AFL in Cairns

[thegreig]

I was watching a report on the ABC the other night on the governments plans of developing North Queensland particularly Cairns, two main points of the story were relocating public servants from Canberra and New Port to Cairns and making Cairns the home of Australia's main navy base. With the international airport extension tacking place in the near future and talks of a second casino being built up there it got me thinking how quickly the population will boom and how the AFL can grow/cement the game in the area.
The NRL already has the North Queensland Cowboys based in Townsville and I feel like it would be a wasted opportunity to grow the game if the AFL didn't do more than just play one game for points a year up there alongside a small local comp.

 

[coniglio_number1]

Tassie first

 

[brisbane13]

I was watching a report on the ABC the other night on the governments plans of developing North Queensland particularly Cairns, two main points of the story were relocating public servants from Canberra and New Port to Cairns and making Cairns the home of Australia's main navy base. With the international airport extension tacking place in the near future and talks of a second casino being built up there it got me thinking how quickly the population will boom and how the AFL can grow/cement the game in the area.
The NRL already has the North Queensland Cowboys based in Townsville and I feel like it would be a wasted opportunity to grow the game if the AFL didn't do more than just play one game for points a year up there alongside a small local comp.

there isn't a population just yet for an AFL club. Townsville is a much larger town than cairns with people living cliser to the city. cairns population is vastly spread out.
a operating revenue for an AFL club more than 3 times that of an NRL club. most NRL clubs are around 15 million. AFL clubs are up to any where from 40 million to 65 million in operating revenue.
would be nice for an AFL team in cairns, but only in a dream

 

[I Dont Care]

Townsville isn't 'much larger' than Cairns anymore...Cairns will overtake Townsville in a few years plus has a growing hinterland population

 

[Shane Hird]

Yeah..why not!!..and next after that Alice Springs..then Moe and let's get a team going in Albany W.A as well.

Don't stop until we have 32 teams I say.

 

[Kreuuuzeurns]

Tassie first

Tassie is and always will be footy mad. I know what you're hinting at, they do deserve a team as much as any other city in Australia but I have always been under the impression that Cairns is 50/50 footy rugby, so it needs to be hit hard and made sure that the AFL is the clear number one.

 

[coniglio_number1]

Wouldn't be bad if in 2020 another 2 teams enter with tassie and FNQ(far north qld). That being said tassie having free access to the tassie zone would mean they should be competitive earlier and will no doubt lure some tasmans back quite easily. Players like kolojashnij, mohr, reiwoldt, birchill, lonergan etc would make a good starting core not to mention the draft concessions

 

[Lensen]

but I have always been under the impression that Cairns is 50/50 footy rugby, so it needs to be hit hard and made sure that the AFL is the clear number one.

why?

 

[Hawker81]

Football is very popular in Port Douglas. A team in Cairns in the future would be great. Especially with the right scheduling of having games on long weekends and school holidays.

 

[The_Reaper]

Football is very popular in Port Douglas. A team in Cairns in the future would be great. Especially with the right scheduling of having games on long weekends and school holidays.

Excellent.
It's also popular in Oatlands so we can give Tassie a team

 

[summerfan]

Another Queensland team we can beat im down for that

 

[tonk]

Make it happen Vlad.

 

[madmug]

Tassie first

That would be nice. I think WA3 must be high on the agenda. With a new stadium & population nearing 2million & growing faster than anywhere else, its a must.

 

[Hawker81]

Excellent.
It's also popular in Oatlands so we can give Tassie a team

Don't recall ever saying tassie shouldn't get a team. If we go to a 20 team comp eventually, I would like to see a team in tassie and 1 in Cairns.

 

[thegreig]

Yeah..why not!!..and next after that Alice Springs..then Moe and let's get a team going in Albany W.A as well.

Don't stop until we have 32 teams I say.

How about we just have more then one h/a game in cairns a year. Never once mentioned adding more teams.

 

[BallaratBulldog]

How much would Tassie getting their own team effect Hawthorn's membership and partnership benefits with them? (not trying to troll)

 

[tonk]

How much would Tassie getting their own team effect Hawthorn's membership and partnership benefits with them? (not trying to troll)

significantly

 

[Kreuuuzeurns]

why?

Im not sure, but Cairns being in QLD would be more rugby than Tassie

 

[Lensen]

Im not sure, but Cairns being in QLD would be more rugby than Tassie

I meant why does "it needs to be hit hard and made sure that the AFL is the clear number one."

 

[van peebles]

Make it happen Vlad.

think hes doing his best to make it happen now
just waiting for golden boy to finalise the paperwork
shouldnt be to long

 

[Kreuuuzeurns]

I meant why does "it needs to be hit hard and made sure that the AFL is the clear number one."

They need to get in quick and make AFL the strongest code up there before the NRL goes in and gets a foothold

 

[Aussie in exile]

With the money being spent on certain expansion clubs for the foreseeable future i can't see a team in North Queensland for at least 20 years. I'm with the guys who think the Tassie should have the next AFL club as IMO after start up costs in won't cost the game a cent.

 

[Lensen]

They need to get in quick and make AFL the strongest code up there before the NRL goes in and gets a foothold

That doesn't answer the question. Why does the AFL need to be strongest code in Cairns?

 

[Kreuuuzeurns]

That doesn't answer the question. Why does the AFL need to be strongest code in Cairns?

You want to be the strongest code everywhere

 

[I Dont Care]

The AFL does have a presence in Cairns, and I'm pretty sure it has produced a couple of AFL level players