Expansion 3rd Western Australian club

[Garlic muncher]

Put it this way... I laughed at the west coast supporters when they say that half the freo supporter base are dockers fans. they are half right.

the west coast fans that supported the eagles from 1987-1994, a fair bit of them were freo fans, east and south freo fans to be exact. when the dockers came to the AFL in 1995 some of those eagles fans who supported east and south freo jumped on the dockers cart.

Its no different from some of the crows fans who supported the port adelaide magpies in the SANFL to jump ship and support Port power.

oh and one last thing. Around 2004-7 when west coast filled out subi. They had so many members to a point they had a waiting list... Some of them had a 3-5 year waiting list.

Some of those eagles fans got frustrated to be on the waitong list, To the point that they joined the dockers just to watch footy

This post is my take on things, if one thing is not available they will gravitate to another, not all of course but quite a few.

There is no reason a third WA team would not be strong and viable, of course it probably will never be as big as its 2 bigger brothers, but then again look at Hawthorn or the support for Richmond, Central Districts or Swan Districts - teams that joined years and in some cases many years after the initial leagues started.

 

[telsor]

This post is my take on things, if one thing is not available they will gravitate to another, not all of course but quite a few.

There is no reason a third WA team would not be strong and viable, of course it probably will never be as big as its 2 bigger brothers, but then again look at Hawthorn or the support for Richmond, Central Districts or Swan Districts - teams that joined years and in some cases many years after the initial leagues started.

Can't speak about central or swan districts, but with Richmond/Hawthorn, they were playing in the VFA, which wasn't THAT far off the VFL in size/populatity, so it's not really a like for like comparison with a club appearing from nowhere.

 

[Established1870]

There is no reason a third WA team would not be strong and viable, of course it probably will never be as big as its 2 bigger brothers, but then again look at Hawthorn or the support for Richmond, Central Districts or Swan Districts - teams that joined years and in some cases many years after the initial leagues started.

Central Districts are based in an area where there was no team whatsoever in the SANFL when they arrived. Port Adelaide was the closest side in the Northern suburbs and if you've driven from Elizabeth to Port, you know it's a fair bloody journey to get there.

 

[Garlic muncher]

Central Districts are based in an area where there was no team whatsoever in the SANFL when they arrived. Port Adelaide was the closest side in the Northern suburbs and if you've driven from Elizabeth to Port, you know it's a fair bloody journey to get there.

Thats right, it was also a high growth area, Freo served an existing supporter base, or as Bob Maumill likes to say the cradle of football in the West, WCE was the initial Perth team, but i would be interested to see where the bulk of its members come from ( western Suburbs i suspect) and another team in Perth would/could be based around the 600,000 new people to WA ( last 10 years) etc etc etc

 

[jatz14]

Thats right, it was also a high growth area, Freo served an existing supporter base, or as Bob Maumill likes to say the cradle of football in the West, WCE was the initial Perth team, but i would be interested to see where the bulk of its members come from ( western Suburbs i suspect) and another team in Perth would/could be based around the 600,000 new people to WA ( last 10 years) etc etc etc

Swans was also set up in an area not covered by an existing team. The team they replaced was in the Freo area.

New arrivals to WA are either already fans of a different team (do not know 1 Vic or Crow eater who switched allegiance because they now live in WA), or are not footy supporters at all, and if they do start to follow, most will be luke warm Eagles or Dockers.

The Dockers had a natural fanbase, do not see a natural fanbase for a third team. Not one big enough anyway.

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[Garlic muncher]

Swans was also set up in an area not covered by an existing team. The team they replaced was in the Freo area.

New arrivals to WA are either already fans of a different team (do not know 1 Vic or Crow eater who switched allegiance because they now live in WA), or are not footy supporters at all, and if they do start to follow, most will be luke warm Eagles or Dockers.

The Dockers had a natural fanbase, do not see a natural fanbase for a third team. Not one big enough anyway.

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That is a good start

 

[Rob]

Cheaper isn't the same as unavailable.

You can buy a membership for 3WA, or you can spend 20 odd years in the queue for a WCE membership hoping people die.


When Freo was on the radar, WCE fans said all the same things...

The difference between Freo and the hypothetical 3rd WA team was that it was obvious where the support for Freo was going to come from.

And that is a very, very big difference.

 

[telsor]

The difference between Freo and the hypothetical 3rd WA team was that it was obvious where the support for Freo was going to come from.

And that is a very, very big difference.

Not according to WCE fans at the time.

 

[Rob]

Not according to WCE fans at the time.

Rubbish.

 

[Kram]

Not according to WCE fans at the time.

You just made this up.

 

[Ned_Flanders]

This isn't about where the fans are today, but their kids

If I moved to Perth, I'd still follow the tigers, but I'd probably adopt the third wa team as a second team so I could still get my live footy fix. Reality is however if I had a kid they would be very likely to be a bolted on wa3 fan because that's the side they grew up watching live.

IMO wa3 will get a lot of weak support from fans who want a ga entry to see the footy because they can't penetrate the eagles wait list. Its their kids however who will be members

This ain't happening any time soon though, wait till the new stadium is running and there are healthy wait lists for both freo and wce before even considering

 

[Kwality]

The difference between Freo and the hypothetical 3rd WA team was that it was obvious where the support for Freo was going to come from.

And that is a very, very big difference.

