We are being treated like a joke. A rant.

[Denny Crane]

Rant time, don't care if you are not interested I just felt like ranting....maybe its the weather....

The gutlessness and uselessness of the AFL all the way down to and including the NFNL astounds me.

Be aware people they are not here to help you or your Club, they have no interest in us. They are here to make money. Whilst all the way to the AFL we are spending billions on Gold Coast, GWS and China and down to the ^&*&)$# that run this league that hide financials detailing how much of our money is spent on interleague costs and still cannot provide decent justification as to why what I suspect is a majority of the NFNL do not want to play at Preston but they sit back and smile and sell us Boags…how on earth are we as punters and clubs allowing this.

Read what is happening in other leagues, teams falling over mid-season due to money, leagues in trouble. We have Clubs here in the NFNL that are struggling day to day to make ends meet, and what help do they get????

Watch out volunteer, you make a spelling mistake on your U15s team sheet – that’s a fine.

Watch out volunteer, you cannot ensure all your volunteers that help day in day out to allow teams to play all have a working with children’s card, be warned, that will be a fine or even worse.

What, you expect fixtures out early to help you plan? What, want to change something, tough, organise that yourselves, we are busy looking for fines

What, a volunteer forgot to attend a meaningless meeting due to illness……guess what, we will fine you.

Yep this is a rant but I have had enough and continue to hear horror stories. I love it when you see the league officials posing in photos of some kid who has made a state side or VFL team etc, these are the same people fining your volunteers for very insignificant issues that embarrasses the poor volunteer and breaks the clubs bank.

Now I know we need to have paperwork and we need to try and make it perfect but missing a team managers signature cannot affect an outcome of a game. Have one player pull out and another player penned in but accidently not added online is not a world ender…. fining a volunteer does not solve a problem that is not there. Just send it back and have it fixed, simple. You people are paid to administer the NFNL not be the fine nazis.

People wonder why volunteers quit, when they are told they have cost a club money due to the smallest of administrative error its not a shock at all.

Beer time.

 

[10571z]

Great post mate. The NFNL get a lot right i will say.

The AFL involvement is actually getting beyond a joke now. They offer little to nothing.

Want a laugh? The rego fee from Auskick they club who hosts and provide the volunteers get $5.. Yes $5 per child. The AFL take the rest.

The fines are actually disgusting. Oh your results were 25 seconds late? Well the next 50 cans of beer you sell the profit will go to the league.

The finals venue is beyond joke. I feel the same.

People power can stand up really. IMO someone could organise a presidents meeting and put a stop to this crap. Country football is feeling it the worst.

 

[Doona2]

Have told my club today that I wont be continuing beyond this season for virtually all the reasons above mentioned.

Table concerns via club prez or secretary because as junior development officer/coaching co-ordinator I'm not allowed to make contact with the league, so all it becomes is a constant stream of frustration and outdated info by the time you either (1.) get it if ya lucky or (2.) get it after the fact.

My fine query surrounds player suspensions. From where I've come from you either get a games ban as punishment or a fine of some description.
Not both as has happened at junior level? Is this the norm (double dipping) these days?

Anyway I applaud all volunteers who lend themselves to local footy, simply because they (we) love it, only to constantly get more and more of a workload placed on them from higher.

 

[Sports_Support]

I'm not sure what i can write here - Clubs share a very similar voice and frustrations are bubbling... Lets hope some sense takes precedent before the game is beyond repair and someone listens to the common opinions of those with their sleeves rolled up.

I too will be joining Doona next year... I love helping people at clubs (any club really), i don't enjoy fund-raising for fines and affiliations.... Unfortunately, i am disillusioned with the entire process, administration requirements and dealing with grassroots politics away from my oval.
With a functioning and stable club now in place - Beyond that, i just want to be an invisible parent that watches his son each Sunday.

 

[Doona2]

I swing thru junior training tonight as my footy had a down night. Assisting our coaches, doing some 1on1 development fundamentals with kids upon request al whilst still awaiting feedback for our rep kids who played in a program that ceased 4-5 weeks ago.

What can we do as a JDO to put plans in place for some RFI’s with coaches and players when the information is still yet to arrive???

 

[Sports_Support]

That sounds like you care about the game and the ethos within... Unfortunately I don’t think that’s a focus above - it’s got very little to do with people and football in this era.

There’s not a lot of care for anything but posturing and fees... The game is just just about lost to me, but the people are important.

 

[Doona2]

Local footy saved me when I was at my darkest.
Have had ample opportunity to cash in, have success with clusters of mercenaries but that’s never been for blokes like me.
Lent myself to some tough gigs but found as much joy thru those times as I did with the senior premierships my coaching were involved in.

I just want the next generation to have the option I did growing up, a local footy club that offers fun, comfort, warmth, a hug etc thru good times but mostly when challenges appear in life.

