There is still a place for representative football at senior level, writes NFL CEO Jeremy Bourke.
Two weeks ago, the VFL representative side travelled to Western Australia to take on the WAFL and unfortunately suffered their first defeat at Western Australia’s hands in over two decades.
Relevance to us?
What these matches do ignite (in my mind at least) are discussions on the opportunities that representative football present.
Many people have theories and opinions on why representative football is not part of the current schedule (much like state of origin at AFL level) and player’s attitudes to such a commitment.
Just like the AFL, you ask any player in our competition if (given the right circumstances and game with meaning) they would like to participate in representative football and most would jump at it.
Representative football presents the opportunity for a competition’s elite to band together and pit their collective skills against the elite of another.
Rep football enhances reputations, provides validation and builds camaraderie across the playing group. It is a showcase of a league’s attributes and a promotional vehicle for a league outside of its own boundaries.
Where some opinions are off the mark (in my opinion) is the belief that the best players don’t commit and clubs are not interested in risking their best players for the ‘greater good’.
This is generally the result of league attempting to use ‘high profile’ players, rather than the best performed, as promotional tools through the rep program.
Every league loves to promote themselves through having a number of ex-AFL players in their representative ranks.
However, the majority of these players are looking to come back to local football to see out their careers, not validate their ability to play at a higher level.
Quite often, they are not the form players of a competition anyway. When selected, they invariably withdraw and the image of the representative program is diminished.
However, given the opportunities that exist for the mature player these days, our in-form young talent are seeking higher honours and I feel it is imperative that we attempt to provide them with these opportunities.
The NFL is in discussions with AFL Victoria regarding numerous representative formats in the short term.
These include the rekindling of the metropolitan championships at senior level or the integration of metropolitan competitions into the existing country championships, creating a truly Victorian series.
Other proposals include a national “FA Cup” style format for leagues all over Australia to participate in, similar to the current Foxtel Cup however at league level.
Of course, these discussions are complicated by many obstacles with scheduling, fixturing and cost some of the biggest.
However, the benefits of representative football are sizable and measurable. When it is done right and when it is meaningful, the legacy for players, volunteers and the league can be invaluable.
(You can follow Jeremy Bourke on Twitter: @JeremyBourkeNFL)
