SO HUNGRY are AFL fans for more action, more information and more statistics, that a greater look into the future is the logical next move.
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Greater exposure of our emerging talent will be a good thing for players and the game. Supporters will lap it up and juniors will love it.
Pump up football coverage and put TAC Cup under-18s on television every round.
Interest in these young players is at its peak right now ahead of Tuesday’s AFL national draft. Attention and intrigue grows each year, fed by phantom drafts and online interviews and match vision of potential picks.
But why wait until the season’s end to really see vision of these players?
Savvy fans are demanding to know who their club might pick and what such a player could bring to their club.
Broadcasters should capitalise, particularly on the booming success the Victorian Football League in a move to commercial television this season. Digital channel avenues could create a whole day of high-quality football, featuring TAC Cup’s match of the round in a prelude to VFL and rolling AFL coverage.
Traffic to North Ballarat Rebels’ website was outstanding in the wake of last year’s draft. Hits on playing highlights of their newly drafted talent reached about 60,000 within three days of the draft call.
TAC Cup features Victoria’s best under-age talent and continues to be the most successful resource for AFL recruiting. Your best chance of being drafted is impressing in the TAC Cup.
Juniors want to be them. Adults want to see them.
Let fans know what these guys can do before the post-season hype that amps up with AFL Draft Combine (the league’s most scrutinised fitness, skill and psychological testing).
Pay television covers the final rounds of the AFL Victoria under-18 national championships. This season, commercial television aired the first TAC Cup grand final broadcast in six years. The competition’s only weekly television offering is TAC Cup Future Stars, a popular hour-long panel show each Sunday lunchtime.
A broadcast match of the round will let general football fans keep an eye on these players from the season’s start. Fans can watch player progression and new emerging prospects.
Would weekly television exposure put too much pressure on these young players? No. Interest is already sky high. AFL.com.au has followed Rebels’ captain Darcy Tucker with interviews, vision and news from the pre-season to draft. Rebel Jacob Hopper is widely tipped a top draft pick. Players are already well media-trained.
College football in the United States has parochial alumni following but television matches tap into a strong general fan base. These players are young, exciting and putting their games on the line to capture recruiter attention and spark a professional career.
TAC Cup may not have the same frenzied regional support – yet – but is an impressive spectacle. Fast and free-flowing. More exposure will add incentive for young players to aspire taking their game to the highest level they can.
And that has to be a good impact filtering back into our grassroots game.