The AFL’s expansion in Queensland over past few years could be described as patchy at best.
Somewhere in the vicinity of $100 million was invested by AFL to broaden their reach and depth in the sunny state, but the results haven’t equalled the expenditure.
With two professional teams – the Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast Suns – the supporter base has grown well with good crowds, but in recent years the on-field success hasn’t materialised, with the Suns not yet having made it to finals. This is a concern for the AFL Commission.
In their defence the Suns have incurred their fair share of teething problems compounded by an unsettling couple of years of rumours, now proven to be true, that their big-ticket player, Gary Ablett, would re-join Geelong in 2018.
However, his departure should allow room for rookie onballers like Darcy McPherson and older heads Pearce Hanley and Jarrod Harbrow to get their chance this year.
Positive off-field factors to assist the Suns this coming year are the appointment of Mark Evans as CEO in 2017, a proven AFL administrator, and the newly appointed senior coach Stewart Dew. Both bring years of experience to Queensland.
(AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
The Suns local rivals, the Brisbane Lions, won four flags under coach Leigh Matthews and captain Michael Voss in the early 2000s and had a pretty promising 2017 with new coach Chris Fagan, who recently reflected on the Lions website that “It’s been a great year, I’ve learnt so much about the group”.
“I think right now, I’m in a good position to know what’s required. And now the other challenge is to execute it to the nth degree and improve next year.”
The Lions, like all clubs, have had a few major injuries to key players during the year, with both Dayne Beams and Darcy Gardiner missing ten weeks between them. According to Sunshine Footy scouts both are training the house down and eager for the first bounce in 2018.
With new recruits Cameron Rayner, Charlie Cameron and Luke Hodge, Brisbane is a club keen to build a real culture so that the team can retain young players for the duration of their careers.
In reality both AFL clubs may struggle to make the top eight in 2018, but supporters have a lot to look forward to. As the last two AFL premiers show, you can turn it around quickly.
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The AFL’s expansion plans focused on the growth not only of the professional league but also at grassroots level, with Auskick experiencing steady participation growth in the last few years, including a six per cent take-up in 2016. Overall participation is up 16.87 per cent according to AFLQ.
At grassroots level the real challenge is attracting new players each year to top-up ongoing recruitment shortlists. Like semi-professional clubs in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania, which are always on the lookout for quality players, this recruitment process is very time-consuming.
Club administrators can make an average of 100 phone calls to secure ten new players, but as the market grows, new recruitment platforms are opening up to facilitate football opportunities in Queensland.
Queensland is the perfect place to play footy, with more sun than rain and a host of clubs in idyllic locations, from Surfers Paradise to Port Douglas, regularly fielding players, be they ex-professional or amateurs, from the city and the country to join them.
Paul D
Roar Guru
The level of unintentional irony in this post is hilarious. No outside the box thinking tolerated, when you have a whole paddock of sacred cows of your own you have been carefully tending on this place for years I can’t speak for the others, but I usually argue with you because you like to deal in sweeping, superficial black and white statements that don’t have much basis in reality. In other words, misinformed and wrong. Such as your repeated insistence the Queensland clubs are “insolvent” whilst demonstrating no understanding whatsoever of the financial structure of a sporting competition. The other issue is that you insist on telling us all you’re a really, really smart guy whilst providing no evidence whatsoever for this beyond the contents of your posts. Speaking as someone who knows he’s on the good side of the intellectual bell curve I can candidly admit I could count on one hand the number of times you’ve given me pause for thought. So I don’t give much credit to some anonymous dude honking on about how brilliant he is while doing his best to hide it beyond a lot of mumbled slogans and chest beating.
anon
Roar Pro
Some of these guys have their sacred cows they must protect at all costs (Ross Lyon is a genius not dinosaur, Australian selectors are fair and objective, footy in the northern states is a raging success despite the Swans getting 60k people watching games on Sydney TV). These guys must defend the status quo at all costs. No outside the box thinking tolerated.
Paul D
Roar Guru
They do, they have the same program as Park Ridge SHS mentioned above
Macca
Guest
Very true, but I wouldn't pay a "marketing consultant" $300 an hour if it was his only qualification.
TomC
Roar Guru
Nothing wrong with a TAFE certificate, Cat.
Gyfox
Guest
I don't think Miami High has Aussie Rules, but may be wrong.
Gyfox
Guest
$2 million rent! How does that compare with the Suns & the Broncos & soccer at Suncorp?
Cat
Roar Guru
dimwit =/= nitwit. Reading fail on your part. Guess that tafe certificate you are calling an MBA didn't teach you reading comprehension either.
Glenn the magician
Guest
Roar Guru Cat said | January 16th 2018 @ 3:35pm | ! Report A masters degree is still a degree nitwit. nitwit, dimwit....all just pathetic insults really Cat. You sure seem to have a chip on your shoulder. By the amount of time you seem to spend in here perhaps you don't have much of a life but resorting to childish insults and pretending everyone who disagrees with you is the same person is pretty sad really.
Redb
Roar Guru
These stats must omit the seat reservation which is an additional $150-160 for Essendon taking a Bronze 11 home game to mid $300s.
Basil Fotherington-Thomas
Roar Rookie
One doubts the country's modern lexicon has adjectives for those colours Paul D. One can only submit ghastly and dreadful to that already writ. Abomination is close. Sometime fans of this besieged team will continue to be only a splinter amongst the forest of football followers if they don't change that bedevilled guernsey! Even the Dockers shed their infantile first colours and got a real guernsey. One cannot overestimate the psychological influence the tribal colours of one's team can impact upon the shuffling and marauding hordes and their influence in turn on the warriors on the battlefield. One only has to look at The Red and The Blue. Or even (one grudgingly admits) the yellow and black, the navy blue or the black and white. The maroon and blue of the Gorrillas in my daddy's days and the black and red of the Same Old, the blue and white hoops of the Pivotonians and the red and white Blood Stained Angels years before. All engender love and hatred but overwhelmingly, passion. Passion my man, P.A.S.S.I.O.N. This is currently a passionless side. Change your childish colours you pretence of a team or forever be damned as outcasts, losers and misfits.
Jon boy
Guest
Thanks for those stats interesting no favours or excuses for any team,hate that Sydney ground way to short.
Kangajets
Guest
Love your work p d
Cat
Roar Guru
New Perth Stadium 165m x 130m MCG 160m x 141m Subiaco Oval 175.6m x 122.4m
dontknowmuchaboutfootball
Guest
If it's a Masters, but not a degree, then I think what you've got is a golfing tournament. Or maybe a surfing competition...?
Jon boy
Guest
TomC- By far the best of the day .....well said.
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
They have marketed it as being near-MCG dimensions, but it looks a little closer to Docklands going by the published numbers. It'll be interesting to see how it plays with an actual footy game.
Jon boy
Guest
DC We get two games there this year .have beaten Richmond last two there,Tigers come from 14th to win the flag so we could surprise .I think the new stadium has the same dimensions as MCG ...Is that right ?
Cat
Roar Guru
I am well aware of what I called you. I did not quote you. I did not ask you to quote me. I replied to Glenn/Harry/Peter whatever he wants to call himself today.
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
Though on this forum footy is Aussie Rules.