VFL Clubs Deserve Respect | Thebigtip

It is twelve years now since the AFL Reserves competition was abolished. It was deemed to be un-feasible to support. Clubs had two options; they could either align with an existing VFL club for half the cost, or float their own team at full registration cost. The majority of AFL clubs, in an effort to save money, aligned with VFL teams and those who didn’t like Collingwood, Carlton and Essendon, soon followed suit a few years later. Now only two AFL clubs have their own VFL side, Geelong and Collingwood.

Fast forward to 2011 and there are cracks in the Victorian Football landscape. Clubs in the VFL that have well over half a century of their own history have now become slaves to the Victorian AFL clubs. It all came to a head this week when Brendan Fevola joined Casey Scorpions to the disgust of the Melbourne Demons, the parent club of the Scorpions.

Melbourne’s reaction to Casey’s decision has been nothing short of disgraceful. The Scorpions have been in existence since 1903 and are an established club in Victorian football history. Yes, they are small fish compared to the Demons, but they are important all the same. The Scorpions have every right to make their own decisions, for their own club. Their aim today is no different to their aims of 1903, they play to win.

AFL clubs have gradually moved to aligning with VFL clubs for one reason only, to save money.  To float their own team involves incurring the costs of a license and extra staffing costs, on top of the existing fees that come with a VFL partnership.  The clubs that choose not to control their own teams in the VFL must also be prepared to lose some of their control and influence over their second string teams. It is after all an alignment, a partnership.  What it is not is a takeover.

The justification Melbourne has in their anger over Casey’s decision to sign Brendan Fevola is flawed and smells of arrogance. Sure, Melbourne contribute funds to the Casey Scorpion football club, but they would need to contribute funds to any side they had/were aligned with. This does no buy them a controlling say in how a separate club can be run.

The Casey Scorpions are a team who step out each weekend with one aim, to win. They want to win a flag just as much as Melbourne do and have every right to do everything in their power to make that happen. If Brendan Fevola is the answer to this then they have made the right decision for their club.

It will be a sad day when VFL clubs are simply in existence to develop players for their AFL parent clubs. Sure, Melbourne might be concerned about Fevola affecting the development of their young forwards, and if this is the case, you have another option. How about dig deep into your own pockets and fund a Melbourne Demons side to play in the VFL. It is the old adage, you get what you pay for. No one should deny the Scorpions, or any other VFL side, a chance to win, to be the club they have been for over a century.

Well done Casey Scorpions on standing firm and keeping the values of your own club intact. Winning is the only motivation a football team should possess when crossing the white line and with there being a real chance of more fans coming through the gates to see a proven goalkicker, this can only be a good thing for the Casey Scorpions, Victorian Football and grass roots football in general.