Interstate Games

[tassiedog]

It is obvious that the revenue generated from selling our home games interstate is a financial necessity at the moment and will be for the foreseable future. I read with interest in the Age that the saints are looking at dropping home games in Tassie.
Here is a scenario for your comment:

We drop home games in darwin and take up the slack in Tassie. Maybe 2 per year.

The benefits are that the travel is less taxing on the playing group than travel to Darwin (which is a real concern IMO) and that it is easier for supporters to get to the interstate games.
Oh, And I also get to see a few more games.

[rodogs]

I reckon we should sell two of our home games to the MCG. Less travel, eastern suburbanites can see the dogs in action, bigger crowds.

[PuzzledfromParkville]

I reckon we should sell two of our home games to the MCG. Less travel, eastern suburbanites can see the dogs in action, bigger crowds.

Can't people from the eastern suburbs travel a further 5 minutes down the road to the Dome?

On the topic, if we have to play interstate home games, I prefer to play in Darwin. I was up there last year and we were getting a bit of support from the locals. I would prefer though to play a Nth Melbourne or Carlton as I think there are a number of Port, Brisbane, WC and Freo fans in Darwin which lessens the impact

[Guido]

It is obvious that the revenue generated from selling our home games interstate is a financial necessity at the moment and will be for the foreseable future. I read with interest in the Age that the saints are looking at dropping home games in Tassie.
Here is a scenario for your comment:

We drop home games in darwin and take up the slack in Tassie. Maybe 2 per year.

The benefits are that the travel is less taxing on the playing group than travel to Darwin (which is a real concern IMO) and that it is easier for supporters to get to the interstate games.
I'm all for it.

The Saints contract was for $600K for two games - this was signed five years ago. In today's dollars, two of our games would have to be worth at least $650K-$700K. With Gold Coast entering the fray and throwing significant money around, Canberra also likely to become available, Sydney and Darwin still options, a bit of smart negotiation (playing cities off against each other) could see the figure easily hit $800K. For a couple of 40 minute flights.

My personal view is that Hobart (Bellerieve) is the way to go rather than Launceston. Purely because it has double the population. I don't know what the issue with Hobart has been in the past, but IMO it's by far and away the most lucrative untapped market at the moment.

If the Saints can generate 2000 members in a city with half the population and split between two teams (Hawthorn), I don't think a club like ours (with unparalled hype, on the rise and playing sexy footy) generating 3000 new members as Hobart's only team would be a massive assumption.

Suddenly rather than 26,000, 30,000 members becomes a realistic target. They're numbers that we can't even begin to dream of generating in Darwin. The last I heard, the number of new Darwin-based members we've attracted since starting up there is less than 500.

There's a different Tasmanian Premier to deal with who wouldn't want to be the one who turned down the chance for the state to host elite footy. If the Tassie government can come up with a similar dollar figure per game as Darwin is offering, it's a no-brainer IMO. If we negotiate well and get them desperate to attract us, then we might make even more per game than the Darwin excercise.

But even if it's slightly less, the scope for significantly more members coupled with the fact that Darwin is much more taxing on the playing group would still swing it in Tassie's favour.

Get in there doggies.