This is why AFL is breaking away from NRL. They embraced having a national competition while the NRL cowered away from the challenge.
History of VFL expansion.
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1980 – The Hennessy Report recommends a team be established in Sydney. The team would be profitable, making profits of $750,000 after three years, and drawing 17,000 average crowds in the first year up to 20,000 in the third. (Football Limited, pg, 93)
1981 – January 28. VFL appoints Graham Huggins to do a study into launching a full time VFL side in Sydney. The study takes 5 months
1981 – June 17. Huggins report is tabled to the VFL board recommneding immediate expansion. Under the Huggins report Sydney would be controlled by a VFL trust, and have a trial period of three years in the league before becoming a full member.
1981 – July 1. South Melbourne asks the VFL to fixture all home games in Sydney and all away games at VFL Park under lights
1981 – July 5. Keep South at South meets at Lakeside oval.
1981 – July 29. VFL approves moving 11 home games to Sydney in 1982.
1981 – September 22. Extraordinary meeting of South Melbourne members, KSAS committee wins 80% of vote.
1981 – November 18.The VFL agrees to loan South $400,000 from the Ground Improvement Fund on condition that the club plays its games in Sydney for at least two years.
1981 – December 9. VFL presidents indicate support for the VFL to take over South
1981 – December 11. South Board resigns.
1982 – February 10. Gold Coast Australian Football league launches a campaign to have a VFL team based on the Gold Coast within five years.
1982 – December 10. VFL Commissioner says that applications had been recieved from WA, SA, and the ACT. The article quotes Hamilton as saying that the ACT would almost certainly be represented in the VFL in future.
1983 – John Elliot and Elders IXL look at buying the Swans. They would need to pay out 1.6 million in debt and buyout 1800 members at $40 a piece. The plan was later dropped. (Football Limited pg.97)
1983 – February 5th. Allen Aylett suggests moving clubs interstate to alleviate their financial problems after reported speculation that Footscray or Collingwood could move to Brisbane.
1983 – May 11. A report by David Crawford says the Swans are dangerously close to extinction. (The Phoenix Rises pg 20)
1984 – May 17. Bob Ansett (North president) says that a national competition was needed to ensure the survival of the VFL after reports emerged that several clubs were considering forming a breakaway competition.
1984 – June 6. North Melbourne proposes a revamped 16 team competition in six states to a VFL task force.
1984 – September 4. Meeting of club representatives organised by John Elliot and Ian Collins proposing the setting up of a new national competition, with financial conditions set, and clubs to be invited from WA and SA. SA is uninterested, but interest from WA was reported as warm. 11 VFL club presidents are reported in favour (Geelongs president wasnt present).
1984 – September 12. John Elliot presents his plan to the VFL board at an emergency meeting “noting that his material had input from the Collingwood president, Ranald Macdonald, and “other club representatives” (The Phoenix Rises pg 23)
1984 – September 14. Victorian Minister for sport and recreation condemns moves to take the VFL national in parliament, saying 90% of the Victorian public opposed the move.
1985 – The VFL obtains a $60,000 grant from the Federal Government for a feasibility study on national football. This was conducted by John Adams with strong support from WA. (Soaring, pg 12)
1985 – July 1. Geoffrey Edelston wins the Sydney license. He sets up a company called Powerplay to run the Swans. By September the club was effectively owned by Westeq.
1985, October 30. The Age reports that ‘the VFL was at great pains to say it is proposing an expansion of the existing competition to include interstate teams and not a national league’. (Behind the Play pg 198)
1985, Nov 6. Adams delivers his report. Major recommendations include a 12 team competition – eight from Victoria, two from Adelaide and 1 from Perth and Sydney. (Soaring, pg 12)
1985, November 7. The NFL releases its own play for a national compeition, with a 12 team structure featuring 9 teams from Melbourne and one each from Sydney, Perth and Adelaide. It also proposed an independent form of administration rather than the VFL’s Melbourne centrered power base”. The WAFL supports the NFL option, going so far as to send its CEO to talk to Macquarie Bank in Sydney about getting $100 million to float a competition, with six Melbourne clubs saying they’d break away. (Behind the Play pg 198)
1985 – December. All clubs sign license agreements with the league/ (The Phoenix Rises pg.53)
1986, Feb 7. WAFL Chairman Roy Annear states that he sees a national competition as essential to football in Australia, WA had to be represented and it had to be with a composite team. (soaring pg 12)
1986 – July 1. VFL Commissioner reported in talks with consortium over possible team in Queensland
1986, July 10. A report by Richard Colless, Peter Fogarty and John Walker is presented to the WAFL stating that 1) an expanded VFL was inevitable. 2) a composite team was the way forward. 3) Control of the team should rest with the WAFL. 4) The VFL would expand to WA by other means if the WAFL teams didnt support the composite option.
