So the AFL has announced that four newly created teams – the Bolts, Flyers, Rampage and the Deadlys – will face off against each other at Marvel Stadium on February 22, led by some of the biggest stars in the game.
Flashback: AFL chief executive Gil McLachlan launched the AFLX competition back in January. It will have a new look next year.Credit:AAP
The teams four captains – Patrick Dangerfield, Nat Fyfe, Jack Riewoldt and Eddie Betts – will pick their teams via a live draft, from a pool of 100 players.
The reaction from a large section of the football world has been typically hostile. As sports writer Greg Davis tweeted: “It's embarrassing the code. Just stop it. For the love of God, stop it.”
His tweet was typical of many responses to AFLX from fans who think its a gimmicky, soulless waste of money. They wonder aloud why the AFL doesnt invest in the grassroots or womens football instead.
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But for better or worse, you get the feeling this might only be the beginning of the controversial venture, not the end.
For the evidence, just take a look around.
This week also marked the start of the eighth edition of the Big Bash League. The concept of T20 cricket was not born from the grassroots. Rather, it was devised by England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) marketing executive Stuart Robertson.
It was a marketing ploy developed off the back of research informing the ECB that the game of cricket in its existing form had an image problem. In the UK it was seen as elitist and too long. It was played during the day when people couldnt watch and most worrying was the fact that attendances at English county matches were down 17 per cent.
So, a marketer conceived a game designed to bring the masses, particularly kids, back to cricket.
That was way back in 2003 and look at it now. The BBL has grown from a half serious hit and giggle to a professional 59 match season.
You might be wondering what this means for the AFL. After all, last season attendances were up and TV audiences, while not as high as the year before, were still reasonably solid.
The simple answer lies with the next generation of sports fans.
Generation Z – those born from the mid 90s to early 2000s – are not the type to sit around all day waiting for a drawn out result that might not even satisfy them. Rather, they like their sports to be packaged and condensed into bursts with a simple narrative that tells them everything they need to know in rapid-fire time.
They are less likely than any other consumer group out there to watch a sporting contest from start to finish. They prefer highlights and analysis programs that get to the point and tell them everything they need to know.
So, undoubtedly, shorter games appeal to a growing market.
Earlier this year on Melbourne radio, Greater Western Sydney Giants CEO Dave Matthews revealed that one of the biggest challenges his club faces in the Sydney market is that those not accustomed to the game cant believe how long it is.
No doubt, the AFL is conscious of this. Its no secret they want to attract new fans in new markets, and while AFLX might not be the answer, theyre not willing to give up on it just yet.
This will upset plenty. Its hard to ever imagine these shorter versions of our favourite sports generating the passion, emotion and meaning that the traditional forms of the game do.
But do young fans want emotion? Or do they simply wish to be entertained?
Whatever the case, if youre a traditionalist, Id venture to say you have plenty to worry about.
Just last month in the UAE, a host of international cricket stars gathered for the second edition of the T10 League, where an innings is just 10 overs. Each game lasted around 90 minutes. There were 29 games, played over 12 days, with an anticipated audience of 390 million watching from around the world.
Dean Jones, who coached Pakhtoon in the tournament, was emphatic when he wrote last month: “Trust me when I say this, T10 cricket is here to stay.”
So too, it seems, is AFLX.
Sam Duncan is a regular columnist and a lecturer in sports media.
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