The move comes as the AFL battles rival sports and notably growing junior soccer numbers coupled with current annual immigration numbers contributing to more than half the population growth. Premiership coaches including Paul Roos and Kevin Sheedy have been vocal in recent years in criticising the development of junior talent. Although clubs would not gain special access to recruit players developed in their specified regions, the AFL is considering incentives such as bonus rookie selections via the draft. The new scheme would work to ensure clubs refrained from "hiding" specific junior talent with the view that successful multicultural development would benefit the entire competition.

The clubs have already been given some sketchy detail regarding their potential zones with the AFL review team mindful of the inevitable friction the allocations will create between some clubs.

Under the preliminary "back to the future" proposal Collingwood would work to develop multicultural talent in their traditional Diamond Valley zone, including areas such as Templestowe and Greensborough. Carlton are expected to work across Melbourne's northern corridor and potentially including Indigenous talent in the Jacana region, which has become a strong focus of the AFL.

While the AFL is recruiting a strong proportion of Indigenous players through the draft it still struggles to develop Victorian Aboriginal footballers from Victoria. The first focus of the club-aligned academies will be upon under-represented multicultural athletes although the national review into the game has recognised that the Victorian under-18 competition is not sufficiently developing teenaged talent.

Some clubs could have their academies split into various areas with North Melbourne looking at a Tasmanian development zone along with an inner-city academy while the Western Bulldogs are looking at a Ballarat-based academy along with a zone along Melbourne's inner-west.