 

[max mason]

Couldn’t agree anymore. Fines for failing to enter the name of the reserves umpire escort into the system correctly even though you had a bloke and it was signed off. It’s garbage. Threats of playing for no points if affiliation fees are a day late and the inclusion of fines is disgraceful. Do they not understand club admins may not be tech savvy and need assistance or simply under external with family and work commitments? The entire AFL Victoria needs a real hard look at itself

 

[Denny Crane]

So sad to hear all the horror stories and I know these are the tip of the iceberg. I have chatted to a few people off here and get the exact same, if not worse example of possible corruption and incompetence by our ruling masters.

And guess what, the NFNL Football Operations has disappeared overseas on holidays....what a perfect time of the year to do that. I know everyone deserves a holiday from their job but seriously he could pick a better time, I know there is six months after the season that would be perfect....

 

[Doona2]

Couldn’t agree anymore. Fines for failing to enter the name of the reserves umpire escort into the system correctly even though you had a bloke and it was signed off. It’s garbage. Threats of playing for no points if affiliation fees are a day late and the inclusion of fines is disgraceful. Do they not understand club admins may not be tech savvy and need assistance or simply under external with family and work commitments? The entire AFL Victoria needs a real hard look at itself

Or maybe supply each club via a device or genuine resources to make “volunteers” life’s easier.
I’ve cut a lap tonight wishing some junior coaches, team managers and committee all the best as I now wind back from my JDO stuff, and junior Team Managers could be another high turnover position or area of attrition if 2019 repeats itself.

Bloody sad hey, I grew up around country leagues, one no more than 10-15 years ago that was run virtually by 2-3 elderly gentlemen. League reports showed for around an honorarium no more than $5,000.

Still the most sufficient, respectful open to dialogue comp I had enjoyed football in .... and guess what the VCFL at the time forced its closure as all this micro managed “hub” frog$hit was on its way.

No matter where we work, or lend ourselves to voluntarily in life ... the moment you remove the actual human element in regards to compassion, logic and understanding (not the tech stuff) you’re risking so much, sadly it seems gripes around the NFNL Traps are not isolated

 

[guest100]

The one that annoys me is the $55 fee the AFL charges coaches to “register”

Volunteer coaches pay and get nothing for the fee.

AFL should be funding clubs to attract the right junior coaches, not the other way around.

 

[10571z]

The one that annoys me is the $55 fee the AFL charges coaches to “register”

Volunteer coaches pay and get nothing for the fee.

AFL should be funding clubs to attract the right junior coaches, not the other way around.

Absolutely couldn’t agree more.

It’s actually disgusting $55 for an online course

 

[Sports_Support]

There’s a clip on the ticket for everyone in footy... From senior coaches to AUSKICKERS.... Where does it go...?

 

[Denny Crane]

How great it must feel that instead of doing the right thing and trying to improve the league you spend the Monday trawling through team sheets to see if a umpire escort detailed is same on the paper as online or the waterboys name is spelt correctly......and when its not throw fines around as the world should have ended due to those vital mistakes.

Hope the coffee you have every morning brought on the hard work of the volunteers is tasty. You are very ordinary people. As mentioned earlier by Doona2 who is walking away, I have heard in the past few hours of an awesome volunteer from my Club who has made a small error and has decided he has to stop the role as he is costing the Club money, money it does not have.

I have no doubt they are also trolling this page and trying to figure who we all are that speak ill of them so they can throw some social media by-law at us and fine us or our club as we use freedom of speech to generate discussion and peak our minds.

Its not just the NFNL, as people have said here and you can hear when you listen to RSN or SEN. The AFL are the ones that demand leagues make money. To hear how much they make off Auskick or off coaches getting required registration is pathetic. Especially when they happily throw money at Gold Coast and other moronic adventures. Maybe a strong league would stand up to the AFL and say no, our Clubs are hurting, we need to do better, maybe its stronger people that are needed.

 

[Sports_Support]

The next 4-5 years is going to be an interesting time for leagues... I don’t stability on so many levels

 

[10571z]

TBH does the AFL actually even want local football to succeed?

I’m sure they’d rather the American football model of basically no local social sport.

 

[Keptindark]

The one that annoys me is the $55 fee the AFL charges coaches to “register”

Volunteer coaches pay and get nothing for the fee.

AFL should be funding clubs to attract the right junior coaches, not the other way around.

Are you saying that if you want to coach you have to pay the AFL $55? Can they explain what the $55 is for? Or do each league get a kickback ? I'm sure the NFNL are rubbing their hands together with every coach paying that amount each year. And then as has been outlined fines for MINOR errors . Wrong spelling of names... PLEASE . THat is just disgusting that the league Employ someone to go over every sheet submitted. Any wonder people are dropping off and on a side note I went to a game Saturday and was told no Records anymore!!!!!! What a disgrace. And who cares if its cost saving. Cost saving for them to line their pockets with increase in Salary.

