Western Bulldogs or Footscray? Where do you stand?

[The Bulldogs Bite]

'Western Bulldogs' is very generic and meh to me.

Unrelated but it's why I don't like the 'Western United' name in the A-League - like, is that really the best you can come up with? It's soulless.

Footscray is REAL. It has a soul. It's vibrant and growing. Go back to it.

[Jeanette54]

I remember once writing a small missive detailing the 1950's journey from Vermont (all green and apple orchards then) to the family's spiritual home in Footscray. Back then it was kind of the reverse of Dorothy's journey from the black and white Kansas to the colour of Oz. Footscray was a gritty monotone world of grey, broken only by dull red, tin rooves. Outstanding from this morass of grey, industrial boredom was the tricolour flag atop the John Gent stand, easily seen from my Great Grandmother's Picket Street backyard. Western Oval had a magical feel for a kid of the fifties, and so my heart says yes to club name returning to its Footscray roots.

But I have to say times have changed and it's a new world. Just as I will forever tout EJ as the best Bulldog ever, and never concede that title to The Bont (my Grandfather always loyally supported Alan Hopkins in that argument). So, a new generation of supporters has been born and nurtured with the name Western Bulldogs. I love we still have a Footscray in the VFL, and that Western Oval is still our club's spiritual home. But (whether I like it, or not) the future belongs to the Western Bulldogs, and so I will vote for that. PS. Of course I love the Bont, just don't tell anyone.

[bornadog]

I remember once writing a small missive detailing the 1950's journey from Vermont (all green and apple orchards then) to the family's spiritual home in Footscray. Back then it was kind of the reverse of Dorothy's journey from the black and white Kansas to the colour of Oz. Footscray was a gritty monotone world of grey, broken only by dull red, tin rooves. Outstanding from this morass of grey, industrial boredom was the tricolour flag atop the John Gent stand, easily seen from my Great Grandmother's Picket Street backyard. Western Oval had a magical feel for a kid of the fifties, and so my heart says yes to club name returning to its Footscray roots.

But I have to say times have changed and it's a new world. Just as I will forever tout EJ as the best Bulldog ever, and never concede that title to The Bont (my Grandfather always loyally supported Alan Hopkins in that argument). So, a new generation of supporters has been born and nurtured with the name Western Bulldogs. I love we still have a Footscray in the VFL, and that Western Oval is still our club's spiritual home. But (whether I like it, or not) the future belongs to the Western Bulldogs, and so I will vote for that. PS. Of course I love the Bont, just don't tell anyone.

Double like this post

[Prince Imperial]

I was born in 1968 and I recall writing to David Smorgon supporting the move to Princes Park but opposing the name change. He never responded but all these years later I am of the view that he and his taskforce who took over the club when it was again on its knees were correct.

Emotionally, I would prefer Footscray but we now have 27 seasons of history as the Western Bulldogs including AFL and AFLW premierships and finally financial security and a venue and training/admin facility of genuine quality achieved under this latter name.

Our home for over 100 years was known as the Western Oval which is a key part of our heritage and is reflected in our new name. I'm still not convinced that there are no longer quite common negative views of the suburb in the general community given the social problems that are still evident on any visit to its shopping area.

I'm not a Christian but they believe that Jesus is/was both fully human and fully God. In a similar way, I view our club as both fully Footscray and fully Western Bulldogs and hope we can somehow acknowledge them both. This week goes someway towards that.

Of course given my name, I also believe there should be a third option in this poll and thread...

[D Mitchell]

I was born in 1968 and I recall writing to David Smorgon supporting the move to Princes Park but opposing the name change. He never responded but all these years later I am of the view that he and his taskforce who took over the club when it was again on its knees were correct.......

Bolded bits. You were more right than Smorgon. The Club remains the second least supported of Victorian Clubs according to the most recent Roy Morgan survey. Raw numbers might have changed but not proportions. In 1997, the population of Melbourne was 3.3 mil, it's now 5.1 mil, that why the raw numbers have improved. A pity you weren't more persuasive

[Prince Imperial]

Bolded bits. You were more right than Smorgon. The Club remains the second least supported of Victorian Clubs according to the most recent Roy Morgan survey. Raw numbers might have changed but not proportions. In 1997, the population of Melbourne was 3.3 mil, it's now 5.1 mil, that why the raw numbers have improved. A pity you weren't more persuasive

That survey shows we are very close to St Kilda (353k fans over 14 years old to 341k). I very much doubt that we would have been that close to them in 1997 and they almost always had bigger crowds from the 60s onwards than us. However, I strongly suspect that more kids follow us than them today and I reckon it is likely we will go past them in the coming years.

The figures in these annual surveys have some statistical variation and we were ahead of the Demons in the same survey in 2022. Unfortunately, they've were better than us in the 2021-23 years including some match in Perth I vaguely recall. I reckon though back in 1997 they were probably further ahead of us than that last survey.

In terms of club finances, we actually receive the least amount of variable AFL funding of the small Vic 4 and up to $3m less than the Saints and Roos. All of these clubs were stronger than us financially in the late 90s.

There is and was never any hope of us surpassing the other six Vic clubs given their historical success


https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/s...and-west-coast

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/...02-p5chix.html

[Hotdog60]

There is and was never any hope of us surpassing the other six Vic clubs given their historical success.

Especially when they are gifted block busters and prime time viewing all that exposure just keeps your supporter base growing.

[angelopetraglia]

Especially when they are gifted block busters and prime time viewing all that exposure just keeps your supporter base growing.

