Champions League For 2011?

[The Adelaide Connection]

Certainly an interesting concept, but would rather to see them played in every state as curtain raisers. Would need to be a fair financial incentive too, four extra games throughout the season would be a huge challenge to a team whose ultimate goal would be a premiership in their home state.

AFL curtain call for 'champions league'
Mark Stevens

CURTAIN-RAISERS at the MCG and Etihad Stadium are part of a bold plan to hold an Australian football version of soccer's Champions League.
A knockout competition involving 16 of the best second-tier teams may be in place for next season and broadcaster Foxtel is pushing for games at the AFL's top venues.

Under the proposal, the top four teams from the VFL, WAFL and SANFL would join the premiership winners from the major competitions in New South Wales, the ACT, Queensland and Tasmania.

The competition's 15 games would be played between April and early August, when the finalists would play off.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/afl-curtain-call-for-champions-league/story-e6frf9jf-1225954108304

[westdog54]

Re: Champions League For 2011?

Sounds liike a great concept. Obviously the logistics of what happens with the disrupted domestic seasons would need to be addressed.

[Throughandthrough]

Re: Champions League For 2011?

Sounds liike a great concept. Obviously the logistics of what happens with the disrupted domestic seasons would need to be addressed.

and there's your problem

Pretty sure the SANFL would be interested if it was cost positive. Also big issues re player management (players love the byes over here, the bye week often counts as one of their mandated weeks off) and injury management as well.

[westdog54]

Re: Champions League For 2011?

and there's your problem

Pretty sure the SANFL would be interested if it was cost positive. Also big issues re player management (players love the byes over here, the bye week often counts as one of their mandated weeks off) and injury management as well.

Not to mention financial management. If you're going to pay your players an extra set of match fees you'd want a fairly substantial carrot to go with it.

[LostDoggy]

Re: Champions League For 2011?

Not sure its a good idea. There are so many questions here.

Things like.
Will it involved afl listed players? If it does not sure I want the bulldog players involved for a number of reasons.
What will do to the local comps? The VFL clubs ( VFL- what a joke name is with Tasmania involved in the past and GC involved now) is already struggling.

[Scorlibo]

Re: Champions League For 2011?

Not to mention financial management. If you're going to pay your players an extra set of match fees you'd want a fairly substantial carrot to go with it.

I think they'll be pretty popular, will probably generate a similar level of interest to the average AFL game. There'll be money to be had, certainly the players should get much more than what players from the lower leagues would usually get paid per game.

But why is it being played during the regular season? Wouldn't it make more sense to have it played at the end of the season? You could have a really poor team who were premiers of their league last year but have dropped off significantly since then. Also, playing it at the end of the year means there is less impact for injury and less impact on the clubs to be playing one match more than their opposition within their league. It seems like the only reason for playing it during the regular season is for the matches to act as 'curtain raisers' to the AFL matches.

[Scorlibo]

Re: Champions League For 2011?

Not sure its a good idea. There are so many questions here.

Things like.
Will it involved afl listed players? If it does not sure I want the bulldog players involved for a number of reasons.
What will do to the local comps? The VFL clubs ( VFL- what a joke name is with Tasmania involved in the past and GC involved now) is already struggling.

You wouldn't think AFL players would be involved, otherwise I can imagine the VFL champion side dominating. In the Canberra league that would be a problem because if the Swans reserves side wins, either it uses its AFL players, or it doesn't and gets walloped.

[The Underdog]

Re: Champions League For 2011?

I think it's singularly one of the silliest ideas I've heard bandied about. Although I like the idea of curtain raisers at AFL matches, that's revolutionary that is. There's no way in the world they can play curtain raisers at ES. They can't even get it right for one game a day.
What's the point? It'd be like gathering together all the best teams from 2nd division Soccer leagues and having them play a tournament.
Not to mention who is going to bankroll a comp with no direct income. The AFL or Fox Sports?