smaller stadium would help AFL clubs make a profit

[BulldogBelle]

Western Bulldogs president Peter Gordon says playing at a smaller stadium would help AFL clubs make a profit


CHRIS VERNUCCIO, BEN WATERWORTH
Herald Sun
July 22, 2015

WESTERN Bulldogs president Peter Gordon says playing at a smaller stadium in Melbourne could earn the club up to an extra $4 million each season.

Gordon said the city needed a new stadium that catered for low-drawing games, offering Whitten Oval as a potential venue to upgrade.

He said the Bulldogs made a bigger profit playing at Cairns’ Cazaly’s Stadium in front of less than 10,000 people than it would at their 10 Etihad Stadium games combined.

“I think that Melbourne needs a new, bespoke stadium which maxes out at 25 to 30,000 (seats),” Gordon told SEN.

“A packed house looks so much better than an empty house and so many games are games of 25,000 to 30,000 so let’s make a profit on those games.

“Let’s do something exquisite and interesting and different. And of course one of those options is the Whitten Oval.

“I’m sure the Saints and the Demons and various other parts of town might be thinking that too.

“But one of the advantages that (Whitten Oval’s) got is that it’s three or four Teddy Whitten drop kicks away from the CBD.”

When asked what it would take for Whitten Oval – which hasn’t hosted an official AFL match since 1997 – to permanently host games, Gordon said it would take a “major capital investment”.

Gordan said the Bulldogs playing half their home games at a smaller stadium, instead of Etihad Stadium, “would pump our revenue by $2 to $4 million dollars every year”.

Gordon also revealed the Bulldogs investigated shifting their Round 7 clash against Fremantle from Etihad Stadium to Whitten Oval because of a clash with the A-League grand final.

But he said the cost of playing the one-off game at the Bulldogs’ official home base was too excessive.

The official attendance at the match was 18,970.

“When the cost of actually playing the one game there got up to over $1 million we called it off, because on the cost benefit analysis it just wasn’t there,” Gordon said.

“The biggest impediment was we now sell 6000 reserved seats at Etihad Stadium and I think there’s around 2000 seats now in the old E.J. Whitten Stand.

“To get another 4000 (seats), the best option was to try and borrow them from the Grand Prix, who put them up and take them down at Albert Park for that weekend. But even that was going to cost several hundred thousand dollars.”

Gordon told the Herald Sun in March he would love to see premiership games return to Whitten Oval after a crowd of 9500 attended a NAB challenge game between the Bulldogs and Richmond.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/western-bulldogs-president-peter-gordon-says-playing-at-a-smaller-stadium-would-help-afl-clubs-make-a-profit/story-fni5fazt-1227453018928

[BulldogBelle]

Love to see this happen but highly unlickley.

[Mofra]

Dare to dream. Unlikely, but stranger things have happened.

[Murphy'sLore]

At least it's on the agenda and hopefully there might be a bit of conversation about the possibility. It's not the dumbest idea in the world.

[Eastdog]

Would love Whitten Oval to be revived to see a home game or two there. In the end most likely not to happen. If not WO how about E-gate is that still on the radar or out of the picture like the proposed boutique stadium at the Showgrounds.

[G-Mo77]

At least it's on the agenda and hopefully there might be a bit of conversation about the possibility. It's not the dumbest idea in the world.

Certainly not a dumb idea and if it does get the go ahead it would be huge for our club! Princess Park seems like a waste to me and would be an option as well. Both grounds do need some serious work put into them though.

[Mofra]

Certainly not a dumb idea and if it does get the go ahead it would be huge for our club! Princess Park seems like a waste to me and would be an option as well. Both grounds do need some serious work put into them though.
Princess Park doesn't have a train station - that should be a firm requirement for any boutique station

[Eastdog]

Princess Park doesn't have a train station - that should be a firm requirement for any boutique station

Back in the day I believe it did but not today.

