The race for the AFL’s 20th team: Norwood gives it a red-legged hot go.
Tasmania’s long awaited (and well deserved) clinching of the 19th spot in the Australian Football League (AFL) has naturally lead to some speculation about who will be the 20th team. This is on the assumption that the league wants an even number of teams (confirmed by then CEO Gil McLachlan at the Tasmanian team’s announcement). Going to 18 teams would mean a painful merger or relocation of a Victorian club that the AFL wants to avoid based on bitter experience.
There has been speculation about a team in the Northern Territory (NT), the Darwin Dingoes, or maybe the Darwin Crocodiles (imagine the NT News headlines) or a team for Northern Australia playing in Darwin, Alice Spring and Cairns. There is the Canberra option (depending on how GWS is progressing) and more far-fetched suggestions of a team in New South Wales, like Newcastle (hello Kevin Sheedy), the Central Coast, or even the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. A Darwin team would be in Aussie Rules country to the west of ‘the Barrasi line’ that splits the continent between Aussie Rules football and Rugby League. The others are east of the Barassi line with the exception of Canberra, which is right on the line enjoying both codes plus a strong Rugby union following.
But what if the AFL went back to its heartland for a 20th slot? There is already 10 teams in Victoria, so why not a 3rd team from either WA or SA? WA has been mentioned given the strong state of the WA economy, the growing population and the magnificent Optus Stadium. Basing a team in Joondalup or Mandurah has been touted. However, the great rivalry built up between the West Coast Eagles and Fremantle is now as fierce as Rangers and Celtic or Liverpool and Everton, with the western ‘derby’ and adding a composite team may not work. Look at the South Queensland Crushers in the NRL.
So what about South Australia? During the successful Gather Round in Adelaide, the Norwood Football Club hosted two AFL matches at Norwood Oval on the famous Parade in Adelaide’s Eastern Suburbs, as they did in 2023. The matches were sold out, Norwood had a huge food and wine festival along the Parade, and the Premier Peter Malinauskas, the architect of Gather Round was a regular presence at Norwood, as he was everywhere. He is seen by many as a potential future Prime Minster from the Labor side of politics.
If there was a third team from South Australia, it would have to be Norwood. It is the second most successful club after Port Adelaide and the next most famous. It boasts several celebrity supporters like the singer Paul Kelly, who played for the Under 19s, and folk singer Greg Champion of the Coodabeen Champions, not to mention local SA author and podcaster Malcolm ‘Rulebook’ Ashwood. Moreover, in politics too, legendary South Australian Premier Don Dunstan, the great social reformer of the 1970s was the Member for Norwood and ran a restaurant ‘Don’s Table’ on the Parade. The Norwood based seat of Dunstan (just won by Labor in a recent by-election), is named after its most famous MP. Don Dunstan may have been famous for wearing pink shorts into the South Australian Parliament when he was premier on a sweltering February day in Adelaide, but it may not be as well-known that he was ejected from parliament for wearing a Norwood guernsey after the 1978 grand final. And who ejected him? The speaker of the House of Assembly, Gil Langley, the Labor Member for Unley, a former wicketkeeper for Australian and rover for the Sturt football club (whom Norwood had defeated)
Norwood has a few things going for it. Norwood Oval is considered to be AFL standard, and Adelaide Oval could have a third tenant along with the Crows and Port. It has strong backing from Coopers Brewery and Wolf Blass wines. However, there would be likely opposition from the SANFL (who fear losing Port Adelaide to an AFL reserves competition) and from the Crows who may lose supporters returning to Norwood. Norwood would also have to modify its colours and playing kit given the similarity with Melbourne, as did Port Adelaide to avoid the wrath of Collingwood.
The success of Gather Round has promoted some hope for Norwood, but there is a view that two teams is enough for Adelaide, and the Port-Crows rivalry is a nice equilibrium like the Eagles-Freo divide in WA. However, they certainly did their chances no harm with two excellent games at Gather Round along with a great showcase of the Parade. If it is going to be, a third team from SA as the 20th team, it would have to be am existing club not a composite team, and that club is Norwood.
A version of this article was originally published on Footyology see https://footyology.com.au/
Professor Tim Harcourt is Chief Economist at the UTS Centre for Sport, Business & Society (CSBS) and host of Footynomics – The Economics of Sport. He specialises in Australia’s economic engagement with the Global Economy particularly Asia, Latin America and Emerging Markets. Tim has worked in both public policy and research roles in International Trade, Labour Markets, Climate Innovation and the Economics of Sport.
Tim also hosts Footynomics – The Economics of Sport
www.footynomics.com.au
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