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I'm told that as of 2026 there will be a two-tier division for the VFL comprising stand-alone in 1 division and AFL/VFL aligned clubs in a second structure. I haven't read or seen any further reporting either on TV or the print media. Anyone enlighten me?
Lots of rumours Timeball, but I'm yet to see (or hear) anything official in writing.
* It's time to restore the VFA name.
Nothing official as far as I know but VFL Rewind Radio Program on Facebook floated this idea a few weeks ago.
Yeah that sounds more like being closer to the truth - a thought bubble from some radio commentator.
The problem I see with trying to break the VFL into divisions or conferences is the number of clubs. You really want to have conferences of an equal number of clubs. In a couple of years there will be 23 clubs. Let’s say a Melbourne splits from Casey, bringing the total to 24. Then you could break into the following conferences:
VFA West: Port Melbourne, Williamstown, Werribee and Coburg
VFA East: Preston, Sandringham, Frankston and Springvale
VFL West: North Melbourne, Essendon, Footscray and Geelong
VFL Central: Melbourne, Richmond, Collingwood and Carlton
VFL South: St Kilda, Box Hill, Tasmania, Southport
AFL: GWS, Sydney, Gold Coast and Brisbane
Those groupings are a bit of a mess. To make a conference or divisional system work you need an even number of AFL clubs and Standalone clubs.
I don't think a grand final between the two premiers of each division is a good idea. Maybe the VFA premier could have the right to challenge the AFL spooner to a playoff game or series that would decide who plays in the upper division the next year.