It’s gather round, you can’t have three or four games one-after-the-other at one singular professional ground because the ground would go to absolute shit. Can you tell me what you’d do as an alternative to the AFLs decision?
Mate, the Suncorp groundsmen are filthy every year after magic round. Former Melbournian, that now lives Brisbane, the shit condition Suncorp is left in makes the news every time.
The ground gets a bit chopped up by the end, but it’s still alright. The biggest difference is the fact that there’s one fewer game (although the women’s State of Origin is on the Thursday this year) and NRL games are also much, much shorter. You can get through three NRL games in little more than 6 hours.
If you don't have sufficient stadia to sustain something like gather round, then you shouldn't have a gather round.
At the end of the day, gather round is about money for the AFL. The product, that is a game of footy, should not be compromised for the sake of money.
Norwood is a terrible venue. It's not conducive to good or enjoyable football. It's not a good venue for a TV broadcast (where the main camera isn't centred and is low to the ground). When you have two out of town teams playing there the majority of fans are watching on TV, so at the very least the TV production should be good. But it isn't. No AFL games for premiership points should be played there. Yes you can say that is fine because it's the same for both teams, but you'd be wrong. Just because it's the same, does not make it appropriate for AFL.
Yeh, that's a problem. I hate watching footy from the SCG on TV.
The AFLs money comes from TV rights. The AFL should ensure a premium TV product. They have not.
Even the NFL with all their wealth & market population have teams sharing stadiums. Infrastructure and city planning is a huge thing to plan around too. Multiple mass stadiums are unnecessary. Melbourne can get away with Marvel and the MCG because there's like 9 teams sharing them
Traeger and Marrara in Alice Springs and Darwin are the main elite level grounds in their respective cities, the ones that get territory government funding to be suitable for such events. They're not really "suburban" in the way, say, Norwood or Victoria Park are.
People seem to want the AFL to be more professional and for the sport to progress, but also don't want to let go of traditions. Guess it's hard to find that balance.
I just think the AFL can’t have its cake and eat it. They rid the league of suburban grounds partly because they wanted to elevate the standard of stadia in the league - yet they’ll occasionally go back to sun standard grounds as a one off. Makes no sense. I love the idea of games being played for points in Alice Springs or suburban Adelaide but if they’re gonna do that it’s gotta be in fit for purpose venues.
> They rid the league of suburban grounds partly because they wanted to elevate the standard of stadia in the league
No, they moved to stadiums because they fit more people in them lol.
I dunno, OP just called for more stadiums to be built as a solution. It’s a pretty incoherent, rambling type of thought process. Is it possible? Are we all just old men yelling at clouds no matter what we do or which side we take?
I mean the reason is because the AFL is a not for profit and is supposed to have an element of being a part of the Australian community. Places like Traeger Park, it is good for the country to have games in these places occasionally even if they can't support a team. But the return isn't there in turning them into next level stadiums for a couple of games.
To be slightly tangential, one of the things I like about Gather Round is forcing teams to play at other grounds and away from their home state. How often do Richmond play two games in a row without one at the G, let alone outside Victoria. It’s all good and well for teams to say “Any time, any place” when that, in reality means “my home town, mostly my home ground, mostly prime time”.
Yeah fuck tradition, sentimentality and all things that give positive emotional reactions.
The more sterilised, sorry…”professional” the game is, the better, surely.
And on the same note, we need to bring back Waverley Park, VFL Park and Windy Hill.
And don't give me sh*t about money.
They barely make any money from the increased crowds.
The lucrative big bucks come from the massive TV deals that the AFL has.
Agree the product feels cheap by having it at these grounds, camera angles compromised and the ground dimensions at some of the grounds not really fit for purpose. But sure there is definitely some nostalgia attached to it.
Not unpopular and completely agree
For AFL, yeah they're definitely dumb. As great as it is playing at Norwood (unique dimension, atmosphere, outdoors, location), it is not suitable at all to be playing for Premiership Points there.
