AHC: A different Australian Football League.

Pangur

Donor
No. four up four down as it were Unless you want to get really adventurous and have the bottom two teams of the second division get relegated out and the top two performers from the state leagues that year come in
 

Pangur

Donor
No, my proposal was only one team moving into/out of the AFL per season; the wooden spooners drop back to their state league.

Very happy with the wooden spooners part. I do however wonder if one team is to few. Then again there is a symmetry about your idea that I like
 
I read that in the 40s the VFA and VFL looked at merging into a 2 division league

I remember when the VFA was still a distinct entity, indeed culture, from the VFL/AFL. The divide was almost as great as Union and League, even if the VFA rules merely differed in having an extra man on ground (I think, it's now pretty arcane stuff). It never occurred to me they looked at merging so long before they actually did.

Was this a wartime contingency, or were they both for real?
 
The Swans were broke, which is why Eddelston bought them and moved them to Sydney. I'd think their only other option at the time would have been to drop down into the VFA where they don't need the money.

True, but without a national league, there would be no drive for a Sydney franchise. I still think that the three principle leagues (VFL, SANFL & WAFL) would be the best option. Just going off of Ladders, for the 1983 season.

AFL-1983
Swan Districts
Claremont
East Perth
West Perth
Norwood
Glenelg
Port Adelaide
North Adelaide
Richmond
Hawthorn
Carlton
Essendon
North Melbourne
Sydney Swans

That would be my AFL. The Swans are added on to give the league a team in NSW.
 
What about a population base for inclusion? Victoria has the most people so it gets the most teams, WA next and SA last. So maybe Vic gets 5 teams, WA 4 and SA 3?
 
That would be my AFL. The Swans are added on to give the league a team in NSW.
This might prove beneficial to a QLD based team later on, as the future awarding of the licence would likely avoid the mess that it was OTL.

If this alt AFL is not desperate for cash to bail out struggling Victorian clubs then by '87 hopefully there won't be a need to hastily flog a licence to someone like Skase.

It would also mean there is a larger pool of players to dip into when a QLD team does get going as they will likely take players from SA and WA much like OTL, but the playing pools there will be deeper and more experienced ITL which means they might be more competitive in their early days.

Thats being said, introducing what is essentially a fairly alien sport to the state will take time to build up regardless, I think its fair to say.
 
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