Season 2016 - early days

[Mug Punter]

I find it staggering that despite all the investment of the AFL in recent years that the game at a junior level has remained stagnant for 30 years. In the 1980s and early 1990s all SFA sides had Under 20s teams and naturally all SFL sides has U19s.

You'd hope that the academy system will bear fruit but you just get the impression that it will be Penno, East Sydney, St George and North Shore that will be the big beneficiaries with Sydney Uni also grabbing their fair as kids from these areas go to Sydney Uni. Meanwhile the Western Sydney clubs struggle to field a side. There's a real divide there and unless GWS pull their finger our and start doing their job properly in developing their own backyard there it will get worse.

And the flow on to Senior level will reflect this.

I'm an unabashed fan of promotion and relegation but the game has gone backwards at the senior level in the last two seasons with Balmain and Campbelltown almost going out of business so I'd say keep it at 9 teams.

I'm also a traditionalist who says all SFL teams should have an U19s but it's hard to knock UTS either.

[Coastal Boy]

There's nothing stopping St George entering a div 4 or div 5 team and populating it with surplus u19s players.
Whether St George like it or not, Southern Power are in direct competition with them for access to players and particularly juniors from that area. Whilst Southern Power struggle in u19s it would be ringing a death knell for this under age team for St George to offer a second 19s team.

[Mug Punter]

There's nothing stopping St George entering a div 4 or div 5 team and populating it with surplus u19s players.
Whether St George like it or not, Southern Power are in direct competition with them for access to players and particularly juniors from that area. Whilst Southern Power struggle in u19s it would be ringing a death knell for this under age team for St George to offer a second 19s team.

There's only so many kids to go around, Penno's second U19 team effectively killed off the Mac Uni under age team which was really a Westbrook rebranded side.

You'd think the Shire and St George cover sufficiently large geographical areas to support their own teams independent of whether one has enough numbers to field a second team.

[andreww1]

There's only so many kids to go around, Penno's second U19 team effectively killed off the Mac Uni under age team which was really a Westbrook rebranded side.

You'd think the Shire and St George cover sufficiently large geographical areas to support their own teams independent of whether one has enough numbers to field a second team.

Before this season started we actually provided the AFL with a list of 70 ex-u17s that we wanted to target to cover 2 U19 teams. After we were told no to a second team we backed off following them all up. Subsequently 22 of them came to St.g, 11 to Power, and none to Moorebank. Which means about 40 of them probably are playing another sport. So there were enough to field a team for Power and 2 for St.G.

[Tom Wills]

There's only so many kids to go around, Penno's second U19 team effectively killed off the Mac Uni under age team which was really a Westbrook rebranded side. You'd think the Shire and St George cover sufficiently large geographical areas to support their own teams independent of whether one has enough numbers to field a second team.

Mug Punter .... I have stated before on RWO but Sydney players do not travel.... so for 95% of all players we don't compete with each other. When Mac Uni dropped their team I think less than 5 went to other teams (probably Balmain and Penno) and when Balmain pulled the pin after 5 rounds I think only 1 player moved. This combined with Andreww1's numbers are evidence, that we don't compete for players in Sydney. Players will play for their local / preferred club or not play at all. We all need to understand this, as well as those at Sydney AFL HQ, thinking we fight over players is wasted in energy in growing the game.
This also applies in Senior Grades - UTS and UNSW/ES both had a team of surplus players - but none of them went to play for Moorebank, or Balmain in Div 5 - who were short of players.

[Mug Punter]

Mug Punter .... I have stated before on RWO but Sydney players do not travel.... so for 95% of all players we don't compete with each other. When Mac Uni dropped their team I think less than 5 went to other teams (probably Balmain and Penno) and when Balmain pulled the pin after 5 rounds I think only 1 player moved. This combined with Andreww1's numbers are evidence, that we don't compete for players in Sydney. Players will play for their local / preferred club or not play at all. We all need to understand this, as well as those at Sydney AFL HQ, thinking we fight over players is wasted in energy in growing the game.
This also applies in Senior Grades - UTS and UNSW/ES both had a team of surplus players - but none of them went to play for Moorebank, or Balmain in Div 5 - who were short of players.

Yeah I think you are right there, the evidence when clubs go into recess is similar, when St Ives folded in the early 90s very few players went and played at other clubs. A couple to Manly and a couple to Mac Uni, the rest played other sports

[saviour01]

Im barely a div 1 player. Id rather fill in the 2 or 3 games im needed at st george then go play div 3 or what ever at southern power (which is 15 mins closer to home anyway).

[Pekay]

Im barely a div 1 player. Id rather fill in the 2 or 3 games im needed at st george then go play div 3 or what ever at southern power (which is 15 mins closer to home anyway).

I reckon you'd regret that call when your footy career winds up and you've played around 60 games.

[Offal]

Drop UTS from premier league and make it an 8 team league.

[tara]

Drop UTS from premier league and make it an 8 team league.

They have probably already requested that after the success of their premiership winning Div 4 team going back to back in div 5.

[Mug Punter]

Drop UTS from premier league and make it an 8 team league.

They really don't add much to the SFL comp apart from being the destination of choice of every SA and Victorian Private Schoolboy who comes to Sydney.

Surely an U19 team should be a pre-requisite for any Team in Prem Div. I know Sydney Uni cop a bit of grief re their U19 team but at least most of their players are at the Uni and at least their Uni Sports Association is one of the biggest investors in AFL in Sydney with the resources it invests. From what I can gather the UTS team is a Uni team in name only.

[Tom Wills]

So what if UTS is an expat team? I just can't see how that is a problem. If it is can some please explain how?

If anyone is familiar with Prahran in the VAFA nearly all their players are country players who moved to the City - no one ever critises them for not being made up of Melbourne based players.

I would not have a problem if there was another CBD team, or 2 - how good would a team out of North Sydney Oval be, or what about a team out of Alan Davidson Oval in Sydney Park (St Peters). Both of these teams would be primarily Southern state AFL players and other sport converts, but that would be good for the game in Sydney. To grow the game in Sydney we need more clubs and more teams. From that awareness and local interest will grow, then future AFL players.

P.S. My understanding is that many at UTS also feel their flag in Div 5 is tainted. They just misjudged their numbers at the start of the season.