Boundaries

Port Adelaide's zones will be split up between the other clubs next season.

How would you re-distribute tem?

if it actually does happen (i still have my doubts) Central would surely have to get Salisbury, presuming Salisbury is still in Ports zone, it should always have been in the Central Districts zone

Very carefully R&B.


It is happening bayman, the process has started.


In theory every club should see an approx 12.5% increase to the number of 10-19yo Males in their allocated zones.

North, Eagles & Central as the 3 clubs bordering the Magpies metro zone will probably have the largest changes to their metro zones

A large part of the Port zone they receive would be offset by transfer of parts of their current zone to the other 5 clubs.

The country zone is not as easy to carve up as it is usually allocated on a league / league basis and I heave heard that Ports country zone on the Eyre Peninsula they want to keep as one unit.


What will be interesting is if the boundaries commission look at the metro and country separately or combined.

Ie do North, Eagles & Central get most of the metro with a spin off to Norwood and say South, Sturt, West & Glenelg get more country zone?

Or will all 8 clubs get a large metro change and a large country change to their boundaries?

I would have thought that there would have to be a trade off with country zones otherwise every club to the west of the city would find their zone moves northwards by a few kilometers to enlarge Glenelg and South. Not sure how they will fit Sturt in, the Parade will possibly now be located in Sturts Zone if they go North!

Unless West Adelaide lose most of their zone south of Anzac Highway (to Glenelg South Adelaide and Sturt) and pick up most of the Eagles zone south of Port Road / West Lakes. This means Sturt goes westwards and Glenelg eastwards up to say South Road at Edwardstown and everything south of Darlington goes to South Adelaide. The Eagles become the default Woodville / Port club. Parafield goes to Centrals, North picks up Mawson lakes, Norwood would then get Klemzig / Holden Hill from North.

Or not!

Perhaps they could look at rationalising the existing non-Port zones as part of it too.

Some current boundaries are illogical.

It provides an opportunity to do a wholistic fix up rather than a band aid here and a band aid there.

The Eyre Pensinsula would be huge boon to whoever gets it as a whole. I think perhaps it should be dissected to some degree.

To think of all the players that have come from there in the past (and even current) and they're not all Port's either.

UncleHuey wrote:I would have thought that there would have to be a trade off with country zones otherwise every club to the west of the city would find their zone moves northwards by a few kilometers to enlarge Glenelg and South. Not sure how they will fit Sturt in, the Parade will possibly now be located in Sturts Zone if they go North!

Unless West Adelaide lose most of their zone south of Anzac Highway (to Glenelg South Adelaide and Sturt) and pick up most of the Eagles zone south of  Port Road / West Lakes. This means Sturt goes westwards and Glenelg eastwards up to say South Road at Edwardstown and everything south of Darlington goes to South Adelaide. The Eagles become the default Woodville / Port club. Parafield goes to Centrals, North picks up Mawson lakes, Norwood would then get Klemzig / Holden Hill from North.

Or not!

Mate, your compass must be spinning a million miles an hour, after that little carve up!   

A quick look at population growth projections (by Local Government Areas) over the next 15 years, suggests more of the same. ie major growth areas are Charles Sturt, which covers most of the Western Suburbs. Playford and Light, Central Districts' zone. Onkaparinga, South. Mt Barker, Sturt. Central City area, which one might assume would involve very few potential footballers. And to a lesser extent, the Barossa and Murray Bridge. Population on Eyre Peninsula will remain virtually static, as will most other rural areas. I think that, given the projected growth in the western suburbs, Port's metropolitan territory could be fairly easily re-allocated. Eyre peninsula is another matter. My personal preference, has long been to do away with country zoning. But that raises a whole raft of other issues. Perhaps just leave the west coast as open territory, at this stage and place some numerical limit on how many players each club can take from there in any year.

Interesting point, cc, about open territory, but there are logistical problems with that in terms of junior development, etc.  You may have no clubs doing anything, or 8 clubs doing lots at the same place and time.

Possible Bayman although I would hope the Eagles Southern boundary is not Port Road given our oval is located South of that.  

One would think that Sturt would be a good chance of getting Blackwood back in the redistribution?

redandblack wrote:Interesting point, cc, about open territory, but there are logistical problems with that in terms of junior development, etc.  You may have no clubs doing anything, or 8 clubs doing lots at the same place and time.

I must admit I put the idea out there without much thought to the practicalities. It's inevitable the clubs would be scrambling all over each other at Port Lincoln, but not to be seen out at Lock or Wudinna. Yet it's from the outback areas where many of the best players have come. Tough farm boys used to hard physical work. I think we may be at a point where the AFL and SANFL need to revisit the whole question of resourcing grass roots development. Basically we're still working with a system that was developed in and for a totally different era. But, in the meantime, at a club level there are important areas that can be pursued. Especially building contact networks, among people who have some prior involvement with one's own club. The late Roger Dunn, for example, was a lifelong ambassador for Sturt and directed a number of good players to us from around Tumby Bay. I notice that several of our current recruits from the Portland/Hamilton areas in Victoria, are the result of recommendations by former Sturt players who are coaching there.

When Boundaries Commission look at population data they refer to the previous census survey and 10-19 yo Males. Last census was 2011, next 2016.

They do not look at future population projections.