[bornadog]

Princess Park doesn't have a train station - that should be a firm requirement for any boutique station

You mean Princes Park

[G-Mo77]

Princess Park doesn't have a train station - that should be a firm requirement for any boutique station

How far is the train station from WO?

[hujsh]

The impossible is becoming more and more possible it seems

[Murphy'sLore]

How far is the train station from WO?

Couldn't be closer unless you disembarked in the John Gent Stand.

[The Underdog]

Couldn't be closer unless you disembarked in the John Gent Stand.

Further away than it used to be. I like the new station though.

It's a fine idea until you come to the question of who is going to pay for it.

[Eastdog]

Further away than it used to be. I like the new station though.

It's a fine idea until you come to the question of who is going to pay for it.

Yes I liked West Footscray station too. Nice modern design.

[bornadog]

The government or any other organisation should not be spending $100 million on a new stadium. The AFL should buy Eithad and then make it work for all tenants. Clearly the current arrangements don't work for the clubs there.

As a club, we need more members and more people attending games and to fill the stadium every week or at least get 35k every time we play there. We as supporters need to take responsibility.

[GVGjr]

You mean Princes Park

Mofra is remembering when Craig Bradley played there ;)

[Twodogs]

Would love Whitten Oval to be revived to see a home game or two there. In the end most likely not to happen. If not WO how about E-gate is that still on the radar or out of the picture like the proposed boutique stadium at the Showgrounds.

Steady on Easty. The show grounds are in, gasp, Essendon...


How far is the train station from WO?

By the time you get out of the pedestrian bridge you are literally across the road from the ground.


The government or any other organisation should not be spending $100 million on a new stadium. The AFL should buy Eithad and then make it work for all tenants. Clearly the current arrangements don't work for the clubs there.

As a club, we need more members and more people attending games and to fill the stadium every week or at least get 35k every time we play there. We as supporters need to take responsibility.

We definatly need more members.

[F'scary]

I like the business analysis that Gordon has got our administration doing. Good stuff.

[SonofScray]

Steady on Easty. The show grounds are in, gasp, Essendon...

.

A little bit off the mark there! I lived across the road for 25 years and would have knocked myself off if I had to say I grew up in Essendon. Ascot Vale, top of the scale.

[Twodogs]

A little bit off the mark there! I lived across the road for 25 years and would have knocked myself off if I had to say I grew up in Essendon. Ascot Vale, top of the scale.


There is Footscray, North Melbourne and Essendon in that area. I don't know of anywhere else ;)

[Eastdog]

There is Footscray, North Melbourne and Essendon in that area. I don't know of anywhere else ;)

Geographically they are the 2 clubs closest to us.

[Twodogs]

Geographically they are the 2 clubs closest to us.

That's why we hate them so much Easty.

[Eastdog]

That's why we hate them so much Easty.

Yep I love it when we beat both of them. Need to beat Essendon this year. St Kilda although not as close geograhically is another we have formed a rivalry with.

[Twodogs]

Yep I love it when we beat both of them. Need to beat Essendon this year. St Kilda although not as close geograhically is another we have formed a rivalry with.

We also played our first ever competitive game against St Kilda in 1883.

[Bulldog4life]

We also played our first ever competitive game against St Kilda in 1883.

You have a great memory Twodogs;)

[Twodogs]

You have a great memory Twodogs;)


I remember it well. Their captain refused to agree to a vital free kick to is right at the end!

[Eastdog]

I remember it well. Their captain refused to agree to a vital free kick to is right at the end!

You weren't even born then Twodogs:D :D but you certainly know our club history very well.

[SonofScray]

Ascot Vale is like the "Five Points" from Gangs of New York. Or the Gaza strip. Essendon, North and Doggies fans abound, fighting for territory.

[Eastdog]

Ascot Vale is like the "Five Points" from Gangs of New York. Or the Gaza strip. Essendon, North and Doggies fans abound, fighting for territory.

Are you still around there SOS?