Freo always had its own identity - my father tried to take us to at least one derby each year & they were always great games, real atmosphere.

 

[telsor]

Rubbish.

You just made this up.

So you think WCE fans at the time were saying how great it'd be to have a second team, and that they'd get more than enough fans/money?

I suggest you have a look back at some history.

 

[Rob]

So you think WCE fans at the time were saying how great it'd be to have a second team, and that they'd get more than enough fans/money?

I suggest you have a look back at some history.

I vaguely remember a few in the media suggesting that it would have a negative impact on West Coast crowds (which turned out to be false) but I don't remember anyone suggesting Freo wouldn't get enough supporters. And I can't remember any West Coast fan being opposed to it.

Given we're talking early 90's here, how on earth do we go back and look at some history?

 

[telsor]

I vaguely remember a few in the media suggesting that it would have a negative impact on West Coast crowds (which turned out to be false) but I don't remember anyone suggesting Freo wouldn't get enough supporters. And I can't remember any West Coast fan being opposed to it.

Given we're talking early 90's here, how on earth do we go back and look at some history?

You are aware that history (and the internet) goes beyond BF, right?

 

[Rob]

You are aware that history (and the internet) goes beyond BF, right?

Of course, but there isn't going to be a lot of information about what Eagles fans actually thought. There's going to be a few articles in the media stirring up trouble i'd imagine.

If you've got anything, by all means post it here.

Out of interest, how do you actually know what Eagles fans were saying about it given I presume you weren't living in WA in the early-mid 90s (maybe you were, i've never asked)?

 

[Silent Alarm]

Maybe if Albany, Busselton, Geraldton, Bunbury, and Kalgoorlie were all in a one hour car drive radius. And then this area was say where Joondalup was. And it was the biggest, centralised, most obvious growth corridor for young families, migrants, and new Australians/West Aussies – ala western Sydney and Melbourne's western suburbs/Werribee/that depressing stretch on the way to Geetroit.

So yeah if you had 200,000 people with a clear footy identity and history, who were too far away to really bother going to current AFL games, and the projection was say 500,000 people within the next 60 years in the area, then yeah sure definitely. But then, even then, I reckon you'd probably need a good 30,000 seater stadium in this area. Which of course is problematic with a stadium-stingy government pointing at Burswood...

And then there is the fact people in and around Perth treat their cars like extra children, and how willing – nay, wanting – Perth people are to drive an hour everywhere.

Essentially you would need the Peel region to be about four times as big as it is and probably 25 years more developed. And you'd need the growth of Joondalup et al to be happening completely down there. Even then you'd probably say it was a pointless exercise...

 

[The_Reaper]

Maybe if Albany, Busselton, Geraldton, Bunbury, and Kalgoorlie were all in a one hour car drive radius. And then this area was say where Joondalup was. And it was the biggest, centralised, most obvious growth corridor for young families, migrants, and new Australians/West Aussies – ala western Sydney and Melbourne's western suburbs/Werribee/that depressing stretch on the way to Geetroit.

So yeah if you had 200,000 people with a clear footy identity and history, who were too far away to really bother going to current AFL games, and the projection was say 500,000 people within the next 60 years in the area, then yeah sure definitely. But then, even then, I reckon you'd probably need a good 30,000 seater stadium in this area. Which of course is problematic with a stadium-stingy government pointing at Burswood...

And then there is the fact people in and around Perth treat their cars like extra children, and how willing – nay, wanting – Perth people are to drive an hour everywhere.

Essentially you would need the Peel region to be about four times as big as it is and probably 25 years more developed. And you'd need the growth of Joondalup et al to be happening completely down there. Even then you'd probably say it was a pointless exercise...

Now if the population growth was happening in Bunbury then you'd have the perfect location

 

[Rob]

Now if the population growth was happening in Bunbury then you'd have the perfect location

It is, but obviously it's coming off a low base. Bunbury was the 2nd fastest growing city over 35k between 2010 and 2015 (first was Gladstone, third was, funnily enough, Perth). But with a population of 75k, it's well short of what you'd need for an AFL team. Even if you add the Busselton-Dunsborough-Margaret River area it's only about 120k.

In 30 or 40 years it'll all probably be merged into 1 city of 500k. Maybe then it's worth a look.

You look at Ballarat, a similar sized city in a similar location to the capital. Because of the glut of Victorian teams, they can attract AFL to their city, whereas Bunbury can't because either WA team would lose a couple of million bucks taking a home game there. It's a bit of a shame.

 

[Garlic muncher]

Around 400,000 combined between cities of Joondalup and Wanneroo.

 

[jatz14]

Around 400,000 combined between cities of Joondalup and Wanneroo.

They do not have a distinct enough identity I think.

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[Garlic muncher]

They do not have a distinct enough identity I think.

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Probably right, Wanneroo has a bit of a identity though.

However if by a miracle they do get a team ( joon/wann) it will certainly create one i would have thought

 

[Rob]

Around 400,000 combined between cities of Joondalup and Wanneroo.

Yeah and if you ask 390,000 of them what city they live in they'd answer Perth.

 

[madmug]

Yeah and if you ask 390,000 of them what city they live in they'd answer Perth.

Which is why lve said l dont understand all this discussion about where a 3rd would be based. Surely it matters not. They'd play out of the new stadium anyway.
Call them the Perth Sandblasters? Or Perth Diggers? or whatever.

 

[Established1870]

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