Why is there a Fitzroy board?

[Kerleys Ghost]

!
That's how.

wow, that's quite disgusting. I thought demetriou was a tyrant.


but explain to me why it was you and nobody else, why did they hate you, and seemingly you only?

were you a hated club in the day?


wiki says this

"The club ran into financial difficulties in the 1980s after decades of poor on-field performance and was forced to merge its playing operations with the Brisbane Bears"

this explaination makes more sense than the afl simply squeezing you out because they don't like you. They obviously squeezed you out, but more likely because you were too poor, right? not that its any excuse.


the other thing I read was

"In Round 21, 1996, 48,884 people attended the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 25 August 1996 for Fitzroy's last game in Melbourne as part of the AFL competition. They witnessed the Lions being defeated by 151 points, the second greatest loss in the club's history. The club played its final game ever the following week against Fremantle at Subiaco Oval, losing by 86 points"

that has to be one of the saddest things ive ever read in football.


which year did you only win 1 game? I bet it was the crows that you beat.

 

[Kerleys Ghost]

Of course, if we'd still been at Brunswick St Oval at that point in time, as we would have been if we hadn't been wilfully obstructed in our plans to repair and improve the ground previously in line with league standards, then Oakley and co would have found it substantially harder to screw around with us.

If we hadn't been stymied by the cricket club (who controlled the ground at that point), and the council in our endeavours to upgrade BSO back in the 60s, I'd imagine we'd have stayed there throughout.

if you were a financially viable football club and location for an expanding competition, youd still have an afl licence

I really do feel bad for you guys though.

 

[Wonaeamirri33]

They obviously squeezed you out, but more likely because you were too poor, right?

No, we became so as a result of their actions, as clearly spelt out in detail in that previous post.

We were able to be targeted more effectively than other Victorian clubs because we didn't own our own ground, as also spelt out in the post which followed it. That's a simple enough explanation, I'd reckon.

if you were a financially viable football club...

Oh come on... that just looks like "you were too poor" repeated in a different form. And since you read the information there (you did read it all, yes?), you can clearly see how it was we ended up being in that position during our last decade in the AFL. Think about it.

By any reasonable definition, the attendances we were getting back in 1984 prior to the start of the whiteanting campaign, our membership at that point, and our on-field position at that time, made us perfectly viable enough.

And any talk of financial issues at that point in time is irrelevant in such considerations, since there were a large number of other clubs in the same position financially during that period - including Footscray, Richmond, Hawthorn and Geelong for example. As I say, the primary reason we were most vulnerable is that we didn't have our own ground.

Were clubs then receiving the kind of league-level funding and other support available as it is now, and a League administration no longer pursuing forced elimination/merger of Victorian clubs as Oakley did, there's no way we'd ever have found ourselves in such a position.

 

[Kerleys Ghost]

not a bad day for the roys, ey?

I mean, jesus Christ


<a href="http://img157.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=514066437_fitz_122_496lo.jpg" target
=_blank><img src="http://img157.imagevenue.com/loc496/th_514066437_fitz_122_496lo.jpg" border="0"></a>

 

[Kerleys Ghost]

sorry, that icture didn't work, still getting the hang of this.

it was the one you won by 190 points, just ridiculous.

 

[Wonaeamirri33]

Indeed. And that record still stands, of course.

 

[Kerleys Ghost]

No, we became so as a result of their actions, as clearly spelt out in detail in that previous post.

We were able to be targeted more effectively than other Victorian clubs because we didn't own our own ground, as also spelt out in the post which followed it. That's a simple enough explanation, I'd reckon.



Oh come on... that just looks like "you were too poor" repeated in a different form. And since you read the information there (you did read it all, yes?), you can clearly see how it was we ended up being in that position during our last decade in the AFL. Think about it.

By any reasonable definition, the attendances we were getting back in 1984 prior to the start of the whiteanting campaign, our membership at that point, and our on-field position at that time, made us perfectly viable enough.

And any talk of financial issues at that point in time is irrelevant in such considerations, since there were a large number of other clubs in the same position financially during that period - including Footscray, Richmond, Hawthorn and Geelong for example. As I say, the primary reason we were most vulnerable is that we didn't have our own ground.

Were clubs then receiving the kind of league-level funding and other support available as it is now, and a League administration no longer pursuing forced mergers of Victorian clubs as Oakley did, there's no way we'd ever have found ourselves in such a position.

yeah sorry, i can see why they wanted you to "merge", but what an awful way to do it.

 

[Roylion]

why aren't you all posting on the lions board or supporting different clubs?

Because we support Fitzroy - a club with 130 years of history that still exists.

Fitzroy are dead, I know they still exist in some poo league,

Do you know what you're talking about? If they still exist, they're not dead then are they.

and the lions are still technically Fitzroy/Brisbane, but the district no longer has an afl team, and they never will again.

