I thought it would be cool to start a thread on all things Canberra related for the Giants. As most of us already know, ACT is a part of the GWS zone and also hosts three Giants' home games each season.
Let's start with the stadium. Manuka Oval is located in the affluent district of Manuka. The ground currently has a maximum capacity of 15,000 after the 2011 redevelopment (source). In late 2012/early 2013 floodlights were installed at the ground to allow night matches to be played in both AFL and cricket. The scoreboard, named after cricketer Jack Fingleton, was initially a part of the MCG but was relocated to Canberra in the 1980s. The ground will host the 2015 Big Bash League cricket final on January 28 if anyone is interested. What the ground looks like these days:
Now we'll look at the local league. Canberra has two representative teams in the North East Australian Football League in the form of Ainslie and Eastlake. Ainslie play their home games at Ainslie Oval while Eastlake play at Manuka Oval. Previously two other Canberra clubs (Belconnen and Tuggeranong) played in the NEAFL but were removed from the competition at the end of the 2014 season and began fielding senior teams in the local league. The best performance of a Canberra team in the NEAFL occurred in 2011 when Ainslie reached the Grand Final and lost to the Northern Territory Thunder. Here are the team logos:
Now we'll look at the players from the ACT. Probably the most famous player to come out of Canberra is James Hird. He played his junior football for Ainslie and spent 17 years playing for Essendon in the AFL. In 1996 he won the Brownlow Medal and is currently the senior coach of Essendon. Other well known players such as Alex Jesaulenko (Eastlake) and Craig Bolton (Eastlake) have also come out of the ACT. As previously mentioned, ACT is now a part of the Giants' zone and as such gives GWS exclusive access to ACT players through their academy. Jack Steele (Belconnen) was just signed to the club with the 24th pick in the national draft this year after North Melbourne bid pick 15 to recruit him. Here is Jack:
Now we'll look at the crowds. The Giants have averaged pretty consistent crowds at Manuka - 8431 (2012), 8352 (2013) and 8208 (2014). The seemingly low crowds probably have a lot to do with the opposition teams that are being selected to travel to the nation's capital. The Bulldogs (three times), Gold Coast (twice), Melbourne, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide and St Kilda are known for pulling poor crowds at away games so that certainly isn't helping the crowd average. It's something that probably needs to be looked at.
So, let's discuss all things ACT related in here. There are certainly some perks that come with GWS being associated with the ACT. Some talking points - what do you think will improve football in the ACT? Will a two team model in the NEAFL work? How do the Giants attract bigger crowds? Should the stadium be upgraded? Should the Giants draft more players out of the ACT? Should the AFL schedule bigger games at Manuka?
Let's start with the stadium. Manuka Oval is located in the affluent district of Manuka. The ground currently has a maximum capacity of 15,000 after the 2011 redevelopment (source). In late 2012/early 2013 floodlights were installed at the ground to allow night matches to be played in both AFL and cricket. The scoreboard, named after cricketer Jack Fingleton, was initially a part of the MCG but was relocated to Canberra in the 1980s. The ground will host the 2015 Big Bash League cricket final on January 28 if anyone is interested. What the ground looks like these days:
Now we'll look at the local league. Canberra has two representative teams in the North East Australian Football League in the form of Ainslie and Eastlake. Ainslie play their home games at Ainslie Oval while Eastlake play at Manuka Oval. Previously two other Canberra clubs (Belconnen and Tuggeranong) played in the NEAFL but were removed from the competition at the end of the 2014 season and began fielding senior teams in the local league. The best performance of a Canberra team in the NEAFL occurred in 2011 when Ainslie reached the Grand Final and lost to the Northern Territory Thunder. Here are the team logos:
Now we'll look at the players from the ACT. Probably the most famous player to come out of Canberra is James Hird. He played his junior football for Ainslie and spent 17 years playing for Essendon in the AFL. In 1996 he won the Brownlow Medal and is currently the senior coach of Essendon. Other well known players such as Alex Jesaulenko (Eastlake) and Craig Bolton (Eastlake) have also come out of the ACT. As previously mentioned, ACT is now a part of the Giants' zone and as such gives GWS exclusive access to ACT players through their academy. Jack Steele (Belconnen) was just signed to the club with the 24th pick in the national draft this year after North Melbourne bid pick 15 to recruit him. Here is Jack:
Now we'll look at the crowds. The Giants have averaged pretty consistent crowds at Manuka - 8431 (2012), 8352 (2013) and 8208 (2014). The seemingly low crowds probably have a lot to do with the opposition teams that are being selected to travel to the nation's capital. The Bulldogs (three times), Gold Coast (twice), Melbourne, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide and St Kilda are known for pulling poor crowds at away games so that certainly isn't helping the crowd average. It's something that probably needs to be looked at.
So, let's discuss all things ACT related in here. There are certainly some perks that come with GWS being associated with the ACT. Some talking points - what do you think will improve football in the ACT? Will a two team model in the NEAFL work? How do the Giants attract bigger crowds? Should the stadium be upgraded? Should the Giants draft more players out of the ACT? Should the AFL schedule bigger games at Manuka?
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