Should we follow the AFL?

[Surandy]

Footscray will be playing at Their old ground again probably.

But they've done an excellent job of hoodwinking the Melbourne public over the last 20 or so years. Letting them keep their curio pieces (Jerseys), while steadily assassinatiing the games suburban origins! Hats off to them I say.

Footscray, or Western Bulldogs as they are now known (there's heritage for you :roll: ) will never play at their old home ground as 15 to 20 years ago it was banned due to not meeting strict requirements, ie stand unsafe, inadequate emergency exits, etc. Plus the team is barely financial.

 

[greeneyed]

Fact is, this is why the AFL is so much better placed than the NRL today.

We need teams attracting large crowds in major stadiums and playing to national TV audiences.

How much do you think our game will be worth to the TV networks if we continue to limit the game to the suburbs of Sydney?

You think they will provide massive injections of cash, like the club CEOs were demanding this week (ie to cover their entire salary caps)?

We will end up like club rugby union if we continue down the path of suburbanism.

The people trying to keep our game played in suburban grounds will be the death of our sport.

Last time I saw the Bulldogs play at Belmore, they were turning people away and had 27000+ .
This game was built on suburban grounds.
I'd rather have Belmore packed than half the crowd trying to see the game from 10 miles away at the Showgrounds.
In the Bulldogs case, the club is also missing out on revenue from people who may have gone to the Leagues Club after the game.

And to grow, it will need to leave antiquated grounds like Belmore, as your club has recognised.

I am not saying that the Showground is a good league ground. It obviously isn't. It is surely exceptionally close to Canterbury, however. Anyway, there is a need for decent LEAGUE grounds with a capactiy of 30,000 in Sydney, not the mamoth Telstra.... and the idea of returning to grounds like Belmore.. I have never heard anything more ridiculous.

 

[Dr Crane]

The greatest oxymoron is AFL tradition.

 

[Tidus_Raider]

The other point to consider is that in Melbourne - all the the teams are essentially inner city suburbs - so moving their games to the city was not very far

In Sydney, most fans live in the area that the team is from e.g. I would expect at least 80% of Penrith fans live around Penrith. It would be silly for them to travel for "home" games

That's a good point. If you look at the Melbourne clubs:

Melbourne
Carlton
Hawthorn
Richmond
Collingwood
Essendon
Western Bulldogs
St.Kilda
Kangaroos

Most of these clubs are actually representing suburbs not regions. For example if the Sydney competition was based on this we would have such clubs like Strathfield, Newtown, Hurstville, Ashfield, Randwick, Rockdale, Botany etc.

Having said this AFL clubs have a stronger ties to their community even though they might not play at a 'traditional' home ground. I'm not being picky but take the Bulldogs and West Tigers for example.

The bulldogs used to be known as Canterbury-Bankstown. They had strong links with the area. They still do to some extent. But not like before.

It is known in league circles that the tigers represent the Campeltown and Balmain areas. However they train at concord. The tigers are in a unique predicament because they have to cater for two groups of fans.

This point was raised in the Sunday Telegraph by Paul Kent. I think all clubs should keep it's ties with the region it's from. I would love for the roosters to go back to being known as Easts. Bulldogs back to Canterbury. What sounds better: Bulldogs V Roosters or Canterbury V Easts. That's how you really build tribalism and rivarly. Right now there are some nomadic clubs in the NRL.

 

[Stormin Norman]

its a bad idea dont do it. Carlton have just made the move and i couldn't be angrier. sure the big games agaisnt essendon, richmond and colling wood have to be played at the g cause of the sheer amount of ppl that go to carlton v those teams. but y the hell wold i want to go see carlton v port at the g half empty and no intimadation atmosphere at all bad idea dont make the same mistake.