiliar cheap alternative

There is a lesson here for football as it waits until October to capitalise on these so called millions of Australians sitting around in the summer looking for any sport to fill the gap between seasons: If the AFL cant even capture its own fans with an alternative sport then why does the A League have a chance?

Let's face it there already is a game very similar to AFL that could be easily transplanted into soccer crazy areas .... it's called Gaelic Football (they even use the same shaped ball as soccer). This sport in essence is an AFL - soccer hybrid. This sport has had no traction outside of Ireland.

I think the A-League's concern is that they aren't engaging the playing grassroots of their sport (I'd say this has a lot to do with their parents). They aren't trying to appeal to fans of other sports, they aren't looking to create an alternative sport (soccer already has futsal, beach and small-sided/park soccer for those just wanting a kick around or alternative) ... they have people that like the taste of fried chicken but are going to a burger restaurant instead!

October kick off, top 6 finals when interest is clearly first past the post, salary cap, balanced competition, VAR, concessions, commercial TV, "state of origin"

Every press release from Gallop is about how we are in direct competition with the AFL / NRL and we have to do things differently because of our unique fan base

If what you were saying is true then the FFA would simply continue to build on the recipe that is proven and appeals to existing fans of the game

Just saw the highlight reel.  

My issues were the crappy end to end basketball-style play, far too easy to score big points and how it looked like a training session.

The solutions I had were to play on after marks and make it harder to score more points but then realised how close I was to plagiarising GAA.

I think that is the problem ... pretty much the AFL's solution is GAA if they want to open the sport up to international markets

Mickey Mouse competition that will fade away into the history books forever. Adelaide United coach not a very happy chappy ATM about the state of the ground after that rubbish was played on it.

AFL will never admit that this is a failure or a miscalculation. They will spin it as a "creative and innovative marketing experiment which needs a bit of adjusting".

Don't think anything of them change the recipe that much: Serie A and Bundesliga have VAR too, October kick off makes sense to me (if going with a summer competition), top 6 finals is actually one thing that actually appears to appeal to fans (final attendance numbers boost season averages each year), salary cap should be gone but I am not sure how much it influences grassroot supporters not going to the games (most seem happy to attend AFL, NRL games with a cap),

I feel the executive do concentrate too much on the outside but no so much with rule changes. It is more the lack of good governance / marketing / administration etc. They definitely need to focus more on simply making their product / recipe finger licking good based on proven recipes around the world.

All they'll do is change the rules for next year and say it'll be bigger and better than ever. Till eventually they change it so much they will eventually be playing proper football.

@Sokorny
Part of the reason why FFA can't engage all those registered football players is they actively disengage them ,by telling them they are not worthy of a team unless they are fish.
FFA have it arse about head.Pick a team ..but it has to be a team you dont have any connection with...Expansion...no you can f#%€ off because you arent fish.
Yes thats you in Tasmania,Canberra,Wollongong,North Qld,Gold Coast,Ipswich,Geelong,People outside Melbourne,People outside Sydney.
Adelaide and Perth,you have tour one team so you can F.@&#%€ off.
Then if your are within Sydney and Melbourne you can also F.#€£ off,unless you join our certified plastic franchises.
Anyone who supports a non HAL club or wants too start a club and try and climb to the highest level of football.You can F.#%£@ off too.
If you are too expressive at games and upset people sitting at the other end of the stadium...You can F.#%£$@ off too.
Hey while we are at it we will put games on random days at random times and wont advertise to tell you.if you dont like it you can F.@#%€ off too.
Aslo if you want us to listen to you and do something to improve the situation,well...You can F.&#%£@ off too
There's more but im too bored and i guess i should just F.@#%£& off too......
And that is why Football fans are no longer interested.
LOL

I want this AFLX to stick around for a while. We'll be making grant applications for ground upgrades to get some cash in the next financial year and we'll advise that the ground is now also suitable for AFL play in our off season.

Agree ... really comes down to poor governance IMO.

It doesn't have to have mainstream success.

They want it to be accepted by kids and am players so they can use football pitches.

The reality is that it doesn’t matter for them if it works or not.

If it works, great, some pocket change.
If it doesn’t, whatever, some pocket change.
The idea this could be some sort of international boon is a fark laff.

The AFL season will start and it’ll be massive, especially with Richmond smashing the ‘metrics’.

I’m happy to see this circus fail, but I’d temper the champagne corks a bit. This has cost the AFL absolutely nothing. And as the last line in that article said, the AFL is doing something while the FFA is doing nothing.

Watching a bit right now. Don't see any difference between this and the normal AFL to be honest

In fact the normal AFL has resembled a rugby scrum where as in this game there are more clean possessions. Plus the game time is about right

Ultimately its still the same crap though. Grab ball and kick it forward

Mr. Football must be turning in his grave ... 138,000 people watched the E-League last night (82k watched AFLX to put it in perspective) with a further 1.65m social media impressions. Not sure what Pepper Pig and Larry Lamb drew though?

Kurz slams AFLX for ruining Reds' pitch

Adelaide host Central Coast on a chopped-up pitch at Coopers Stadium on Saturday night, just 48 hours after AFLX made its debut on the ground.

Kurz says United should have been scheduled to play away games while their home pitch repairs after the AFLX tournament.

"Please don't make a big tournament from the AFL for three, four hours (days before we play)," Kurz told reporters on Friday.

"It's not good. We can find a better decision.

"Maybe we play two games away in between but it (scheduling) is not in our hands."

Kurz tuned in to the AFLX experiment on television - he watched for "two seconds" before switching off in lament at the damage to the pitch.

"Not angry," he said.

"But it's not good to watch the (AFLX) tournament knowing that you play two days later on the same field - it's better to switch off and have a good dinner with your girlfriend."

A-League expansion top of FFA's agenda for 2018

Football Federation Australia have targeted the 2019-20 season as the start date for two new A-League clubs and will take a "fresh approach" in marketing the competition next season.

Kurz has ordered his players to "be careful" on the rough pitch.

"High focus with the balls, with the passing maybe don't think that a pass will be safe - the ball can bounce," he said.

"But the way we will play, it's the same. It's not our style to play always long balls.

"It's for both teams the same. I cannot spend too much energy on a situation I cannot change."

The Reds enter the fixture in fourth-spot, a dozen points clear of the ninth-placed Mariners.

And Kurz said Adelaide's latest recruit, Slovenian striker Dzengis Cavusevic, was a chance to make his first appearance for the club.

"He has training with us seven times and every day it's getting better with his fitness and his understanding the football we play," Kurz said.

"It still takes time for the boy but I'm sure he will help us in the last eight rounds, he's a massive striker with strength in the box."

https://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/article/2018/02/16/adelaide-united-pitch-falls-victim-aflx-0