We all know that football has changed over the past few decades; after all, we have been told of its evolution often enough by the players, ex-players, officials and administrators. But has the change to BigBusiness been beneficial?
Well the big wigs have proclaimed that the game has never been better. So what metrics were used to identify this wonderful success?
- Record attendance figures?
- Record income from TV deals?
- Record salaries for the AFL and Club executives?
- Increasing salary caps?
To further muddy the waters, Eyebrows has talked about the possibility of an eighteen team competition operating on a two conference model. You have to be kidding me. This as nothing more that a furphy that is designed to distract the pliant media from their brutal handling of North Melbourne. What the AFL should have done is to recognise the right of all the current North members to attend their home games every fortnight and, given North's parlous state, facilitated a merge with another Victorian club.
A merger, although initially distasteful to the two merging clubs, would at least enable the two memberships to continue to attend the fortnightly home game and support their club. If the AFL cuts off its financial support from North and watches while it succumbs to market forces, it is destroying the good people at North who have paid their membership fees year in, year out; and ignored the club volunteers such as the Club Mothers who have taken string-bean 18 year olds under their wings and into their hearts and homes.
Apart from the rank and file membership, clubs of all varieties are reliant upon the good-natured and whole-hearted support of a small but key group of volunteers. These people give of their free time and have no legal rights. But they deserve a fair go and they deserve not be left to be overcome by market forces. They and their clubs deserve succour. They do not deserve to be dismissed, ignored and left to wither away.
BigBusiness has the capacity to, and can, do better.