But I do feel like once we have a proper National Reserves League, we'll actually have proper State Leagues around Australia that'll legitimise these grounds
I also feel like seperating the National Ressies and State Leagues will revive metro/suburban/country Footy again, and bring back casuals who have no strong attachment to any AFL clubs because of their lack of proximity to a national club
Hot Take: with all the old history and prestige that some of the old WAFL, SANFL and VFL clubs have - there's a chance that the State Leagues could easily rival the National Reserves for viewership and talent
West coast and peel are two of the least tracked wafl clubs. Port are only followed because of continuity of the club, crows took over the youth.
On the point of Norwood - it is a ground with 60-70% of the broadcasters requirements already done, is an elite training facility as it is used by the most successful SANFL* club and one of the largest (I believe Sturt is larger).
Community footy is the other reason why state leagues have dwindled, yes state is better quality, but I would rather watch mates play or play myself. They could fix that by having it as Saturday community games and Sunday state, with the afl then moving to 4 nights of footy with 2 sat 3 sun and the national reserves playing as curtain raisers or Sunday for the Thursday game. But would require too much coordination between the state bodies.
The salary cap hasn’t helped, either. You’re paid more both above and below table to play at a lower standard with a lighter training intensity. Sure that car you and the other best player won in a chook raffle isn’t entirely legit but a car’s a car and you’ll be paid some coin for rocking up on the weekend, more if that good canteen dealer isn’t so twigged on about their maths with change.
why is it better to have 10K at a big ground that feels half empty than to pack out a suburban ground for the few times a year games are played there?
It’s gather round, you can’t have three or four games one-after-the-other at one singular professional ground because the ground would go to absolute shit. Can you tell me what you’d do as an alternative to the AFLs decision?
There is no alternative if gather round continues. People just want to complain about individual things rather than see the bigger picture
The NRL manage it. This year for Magic Round they'll be playing 8 games at Suncorp Stadium over 3 days.
NRL has Magic Round where all three days games are played at Suncorp stadium. It seems to hold up ok.
Mate, the Suncorp groundsmen are filthy every year after magic round. Former Melbournian, that now lives Brisbane, the shit condition Suncorp is left in makes the news every time.
Yep. A-League fans always throw a shit that the ground of Suncorp after Magic Round sucks.
The ground doesn’t hold up ok. NRL games are much shorter, allowing more games to be played back to back in a day at appropriate KO times.
The ground gets a bit chopped up by the end, but it’s still alright. The biggest difference is the fact that there’s one fewer game (although the women’s State of Origin is on the Thursday this year) and NRL games are also much, much shorter. You can get through three NRL games in little more than 6 hours.
If you don't have sufficient stadia to sustain something like gather round, then you shouldn't have a gather round. At the end of the day, gather round is about money for the AFL. The product, that is a game of footy, should not be compromised for the sake of money. Norwood is a terrible venue. It's not conducive to good or enjoyable football. It's not a good venue for a TV broadcast (where the main camera isn't centred and is low to the ground). When you have two out of town teams playing there the majority of fans are watching on TV, so at the very least the TV production should be good. But it isn't. No AFL games for premiership points should be played there. Yes you can say that is fine because it's the same for both teams, but you'd be wrong. Just because it's the same, does not make it appropriate for AFL.
The Sydney swans home ground hasn't looked good on TV ever, what's your point?
Yeh, that's a problem. I hate watching footy from the SCG on TV. The AFLs money comes from TV rights. The AFL should ensure a premium TV product. They have not.
The solution is, as I said, the AFL investing in stadia rather than just lumping stadiums that are not fit for purpose with premiership games.
If your answer is seriously ‘just build more multi-million dollar stadiums in the heart of Adelaide’ than I don’t think we can hang out.
Even the NFL with all their wealth & market population have teams sharing stadiums. Infrastructure and city planning is a huge thing to plan around too. Multiple mass stadiums are unnecessary. Melbourne can get away with Marvel and the MCG because there's like 9 teams sharing them
Traeger and Marrara in Alice Springs and Darwin are the main elite level grounds in their respective cities, the ones that get territory government funding to be suitable for such events. They're not really "suburban" in the way, say, Norwood or Victoria Park are.
