David Harding
Gippy
Kristy lee
Cain LynchNAB Cup: Time to go?
January 29th 2011 14:12
Every year the AFL brings in a new rule for the NAB Cup and every year most clubs don't seem to really pay that much attention to the NAB Cup. This season, the AFL welcomes Greater Western Sydney and Gold Coast into the NAB Cup, in a brand new format of the cup, it will be the AFL's version of "Twenty20" 3 games in the one night, in a round robin tournament.
The AFL will proclaim themselves innovative, however they are not, in fact as a junior footballer I played in the same round robin style tournament at Brighton, my team even won that tournament. The then Tasmanian State Football League in 1999 had the same style pre-season competition, the Southern Cats, who would later go into recess won the Coca Cola Knockout Cup.
The AFL has a lot of different rules to these tournaments, granted that may make it innovative, but really, it doesn't make the games anymore exciting, the game is as exciting as it will ever get, but every year, the AFL are screwing with the game, and they are removing things that make the game unique, and makes it what it is.
It's not the fans that are losing interest, the clubs are, the clubs aren't interested in risking their players in the pre-season comp, some want to trial their youngsters in games, so how about this, how about a Youth Pre-Season Cup, with players that aren't over a certain age, and they can play off.
But anyway, the topic of this is, is the NAB Cup past it's used by date? Are we flogging a dead horse, and should try a year without the NAB Cup and allow teams to play what the round ball game calls "Friendlies" against other teams, in other leagues?
The league has been ripping off the round ball game for years now, so why not something like this? Extend the season without making it October, and just have the NAB Cup eliminated completely. It's time, we know it's time, the AFL has even considered it.
Why not do it now? You have the AFL trying to make the game more exciting for the fans, but are the fans the ones that are tired of the NAB Cup? Some of the grounds would suggest not. The AFL should see the main people that haven't had the desire to care about the cup, have been the clubs.
Some of us fan,s myself included, aren't interested in who wins the NAB Cup, but the NAB Cup does mean that clubs, like mine plays some of the new boys, and that is my interest. Not some ridiculous half game, not countless stupid rules that aren't needed.
Domestic Cricket changed it's format to try and capitalise on the hype, and fanfare of the Twenty20, and that's really worked out hasn't it? I've not seen any changes in attendance to non-Big Bash games. The fans haven't flocked to the games, and suddenly said “Oh my god, these new changes are awesome!”
Want to get fans to the NAB Cup? Drop the prices of tickets, assist people in getting to the games, I've heard a fair few fans saying they would go to games more if there were decent transport to their areas. So if you could work with a community, get a figure of who would be wanting to go to what games, and shuttle them from an area of that community.
It may not work, but it's a thought for what could see some attendances rise not only during the pre-season but actual season as well. But my opinion after this mini-tirade? Remove the NAB Cup completely. It's run it's course, make the season longer, keep the finals and Grand Final in September.
New clubs are in the league as of next year, longer season, no NAB Cup, no silly rules during the pre-season, clubs allowed to play practice matches against whoever they want, and we can remove this farcical event from our calendars.
The AFL will proclaim themselves innovative, however they are not, in fact as a junior footballer I played in the same round robin style tournament at Brighton, my team even won that tournament. The then Tasmanian State Football League in 1999 had the same style pre-season competition, the Southern Cats, who would later go into recess won the Coca Cola Knockout Cup.
The AFL has a lot of different rules to these tournaments, granted that may make it innovative, but really, it doesn't make the games anymore exciting, the game is as exciting as it will ever get, but every year, the AFL are screwing with the game, and they are removing things that make the game unique, and makes it what it is.
It's not the fans that are losing interest, the clubs are, the clubs aren't interested in risking their players in the pre-season comp, some want to trial their youngsters in games, so how about this, how about a Youth Pre-Season Cup, with players that aren't over a certain age, and they can play off.
But anyway, the topic of this is, is the NAB Cup past it's used by date? Are we flogging a dead horse, and should try a year without the NAB Cup and allow teams to play what the round ball game calls "Friendlies" against other teams, in other leagues?
The league has been ripping off the round ball game for years now, so why not something like this? Extend the season without making it October, and just have the NAB Cup eliminated completely. It's time, we know it's time, the AFL has even considered it.
Why not do it now? You have the AFL trying to make the game more exciting for the fans, but are the fans the ones that are tired of the NAB Cup? Some of the grounds would suggest not. The AFL should see the main people that haven't had the desire to care about the cup, have been the clubs.
Some of us fan,s myself included, aren't interested in who wins the NAB Cup, but the NAB Cup does mean that clubs, like mine plays some of the new boys, and that is my interest. Not some ridiculous half game, not countless stupid rules that aren't needed.
Domestic Cricket changed it's format to try and capitalise on the hype, and fanfare of the Twenty20, and that's really worked out hasn't it? I've not seen any changes in attendance to non-Big Bash games. The fans haven't flocked to the games, and suddenly said “Oh my god, these new changes are awesome!”
Want to get fans to the NAB Cup? Drop the prices of tickets, assist people in getting to the games, I've heard a fair few fans saying they would go to games more if there were decent transport to their areas. So if you could work with a community, get a figure of who would be wanting to go to what games, and shuttle them from an area of that community.
It may not work, but it's a thought for what could see some attendances rise not only during the pre-season but actual season as well. But my opinion after this mini-tirade? Remove the NAB Cup completely. It's run it's course, make the season longer, keep the finals and Grand Final in September.
New clubs are in the league as of next year, longer season, no NAB Cup, no silly rules during the pre-season, clubs allowed to play practice matches against whoever they want, and we can remove this farcical event from our calendars.
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Comment by Scott Sandars
The Friendly proposal isn't a bad one, but who gets to decide who plays who? Collingwood, Carlton and bigger clubs like that would be unlikely to want to play anyone outside of Victoria, same goes for West Coast and Fremantle in WA, etc. The AFL draw is unbalanced throughout the home and away season as it is. A pre season featuring the same clubs every year would be somewhat dull.
Finally, if the AFL season starts four or five weeks earlier, with no pre season games, the only match practice rookies and a clubs new players would get will be from intra-club matches, because there's little likelyhood that the VFL, SANFL, WAFL and so on would bring their seasons forward to coincide with the AFL. It might produce a case for re-introducing the AFL reserves, but I can't forsee that happening again.