Foxtel Cup to be Axed?

Didn't think it would last too long...

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/wafl/a/25490773/axe-falls-on-foxtel-cup/

It was always just a rather pointless promotional gimmick. Hardly anyone took it seriously.

I didn't think the $100,000 prize money we won was a pointless exercise but this year was.

Dont worry, they will dream up something else.....

I thought it was a good idea, but executed poorly.

the prowler wrote:Dont worry, they will dream up something else.....

Wouldn't surprise. They will watch the FFA Cup grow and want something in place for midweek I would imagine.

Gingernuts wrote:I thought it was a good idea, but executed poorly.

This.

The programming was all TV and not football based, get the balance right and I believe it could work well. On the flip side, as Scrunch notes, watch as the FFA Cup grows in club, TV and fans hearts.

Booney wrote:

Gingernuts wrote:I thought it was a good idea, but executed poorly.

This.

The programming was all TV and not football based, get the balance right and I believe it could work well. On the flip side, as Scrunch notes, watch as the FFA Cup grows in club, TV and fans hearts.

Agreed. Also playing it in near empty stadiums was a really poor reflection on the competition. They'd have been better off playing at suburban grounds, and of course better timeslots (even if it was up against other state leave/AFL matches). I think if it was played Saturday afternoon at suburban grounds it would've worked better, but then you would've had to factor in the potential compromises to the state league competitions.

I'd get the state leagues around the table to thrash out a new version of this competition if I was the AFL.

If they could get some cooperation around game times etc they could come up with a real winner IMO.

Things like playing them as curtain raisers, playing them during the AFL bye rounds, or even as an October competition over 3 or 4 weeks. Or it could be used as a preseason competition. All clubs at all levels are always looking of ways to get competitive hitouts happening before the proper stuff happens.

Plenty of options, the challenge would just be getting all participating leagues to reach consensus.

TBH I dont see how it could ever succeed unless it were lucrative for club and player. Non-professional footballers don't have the luxury of being full-time footballers, so rarely would clubs be able to field their strongest lineups on weekends and mid-week. Without each competing team going full-tilt with their full complement of talent, it's never going to work. IMHO.

got what it deserved. apart from teams fielding less than full strength teams (and scrunch hits on the main reason why and rightly so for the player), empty stadiums and commentators who looked like they had little idea about the players made the whole thing a mickey mouse concept. good riddance

Scrunch wrote:TBH I dont see how it could ever succeed unless it were lucrative for club and player. Non-professional footballers don't have the luxury of being full-time footballers, so rarely would clubs be able to field their strongest lineups on weekends and mid-week. Without each competing team going full-tilt with their full complement of talent, it's never going to work. IMHO.

It needs to be FA Cup style - gives all clubs an opportunity to have a crack at the big guns.

This leads to the inevitable fairy tale stories for smaller clubs that bring attention and sponsorship dollars, and therefore an incentive to take it seriously. That, and a serious purse for the winner (I would have though 100k would be enough though).

Just look at Adelaide City's recent FAA cup campaign and the attention it got them. There was a Melbourne club of a similar level that also made the semis I think.

in soccer you can get an upset 1-0 win, however in aussie rules where more goals are scored, the upset win will almost never occur, perhaps a dominant sanfl/vfl/wafl could beat a team like Melbourne but that is very doubtful as well...................

the concept is ok, lets go back to the future so i'll suggest forget trial matches now there is a shorter season anyway & start 3 or 4 weeks early & in turn the finals are over earlier & then the top teams in all major states (maybe in time the NT) play off for a ''Champions of Australia'' state league title & play these matches around the country as curtain raisers to AFL finals matches...........................i'm sure the local team supporters would be able to pay a smaller fee to enter & have to leave at the end of the first match

I'm probably going to get slapped down for introducing my cynicism into this, and wish I kept my mouth shut. But it's already too late for that. So in for a penny in for a pound as the old saying goes.  The only reason Foxtel put their money behind this at the start, was to provide a filler between the weekend AFL games, and try to boost ratings in what was a programming dead spot anyway. Clearly it's failed and they've dropped it. Purely commercial decisions both at the start and the end. If there is to be some form of competition equivalent to the FA Cup, it's going to be backed and run by the AFL and they're going to need sponsorship dollars from somewhere. Given that Foxtel have been burnt, I cant see that happening in the near future. The market for their product isn't big enough and the costs of putting it on, especially travel, are too high. I have doubts about whether soccer's new venture will stand up in the longer term either, but we'll have to wait and see on that one. Either way it all comes down to dollars on the bottom line of which ever organization puts up the capital to run it.

What let the series down was when clubs began fielding half strength teams and being open about the fact that they were not playing for their jumper. It could have been a great example of intra club rivalry but all it ended up being was an advertisement for their own jumpers being the also rans of the secondary AFL competitions.

Ben W wrote:What let the series down was when clubs began fielding half strength teams and being open about the fact that they were not playing for their jumper. It could have been a great example of intra club rivalry but all it ended up being was an advertisement for their own jumpers being the also rans of the secondary AFL competitions.

I wouldn't question whether the players played for their jumper. Clubs definitely fielded weak lineups though, why wouldn't they??

Gingernuts wrote:
Just look at Adelaide City's recent FAA cup campaign and the attention it got them. There was a Melbourne club of a similar level that also made the semis I think.

The FFA has set up the FFA Cup so that at least one NPL side reaches the semi finals.

Adelaide City were somewhat lucky they played a Wanderers side who were more focused on the Asian Champions League, most of the other NPL sides got wiped off the floor when up against A-League sides.

The fact is that there was a time in the past when if your side took the field for a match against a rival club they gave it 100% because of the pride in the club and what the club stood for. Clubs preventing players from participating in State of Origin matches an so forth was never heard of. - How times change!