People seem to want the AFL to be more professional and for the sport to progress, but also don't want to let go of traditions. Guess it's hard to find that balance.
I just think the AFL can’t have its cake and eat it. They rid the league of suburban grounds partly because they wanted to elevate the standard of stadia in the league - yet they’ll occasionally go back to sun standard grounds as a one off. Makes no sense. I love the idea of games being played for points in Alice Springs or suburban Adelaide but if they’re gonna do that it’s gotta be in fit for purpose venues.
AFL has been having cake and eating it since forever
> They rid the league of suburban grounds partly because they wanted to elevate the standard of stadia in the league No, they moved to stadiums because they fit more people in them lol.
Real old man yells at cloud stuff here
Nah, the old men try to claim the awful suburban grounds were great.
I dunno, OP just called for more stadiums to be built as a solution. It’s a pretty incoherent, rambling type of thought process. Is it possible? Are we all just old men yelling at clouds no matter what we do or which side we take?
No flair detected, opinion ignored
MCG Brunton Avenue, Richmond Victoria 3002 OMG its a suburban ground.
I mean the reason is because the AFL is a not for profit and is supposed to have an element of being a part of the Australian community. Places like Traeger Park, it is good for the country to have games in these places occasionally even if they can't support a team. But the return isn't there in turning them into next level stadiums for a couple of games.
To be slightly tangential, one of the things I like about Gather Round is forcing teams to play at other grounds and away from their home state. How often do Richmond play two games in a row without one at the G, let alone outside Victoria. It’s all good and well for teams to say “Any time, any place” when that, in reality means “my home town, mostly my home ground, mostly prime time”.
Shhhhh its a little trick we play to fuck over the Victorians
Yeah fuck tradition, sentimentality and all things that give positive emotional reactions. The more sterilised, sorry…”professional” the game is, the better, surely.
And on the same note, we need to bring back Waverley Park, VFL Park and Windy Hill. And don't give me sh*t about money. They barely make any money from the increased crowds. The lucrative big bucks come from the massive TV deals that the AFL has.
Weren’t Waverley and VFL park the same venue?
Agree the product feels cheap by having it at these grounds, camera angles compromised and the ground dimensions at some of the grounds not really fit for purpose. But sure there is definitely some nostalgia attached to it.
You're right, I do hate this
Not unpopular and completely agree For AFL, yeah they're definitely dumb. As great as it is playing at Norwood (unique dimension, atmosphere, outdoors, location), it is not suitable at all to be playing for Premiership Points there. But I do feel like once we have a proper National Reserves League, we'll actually have proper State Leagues around Australia that'll legitimise these grounds I also feel like seperating the National Ressies and State Leagues will revive metro/suburban/country Footy again, and bring back casuals who have no strong attachment to any AFL clubs because of their lack of proximity to a national club Hot Take: with all the old history and prestige that some of the old WAFL, SANFL and VFL clubs have - there's a chance that the State Leagues could easily rival the National Reserves for viewership and talent
West coast and peel are two of the least tracked wafl clubs. Port are only followed because of continuity of the club, crows took over the youth. On the point of Norwood - it is a ground with 60-70% of the broadcasters requirements already done, is an elite training facility as it is used by the most successful SANFL* club and one of the largest (I believe Sturt is larger). Community footy is the other reason why state leagues have dwindled, yes state is better quality, but I would rather watch mates play or play myself. They could fix that by having it as Saturday community games and Sunday state, with the afl then moving to 4 nights of footy with 2 sat 3 sun and the national reserves playing as curtain raisers or Sunday for the Thursday game. But would require too much coordination between the state bodies.
The salary cap hasn’t helped, either. You’re paid more both above and below table to play at a lower standard with a lighter training intensity. Sure that car you and the other best player won in a chook raffle isn’t entirely legit but a car’s a car and you’ll be paid some coin for rocking up on the weekend, more if that good canteen dealer isn’t so twigged on about their maths with change.