Much will change within the AFL over the coming years as the game tries to grow and fend off other sporting codes. At the top of top of the agenda is the proposed entrance into the West Sydney and Gold Coast markets. At the end of the day, if the AFL intends to become a truly national code, it must access these northern markets comprising strong population growth. Other codes such as rugby league, rugby union, and soccer have a foothold in the areas, and I think it is imperative that the AFL strikes now to assure the games future 50 years down the track.
The inclusion of these two teams poses many unknowns that will develop into talking points over the next few years. The drafting of players to these clubs will be a hot topic and the AFL will devise a formula that will ensure the teams are competitive from day one. But it will be the simple issues about the clubs which are sure to be hotly debated.
What will the team names be? What will the club songs be? What are the team colours? These are the issues which will get the average punter chatting!
Team names will be a crucial decision from day one. Just about every feline, marsupial, and bird has been covered by existing clubs so we may have to look outside the square for a suitable fit. Possibilities have arisen thanks to the NBL and the folding of the ‘Bullets’ and the ‘Kings’. Given this trend, many would think the West Sydney Razorbacks will be out of business by 2012 making way for an easy takeover. As for the Gold Coast, we need a name that really encapsulates what the area is all about. With this in mind, I propose the Gold Coast ‘Toolies’.
Club songs form the heart and soul of a club as they remind supporters of triumph. This is an area where the AFL doesn’t have the greatest track record, as evidenced by the last two attempts. The bloke writing the Fremantle and Port Adelaide songs clearly fell asleep at the wheel! The song needs to be an anthem, a tune that allows supporters to really wear their heart on their sleeve. The Toolies will propose the current number one dance track on the charts, but it would be in AFL’s best interests to reject this option. With Richmond and the Blues (and of course the Bulldogs!) sporting the best songs by modern standards, the AFL should look for something along these lines in search of the answer.
Regardless of the outcomes, it will be an exciting time as we watch our great game evolve. Who would have thought 20 years ago that there would be eight clubs based outside Victoria? It may be that we are sitting down in twenty years time asking the same questions about a South African of New Zealand franchise.
Who knows what the future might hold?
