Valued Opinions Online Survey Panel Backs Rules Change For AFL Grand Final
Valued Opinions opinion poll finds that 82% of online panel members back the introduction of extra time in the event of a draw in the AFL Grand Final.

LONDON, ENGLAND, November 26, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Valued Opinions has released the results of an opinion poll, conducted in the aftermath of this year's AFL Grand Final between Collingwood and St Kilda, that shows that an overwhelming majority of online panel members support changes to the rules to allow extra time to be played in the event of a draw.

This year's Grand Final on the 25th of September 2010 was the first final since 1977 to end in a tie and although Collingwood eventually prevailed in the replay the following week, the incident has seen the AFL come under pressure from players and fans to change the rules governing the competition.

Just as they did in 1977, the current AFL rules state that in the case of a Grand Final draw, no extra time should be played and that the match will be replayed the following week. The choice of a replay over extra time has always been a source of controversy and in the wake of the outcome of the first Grand Final game this year, it has once again moved to the forefront of public discussion.

Many fans are calling for the AFL to alter its ruling on drawn Grand Finals, with a number of high profile players also coming out to appeal for change. Collingwood captain Nick Maxwell said in a post-game interview after the first match that "It's probably going to take this for the AFL to change the rules, it's an absolute joke."

But the AFL and current chief Andrew Demetriou are standing by the existing rules. "We don't change rules with a knee-jerk reaction to something that's happened yesterday," Demetriou said. "I'm sure that at a point in time the AFL executive will review and consider all of its options, but we all went to yesterday's game understanding one of the options was a draw."

In a world where public opinion matters more than ever before, paid online survey websites like Valued Opinions are at the forefront of measuring the public mood, now a determining factor in many debates. Through its expansive database of users and international reach, Valued Opinions was able to gauge the Australian public's feelings on the issue through an online opinion poll asking 'Should the AFL add extra time in a drawn Grand Final?'

The online poll results that came back were conclusively one-sided, with 82% of respondents agreeing that the AFL should award extra time in the event of a Grand Final draw. The results, taken from a sample panel representative of the Australian public, show that AFL officials are significantly out of step with popular opinion on the issue.

Whether Valued Opinions online surveys will influence the AFL debate on the altering the rules for the Grand Final is unclear. There is one certainty though; that this topic will surely be debated for some time in Australia.

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