For footy clubs like mine, the AFL’s self-obsession is a kick in the guts

Football in Victoria is in a precarious position, but for those of us involved in the game in the suburbs and regional areas, it appears the AFL doesn’t care. And it’s not just the future of Aussie Rules in danger, but the health of our communities.

During my decades in the game I’ve played about 300 games of VFA, VFL and country football. I’ve worked as a physical education teacher, coached, and served on the Echuca Football/Netball committee for many years, including five as president. Along with others I talk to, I’m worried about where our game is going.

The AFL may well expect record crowds for this weekend’s preliminary finals at the MCG. Millions of Australians will watch the games on TV. But I see danger signs at the grassroots level – the clubs and communities that provide our top players.

I’m seeing our best country teams, ones that would field three teams without fail each week, forfeiting games because they can’t fill a reserves side. I’m seeing standards dropping, and the gap growing between the strong and weaker clubs, creating horribly one-sided results, like in 2023 when the Wickliffe Lake Bolac Magpies kicked 60.30 (290) for a ridiculous 284-point win over Moyston Willaura FNC.

Those of us involved in local footy have been astounded to go to country games lately where there are no kids around. None watching, none kicking the footy on the boundary or at the goals after the game. This is the next generation. We’re used to the days when you’d always see kids walking around with a footy in hand, bouncing and kicking it to themselves. Where are they now?

In recent years, the AFL has made numerous fixturing decisions that hurt grassroots footy, but its scheduling of Saturday’s preliminary final between Collingwood and Brisbane – the biggest game of the year after the grand final – at 5.15pm feels the biggest kick in the guts yet.

All over our state, leagues will hold their grand finals this Saturday afternoon. Historically, many Victorians would be getting together and congratulating the winners at 5.15pm with a presentation and celebration of the season. Sure, the AFL is trying to be fair to the Brisbane Lions by making it easier for them to fly back to Queensland the week before the grand final. But do they stop to think that community footy will be the roadkill when they invite footy fans to skip their local clubs and set themselves up at home for the night to watch the prelim on TV? They should play the game at night and give our suburban and country leagues a fair crack at showcasing their grand finals.

This is part of a trend of the professional league overriding local sport. Thursday nights have always been the best opportunity for footy and netball clubs to build a culture. It’s one night when your community can come together after training, where kids will play, clubs will announce the weekend team and other special events and people will share a meal and a drink together. But, in its wisdom, the AFL now schedules games on most Thursday nights during the season.

But possibly the biggest nail the AFL is putting in the coffin of grassroots footy is its treatment of under 18 players in its Victorian Talent League. I get that these selective teams have been created to offer a pathway for a lucky few young men to the AFL draft, and a possible lucrative career. But is the AFL considering the carnage it is causing at local footy clubs by enticing so many young footballers at a sensitive age away from their teams and support networks? Does it consider the impact of turning the lives of boys upside down during their VCE or final school years?

The league has been set up to get inside the heads of young men from across the regions, tempting them with the opportunity of a lifetime. The reality is that two or maybe three of every 100 will get drafted. The lucky ones are actually the ones who are cut early and return to their home clubs and their normal lives. Pity the final 40 who make the final squads but have zero chance of being drafted.

Those kids, who are itching to play, are rarely looked after, and end up being treated like witches hats by coaches for the few elite players to run around. I’ve seen too many of these kids – excellent footballers who should have continued enjoying the game and staying an active part in their sporting community for many more years – lose faith in footy after this demoralising experience and quit soon after playing in the Talent League. We will see whether the new leagues for young women face the same problems.

Don’t forget, those youngsters have families who were coaches, team managers, committee people, volunteers and supporters and are also lost from their local clubs when their kids join the circus.

Sport is vital for communities – it’s not the solution to every problem, but it offers a healthy motivation for young men especially to get up and out of bed on the weekends, to get off their couches or their devices and to come together with like-minded people. Those of us who have had involvement in sporting clubs will tell you they have provided us with valuable connections and lifelong friendships.

Let the kids stay at their local clubs where they can grow as footballers and as people around good quality role models and let them have a really honest go at their schooling, which more often than not becomes a secondary priority behind their football dream.

Remember the bigger picture and look after our footy clubs so our grandchildren and their grandchildren can fall in love with our great game.

Ashley Byrne is a former physical education teacher and country footballer who lives in Echuca.

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