Talking Footy

I have never tried a thread like this before but this is how I see it working. The following needs to be filled in.

Sport of choice:

The one thing I would like to improve about the game:

How I would improve this aspect:



My sport of choice: Aussie rules.
The one thing I would like to improve about the game: The congestion of players around the ball (mostly in the 50 metre arcs)
How I would improve this aspect: I have a few ideas. One is that you could reduce the number of players to 16 on the ground. The second would be that at stoppages (ball ups and throw ins) I would make it a rule to have at least 6 players (5 if only 16 on the ground) on one half of the ground. The players would have a count down clock at stoppages that would count down from 10 and if a team didn't have at least 6 players on the other side of the ground (you would need a line across the middle of the ground), a free kick would be awarded.


Not sure if this thread will generate much debate but lets see.

The VFA ran 16 on the field for a time (no wingmen). IIRC it increased the pace of the game. Mind you at the time we had players playing to position unlike now.

I actually like your idea about the half of the ground, Pieman - and I would also introduce the rule that they were using recently in the VFL (I'm not sure if they still use it or not), that prevents stoppages when one kicks the ball backwards in defence. No mark - call play on every time until there's a forward kick. That's another use for the half way line.

Another change would be to draw a clear line in the rules between open age and under age. The protectionist stuff that's going on at AFL level is going a tad too far in some respects, and all the AFL is thinking about is preventing kids from copying them. That needs to be handled at the local level through good coaching and good umpiring - penalising rough play that would be let go at senior level. That's not a thumbs up for on field violence BTW - which has been cut back as it needed to be.