Are the Northern Academies meeting their aim?

[Cleric]

The AFL introduced Norther Academies for two reasons.
1. To help grow the available talent pool from both NSW and Qld.
2. To get a higher % of local kids into the Northern state teams, to help with player retention.

So how do the numbers look after a good few years of operation?
as it stands the local player content of each team is as follows.
Sydney = 11 NSW players
GWS = 12 NSW players
Gold Coast = 15 Qld players
Brisbane = 11 Qld players

Compare this to the local player content in the SA and WA teams.
Adelaide = 18 SA players
Power = 17 SA players
West Coast = 23 WA players
Freo = 20 WA players

While not meeting the same numbers as SA and WA clubs, there has been an increase in local players in the Qld and NSW clubs.

With regards to total players in the AFL system from the northern states, currently there is 36 players from Qld and 47 from NSW.
I have no doubt this number has increased as well.

So all in all, there seems to be an improvement in the two outcomes the AFL wanted to see from these academies.

 

[Colonial]

3 yes, 1 a big fat no.

 

[Spirit Level]

Sydney and Brisbane have collectively have played in each of the 3 last grand finals and GWS have been right up there.

Gold Coast looking strong to start this year.

I'd say they're going exactly as planned

 

[Colonial]

Sydney and Brisbane have collectively have played in each of the 3 last grand finals and GWS have been right up there.

Gold Coast looking strong to start this year.

I'd say they're going exactly as planned

Disagree. No WS kids.

 

[Mitchell Madness]

Parents in qld are putting their kids in auskick for the hope of an academy spot, with the likelihood their kids get drafted close to home. It's increasing participation in qld.

In nsw, it's had a slight but minimal impact, as NRL clubs have a feeder system set up

 

[Scotland]

The AFL introduced Norther Academies for two reasons.
1. To help grow the available talent pool from both NSW and Qld.
2. To get a higher % of local kids into the Northern state teams, to help with player retention.

If those are the stated aims then it's hard to argue they aren't being met.

When we played Sydney in 2005/6 they had a bunch of players from the NSW/ACT Rams. Bird, Bevan, Bolton, LRT., Davis, McVeigh, Schneider plus others like Ben Mathews and Leo Barry who were from NSW. Brisbane 2001-4 had a similar number of Qld players.

Last year I think Sydney and Brisbane had 6 local players each (fact check me if I missed anyone). I don't think the needle has moved that much in terms of number of NSW/ACT/Qld players in the respective Northern state sides.

The noticeable difference - which is why the academies are controversial - is the elite pathways. Heeney, Mills, Hopper, Hipwood, Kennedy, Himmelberg, Setterfield, Bowes, Perryman, Cumming, Blakey, Green, Campbell, Coleman, Rowston, Walter, Read, Rogers, Cleary, Graham, Lombard are all academy players picked in the first round since 2014. Ignoring the most recent crops the hit rate of stars to good players to busts is pretty good.

GWS for example have 7 players on that list. 7 players rated in the top 20 over those drafts that were effectively off the board to other clubs. In the same time period they used 20 first round picks on non academy players. Taranto, Lachie Ash, Cadman etc. Their number of picks is inflated by trades and reducing list size from the start-up years but as a fan of a club that isn't in Qld or NSW why exactly are we supposed to care about 'growing the game' if this is what it looks like?

It's not the clubs' fault. The AFL totally cooked the draft concessions around academies.

 

[WillHayward]

Some excellent posts above.

Couple of minor points:

1. Growing the pool of players is a pre requisite to bring in Tassie. I don't think Tassie could happen unless we grow the overall pool of good players. Not just auskickers. I'm talking about the kids aged 15 to 18.
2. There are probably intangible advantages of the northern academies. One being the overall "credibility" of the league as a national comp. I think if the comp was still just a Vic/SA/WA thing the comp would still have a kind of provincial aura which I think would impact on sponsorship, media coverage, and government hand outs.
So the whole league benefits from this "aura" or "credibility" effect of appearing to be genuinely national.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Nunez]

Ben Keays. Nuff said.

 

[rye]

we definitely need another main board thread for people to show off how poor their understanding of the northern academies is

 

[Cleric]

we definitely need another main board thread for people to show off how poor their understanding of the northern academies is

Educate me on what am not understanding. What hidden desires did the AFL have in setting up the academies outside what I wrote, which is pretty common knowledge?

 

[Elixuh]

Educate me on what am not understanding. What hidden desires did the AFL have in setting up the academies outside what I wrote, which is pretty common knowledge?

I don’t think Rye is being critical of you. Just that there are a lot of academy threads which are like moths to a flame for a lot of vfl mouth breathers on here, who may or may not just be Eddie McGuire.

 

[The Terrible Thinker]

Sydney and Brisbane have collectively have played in each of the 3 last grand finals and GWS have been right up there.

Gold Coast looking strong to start this year.

I'd say they're going exactly as planned

It is apparent they are stacking their teams nicely with no consequence to their draft selections.

 

[Aura]

It is apparent they are stacking their teams nicely with no consequence to their draft selections.

Absolutely, mate. I’d much rather see a consistent top-four presence from traditional clubs like West Coast, Fremantle, Port Adelaide, and Adelaide than a future where the same four teams make it despite the fact they could all disappear without anyone batting an eye.

