08-12-2019, 12:01 PM
[2] The state of the game in the core states:
This is not a new issue either, but it does not appear to be under consideration.
(a) The numbers are clear: football is no longer the largest participatory sport during the winter. More kids play soccer.
(b) All around the state the number of clubs is dropping, not rising, as participation is reduced. Some of this is because numbers in country towns are dropping, but even with the increase in population, footy is getting its fair share.
For example: Bendigo
I have lived in Bendigo for some years now and was well addressed in the situation when it was the centre of our country zone. Even though the population has over doubled since it was our zone, the number of players playing footy have dropped. The number of teams has dropped. Others have merged. Football is not played much at school level at primary or secondary level. At VCE level there are only 4 providers, which Catherine McAuley College (the former Catholic College Bendigo) and Bendigo Senior Secondary College having the vast majority of the students. Hence there are only 2 strong teams, which only a few can participate in. Girton Grammar and Marist don’t have the numbers to be really competitive. Hence school football is not a help.
The local footy people do their best, but little time is set aside for them to get into schools. Nor do teams visit more than once per year.
When Bendigo was our zone, we had people in every school. The inter-school competition was strong as each secondary school went from 7-12. There were lots of teams to play for a lot of encouragement to play. Mr Strauch and his colleagues had a much smaller population to deal with, but football was present as a part of life. Now it is not.
The Bendigo Pioneers struggle to be relevant. The team covers a zone stretching all the way to Mildura, but it is perpetually at the bottom of the table. The people running things are no less enthusiastic now, but they do not get much support from the AFL, not when the distances are taken into account. But even with twice the number of people in Bendigo and the population continuing to rise, the team cannot get talent on the park.
Even the Bendigo League is struggling for the depth of talent it had 50 years ago. Bendigo has not been the #1 country league this century, and some players are leaving to play in stronger competitions.
If I can see these problems, the AFL should be able to. They have access to more funds now than in any time in history, yet the money does not seem to be coming to grass roots competitions, nor the schools. If the game is to prosper, this must be addressed. Otherwise we will be stuck with a second class spectacle like soccer.
This is not a new issue either, but it does not appear to be under consideration.
(a) The numbers are clear: football is no longer the largest participatory sport during the winter. More kids play soccer.
(b) All around the state the number of clubs is dropping, not rising, as participation is reduced. Some of this is because numbers in country towns are dropping, but even with the increase in population, footy is getting its fair share.
For example: Bendigo
I have lived in Bendigo for some years now and was well addressed in the situation when it was the centre of our country zone. Even though the population has over doubled since it was our zone, the number of players playing footy have dropped. The number of teams has dropped. Others have merged. Football is not played much at school level at primary or secondary level. At VCE level there are only 4 providers, which Catherine McAuley College (the former Catholic College Bendigo) and Bendigo Senior Secondary College having the vast majority of the students. Hence there are only 2 strong teams, which only a few can participate in. Girton Grammar and Marist don’t have the numbers to be really competitive. Hence school football is not a help.
The local footy people do their best, but little time is set aside for them to get into schools. Nor do teams visit more than once per year.
When Bendigo was our zone, we had people in every school. The inter-school competition was strong as each secondary school went from 7-12. There were lots of teams to play for a lot of encouragement to play. Mr Strauch and his colleagues had a much smaller population to deal with, but football was present as a part of life. Now it is not.
The Bendigo Pioneers struggle to be relevant. The team covers a zone stretching all the way to Mildura, but it is perpetually at the bottom of the table. The people running things are no less enthusiastic now, but they do not get much support from the AFL, not when the distances are taken into account. But even with twice the number of people in Bendigo and the population continuing to rise, the team cannot get talent on the park.
Even the Bendigo League is struggling for the depth of talent it had 50 years ago. Bendigo has not been the #1 country league this century, and some players are leaving to play in stronger competitions.
If I can see these problems, the AFL should be able to. They have access to more funds now than in any time in history, yet the money does not seem to be coming to grass roots competitions, nor the schools. If the game is to prosper, this must be addressed. Otherwise we will be stuck with a second class spectacle like soccer.
Live Long and Prosper!