Senior football figures Chris Scott and Neil Balme have cautioned against dramatic cuts to the AFL in the wake of the coronavirus-enforced shutdown of the competition.
Job losses have already been felt across the industry, with 80 per cent of staff at league headquarters and clubs stood down following the season’s postponement in March.
Further cuts and changes are looming as the AFL attempts to battle through arguably the biggest financial crisis in competition history.
Balme, Richmond’s football boss, is concerned by what the COVID-19 pandemic meant for the game’s future.
“If you cut too much we are going to narrow the game rather than broaden the game,” he told Nine’s Footy Classified.
“We can’t allow ourselves to be defined by the coronavirus, we have to get through it.
“I think we need to, at worst, stage things like reducing soft caps, rather than making a big cut.
“I think we would be very disappointed with our product if we did that.”
Scott has urged the AFL to do whatever it can to ensure the crisis isn’t long-lasting.
“To say you should over correct in a crisis doesn’t say it should be permanent,” the Geelong coach told Nine’s Footy Classified.
“That’s the challenge to make sure some of the short-term solutions won’t become long-term negatives for the game.
“To turn around and say you’re (clubs) not going to be developers of young talent anymore puts a big burden, a lot of pressure on who ends up managing the second or third-tier competitions.”