100%

Self fulfilling prophecy.

[D Mitchell]

That survey shows we are very close to St Kilda (353k fans over 14 years old to 341k). I very much doubt that we would have been that close to them in 1997 and they almost always had bigger crowds from the 60s onwards than us. However, I strongly suspect that more kids follow us than them today and I reckon it is likely we will go past them in the coming years.

The figures in these annual surveys have some statistical variation and we were ahead of the Demons in the same survey in 2022. Unfortunately, they've were better than us in the 2021-23 years including some match in Perth I vaguely recall. I reckon though back in 1997 they were probably further ahead of us than that last survey.

In terms of club finances, we actually receive the least amount of variable AFL funding of the small Vic 4 and up to $3m less than the Saints and Roos. All of these clubs were stronger than us financially in the late 90s.

There is and was never any hope of us surpassing the other six Vic clubs given their historical success


https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/s...and-west-coast

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/...02-p5chix.html

How wide the variance between 2nd and 3rd worst, how much better managed the Club is than, currently, St Kilda or North, doesn't change the fact that the Club is in no stronger a position, in terms of support than it was pre Smorgon, just much better managed. The business name could have been Tangmalangmloo Bulldogs for all the impact it had on support growth.

Do you not see the irony of support for long term name change coming from someone inspired by the shortest name change in VFA/VFL/AFL history ? What's the story on le changement du nom vers celui d'un membre de la monarchie francaise in largely Cornish originated settled Footscray ?

[Prince Imperial]

How wide the variance between 2nd and 3rd worst, how much better managed the Club is than, currently, St Kilda or North, doesn't change the fact that the Club is in no stronger a position, in terms of support than it was pre Smorgon, just much better managed. The business name could have been Tangmalangmloo Bulldogs for all the impact it had on support growth.

Do you not see the irony of support for long term name change coming from someone inspired by the shortest name change in VFA/VFL/AFL history ? What's the story on le changement du nom vers celui d'un membre de la monarchie francaise in largely Cornish originated settled Footscray ?

The PI name was a short, long ago part of our history that appears bizarre today but was kind of understandable at the time as the death of the Prince at the hands of the Zulus in 1879 meant he was considered a hero of the British Empire in a way that would have resonated with British Footscray for a short period. Of course, as evidenced by the ... in my above post I am being humorous about the name and I don't believe we should change back to it or that it of any relevance to this debate.

Under the WB monitor we have been more successful in obtaining support from different levels of government for our facilities (substantially more than any other Melbourne club) and from corporate sponsors. Mission who chose us over the Demons are by far our longest major sponsor. Having a broader identity is likely to have helped politically in getting government support as it presents that it for a region and not just one suburb.

Unfortunately, we failed under the Footscray name in the League and were once again on the verge of insolvency at the end of 1996 and we were very widely perceived by all and sundry as losers. The WB now are not. There's a lot of reasons for that but it's churlish to assert that the name change hasn't helped us at all off the field.

It is worth having a read of the recent below article about downtown Footscray which presents it in a very negative light. Rightly or wrongly, this situation has not and is not going to help us get support outside the suburb or the corporate world.

[Currently there are approximately 70 retail spaces empty in Footscray CBD. Little Saigon is a bomb site, along with Forges, which has long gone to Ashley Street and finally closed for good last year. Paint Spot gone. The Western end of Barkly Street has 14 empty shops, including the old Ted?s and Jimmy Wong?s.

What?s odd though is, for all the talk of gentrification there is little sign of it in Footscray. Seddon, Yarraville and WeFo are a very different story.

The weakening economy is hitting hard around here. Reaching Out in the Inner West is doing great work supplying food to over 300 people on Monday evenings. For the first time I am seeing people sleeping in doorways.]

https://thewestsider.com.au/will-dow...really-change/

[ledge]

I’m fine with it , we needed to broaden out from just Footscray but we stayed in Footscray, we trade as Footscray, we have FFC on the back of our jumpers and our VFL side is Footscray.
Our roots are very much promoted and respected.
Not sure any club has come close to ours in that regard.
Most big clubs have kept the name but don’t even train at their own ground anymore, lost the history of the ground.
Collingwood . Bombers, Melbourne even the Hawks.
To be honest I think that’s been part of the downfall at the bombers , kicked out of Windy Hill and forced to train at some half arse ground in Tullamarine.
Past Essendon players have mentioned the Hanger has no history no vibe about it.
I’m extremely happy the tasteful way we changed, we had to rebrand.

[dukedog]

I think from a marketing point of view they have it right. I just say 'the doggies' though.

FWIW i like the 'Scray. 'Scray Dogs. hahahaha

[Eastdog]

Would vote Footscray as well but honestly not fussed either way as I have been used to the Western Bulldogs. We are still the same club based in Footscray at the Whitten Oval with the over 100 year history and are red white and blue.

Was really good singing the old Footscray song tonight. I did a good job with the words

I think we respect the heritage a lot with the F.F.C signature on the jumper.

[jeemak]

I'm tied to the colours/ the jumper. The red, white and blue as long as it's close to home is all I need.

My grandfather played for the club, both sides of my family are red, white and blue and none of them had a home in Footscray over time. Footscray or Western Bulldogs is OK with me.

There's a reason why you pin your colours to a mast. And not a name.

[Eastdog]

I'm tied to the colours/ the jumper. The red, white and blue as long as it's close to home is all I need.

Still based in Footscray and never really moved away from there as our training base which a few others clubs have.