Tassie wants more North

[Cmarsh]

IF they stump up the cash it’ll happen.

Make no mistake – long term the Roos are going to Tassie. The AFL have showed their hand on this.

Thanks BT.

 

[MrKK]

How terrible to deny their local fans home games, OP - kinda like playing in Canberra eh?

And fair enough that they don't want GWS or GC down there as a slap in the face reminder that they don't have their own AFL team.

 

[SHAKESPEARE]

Thanks BT.

Woweeeee

 

[TigersBoy]

Hobart Kangaroos anyone....

In all seriousness, this means more Etihad home games for MCG clubs. Let's hope it falls on deaf ears. But considering no one cares about GWS in Sydney should have gone with a Hobart team!!!

 

[The Filth Wizard]

He who pays the piper calls the tune. North begs them for the chance to play in Hobart in return for cash. Tassie is just ensuring it gets its money worth.

As for the North fans who don't like it, tough. You made your choice, now you have to wear the consequences.

Hobart just wants a taste of what Launceston has with Hawthorn and that's understandable. North is a team on the up.

If North play four games there and get a similar deal as Hawthorn, coupled with expected onfield success, I suspect our future in Melbourne would be more secure.

 

[00Stinger]

Hobart Kangaroos anyone....

In all seriousness, this means more Etihad home games for MCG clubs. Let's hope it falls on deaf ears. But considering no one cares about GWS in Sydney should have gone with a Hobart team!!!

North Hobart Kangaroos

 

[Ned_Flanders]

Thanks BT.

Actually if he was BT it would have been:

IF they stump up the cash it’ll happen.

Make no mistake – long term the Roos are going to the Tassie Footy Factory. The AFL have showed their hand on this. Woweee!!

 

[TheKanga]

Well I guess we will never see North Melbourne play Hawthorn in Melbourne ever again =(

I hope our teams don't play in Launnie next year, memories of Buddy's 13 are still fresh...
We might have more of a chance at Etihad.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

IF they stump up the cash it’ll happen.

Make no mistake – long term the Roos are going to Tassie. The AFL have showed their hand on this.

The smart money is probably on it?

 

[Baldur]

Hobart just wants a taste of what Launceston has with Hawthorn and that's understandable. North is a team on the up.

If North play four games there and get a similar deal as Hawthorn, coupled with expected onfield success, I suspect our future in Melbourne would be more secure.

Yep, thats true.

But I suspect that your position being a North fan in Sydney will not be the same as many North fans in Melbourne. Some will miss out of watching their loved team being at home vrs the best. They will hate it, and so they should, but life is not fair.

I note that St Kilda is talking about home games in New Zealand. Being in Sydney I will only get to watch home games on TV anyway, so Melbourne or New Zealand is of no matter. My only concern would be we would lose the home ground advantage, is the money worth it? I hope so. Richmond has not got good value for their games in Cairns.

 

[RodneyMaynard]

Make no mistake – long term the Roos are going to Tassie. The AFL have showed their hand on this.

If the Roos are going to become Tasmania's team they've gone about it in an incredibly stupid manner. A Tasmanian team has to unite both North and south Tassie, and currently North Melbourne are associated with Hobart. The AFL has further divided the state by placing different teams in Hobart and Launceston, after citing the North-South divide as one of the impediments to a Tassie team.

Tasmanians have been following the VFL/AFL for donkeys, the only way locals will truly (and instantly) support a Tassie team is if it's brand new. It's a hard sell for a Tasmanian Geelong supporter to suddenly start supporting North. They deserve their own team, not Melbourne's unwanted scraps. Best case scenario (though unlikely) for Tassie getting it's own team in the next decade is a merger between 2 Melbourne clubs, which opens up a spot for a new team.

 

[TheKanga]

Why are people saying we will relocate to Tasmania? That's not going to happen!
We have a great arrangement with Hobart, but North is a Melbourne team.
Our games down there helps the struggling Tasmanian economy during the winter months.
North makes a nice profit on games it would lose money on with the Etihad Stadium deal.
Membership increase is huge as well, nearly 4000 Tas members already.
I can see it ending up as successful as the Hawks in Launceston.

 

[Royal Flush]

Finally we've made a success out of games outside of Melb, packed stadium, all north colors, great brand of footy, improves their economy as well as giving us $1million for the 2 games instead of writing cheque to Etihad. Increase in Membership, sponsorship.
I'd be more then happy with 4 games, not sure about six as we want to expand our base into Ballarat.

 

[Cmarsh]

If the Roos are going to become Tasmania's team they've gone about it in an incredibly stupid manner. A Tasmanian team has to unite both North and south Tassie, and currently North Melbourne are associated with Hobart. The AFL has further divided the state by placing different teams in Hobart and Launceston, after citing the North-South divide as one of the impediments to a Tassie team.

