It appears North Adelaide keeps pushing the case for league reform.
It's interesting that the league and clubs are now modelling their worst case scenarios on the WAFL. I'm not making that up either, read the article!
SANFL looks at night finals
Article from: The Advertiser
(only the best photoshop ever! a night central crowd mixing it with eagles fans - who have a flag
ZAC MILBANK
June 20, 2007 02:15am
THE SANFL has revealed it will follow the AFL and VFL and consider a night or twilight grand final format as early as next season.
As the AFL commission this week mulls over a proposal to move its finale to a twilight timeslot, the VFL is exploring a Friday night grand final on the eve of the AFL's big day.
And if the SANFL's crowd figures on grand final day continue to drop - the past three have been under the 10-year average - the league may act.
SANFL football operations manager Glen Rosser confirmed this year's grand final was locked in for Sunday October 7 at 3pm.
However, he wouldn't rule out a change to next season's fixture - which must be agreed to by the league's nine clubs and sanctioned by the SANFL commission. "While we can attract 25,000, it's pretty solid reinforcement that our timing is not far wrong," Rosser said.
"(But) we're always concerned that if the crowds drop off . . . we've got to make some drastic adjustments and maybe a night final is something that could be considered."
Rather than "sitting on the treadmill", North Adelaide has raised two scenarios for changing the SANFL grand final:
COACH Andrew Jarman fancies moving the season finale from Sunday afternoon to a Friday evening;
CLUB chief executive Glenn Elliott is in favour of bringing the match forward two weeks so it is played six days before the AFL grand final.
"If it's a four o'clock start at AAMI Stadium on a Friday, then why not?," Jarman said.
"Why not try something different? I like change and I like to see some change. We need to stimulate our league competition a little bit more.
"We tend to sit on the treadmill and just let things drift along. I'm in favour of something like that. It would be very good."
Elliott notes the WAFL, which attracts much smaller crowds than the SANFL, drew 21,291 to its title decider on AFL preliminary final weekend last year. This figure is only marginally less than the 25,130 who witnessed Woodville-West Torrens topple Central District in the 2006 SANFL grand final.
"It's a personal view that I don't think we would miss anything by having it the week before (the AFL grand final)," Elliott said.
"There would be no AFL football played the Sunday before the AFL grand final. But the SANFL crowds are totally independent of the AFL crowds anyway. There's no question of that."
While the SANFL currently gets a week of media exposure after the AFL grand final, Elliott says taking this away shouldn't impact on the crowd.
"It's all about the event and the event must be able to stand up by itself. It's the game that's going to get people there," Elliott said.
"Why wouldn't we do something different? I think we're less likely to get a night game, we're more likely to get it pulled back a week before the AFL grand final.
"If the WAFL can get that (21,291) just standing on the back of the game, then I think it's the way of the future."
ABC-TV's SANFL producer Paul Chadwick said the station would be supportive of any change despite the unlikelihood of screening the grand final live.
"Anything which would increase the popularity, which would help people get along to the game and would boost our ratings, would be great," Chadwick said.
"But you can't beat live television and twilight viewing (is) almost impossible to telecast live because of the news.
"We're very supportive and think it would be a wonderful idea, but it would be very difficult for the ABC to implement."
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