Yeah..and? What's your point? Fitzroy are still a foundation member of the VFL-AFL, have a hundred years of history in the competition, have eight premierships and still exist in their own right.

not sure why they called it a "merger", although I recall that the lions were still going to represent Fitzroy or something, maybe it was just for the few years after the merger.

The Brisbane Lions are a rebranded Brisbane Bears only.

 

[Roylion]

I understand why there would be Fitzroy enthusiasts around, just curious as to why you guys have a board in the afl clubs section. There is no Brisbane bears board, nor South Melbourne. (yes, I know Fitzroy has an important, rich, premiership-winning history and the bears have none, and I know that South Melbourne moved to Sydney)

The Brisbane Lions are the same club as the Brisbane Bears. All that happened in 1996 is the Brisbane Bears rebranded themselves as the Brisbane Lions, gained priority access to eight players from Fitzroy's 1996 list and received $6 million from the AFL as a result.

the afl should've just trashed the bears and bailed Fitzroy out on the condition that they move to Brisbane, or better yet, leave the bears and move Fitzroy to gold coast or west sydney.

The AFL couldn't move us anywhere. They had no legal power to do so. All they had the power to do was either approve our merger with North Melbourne or remove out licence to compete in the AFL competition. They did the latter.

so I assume you have all claimed the 3 Brisbane premierships as fitzroys?

No. Why would we? Fitzroy is a different club from the Brisbane Bears/Lions. Brisbane's triple premierships do not belong to Fitzroy.

im guessing that quite a few of your players and administrators were involved in them.

Some want to support an AFL club and with Brisbane rebranding themselves to resemble Fitzroy some have followed the club as a result. Other former Fitzroy players and administrators won't have anything to do with the Brisbane Lions.

how did you guys go so broke anyway? how were your crowds? I was only 10 or something when you folded,

That explains your ignorance then. Fitzroy didn't fold, The club lost its licence to compete in the AFL competition in 1996. The club sponsored the Coburg Lions in the VFL for two years in 1999-2000 as its naming and jumper sponsor and then the University Reds from 2001-2008, (who changed their name to the Fitzroy Reds) before entering the VAFA in its own right in 2009. From there the club has risen through the ranks from D-Grade to B-Grade.

 

[goalieboy82]

from what Wonaeamirri33 has written, Fitzroy got royally screwed by the VFL/AFL (since it started in 1984 when the afl was the vfl).
timmy

 

[JoondalupJ]

ha ha, Fitzroy, forgot about you guys.

you sucked.

why aren't you all posting on the lions board or supporting different clubs?

Fitzroy are dead, I know they still exist in some poo league, and the lions are still technically Fitzroy/Brisbane, but the district no longer has an afl team, and they never will again.

not sure why they called it a "merger", although I recall that the lions were still going to represent Fitzroy or something, maybe it was just for the few years after the merger.

Why be rotten about a famous old club. You have no sense of tradition if your serious . Or your just misinformed . I know Fitzroy people and most of them don't follow any one.
Also quite a few good Fitzroy players went to Brisbane to help turn them into the powerhouse of the early 2000's. Ask the real Fitzroy supporters on here and they'll name a couple for you.
Now go crawl back to SA.

 

[JoondalupJ]

The Brisbane Lions are the same club as the Brisbane Bears. All that happened in 1996 is the Brisbane Bears rebranded themselves as the Brisbane Lions, gained priority access to eight players from Fitzroy's 1996 list and received $6 million from the AFL as a result.



The AFL couldn't move us anywhere. They had no legal power to do so. All they had the power to do was either approve our merger with North Melbourne or remove out licence to compete in the AFL competition. They did the latter.



No. Why would we? Fitzroy is a different club from the Brisbane Bears/Lions. Brisbane's triple premierships do not belong to Fitzroy.



Some want to support an AFL club and with Brisbane rebranding themselves to resemble Fitzroy some have followed the club as a result. Other former Fitzroy players and administrators won't have anything to do with the Brisbane Lions.



That explains your ignorance then. Fitzroy didn't fold, The club lost its licence to compete in the AFL competition in 1996. The club sponsored the Coburg Lions in the VFL for two years in 1999-2000 as its naming and jumper sponsor and then the University Reds from 2001-2008, (who changed their name to the Fitzroy Reds) before entering the VAFA in its own right in 2009. From there the club has risen through the ranks from D-Grade to B-Grade.

Good answers Roylion. I'm a traditionalist , I liked to think that Fitzroy players helped what happened in those four massive Lions years. I have two very close friends who were born and bred in inner city Fitzroy. They don't follow the AFL now but I'm sure they will never forget their club, where ever it may be playing now .
I also remember going to the junction oval with these blokes when the Roys had, it seemed, the wood over my Hawks even at their peak in the 80's I remember more loss's than wins there.

