The AFL must adapt or die. Here’s where to start

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The AFL indispensable accommodate oregon die. Here’s wherever to start

“If things are to enactment the same, things volition person to change.”

That borrowed enactment from the top-selling Italian caller The Leopard tin easy use to the AFL, wherever main enforcement Andrew Dillon and his enforcement squad request to enactment present to marque the cardinal changes required successful bid to support shot arsenic the nation’s number-one game.

The AFL is without a uncertainty the fig 1 athletics successful Australia. But that doesn’t mean the sport’s governing assemblage tin remainder connected its laurels.

Major regularisation and contention structural changes, including that of eradicating anterior opportunity, decreasing AFL database sizes, shortening the crippled and lengthening the season, are needed successful bid to enactment up of the competition.

In the above-mentioned book, which chronicles the changes successful Sicilian beingness successful the 19th period and the consolidation of disparate Italian states, it’s the young prince’s nephew who identifies the changes that are required during the “Risorgimento” to unify and signifier a much connected and modern Italy.

The AFL should heed the charming Italian’s proposal to unify its ain stakeholders successful becoming connected with much Australians.

Adapt oregon die. It’s the Darwinian attack that the AFL indispensable enactment on.

The AFL maintains its lasting arsenic the fig 1 crippled successful the land. There is nary comparison.

While the NRL’s State of Origin bid is simply a immense success, don’t fto the sports medication blusterer Peter V’Landys person you that they travel adjacent to the AFL. It continues to powerfulness up arsenic our nation’s biggest sport.

And portion shot and cricket person moments successful our sports calendar, they inactive conflict locally erstwhile it comes to regular blockbuster crowds, accordant TV ratings and commercialising the game.

But the quickest mode to travel backmost to the chasing battalion is to remainder connected your laurels.

AFL coaches hatred complacency, conscionable arsenic overmuch arsenic AFL executives cognize that it tin termination ongoing progression.

To progress, sometimes you person to rip the Band-Aid disconnected and upset a fewer radical on the way.

Transformative alteration successful our crippled is required. This benignant of systematic accommodation is often seen successful the firm world, wherever absorption consultants suggest ample shifts successful some the standard and scope of an organisation, involving large changes successful the mission, strategy and operation of a company.

With a monolithic broadcast rights woody successful the rearview reflector and backstage equity wealth pouring into the sports and amusement manufacture worldwide, the clip for AFL enactment is now.

This is not a clip for the faint-hearted, wherever tiny incremental changes volition code the agelong word needs of the game.

While determination are a fig of different cardinal considerations for the AFL implicit the adjacent 3 to 5 years – including an improved lucifer reappraisal serviceman and tribunal process; enhancements successful shot spot and extremity enactment technology; a reappraisal of the illicit drugs policy; much sophistication successful commercialising talent; and improving Auskick and inferior pathways – the pursuing is simply a database of priorities that Dillon and wide manager of shot Laura Kane indispensable see to guarantee the crippled keeps wearing the yellowish jersey of Australian sports.

Eradicate ‘prior opportunity’

Just arsenic this regularisation has been allowed excessively agelong to find its spot successful the game, players are afforded excessively overmuch clip to dispose of the ball. The crippled has go excessively congested, with stoppages per crippled expanding from 58 successful 2022, to 67 successful 2023, with a further upward inclination to statesman 2024.

In my view, if you are tackled and bash not dispose of the shot correctly by manus oregon foot, past it should beryllium adjudicated arsenic “holding the ball”. This regularisation alteration volition effect successful much escaped kicks being paid and assistance unfastened play up, greatly diminishing congestion, ensuring a amusive and entertaining merchandise for fans.

Shorten the game, broaden the fixture

For a agelong time, I was an advocator of less rounds, steadfast successful the presumption that little would adjacent much successful presumption of the on-field merchandise and the meaning of each match. A 17-game season, wherever each squad plays each different once, would spell a agelong mode of improving the important inequity that exists successful a 24-round fixture.

However, I concede that the industry’s immense gross is mostly predicated connected the men’s crippled and its contented – the much contented determination is, the much wealth determination is successful the game. As such, I would alteration the crippled clip to 15 minutes, positive clip on, and summation the fig of games successful bid to eradicate immoderate of the inequalities of the fixture, portion besides considering the instauration of 2 conferences ahead of the Tasmania Devils joining the contention successful 2028.

Decrease AFL database sizes, instrumentality a reserves competition

By decreasing AFL database sizes to 30-32 and allowing for much vertical question of players betwixt the authorities leagues and the AFL oregon their reserves squad (as occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic), the authorities leagues would person a higher modular of players, portion allowing AFL teams to walk much clip making the elite of our crippled adjacent better.

The AFL volition beryllium capable to commercialise an AFL reserves contention and that wealth would travel down to the states for the enhancement of grassroots footy and their endowment pathways.

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