Junior AFL comp slammed for capping score margins
A junior AFL competition in Victoria has been accused of putting players in cotton wool after introducing capped score margins.
Margins will be capped in all under-12 to under-16 grades in the Riddell District Football League, with goalkickers and best players also not recorded on the league’s website for posterity, according to the Sunbury Leader.
The capping first came into effect on June 18 after a vote by club presidents.
Herald Sun’s Rita Panahi said while the score capping was a “well-intentioned” rule; it was “foolish and counter-productive.”
“Sport teaches children all sorts of lessons and they’ve been denied the opportunity to build some resilience and coping skills when things don’t go their way,” she told Sunrise.
“Kids these days get a ribbon for just showing up. They’ve got participation medals for everybody.”
“At some point they need to learn they’re not the best at everything, that sometimes others are better and that’s okay, and winning is not everything.”
RDFL operations manager Steve Williams said the margin was capped at 80 points for under-16s, 60 points in under-14s and 48 points in under-12s.
When asked by Sunrise co-host Samantha Armytage whether it was to make sure kids kept playing after being beaten by large margins, Triple M’s Luke Bona said it was possible but said he agreed with Ms Panahi.
“We’re living in an age where kids win trophies and medals for just participating and in the real world you get beaten,” he said.
“In the real world when you leave school and don’t perform life doesn’t offer you a trophy.”
Mr Bona suggested teams who are winning by large margins get “re-arranged” or put into a different competition.
He also recalled playing basketball as a child and getting beaten 104-2.
“It made me try harder,” he said.
Sunrise co-host and Port Adelaide president David Koch said while the rule shouldn't apply for teenagers it should be maintained for kids.
"Some clubs and teams are struggling to get numbers," he said.
"We want kids to love sport, we want them to be involved in team sports and by helping out a little bit in ways such as this, I think it's important."
For more 'Hot Topic' discussions, tune in to Sunrise from 5am on weekdays.