 

[10571z]

Are you saying that if you want to coach you have to pay the AFL $55? Can they explain what the $55 is for? Or do each league get a kickback ? I'm sure the NFNL are rubbing their hands together with every coach paying that amount each year. And then as has been outlined fines for MINOR errors . Wrong spelling of names... PLEASE . THat is just disgusting that the league Employ someone to go over every sheet submitted. Any wonder people are dropping off and on a side note I went to a game Saturday and was told no Records anymore!!!!!! What a disgrace. And who cares if its cost saving. Cost saving for them to line their pockets with increase in Salary.

Yep if you coach Fida, girls under 12s or VFL you are required to pay the AFL $55 for a online course that takes 30 minutes

 

[Keptindark]

Yep if you coach Fida, girls under 12s or VFL you are required to pay the AFL $55 for a online course that takes 30 minutes

What a joke. What dyou get ireturn from the AFL? I think I know the answer.

 

[Denny Crane]

What a joke. What dyou get ireturn from the AFL? I think I know the answer.

They justify it with online access to coaching resources but these are not that awesome and should be provided for free if they want us to coach kids properly.

I would love to find what they provide to TAC Cup level and elite pathways coaches and teams. This is their pet, they have no interest in how players get to there they just want as many as they can being certain there will be some that will be good enough to be drafted.

 

[Doona2]

I would love to find what they provide to TAC Cup level and elite pathways coaches and teams.

I can answer that somewhat Danny as I've been around that actual competition for a fair while now, coaching the past 4 seasons as well as some talent ID since 2012/2013.
Outside of in place club relationships and access to nights with Essendon FC staff the past 2-3 seasons, I have never had an upskilling opportunity as a direct initiatiave from the AFL itself. In saying that, other fellow coaches and staff have had opportunity with Vic Metro squads also, all chances to learn and educate more ... if that's what you seeking.

I was put thru my Level 2 a while ago which I appreciated as I have been exposed to some wonderful mentoring that I take back home to my junior club every chance I get and hope one day I (and they) can utilise elsewhere.
Our senior coach is also the regional coaching director, meaning he gets out to leagues, clubs etc within our catchment, and is always welcome to junior coaches attending our sessions and games for their and their own clubs education and betterment.

This season he held a block of 6 workshops for coaches within his region, again access to staff from AFL, VFL, AFLW all relative to junior levels. I assume that after those nights he then looks at who may be able (or ready) to potentially join one of our development squads as a pathway to continue their own journey.

How other regions within our NAB League system overlook their coaching pathways I'm not sure, but many of the coaches now at the Cannons began in a lower age development squad initially, U14, U15 etc before positions with the more serious U16 and U18 programs are offered.

Personally I don't have issue with the yearly levy, as I see it as an investment into my own personal development, besides surely all junior clubs pay for their coaches accreditations/courses etc for the same reason? I know we do at Kilmore JFC.

Far too often we comment on who's coaching our kids (and how), I like to think about who's actually coaching the junior coaches?

 

[Ally Craft]

Ive been reading these posts with great interest. Seems people have strongly felt and legitimate issues with the AFL's power brokers. Me too. I assume you guys all live in Victoria(tho I dont know why I do!) and see such problems with the sport. I live in NSW and believe me the AFL at the grassroots is about F@#$#$! THe Riverina area and the ACT have more or less strong comps but outside that...hmmmm. Fact: In 2016 there were only 300 boys signed up in the Sydney U18 AFL comp. Note the word "SYDNEY" with a population of 5,000,000! Not sure that there are many more playing this year.
Australia, in the last 5 years now has immigrants (welcome by me I might add) predominately from India or China. How many of those people play AFL? Rugby league has the islands off Australia, ie Tonga Fiji Solomons New Guinea as a great breeding ground for talent. People from those countries make up nearly 50% of NRL players. A great area to source and develop talent.
Where are the future AFL players coming from?
I'm not sure and it concerns me which is why I agree with the issues raised in this rant. If the AFL and other governing bodies don't treat, or start to treat, the grassroots players, parents volunteers coaches etc etc with MUCH more care and respect then its possible the game could really fall off a cliff.

 

[Sports_Support]

People actually playing the game is one issue.... Having such a decline in boys footy past high school ages is a huge concern - This is where the next wave of volunteer administrators are born from...

Every area is in huge decline bar girls and women’s participation which seems to be the buzz at the moment.

I feel Footy is about to hit a very dark patch that will be difficult to recover from and unfortunately, ignorance, egos, posturing and arrogance have all played a part in it’s demise.

NRL may have some areas that need improving but they have stayed true to their code and origins (pardon the pun).

I will alway continue to help clubs and volunteers, wherever they may be... I’m personally lost to being a slave for fines and affiliation costs.

 

[10571z]

While I agree $100 fines aren’t the way forward for minor errors what would be a good idea for the league to put in place.

We obviously want to see results up at correct times which seems to always happen compared to other leagues

 

[Sports_Support]

While I agree $100 fines aren’t the way forward for minor errors what would be a good idea for the league to put in place.

We obviously want to see results up at correct times which seems to always happen compared to other leagues

I’m assuming you’re on a committee