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What are AFL and FFA playing at with Cup comps?

18th January, 2011
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Expert
18th January, 2011
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Expansion has been the buzzword for Australian codes – creating new franchises from scratch in non-traditional markets. So why are two codes set to reverse that trend, by creating new second tier national competitions involving state league teams?

That’s the fascinating contradiction that’s emerged as the AFL and FFA push to develop knockout competitions in 2011. Despite their expansive pushes in recent times, it’s an acceptance from both that they need to nourish and promote viable national competitions below their premier leagues for the greater health of the code – a lesson all codes need to embrace.

The AFL’s “Leagues Championship Cup” will begin in 2011 involving three clubs from the main state leagues in the VFL, SANFL and WAFL, two clubs from NSW and Queensland, one team each from Northern Territory, ACT and Tasmania, and the AFL’s newest club, Greater Western Sydney Giants.

The first rounds of the knockout tournament will begin in March and conclude in May, staged as curtain raisers to AFL matches with Foxtel set to land the television rights to the new competition.

Slightly hurt by the SANFL’s shortsighted snub, which will see leading South Aussie clubs such as Central District boycott due to concerns about the impact on their SANFL campaigns, the competition has nonetheless generated some excitement in the game’s ranks and will be a popular addition to the AFL calendar.

A knockout competition involving state league teams is also high on the agenda at FFA offices, although there is no start date let alone template in place for the proposed competition that, we assume, will involve A-League as well as state league clubs.

As a result, the “FFA Cup”, as fans have dubbed it, will have a greater connection to the top tier of the code; uniting old soccer and new football, former NSL clubs with their A-League successors. While the AFL’s competition is a chance to elevate state leagues’ status, the FFA’s serves a more desperate need to close the huge cultural gap that exists between the A-League and state leagues.

The motivations may be different, but for both codes there are the real benefits of creating what is in-effect a new national second tier.

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Firstly, it bridge the gap between the premier leagues (AFL, A-League) and the state leagues, so players and personnel in the second tier have a far greater shop window to display their talents while speeding up their development with more competitive matches.

Travelling interstate for competitive matches will teach youngsters how to cope away from home, while the bigger audience will better prepare them for careers in the premier leagues. As a result, you can bet more James Podsiadlys will emerge from state leagues at a much faster rate.

Secondly, the comps will, in theory, increase interest and television coverage for the codes while uniting grassroots support across the country. Despite some concerns (SANFL clubs), there is enormous potential for state league clubs to expand on their brand; giving sponsors far greater exposure than they could ever achieve in their respective states, which will only help their commercial well-being at a time when many are struggling financially.

This is particularly important for the FFA; to strengthen state league clubs for a possible national move if it decides to expand the game with a second division, with promotion/relegation to and from the A-League.

A second tier on the national front, if done properly, has the potential to not only save but significantly bolster state league teams and competitions. It is equally as important for the codes themselves.

Rugby is an example of a code hamstrung by the lack of a national second tier.

Beyond Super rugby and Wallabies Tests, rugby is barely visible on the national sporting front. And considering Super rugby is spread across Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, with limited Australian matches compared to the AFL, NRL and co, the lack of a national Australian competition – the now defunct Australian Rugby Championship or the like – has created a huge gap between state competitions and Super rugby.

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Not only does this hurt in terms of player development and promotion, there are fewer opportunities for rugby to generate interest in the national media – a factor that has significantly hurt the code relative to its winter rivals.

But the defunct ARC should also serve as a warning to these new competitions. Scrapped by Australian Rugby Union (ARU) following a $4.7 million loss in its first and only season, the ARC struggled as a result of more than just bickering from within the rugby community.

The ARU was forced to pay the ABC to broadcast the competition, crowds were considered poor at an average of 2881, and it attracted little in the way of major sponsorship.

The big lesson here is that commercial expectations need to be kept in check. They will be, after all, brand new second tier competitions played in the shadows of the top tiers, with fixtures spread sparsely across the calendar and with, possibly, little in the way of significant mainstream interest.

Both competitions will be thrust into an already overcrowded market – a market unaccustomed to such competitions run on the national scene and concurrently with the premier leagues. The comps will, after all, need to be sold well to the sporting public: what they are about and why fans should care.

As second tier comps, television deals won’t be excessive, interest will be difficult to gauge, and major sponsors could be hard to attract. In fact, by creating these competitions, the AFL and FFA could merely be taking sponsorship dollars from their current leagues. At least the AFL looks to have a television deal in its pocket and the cheaper option of staging games as curtain raisers, reducing costs.

But it will be hard road for both competitions, and hopefully the AFL and FFA have patience and low expectations so that the cups aren’t doomed from the start.

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After all, while governing bodies like to see immediate results and benefits, the reality is the goals for the competitions are long-term ones – stronger state leagues, resulting in better players emerging from the feeder comps, with a greater connection between the top and lower tiers.

The codes are learning that expansion alone can only be sustained if there is strong supporting tiers below the premier competitions and new franchises; with healthy feeder clubs developing players, personnel and fostering grassroots/community supporter bases.

The cup competitions will have great worth, even if crowds, interest, television contracts and ratings don’t suggest so initially. The key will be to limit the financial losses early on and stick with the comps, focussing on the long-term goals.

Can the competitions get off the ground and prosper or are they doomed to suffer the same fate as the ARC?

You sense watching the competitions develop over the years will be as fascinating as following the actual sporting contests.

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