Usually boundaries change very 5 years after census figures come out. They did an out of cycle one in 2012 due to a club complaint and this will also be out of cycle.

Given that each club should gain new areas, Ben, I can't see how West would lose territory, unless they gain a lot more elsewhere?

I think it all hinges on how Port's country zone is sorted out. Everything flows after that, I'd say.

bayman wrote:if it actually does happen (i still have my doubts) Central would surely have to get Salisbury, presuming Salisbury is still in Ports zone, it should always have been in the Central Districts zone

Centrals zone covers right out to (growing and, statistically, relatively youthful) areas such as Blakeview and Andrews farm and ends at, and including, Salisbury (proper) and Salisbury North at its southern end.  Port's zone starts at Salisbury Downs and Paralowie.

The City of Salisbury itself has about 130,000 people and extends down towards Grand Junction Road.

If a redistribution did occur with one less club I'd expect clubs zones to go from around 133k to around 150k on average.  For the CDFC this might, speculating, take Centrals zone down to the northern edge of the aerodrome, maybe pick up all of Paralowie and probably leave Parafield Gardens, Mawson Lakes and Para Hills West with the Roosters.

I think its a pretty fair guess that, in this event, North would see the biggest shift to its zone of any club, not only in what it would pick up from Port in the north and north west but also lose to Norwood in the north eastern suburbs.

What happens to Port's West Coast zone.

I doubt it would be split up, so if it stays as is, who takes it and what happens to their country zone?

Everything flows from that.

It seems obvious that the Eagles would move into Port's city zone to some extent and as Stray Dog says, Central and North would gain as well.

Ports metro zone is like a U

There is Alberton, Port Adelaide and then the peninsula up to Outer Harbour.

But it also goes east through Gilman, Wingfield up through Mawson Lakes, Pooraka through to Salisbury.

PhilH wrote:Ports metro zone is like a  U

There is Alberton, Port Adelaide and then the peninsula up to Outer Harbour.

But it also goes east through Gilman, Wingfield up through Mawson Lakes, Pooraka through to Salisbury.

Are they able to draft Dolphins?

Chambo Off To Work We Go wrote:

PhilH wrote:Ports metro zone is like a  U

There is Alberton, Port Adelaide and then the peninsula up to Outer Harbour.

But it also goes east through Gilman, Wingfield up through Mawson Lakes, Pooraka through to Salisbury.

Are they able to draft Dolphins?

they had flipper & didn't want him, so he went back to Norwood

Been looking at this and I reckon one or two clubs have to lose some areas they've had for years. Who's going to get the West Coast? Most likely (in order) are Norwood, South, North. Norwood because they almost don't have a country zone, South cos they think their zone is lousy, North cos they already go up to Port Augusta, I think.

Eagles will have to have the peninsula part (north Haven, etc) of Port's old zone and North and centrals will get some too. Eagles will have to lose some and Glenelg have to gain some.

Footy Lover wrote:Been looking at this and I reckon one or two clubs have to lose some areas they've had for years. Who's going to get the West Coast? Most likely (in order) are Norwood, South, North. Norwood because they almost don't have a country zone, South cos they think their zone is lousy, North cos they already go up to Port Augusta, I think.

Eagles will have to have the peninsula part (north Haven, etc) of Port's old zone and North and centrals will get some too. Eagles will have to lose some and Glenelg have to gain some.

Going to be very interesting to see ....I would think near neighbours will all have a bite of Ports metro zone...thus giving others further a way perhaps a little more breathing space as well. Ports country zone -the West coast will me very interesting......Geographically its a vast area, and is a long way from Adelaide. The cost of servicing your zone in the Far West League ie Ceduna and Penong -maybe prohibitive for some clubs financially. Ceduna is the same distance by road as Melbourne is from Adelaide. Im thinking the West coast maybe split up by the different leagues. ..  

Central would have to get Salisbury back?

The Commission heard the first 3 of the Clubs' submissions last night.

It's really interesting the more you study it.

What do you think your club will be asking for?

who will take over the West Coast zone, given the purpose is to redistribute Ports' metro and country zones amongst the remaining 8 clubs?

I think the WAFC Submission was well received - It was wholistic and not single club centred from what I have heard

wolves wrote:I think the WAFC Submission was well received -  It was wholistic and not single club centred from what I have heard

yep Im sure it was...
but then again the cynic in me would say that any West submission would be well received by the Commission.  

blueandwhite wrote:

wolves wrote:I think the WAFC Submission was well received -  It was wholistic and not single club centred from what I have heard

yep Im sure it was...
but then again the cynic in me would say that any West submission would be well received by the Commission.  

You are a bit cynical, B & W. The Commission hasn't done West too many favours for as long as I can remember. I have no doubt they'll make their decisions based on what they think is right, taking note of the submissions, but trying to be fair to all as much as possible.

There is a wide range of people on the Commission, including a Judge, 2 solicitors, an ex-Premier, Professor Graeme Hugo (who knows more about population density and distribution than the rest of us put together) and other members. Chris Davies and Matt Duldig are also involved and their integrity is unquestioned.

It's a difficult task, due to the different population centres and density, but all clubs have to be about 1500 better off in numbers, so there should be no grizzles.

B & W, who do you think will be given the West Coast zone?