btdg
10 Dec 2007, 17:53
Throughout the whole NM to Gold Coast saga, the presumption has been that the AFL wanted North to leave Melbourne. But what if the opposite was true - that what they really wanted was to consolidate North's position in Melbourne. Think about the before and after of the situation:
Before: North had a disjointed board, and very little direction. Had disowned their own North Melbourne roots and disaffected many of their own supporters. Flirted with Canberra, Sydney and the Gold Coast as alternative home grounds, but never succeeded in any of them. Many of their own fans suspected a move was inevitable and were dispassionate as a result. The few that were passionate hated the board and the AFL for leading them along that path. Sponsors didn't want to commit, members didn't want to invest too heavily for fear of being burnt with the clubs 'inevitable' demise.
After: North has a united board. It has rediscovered its North Melbourne roots and gone back to its old name, and is looking at playing all its games in Melbourne. The fans are passionate and paid-up again, with 7500 members for next year already; any they are willing to commit emotionally and financially because they no longer suspect the team is leaving again. They have a new major sponsor that they poached from a local rival. On-field, they are a top 4 team and remain arguably the most successful team of the past 30 years. North are on the front page of every newspaper and James Brayshaw is probably the second-best known administrator in the sport now after Eddie McGuire.
Demetriou is a North man originally - could it be that his irrational push to bring the timeline forward was a hidden move to stabilise and mobilise his previous club in the face of an administration that seemed to not have a clear direction for the future? From a more rational point of view, doesn't it make sense for the AFL to take this direction rather than propping up a directionless club for 5-10 years as it follows an inevitable downward spiral. With the added membership and mobilised supporter base, new sponsorship deal and better exposure on tv and elsewhere, the costs of maintaining the Kangaroos are far less for the immediate future than they would have been otherwise, and far, far less than propping up a relocated team on the Gold Coast. That benefits the Kangaroos, who are now more self-sufficient, and it benefits the rest of the clubs.
At the time, the Melbourne-Hawthorn merger seemed inevitable - the rejection of the merger seemed like the kiss of death for the Hawks (who were to be taken over). But since, they have been galvanised into perhaps the strongest Victorian team financially, taking responsbility for their own survival and strongly promoting their brand. Having a young supporter base (growing up on the clubs success 10 years earlier) helped, but it was the fight for survival that convinced those followers to become supporters. Aren't North Melbourne in the same position now? So many of the Carey/Archer/Martyn kids have spent the past 5 years seeing it as inevitable that they would lose their club. Now, they have their team back and a future they never thought possible, right at the time when those kids become adults with disposable incomes and families to convert into supporters.
The other point to remember is that expansion and maintaining 10 Victorian teams isn't mutually exclusive. If the Gold Coast is a good market for a team, it remains that way whether North go there or not. Southport can step in with an immediate local base and be a team purely for the locals. Its about having your cake and eating it too. We've got a slightly stronger Melbourne team, and if we really want a Gold Coast team, if its really that good an opportunity, we'll get one of those too.
We'll see how this pans out, but I reckon the AFL's ultimatum on this may be the best thing that ever happened to the Kangaroos. Its forced them to choose, to be committed to one future or the other. Now they've made that choice and their supporters can jump on board and enjoy the ride!
Before: North had a disjointed board, and very little direction. Had disowned their own North Melbourne roots and disaffected many of their own supporters. Flirted with Canberra, Sydney and the Gold Coast as alternative home grounds, but never succeeded in any of them. Many of their own fans suspected a move was inevitable and were dispassionate as a result. The few that were passionate hated the board and the AFL for leading them along that path. Sponsors didn't want to commit, members didn't want to invest too heavily for fear of being burnt with the clubs 'inevitable' demise.
After: North has a united board. It has rediscovered its North Melbourne roots and gone back to its old name, and is looking at playing all its games in Melbourne. The fans are passionate and paid-up again, with 7500 members for next year already; any they are willing to commit emotionally and financially because they no longer suspect the team is leaving again. They have a new major sponsor that they poached from a local rival. On-field, they are a top 4 team and remain arguably the most successful team of the past 30 years. North are on the front page of every newspaper and James Brayshaw is probably the second-best known administrator in the sport now after Eddie McGuire.
Demetriou is a North man originally - could it be that his irrational push to bring the timeline forward was a hidden move to stabilise and mobilise his previous club in the face of an administration that seemed to not have a clear direction for the future? From a more rational point of view, doesn't it make sense for the AFL to take this direction rather than propping up a directionless club for 5-10 years as it follows an inevitable downward spiral. With the added membership and mobilised supporter base, new sponsorship deal and better exposure on tv and elsewhere, the costs of maintaining the Kangaroos are far less for the immediate future than they would have been otherwise, and far, far less than propping up a relocated team on the Gold Coast. That benefits the Kangaroos, who are now more self-sufficient, and it benefits the rest of the clubs.
At the time, the Melbourne-Hawthorn merger seemed inevitable - the rejection of the merger seemed like the kiss of death for the Hawks (who were to be taken over). But since, they have been galvanised into perhaps the strongest Victorian team financially, taking responsbility for their own survival and strongly promoting their brand. Having a young supporter base (growing up on the clubs success 10 years earlier) helped, but it was the fight for survival that convinced those followers to become supporters. Aren't North Melbourne in the same position now? So many of the Carey/Archer/Martyn kids have spent the past 5 years seeing it as inevitable that they would lose their club. Now, they have their team back and a future they never thought possible, right at the time when those kids become adults with disposable incomes and families to convert into supporters.
The other point to remember is that expansion and maintaining 10 Victorian teams isn't mutually exclusive. If the Gold Coast is a good market for a team, it remains that way whether North go there or not. Southport can step in with an immediate local base and be a team purely for the locals. Its about having your cake and eating it too. We've got a slightly stronger Melbourne team, and if we really want a Gold Coast team, if its really that good an opportunity, we'll get one of those too.
We'll see how this pans out, but I reckon the AFL's ultimatum on this may be the best thing that ever happened to the Kangaroos. Its forced them to choose, to be committed to one future or the other. Now they've made that choice and their supporters can jump on board and enjoy the ride!