1986 – July 29. Kevin Bartlett writes that the national league wont get off the ground. (Football Limited pg 154)
1986, July 31. The VFL reaffirms its commitment to a national competition in 1987, with a preference for a team from Brisbane. The league was uncertain as to whether teams from SA or WA would be involved. (Behind the Play pg 202)
1986 – Fitzroy board approves an in principle move to Brisbane 5-3. It was later declared a “straw vote”. (Football limited pg. 157)
1986 – August 5. The VFL decides not to adopt rationalistion and announces it will take 12 teams into its proposed national competition in 1987.
1986 – August 7. SA and WA say they will reconsider joining the national competition after the VFL voted to retain all 12 clubs in the league. WA and SA had been working under the belief that there were be some rationalisation and the league would be composed of 12 clubs and not 14.
1986 – October 1. VFL Board of Directors approves teams from Western Australia and Queensland to join the VFL in 1987. Hawthorn, Collingwood, Melbourne and Essendon vote against, but all other clubs vote for. Fitzroy initially opposed, but Leon Wiegard is convinced by the dollar signs drawn by the commission. (Football Limited pg. 159) West Coast have a 5 year exclusive period attached. (The Phoenix Rises pg. 156)
1986 – October 30. The new WA club is announced as the West Coast Eagles. (Headliners – Birth of the West coash Eagles)
1986 – October 1. VFL board of directors rejects Hecrons proposed ownership stake in Fitzroy.
1986 – October 1. Richmond propose to play 11 games a year in Brisbane. (The Phoenix Rises pg. 78)
1986 – October 4. Perth clothing millionare Allister Norwood withdraws from the bidding for a Queensland side.
1986 – October 8. A syndicate headed by Actor Paul Cronin and the QAFL wins the right to field a new team in Brisbane.
1986 – October 20. The VFL meets with the SANFLs Bob Lee and Leigh Whicker to discuss a composite team, or relocating a Victorian club. (The Phoenix Rises pg. 78)
1986 – October 30. VFL Commission notes with concern that Skase intended to base the Bears in Carrara. The league specified that this cold only be a temporary arrangement. (The Phoenix Rises, pg 133)
1987 – East and South Fremantle apparently lauched a joint bid for a VFL team to enter in 1990. (The Phoenix Rises pg. 156)
1987, Feb 6. A Limited Partnership (Indian Pacific Limited) is formed to raise the money to cover the costs of setting up and operating the Eagles. The float eventually raised $12.3 million. (Soaring, pg 17)
1987 – February 18. The VFL annual report reveals that without the funds from the two new licenses, the VFL clubs would have lost a combined 3 million. They have no facilities for training, and the change rooms were basically a van.
1987 – March 11. The VFL Board of Directors recieves a proposal for a team in New Zealand (The Phoenix Rises pg.117)
1987 – April 21. ACT announces its seeking a team in Canberra by 1988.
1987, July 24. The West Australian reports that officials of the two Fremantle sides were exploring the possibility of a second club down in the port. However, IPL had a five year exclusive rights clause in their agreement and it was not to be. (behind the play pg 214)
1987 – September. A proposal was forwarded to the League by a Western Australian Errol Marron, which called for the re-location of an existing VFL team to Los Angeles and that such team be known as the Los Angeles Crocodiles. (The Phoenix Rises pg. 117). This proposed a team to play 14 games in Australia and 8 in Los Angeles, with expect average crowds of 20,000.
1987 – September 11. Ross Oakley requests that no announcement of the LA proposal be made until after the Grand Final.
1987 – September 18. ACT supporters announce plan to lobby VFL clubs to get around Commission opposition to an ACT club entering the VFL. The ACT proposal appeared aimed at Fitzroy including paying off a relocated clubs debts and retain its traditional name, logo and jumper.
1987 – October 2. The VFL rejects Marrons proposal, and details are reported in the news.
1987 – IPL requires bailing out. A rescue package of $5 million was hastily organised, with five people putting in $1 million each: Neil Hamilton, Colless, McHenry, Mark Hohnen and Robert
Armstrong. (The Phoenix Rises pg. 132)
