The AFL is embracing Nepo Babies?: Why the Father-Son Rule is a good thing  

Ashcroft. Daicos. Silvagni. Ablett. Some of the most famous names in the Australian Football League (AFL), some of which have been present in the AFL for generations. The Father-Son rule was created in 1949 in the Victorian Football League (VFL) which allowed players in the draft to be drafted by the same club their father played for. The rule has undergone many changes in its time but now states that a sons father has to have played a minimum of 100 games for a club to be considered for the rule.

There is a beauty in the father-son rule in the AFL. No other sport worldwide has this unique rule. The rule allows for stories of families to continue for generations. In recent years, the rule has come under fire from both club officials and AFL supporters. The AFL considered adding road blocks to clubs getting their father-son picks. While this would make for a less compromised competitive draft, players would still have the ability to move clubs after their initial contract to the club in which their father played, therefore making it pointless to change the rule. Is a compromised draft a bad thing? Yes it is but eliminating a concept this is exclusive to our game is a worse idea. The argument that the rule endangers the notion of a draft is ridiculous as the team bidding on the player get more picks later in that draft or future drafts therefore adding to their squad depth. 

I am a lover of the father-son rule. Seeing fathers and sons embrace on draft night knowing they are continuing a family name at a club brings warmth to my heart. There is no reason to get rid of something that makes our game unique. Seeing the joy on not only the families but the supporters faces when a son plays their first game for a club or gets their first touch is unmatched, especially when it’s the son of your favourite former player. Our game is made better by stories like Will Ashcroft, Gary Ablett Jr and the Daicos brothers. The father-son rule HAS to be a part of our game for now and forever. If you believe that father-son rule should be abolished, just say you don’t enjoy seeing stories continue through generations.