Selling Home Games. Other options apart from Sydney.

[G-Mo77]

I'm getting pretty tired of doubling up against the Swans on their home turf. OK Canberra isn't exactly their home but it's pretty close. For once during the regular season I would love to bring them to Melbourne and play them on our home turf. I'm not saying get rid of the home away from home games as it's obviously a good injection of cash to the club but does it have to be Sydney all the time? Do we have a contract that obliges us to play Sydney?

While on this topic.

What is happening with New Zealand? Did we make any roads there?

Carrara maybe? Anything holding us back from playing there?

[Flamethrower]

Now that NSW has 2 teams, there is no reason for the AFL to force us to play a home game in Canberra. The Giants should play 1 to 2 home games there instead.

With the amount of money coming into the game thanks to the new media rights, in the future the AFL should only play relocated games in Canberra (GWS home games), Tasmania (Hawthorn home games in Launceston and North Melbourne home games in Hobart), Darwin (Port Adelaide home games) and Cairns (Gold Coast Suns home games).

Other regions can host NAB Cup and NAB Challenge games to help take the game to different areas, including New Zealand.

[1eyedog]

I am still interested in playing Sydney at KP if we can come to some kind of mutually beneficial arrangement with Geelong.

[ledge]

Didnt we recently finish our Canberra experiment after this contract?
Think its NZ next.

[OLD SCRAGGer]

Here's a novel thought....LET'S NOT SELL ANY GAMES!!!!!!:eek::D

[bornadog]

Ideally all home games at Eitihad but the deal there is pathethic so:


11 home games should be split like this:

Eitihad 7

MCG 1

Kardinia Park - 2 - against an interstate team

NZ - 1

[BulldogBelle]

Would be better to play GWS twice away rather than the Swans twice away next season.

We could pencil in 2 wins....

[LostDoggy]

I am still interested in playing Sydney at KP if we can come to some kind of mutually beneficial arrangement with Geelong.

Are you serious?
How many Dogs fans were there for the match against the Cats earlier this season!?
It wont work.

[G-Mo77]

Here's a novel thought....LET'S NOT SELL ANY GAMES!!!!!!:eek::D

I'd love for that to happen. We're getting stronger financially but selling home game is a lot of money to the club.


Didnt we recently finish our Canberra experiment after this contract?
Think its NZ next.

That would be excellent, it would be a nice excuse to go over there again. Absolutely beautiful country!

[Mantis]

Are you serious?
How many Dogs fans were there for the match against the Cats earlier this season!?
It wont work.

Our supporters probably had access to 1,000 tickets againat Geelong.

It might a different story if we had access to the whole ground.

[LostDoggy]

Our supporters probably had access to 1,000 tickets againat Geelong.

It might a different story if we had access to the whole ground.

Good optimism, however imo, we wont get anywhere near capacity if we had a home game in Geelong.

[Mantis]

Good optimism, however imo, we wont get anywhere near capacity if we had a home game in Geelong.

We don't get anywhere near full capacity at ES so what is your point?

What is relevant is that we will make a $hitload more cash for a small crowd (say 15,000) at Geelong compared to ES... like more than double.

[ledge]

Havent we approached the AFL about playing in Geelong?
I know Geelong want us.
Have we had an answer?

[1eyedog]

Good optimism, however imo, we wont get anywhere near capacity if we had a home game in Geelong.

What's your opinion based on? Gut instinct? I watched a Bulldogs vs Fitzroy Lions preseason game there in the Lions final year of 1996 and there were 7,500 there. The thing is if we only get 15,000 people there it is still going to be a far and away better deal than what we get at Etihad.

You have to remember that Geelong is football crazy, they only get 7 or 8 home games a year and they have more members than can fit into the ground. Don't tell me the general pubic of Geelong won't flock to an AFL standard game in their home town and it's only 45 minutes down the road from the inner west.

I'd rather play home games there than in Darwin, Cairns, Canberra or Tasmania. It reduces the amount of travel our players do and means we are not playing in humid conditions as well. Geelong were keen, they'd make a bucket of cash on the bar alone.

Seems like it's worth doing a due diligence on it to me.

[The Coon Dog]

What's your opinion based on? Gut instinct? I watched a Bulldogs vs Fitzroy Lions preseason game there in the Lions final year of 1996 and there were 7,500 there. The thing is if we only get 15,000 people there it is still going to be a far and away better deal than what we get at Etihad.

You have to remember that Geelong is football crazy, they only get 7 or 8 home games a year and they have more members than can fit into the ground. Don't tell me the general pubic of Geelong won't flock to an AFL standard game in their home town and it's only 45 minutes down the road from the inner west.

Seems like it's worth doing a due diligence on it to me.

The AFL have made it clear, games can only be sold to 'developing markets' & they don't deem Geelong to be a developing market.

[1eyedog]

The AFL have made it clear, games can only be sold to 'developing markets' & they don't deem Geelong to be a developing market.

Does this mean that we are simply NOT allowed to play home games in Geelong under any circumstance? Why did we look at it then? Would it be a financially viable option if we took the gate and came to other arrangements with Geelong (i.e food stalls and bar).

[Doc26]

I'm assuming the AFL still have their contractual obligation to play a minimum number of 42 games at Etihad. Does this obligation in anyway impede our ability to negotiate seeing as they would be games removed from Etihad ? North are already moving home games away. Hopefully with the 2 expansion teams, meaning more games, there might be more flexibility and room to negotiate such a proposal.

[SonofScray]

Going to give the Geelong option a massive "Hell No." I hated the days of seeing us play at Carlton's home ground, thought it sucked for Fitzroy they had to play at ours and it generally stinks to me a something a Club on its knees has to do.

At least interstate games you can frame within the context of exploring new markets and all that clap trap. Get a decent holiday once or twice a year out of it.

Mostly though, I am over selling home games. I want to see us in town as much as possible.

[Sedat]

Going to give the Geelong option a massive "Hell No." I hated the days of seeing us play at Carlton's home ground, thought it sucked for Fitzroy they had to play at ours and it generally stinks to me a something a Club on its knees has to do.

At least interstate games you can frame within the context of exploring new markets and all that clap trap. Get a decent holiday once or twice a year out of it.

Mostly though, I am over selling home games. I want to see us in town as much as possible.
I loved seeing our matches at Princes Park, mostly because we had such a great record in those years there (and also because I lived in West Brunny at the time).

Geelong is an interesting option so long as we get a very competitive rate from the landlord - if push comes to shove I'd rather contribute to Geelong's bottom line than Collo's. If we make more money at Kardinia Park bring it on I say, provided the games are scheduled for 1.45pm on the Saturday under the new TV rights agreement - a 4.00pm ish finish gives the Melbourne based punters extra time to get home at a decent hour.

[1eyedog]

Going to give the Geelong option a massive "Hell No." I hated the days of seeing us play at Carlton's home ground, thought it sucked for Fitzroy they had to play at ours and it generally stinks to me a something a Club on its knees has to do.

At least interstate games you can frame within the context of exploring new markets and all that clap trap. Get a decent holiday once or twice a year out of it.

Mostly though, I am over selling home games. I want to see us in town as much as possible.

If the club is not financially sustainable you can forget about seeing the Bulldogs play anywhere. Fitzroy were homeless a long time before they started playing games at the Western Oval but I get the point. For me, I would rather watch the Bulldogs play in Melton West than not at all. Times have changed, money talks and home grounds walk. We need to look at the option to take the pressure of the club. That's the reality and we can complain about playing at KP or VISY Park all we like. You think Ethihad stadium feels like a home ground?