[SonofScray]

Are you still around there SOS?

I am in Sunshine North now mate. Marginally closer to the WO and I get to drive past EJ and Dougie out the front of the Braybrook Hotel every day.

[jeemak]

Any new venue will need to have a playing surface large enough to replicate Etihad as a minimum (though more room around the flanks via a more circular format would be preferable), and it would be best if it had a roof as well.

The latter is a pipe dream, though the Whitten Oval is a horrible place for football simply because of the wind, and any move away from a roofed venue to Whitten Oval would immediately see complaints about comfort become more prevalent than any compliments about atmosphere and affordability. If folk from the east can't be bothered getting to Docklands, you can be sure as shit they won't come to Footscray for a windy and wet day at the footy.

Essentially PG is angling for either a better stadium deal to be negotiated, or a chance at the AFL buying the venue sooner rather than later so we don't do our balls each time we play there.

It's nothing more than that.

[bornadog]

Essentially PG is angling for either a better stadium deal to be negotiated, or a chance at the AFL buying the venue sooner rather than later so we don't do our balls each time we play there.

It's nothing more than that.

Spot on Jeemak

[Flamethrower]

Etihad Stadium is small enough....we really need the AFL to stop wasting money in Western Sydney & on the Gold Coast and buy the stadium early.

For games with small attendances close off level 3 and make level 1 behind each goals general admission.

[Eastdog]

Etihad Stadium is small enough....we really need the AFL to stop wasting money in Western Sydney & on the Gold Coast and buy the stadium early.

For games with small attendances close off level 3 and make level 1 behind each goals general admission.

Yep that's the problem the AFL has plenty of money to help in Victoria but they choose to help more in New South Wales and Queensland which while now we have to accept today it's a national competition and that's what there going to do but they are not AFL states much like SA and WA aren't NRL States and those states don't have NRL teams and yet NSW and QLD have now 2 AFL teams each.

[Twodogs]

Etihad Stadium is small enough....we really need the AFL to stop wasting money in Western Sydney & on the Gold Coast and buy the stadium early.

For games with small attendances close off level 3 and make level 1 behind each goals general admission.

Like they did for the VFL Grand Final last year. In the end they had to go open L3 due to the size of the crowd but a heap of us on the bottom two levels is the best atmosphere I've seen.

Winning the flag helped with the atmosphere heaps too.

[Eastdog]

All grounds can have had good and bad atmosphere at times. Its what the supporters do to make the atmosphere a great example as Twodogs brought up was the VFL Grand Final last year at Etihad.

[bornadog]

Etihad Stadium is small enough....we really need the AFL to stop wasting money in Western Sydney & on the Gold Coast and buy the stadium early.

For games with small attendances close off level 3 and make level 1 behind each goals general admission.

Agree, also work on low margins, so reduce the cost of a ticket but get more people in. Open up the catering to more caterers that can compete with each other. Have multicultural food outlets like Kebabs, Indian Food, etc that can produce good food at reasonable prices.

I would also cut back Medallion Club and allow more people into level 2. It is usually empty for most games

[jeemak]

Agree, also work on low margins, so reduce the cost of a ticket but get more people in. Open up the catering to more caterers that can compete with each other. Have multicultural food outlets like Kebabs, Indian Food, etc that can produce good food at reasonable prices.

I would also cut back Medallion Club and allow more people into level 2. It is usually empty for most games

What a magnificent idea.

A really great aspect of one particular festival I attend is the quality of the food offerings. If you want your crap you can get it, but if you want some diversity and quality choice it's available and plentiful at a reasonable price. You could rotate vendors through particular points of the ground to provide some variety to the punters.

My brother went to the G last night for the RM/MC game and was astonished by how bad the food was (he doesn't attend many sporting events - mainly because he is more jaded and critical of everything than I am). Having not had dinner after work before getting to the game he was forced to choose from something in the Ponsford Stand and was completely disgusted by what was on offer and the prices.