Coates Talent League ‘running on fumes’ as concerns over funding, coaching come to a head
Forty per cent of AFL draftees come out of the Coates Talent League, but insiders are sounding the alarm that the under 18s competition is facing a Victorian wipe-out at this year’s draft.
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AFL recruiters fear cost-cutting and a strain on resources in the AFL’s Coates Talent League is draining football’s talent pool.
The 2025 national draft looks one of the weakest on record, with scouts underwhelmed by the Vic Metro and Vic Country teams.
Both have struggled in the Under-18 championships, with Vic Metro falling in its first game and Vic Country losing both its matches.
But some industry figures believe a Victorian wipe-out could be a wake-up call and the spur for the AFL to throw more resources into the Coates Talent League.
One region manager said last week that the competition “is running on fumes’’.
Coaches, officials and recruiters believe the league must invest funds into the Coates Talent League, where senior coaches are paid about $80,000.
The lack of money has prompted a string of prominent former AFL players to stay away from the Under 18 scene and seek higher-paying roles elsewhere.
One industry figure said a paucity of candidates for a position two years ago left the AFL scrambling to find a suitable coach.
“It was embarrassing,’’ he said.
A 200-game AFL player was approached about taking on a Coates Talent League position last year but scoffed when told of the salaries for the boys and girls programs, suggesting it was low pay and long hours.
A number of talent identification managers walked away when financial cuts were made during Covid. One said he would no longer be able to feed his family.
The post-Covid crunch has left region managers looking after the male and female programs and clubs watching every cent.
Where they could once pay modest sums to talent spotters, they now rely on volunteers.
The league says its investment in the Coates Talent League has never been greater but clubs now running boys and girls squads are battling to provide elite programs.
Clubs say they are so financially strapped that they are forced to choose between buying footballs and equipment for training or apparel like club-issued hoodies for players.
Quality assistant coaches are hard to find because they can get a lot more money at local level.
Coates Talent League senior coaches sign contracts that prevent them from working elsewhere, with the league arguing a conflict of interest if they work for private schools or as talent spotters for player agents.
A procession of senior Coates League coaches has been forced out because of the modest salaries.
One AFL recruiter said this week that elite draft prospects only 10 games away from playing in the AFL were not being properly equipped for the highest level.
“We interview them at the back-end of the year and at a bare minimum every kid should have individual vision every week and know what their GPS data is like, then have areas of improvement they can go out and train,” he said.
“Some of the kids have never seen vision, don’t know what their GPS is, they have no strong feedback about areas of improvement.”
Former Coates League officials fear the lack of scouting means the best talent is not always finding its way into elite programs.
One Coates League coach said of their concerns: “We produce more AFL players than anyone else. And the assumption is that’s going to happen forever. But we are relying on volunteers to watch kids and put their names forward. They are doing it from their own goodwill.”
There is continual tension between Victoria’s talent pathways given the Coates Talent League clubs are often prevented from accessing players who, because of scholarships, must commit to private school football.
AFL recruiters believe the talent in the APS system is thin but those players are often taken out of the Under 18s for weeks at a time.
Given the faster pace and higher standard of the Coates Talent League, they often take two or three games to find their form again, denying them valuable time to advertise their ability to AFL recruiters.
Callum Smith, the grandson of AFL great Kevin Bartlett, walked away from school football this year, believing he was better off playing solely for the Dandenong Stingrays.
One former Coates League senior coach said low salaries were affecting the quality of the standard on show.
“Right now you are not getting the best and the brightest because it’s just not doable with the cost of living. Some really good coaches have had to step away because it’s not affordable for someone to move their family to the country and set up camp on $80,000 a year.
“You think of what the NBA and NFL spend on their college systems and think about what the AFL is spending on academies yet 40 per cent of kids still come out Victoria.”
Recruiters have also highlighted to the AFL the lack of dedicated coaches for the Under 18 teams at the nationals.
The positions are being rotated rather than funded as fixed roles, as had been the case.
Recruiters say a lot of the problems begin in the pre-season, when some clubs struggle to find a permanent training venue.
This year players from one squad apparently put on their boots for the first time in early March, having been kicked off a Sub-District cricket ground and then a private school.
“That side of it is poor. They keep too many kids on and they don’t do enough training, so the quality of the skills is average,’’ a scout said, adding that perhaps the AFL’s purchase of Waverley Park could help with ground availability.
Fixture clashes also frustrate the AFL recruiting divisions, with Coates Talent League games often played on the same day as the national championships.
“You can get weekends where you’ve got school stuff, Coates, national trials, Young Guns … it’s spreading it too thin,’’ a recruiter said.
“The nationals should have an uninterrupted run and not be going against Coates.
“We haven’t got the staff to cover everything.’’
Originally published as Coates Talent League ‘running on fumes’ as concerns over funding, coaching come to a head
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