Tasmanians have been following the VFL/AFL for donkeys, the only way locals will truly (and instantly) support a Tassie team is if it's brand new. It's a hard sell for a Tasmanian Geelong supporter to suddenly start supporting North. They deserve their own team, not Melbourne's unwanted scraps. Best case scenario (though unlikely) for Tassie getting it's own team in the next decade is a merger between 2 Melbourne clubs, which opens up a spot for a new team.

So if Tassie AFL followers already have their own existing club they support, what is the likelihood that in a small place like Tassie with virtually no population growth could muster enough support for its own side to be long term self-sustaining? And to think that 2 Melbourne clubs would have to die for it to happen? No thanks!

 

[Morris Major]

They holding a gun to the heads of the CEO of a football club are they?

 

[Rioli magic]

Why are people saying we will relocate to Tasmania? That's not going to happen!

Maybe you won't relocate to Tassie, but you (along with others) can't survive in Melbourne long term.

 

[Ned_Flanders]

Why are people saying we will relocate to Tasmania? That's not going to happen!
We have a great arrangement with Hobart, but North is a Melbourne team.
Our games down there helps the struggling Tasmanian economy during the winter months.
North makes a nice profit on games it would lose money on with the Etihad Stadium deal.
Membership increase is huge as well, nearly 4000 Tas members already.
I can see it ending up as successful as the Hawks in Launceston.

Two reasons.

1) The AFL want it to happen in most peoples opinions, so they will do what they can over time to "encourage" a gradual move

2) If you start playing 4-6 games in Hobart, have 10k+ members down there, a massive chunk of your gate revenue, corporate sponsorship, and even membership (maybe 1/3) will be from Tassie. If your melbourne growth stagnates, the importance of these resources will only grow, esp as their upside for you (purely financially) is great in terms of the growth potential.

 

[Burzum]

Not gonna happen

 

[RodneyMaynard]

So if Tassie AFL followers already have their own existing club they support, what is the likelihood that in a small place like Tassie with virtually no population growth could muster enough support for its own side to be long term self-sustaining? And to think that 2 Melbourne clubs would have to die for it to happen? No thanks!

I think that pre-existing support would transfer to the new Tasmanian team. For example, prior to the Crows' founding, my old man, uncles, grandparents etc, in addition to following a side in the SANFL, also followed VFL sides (as these were broadcast on TV also). My Dad (a Glenelg supporter) followed Richmond, and had done for decades (attended their GF wins in the 70s/80s). The second Adelaide had its own team in the AFL, he was a Crows supporter/ticketed member, and it was a similar story for the rest of our friends/family. I see a similar thing happening in Tasmania IF Tassie get a new untainted team that is just theirs.

Tassie's population is over 500,000. That's more than enough to support an AFL side. Don't get me wrong, I believe the AFL made the right decision to expand into GC and WS first, but Tassie should be next cab off the rank. Crowds wouldn't be an issue, sponsorship wouldn't be an issue (the goodwill generated in Tassie by whichever company sponsored the Tassie team would be enourmous), and importantly away support would be significant (the brain-drain from Tassie, while not great for their state, has ensured a fairly large population of ex-pat Taswegians living across the various mainland cities).

My concern is that a relocated team simply wouldn't work.

 

[boncer34]

Reports are circulating this morning about two key Tasmanian tourism chiefs wanting as many as 4 home games a year in Hobart. This would deny mainland North members more Melbourne home games, where the vast majority of it's membership resides.

They also want to attach conditions that GWS and Gold Coast not play as part of those 4 games. Obviously they are not good enough for Tasmania.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/143282/default.aspx

Yeah how dare the football state that gets shafted on a daily basis by the AFL start to stand up for itself.

Outrageous.

 

[GarnerSmash]

If the Roos are going to become Tasmania's team they've gone about it in an incredibly stupid manner.

That's because they are not going to be a Tasmanian team.

 

[Ned_Flanders]

Finally we've made a success out of games outside of Melb, packed stadium, all north colors, great brand of footy, improves their economy as well as giving us $1million for the 2 games instead of writing cheque to Etihad. Increase in Membership, sponsorship.
I'd be more then happy with 4 games, not sure about six as we want to expand our base into Ballarat.

whats the word on Ballarat? Last I heard the state govt were still wishy washy on committing funds

 

[Necromancer Beth]

I wonder what sooz thinks of these developments?

 

[Sttew]

No we aren't.

Then why play any games there?

 

[Royal Flush]

whats the word on Ballarat? Last I heard the state govt were still wishy washy on committing funds

Same. However the club is still maintaining relationship with them, including per-season games. Our sponsorship backboard has Ballarat on it. So its a long term strategic relationship, waiting game I suppose.