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Forget AFLX, the future of Aussie Rules is 12-a-side

Roar Guru
14th December, 2017
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You might be an AFL fan, but we all know you're secretly excited for the soccer in Russia this year. (Photo by Graham Denholm/AFL Media/Getty Images)
Roar Guru
14th December, 2017
52
1203 Reads

A new code war has just broken out within Aussie Rules, with the SANFL starting a new 12-a-side format called “Australian Unity Fast Footy” at Norwood Oval just a week before the AFL debut their own AFLX format at Hindmarsh.

Both new formats come as a response to short formats developed for other sports designed to satisfy millennials who have busy lives and short attention spans… this desk is getting a bit dusty, sorry I’m getting off track, what was I saying again..?

Oh yes. Other sports have been developing new formats that are shorter in length, faster in pace and have higher rates of scoring to appeal to young people who have busy lives and short attention spans. Rugby Union has 7s, Rugby League has 9s, Association Football has Soccer 7s, Tennis has Fast 4s, Golf has Golf Sixes, Netball has Fast5, Hockey has Hockey 5s and of course Cricket has T20.

Unfortunately the AFL’s new AFLX format played on rectangular pitches seems to have gone down like a ton of bricks with fans of the traditional oval version. Luckily however SANFL have come to the rescue with their own new format dubbed “Australian Unity Fast Footy”.

Apart from the name it seems to be a much better alternative than AFLX.

Being designed for ovals it can be played on existing grounds without any change which is a big plus. The number of just 12 players also has its own advantages and this number could one day be adopted in the AFL.

Reducing teams to 12 players would greatly reduce congestion and increase the speed of play which in turn will increase the rate of scoring. This would clearly increase its appeal to millennials (aka. youths). But the biggest advantage of reducing teams to 12 players is when it comes to player quality.

Some have said that the number of teams in the AFL has diluted the quality and that cutting the competition to as few as 12 teams would alleviate this. This might be unlikely however since 6 teams would have to be cut from the competition, which would alienate many fans. However…

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While reducing the number of teams to 12 with 18 players in each might risk alienating fans if existing teams are cut, you could still have 18 teams with 12 players in each to achieve the same effect of concentrating the talent pool. It’s just common sense.

My prediction of what will happen next is that the AFL will come to their senses and see that 12-a-side is the future once they see it in action at Norwood Oval. Once they do they will once again change the rules in the AFL so that matches will be divided into 15 minute quarters as they have already done in the AFL Women’s and at the same time reduce the number of players on teams in both leagues to 12.

Once they make these changes it will take the AFL into a new golden age of popularity which will quickly race its way up the eastern seaboard sweeping all other codes before it and AFLX will simply become a distant memory thrown on the scrapheap of history.

Down with AFLX! Long live 12-a-side!

Viva SANFL!

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