 

[Bay53]

Absolutely, mate. I’d much rather see a consistent top-four presence from traditional clubs like West Coast, Fremantle, Port Adelaide, and Adelaide than a future where the same four teams make it despite the fact they could all disappear without anyone batting an eye.

No club could disappear without anyone batting an eye. The 18 clubs allow 9 games per week hence the billion dollar TV deal. Take that away and the overall revenue reduces considerably.

The Northern states need to be successful to bring in the interest. None of those four clubs could get the sort of crowds the Eagles have got during their slump.

 

[Aura]

No club could disappear without anyone batting an eye. The 18 clubs allow 9 games per week hence the billion dollar TV deal. Take that away and the overall revenue reduces considerably.

The Northern states need to be successful to bring in the interest. None of those four clubs could get the sort of crowds the Eagles have got during their slump.

I wouldn’t lose any sleep if the lot of them folded. It’s a joke that they keep getting propped up with handouts while the other non-Victorian clubs are left to fend for themselves.

The AFL goes out of its way to prop up the northern states, yet even at their lowest point, West Coast still draws bigger crowds than any of them.

You say nine games are essential, but two of these clubs struggle to draw crowds, which hurts viewership—even die-hard fans lose interest when there’s no atmosphere.

Tasmania and Canberra would’ve been better investments 15 years ago.

 

[Colonial]

Absolutely, mate. I’d much rather see a consistent top-four presence from traditional clubs like West Coast, Fremantle, Port Adelaide, and Adelaide than a future where the same four teams make it despite the fact they could all disappear without anyone batting an eye.

Kiss my ass

 

[Aura]

Kiss my ass

I’ll eat it

 

[Colonial]

I’ll eat it

 

[bzparkes]

Brisbane has 2 of the top 3 biggest Auskick centres in the country, so I'd say it's having an impact, yes.

 

[Bay53]

I wouldn’t lose any sleep if the lot of them folded. It’s a joke that they keep getting propped up with handouts while the other non-Victorian clubs are left to fend for themselves.

The AFL goes out of its way to prop up the northern states, yet even at their lowest point, West Coast still draws bigger crowds than any of them.

You say nine games are essential, but two of these clubs struggle to draw crowds, which hurts viewership—even die-hard fans lose interest when there’s no atmosphere.

Tasmania and Canberra would’ve been better investments 15 years ago.

They don't get propped up by handouts, they MAKE money for the AFL.

Yes GWS and Gold Coast especially receive a higher distribution from the AFL than many other clubs, but is that more than the additional revenue generated by them being in the competition? I don't think so.

Sydney and Brisbane are the 1st and 3rd largest cities in the country, Gold Coast is the 6th biggest. National sponsors are not going to come on board if you don't have the biggest cities in the comp.

I lived for 20 years in Canberra and am a big supporter of the place, but it doesn't move the needle anywhere near Sydney Brisbane and Gold Coast. For starters Hobart and Canberra don't have Channel 7 and Channel 9, they have an affiliate and are not counted in the capital city rating figures that sponsorship decisions are made on.

The Northern States are "propped up" as you call it because it makes good business sense to do so. The AFL couldn't be the multi billion dollar organisation it is today without them.

 

[Bay53]

Brisbane has 2 of the top 3 biggest Auskick centres in the country, so I'd say it's having an impact, yes.

I have only moved to Brisbane early 2024, but we live just near Morningside footy club and the amount of participants they have (both female and male, adult and junior) is enormous.

 

[Aura]

They don't get propped up by handouts, they MAKE money for the AFL.

Yes GWS and Gold Coast especially receive a higher distribution from the AFL than many other clubs, but is that more than the additional revenue generated by them being in the competition? I don't think so.

Sydney and Brisbane are the 1st and 3rd largest cities in the country, Gold Coast is the 6th biggest. National sponsors are not going to come on board if you don't have the biggest cities in the comp.

I lived for 20 years in Canberra and am a big supporter of the place, but it doesn't move the needle anywhere near Sydney Brisbane and Gold Coast. For starters Hobart and Canberra don't have Channel 7 and Channel 9, they have an affiliate and are not counted in the capital city rating figures that sponsorship decisions are made on.

The Northern States are "propped up" as you call it because it makes good business sense to do so. The AFL couldn't be the multi billion dollar organisation it is today without them.

You say these things but know Adelaide, Perth, Darwin and Hobart aren’t represented in the “National” Rugby League. Neither comp is national

 

[bzparkes]

I have only moved to Brisbane early 2024, but we live just near Morningside footy club and the amount of participants they have (both female and male, adult and junior) is enormous.

Yep, Morningside and Coorparoo(my daughter went there last year) are the ones.

 

[Bay53]

Yep, Morningside and Coorparoo(my daughter went there last year) are the ones.

I knew it was big but I didn't realise it was in the top 3 in the country.

 

[Colonial]

You say these things but know Adelaide, Perth, Darwin and Hobart aren’t represented in the “National” Rugby League. Neither comp is national

Why bring NRL into it?
what’s that got to do with our game being national?
Oh you want the VFL. Well go tell your club you want them not in a national comp but a suburban one.
Im sure they will be all for it