I played amateurs at Beverly Hills many many years ago in the VAFA, it was in Fitzroy's zone. We wore Fitzroy colours. Some years after that a couple of handy players came out of there. One Paul Roos, and one fellow named Browning, I think Mark , his brothers played at Beverly Hills too.

I think they exist as a junior club. But the seniors are now called Doncaster East in the Eastern Districts but the leagues have changed a bit out there since I have been living in the West.
So I'm not sure which league. But there a millions of Fitzroy connections in my home in Melbourne
all these years later . Real football people remember everything.

 

[JoondalupJ]

Gunning for a third promotion in 4 years

Also, I'm happy to say our membership has doubled over that time - was 2000 when we started our climb again, now twice that!







That's how.

Well as a traditionalist I'm a bit ashamed . But I did not know most of what you've just told us on BF.
As a follower and member of another club I am still very very angry, and the VFL/AFL had the Roys in their cross hairs all along . Thanks for the info . I knew Fitzroy had been screwed over but I didn't know how badly. The AFL it seems is a massive dictatorship then and now and has hijacked the game . To its detriment. Lets hope they don't try and murder MelbourneFC too!!

Time for a change.

 

[goalieboy82]

i think the AFL is going to do the same thing to North Mel someday (or has started)
timmy

 

[JimmyBeerCans]

I think it's great you guys have a board you can't take away the passion of supporters.

 

[JM71]

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-05-30/lions-fans-want-jumper-change Thought this might interest you guys, certainly agree with it.

 

[bomberswarm2]

Port are struggling, why not let us back in the AFL, we deserve a second chance.

Lol hindsight.

 

[Masto]

If Roos ends up coaching the Lions, will any x-Fitzroy supporters who don't follow Brisbane come back to the club?

 

[western royboy]

If Roos ends up coaching the Lions, will any x-Fitzroy supporters who don't follow Brisbane come back to the club?

If they think the "romance" associated with appointing a Fitzroy favourite son as coach will help win back some of the disaffected Fitzroy members/supporters of the past then they are a bigger bunch of *******s then I give them credit for and I'm far from a fan of the regime's in charge up there over the journey.

The Fitzroy membership/supporters at the end basically split three ways and probably in equal parts.

Some of us we are able to put all the crap that went down to one side and kept supporting the Lions in their new and remote form.

Some joined other Vic based teams predominantly the Kangaroos and Demons, the Kangas because they were the preferred merger partner of the club.

Some just withdrew from actively supporting a club in the AFL and continued supporting Fitzroy in the Amateurs.

Appointing Roos after shafting Voss isn't going to appease many if any and it isn't going to bring anyone back, more likely do the opposite, I am questioning whether I can continue with them because the Administration are consistent in one thing * ups and driving wedges into the club and the merger partners.

 

[royboy 29]

If they think the "romance" associated with appointing a Fitzroy favourite son as coach will help win back some of the disaffected Fitzroy members/supporters of the past then they are a bigger bunch of ****wits then I give them credit for and I'm far from a fan of the regime's in charge up there over the journey.

The Fitzroy membership/supporters at the end basically split three ways and probably in equal parts.

Some of us we are able to put all the crap that went down to one side and kept supporting the Lions in their new and remote form.

Some joined other Vic based teams predominantly the Kangaroos and Demons, the Kangas because they were the preferred merger partner of the club.

Some just withdrew from actively supporting a club in the AFL and continued supporting Fitzroy in the Amateurs.

Appointing Roos after shafting Voss isn't going to appease many if any and it isn't going to bring anyone back, more likely do the opposite, I am questioning whether I can continue with them because the Administration are consistent in one thing **** ups and driving wedges into the club and the merger partners.

Agree Western royboy, sacking Vossy wont help.I dont follow brisbane but i do admire Vossy for what he's done.Would take a lot more than Roosey for me to change my mind!

 

[Mobbs]

Fitzroy satisfy my worship in the VAFA B Grade.

 

[mountain roy]

Fitzroy satisfy my worship in the VAFA B Grade.

doesnt matter what grade the royboys are in. fitzroy satisfy my worship from A to Z mobbs. go roys for everafter.

 

[Roysforever]

Great post Western Royboy.

Like Mobbs I'm very satisfied purely following Fitzroy in the VAFA.

 

[Roylion]

If Roos ends up coaching the Lions, will any x-Fitzroy supporters who don't follow Brisbane come back to the club?

I don't think it will make much difference by itself. There would have to be a few more changes such as the return of the Fitzroy lion to the logo and jumper for some Fitzroy fans to soften their stance. Closer ties with Fitzroy Football Club would help also.

 

[Team DJ]

If Roos came back, i would like to think he would instill a lot of that Fitzroy heritage in the team.,