AFL jumps at foothold

[El Diablo]

http://manly-daily.whereilive.com.au/news/story/afl-jumps-at-foothold/

AFL jumps at foothold

20 Dec 11 @ 04:57pm by Brenton Cherry

THE AFL is set to launch a raid into rugby league and Manly Sea Eagles heartland with plans to house an elite training academy at Narrabeen Sports High School.

The school has reached an in-principle agreement with Pittwater Council to fund an extensive upgrade of its main oval to a fully synthetic and floodlit, dual-purpose AFL and soccer pitch, at a cost of more than $1 million.

Once the pitch is built, the school and the AFL’s vision is for an academy to use the facilities by 2013.

This could include the Sydney Swans relocating their northern academy from Macquarie University to the northern beaches.

The hope is that having the academy train at the school would encourage members to enrol in its new emerging athlete program, to be run by AFL.

AFL NSW/ACT confirmed its vision was for an elite academy on the northern beaches.

“Aspiring kids would then be able to see a pathway from Auskick through the academy and to the elite level,” a spokesman said.

A spokesman for the Swans was unable to confirm relocation plans, but said the club was delighted with the actions of the school.

“We’re really happy that there’s a school showing a commitment to AFL and there’s a potential for a link between our academy in the north of Sydney and the school,” he said.

The move is part of an effort by Narrabeen Sports High School to arrest an alarming drop in enrolments. Next year it will launch its Northern Sydney Scholastic and Sports Academy for elite and emerging athletes, including AFL.

As well as elite training, students who enrol will undergo mentoring, attend nutrition seminars and sit in on meet-your-hero lectures.

Deputy principal Peter Stokes said he approached all football codes about establishing programs, with the AFL jumping at the chance to get a foothold in league territory.

“The fact that we will have a fully-fledged AFL ground within a school, the first of its kind in NSW, is enormous for the sport,” he said. “Our vision is that the Swans Academy would come here in 2013 and use the ground after hours.”

Mr Stokes said the new pitch would be used for the school sporting and academy programs during the day and a coveted ground for community use after school hours and the weekends.

The new pitch is just one of a number of developments in the school.

 

[Sea_Eagles_Rock]

Well you can't blame them. It is the easiest area to exploit in Sydney as there is bugger all money being spent on developing talent in the area, added to the fact the facilities in the area are in terrible condition. It is funny to think so many people want Manly to relocate too. You may as well hand it over to them now.

We wouldn't be in this situation of facing 2 teams in Sydney if we had a proper TV deal the last time it was negotiated. Clubs are under increasing pressure as they are not receiving a fair junk of the pie from the NRL.

 

[RL The greatest game]

The importance of a big TV deal is a must for NRL next time. David Gallop really has to deliver the TV deal that the NRL deserves.

 

[elbusto]

'Deputy principal Peter Stokes said he approached all football codes about establishing programs, with the AFL jumping at the chance to get a foothold in league territory.'

For F@@ks Sakes!!!!

 

[RL The greatest game]

'Deputy principal Peter Stokes said he approached all football codes about establishing programs, with the AFL jumping at the chance to get a foothold in league territory.'

For F@@ks Sakes!!!!

Never look a gift horse in the mouth, and the AFL never do.
Another own goal by Rugby League in being slow on the uptake

 

[roughneck]

Why have enrollments been dropping?

 

[In-goal]

Why have enrollments been dropping?

To take a guess, the demographic in the area is changing, maybe less children, maybe less money so school fees are inafordable?... I'm really clutching at straws but they are the most likely of reasons.

 

[RL1908]

Same story on a repeat run...

18 Oct 11

http://manly-daily.whereilive.com.au/news/story/model-school-for-athletes/

NARRABEEN Sports High School will next year open a new “academy” for elite and emerging athletes, that features an exciting link with the AFL.

The school will launch the Northern Sydney Scholastic and Sports Academy in a bid to boost enrolments and encourage budding young athletes to study on the northern beaches.

As well as elite training, students who enrol will undergo mentoring, attend nutrition seminars and sit in on “meet your hero” lectures.

Deputy principal Peter Stokes said students would be able to listen to recorded lectures and undergo personalised tuition programs to help balance their sporting commitments with their studies.

He’s hoping the new venture will attract new talent to the school and boost enrolments from 360 to 800 over the next five years.

“The biggest problem is there is no avenue for a student to take large time off schooling for sport and maintain that consistency of their academic and social work,” he said.

“And that’s what we want to do.”

As part of the new academy, the AFL will construct a new ground at the Pittwater Rd campus and run the school’s Aussie Rules training along with some of their community-based programs. The school’s four tennis courts will also be refurbished as part of the overhaul.

But Mr Stokes said the school took a “holistic” approach to learning and would encourage students enrolled in the new academy to focus on all aspects of their lives and not just sport. The school has recently built a new commercial kitchen for cooking and nutrition lessons and are set to refurbish their “trade centre” and weights room.

“We are going to start up something unique,” he said.

“This year’s NAPLAN results indicate an increasing academic development within the school - especially in the subject areas of maths and English.”

An information evening on the new Northern Sydney Scholastic and Sports Academy will be held on November 7.

 

[elbusto]

My information is that there are a couple of schools in Melbourne that have followed a similar path with Rugby League but maybe not to this extent. But they are considered League Schools and have big development programs.

I think we will see more of this over time as both codes penetrate foreign territory.

Let's face it League in Victoria is about where the Swans were in Sydney 15 years ago. It is growing there and is an important market.

Manly is League Territory so I am not overly worried about news like this. We just have to live and learn and get smarter in the process.

 

[papabear]

Afl school good way to keep those enrolments down, now they are competing with creative arts schools

 

[Titanic]

Irrespective of club allegiances the League community needs to be a lot more supportive of the issues surrounding their member clubs. .

You can't find too many AFL fans publicly bagging their rival clubs but you can find our mob lolling@50uff$, crying over St. Merger, slandering Tinklertown, the Donkeys, the Rorters, the Cowgirls, the Cheats and so on.

That sort of stuff should be saved for barracking at the games but when there is a community league issue it affects us all and the whole lot of us should be united against any perceived intrusion.

 

[firechild]

You can't find too many AFL fans publicly bagging their rival clubs...

They do when it comes to Collingwood but generally, you're right. AFL people seem to think about what is good for the game but in reality they condone practises that are not good for the game. Take the propping up of the new clubs for example, the AFL have just about guaranteed GWS a preiership within 5 years for the good of the game, as a rival fan I would be livid that premierships were being handed out by the governing body in order to make inroads into foreign regions. I'd hate the NRL to hand the Titans or the Reds (or any other new club) a premiership that they did not earn on their own. The Victorians just don't seem to get it that they are the ones losing out.

 

[Perth Red]

RL must be the most paranoid/insecure sport in the world, the WA Reds have just announced the opening of a RL academy at Curtin Uni, do you think the WAFL and AFL fans are writing about it on the internet as some great threat to the fabric of Aussie Rules in WA?

 

[supercharger]

RL must be the most paranoid/insecure sport in the world, the WA Reds have just announced the opening of a RL academy at Curtin Uni, do you think the WAFL and AFL fans are writing about it on the internet as some great threat to the fabric of Aussie Rules in WA?

certainly seems that way alot of fans definitely seem insecure/paranoid