New teams for fast growing Melbourne: Stars and Dragons

MaddAdam

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With Melbourne's population growth continuing at breakneck speed - the city is expected to have doubled in size by 2031 to around 10 million people - new teams will be needed to meet that growth.

Much of that population growth will occur on the fringes of the city. Population growth in the centre of the city can expect to be mopped up by the existing clubs (like the E-gate development etc), but if the AFL is serious about growing the game it needs to look at new teams that appeal to the new arrivals.

Given most migrants are coming from India and China, they appear to be the logical choices. Port and Melbourne have made attempts to break those markets, but the time has come for a proper effort.

New teams specifically aimed at the people who are arriving in huge numbers - teams they can identify with, build their own history with, their own teams. Sort of like how Celtic grew in Glasgow.

The Chinese centre of Melbourne is in the Box Hill/Glen Waverley area. It makes sense the team should be based there. And play some home games (four a year perhaps to start with) in Shanghai.

Indian migrants often head to the south eastern expanse suburbs past Pakenham. They should be based there and play at an Indian city. This club should spring from one of the existing Big Bash franchises, say the Stars

The Chinese focused team would be the Dragons and the Indian focused team are the Stars.

Bringing the comp up to 20 then allows for a 10 team conference style set up, east and west.

West

West Coast
Dockers
Crows
Port
Stars
North
Dogs
Essendon
Carlton
Geelong


East

Suns
Lions
Swans
Giants
Dragons
Richmond
St Kilda
Melbourne
Hawthorn
Collingwood

Works well for all and grows the game very well.
 

MaddAdam

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No thanks. We have enough VIC teams as is.

Why not?

Great way to grow the game.

The people are coming regardless ... the league should do everything it can to bring them in.

I see the Indian team being a really quick win with a Big Bash link.
 

MaddAdam

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Good OP

With teams like North relocating to Tasmania, there will be a void in Melbourne where new teams will be definitely needed

North won't be relocating anywhere.

You folks need to get out of the 90s mindset where that stuff happened, and get into 2018.

Melbourne is going to DOUBLE in size in the next 10-15 years.

Melbourne is a global home of Australian Rules footy.

Melbourne should grow its footy footprint along with its population.
 

MaddAdam

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i think there should be ten more teams in sydney because it is bigger than melbourne

Melbourne will be overtaking Sydney very soon. If it hasn't already.

Melbourne is the home of Australian Footy - the game has to grow with the people.
 

MaddAdam

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Coaster2012

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With Melbourne's population growth continuing at breakneck speed - the city is expected to have doubled in size by 2031 to around 10 million people - new teams will be needed to meet that growth.

Much of that population growth will occur on the fringes of the city. Population growth in the centre of the city can expect to be mopped up by the existing clubs (like the E-gate development etc), but if the AFL is serious about growing the game it needs to look at new teams that appeal to the new arrivals.

Given most migrants are coming from India and China, they appear to be the logical choices. Port and Melbourne have made attempts to break those markets, but the time has come for a proper effort.

New teams specifically aimed at the people who are arriving in huge numbers - teams they can identify with, build their own history with, their own teams. Sort of like how Celtic grew in Glasgow.

The Chinese centre of Melbourne is in the Box Hill/Glen Waverley area. It makes sense the team should be based there. And play some home games (four a year perhaps to start with) in Shanghai.

Indian migrants often head to the south eastern expanse suburbs past Pakenham. They should be based there and play at an Indian city. This club should spring from one of the existing Big Bash franchises, say the Stars

The Chinese focused team would be the Dragons and the Indian focused team are the Stars.

Bringing the comp up to 20 then allows for a 10 team conference style set up, east and west.

West

West Coast
Dockers
Crows
Port
Stars
North
Dogs
Essendon
Carlton
Geelong


East

Suns
Lions
Swans
Giants
Dragons
Richmond
St Kilda
Melbourne
Hawthorn
Collingwood

Works well for all and grows the game very well.

Nope. Talent is being diluted as it is. Perhaps that population growth would actually increase the skill level across the league.
 
He's taking the piss, but its not strictly a bad idea. Marketing a team directly at immigrants for them to adopt and mould wouldn't be much different to Carlton's Italian culture, and the working class pride shared by the Bulldogs and Tigers. If Melbourne is going to continue to grow further out from the inner suburbs, the newer areas need to be represented. The Demons are doing okay in Cranbourne, for example, and having a non-specific name helps, but we could and should be investing far more into the region. Unfortunately, any expansion would leave a club like St Kilda in real strife given they're really struggling to find a home base and firm financial security. The Seaford disaster was such a shame, the whole bayside corridor - particularly the fast growing Carrum/Frankston region and beyond - could have been theirs.
 

MaddAdam

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Nope. Talent is being diluted as it is. Perhaps that population growth would actually increase the skill level across the league.

This is a fair argument (I don't know if it is correct but it certainly has its merits)

But the longer term view is that with Melbourne doubling in size, if we have clubs that appeal to the new arrivals - who tend not to come from a "football" or "club" culture - then very rapidly we will have a much bigger talent pool from those folks and their kids.
 

MaddAdam

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Why can't they select one of the myriad extant Victorian clubs?

Will we need to triple the number of Sydney clubs for their growing population?

They might, but a better way to capture them is by pitching directly to them.

Sydney is not a natural footy space, so no.
 

MaddAdam

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He's taking the piss, but its not strictly a bad idea. Marketing a team directly at immigrants for them to adopt and mould wouldn't be much different to Carlton's Italian culture, and the working class pride shared by the Bulldogs and Tigers. If Melbourne is going to continue to grow further out from the inner suburbs, the newer areas need to be represented. The Demons are doing okay in Cranbourne, for example, and having a non-specific name helps, but we could and should be investing far more into the region. Unfortunately, any expansion would leave a club like St Kilda in real strife given they're really struggling to find a home base and firm financial security. The Seaford disaster was such a shame, the whole bayside corridor - particularly the fast growing Carrum/Frankston region and beyond - could have been theirs.

I'm not taking the piss at all.

It is this kind of thinking that's ingrained at North and is almost always ultimately adopted by the wider league.

We've expanded enough across the country.

Melbourne is undergoing almost unprecedented population growth (only Gold Rushes were bigger) - it makes perfect financial sense to exploit that.
 
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I'm not taking the piss at all.

It is this kind of thinking that's ingrained at North and is almost always ultimately adopted by the wider league.

We've expanded enough across the country.

Melbourne is undergoing almost unprecedented population growth (only Gold Rushes were bigger) - it makes perfect financial sense to exploit that.

Obvious troll thread, but I'll bite.

Is there any reason new Melbournians cant just support one of the teams already established in the area?

You know; just jump onto one of the existing local sides?

I mean; you cited Box Hill. Why not simply jump onto the Hawks?
 
Struggling clubs like North Melbourne could change their focus from Hobart to the Indian migrating population. They have a great iconic Australian nickname The Kangaroos. Drop North from their name as it's been a low supporter catchment area for them.

Hindu Melbourne Kangaroos
 

MaddAdam

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Obvious troll thread, but I'll bite.

Is there any reason new Melbournians cant just support one of the teams already established in the area?

You know; just jump onto one of the existing local sides?

I mean; you cited Box Hill. Why not simply jump onto the Hawks?

They could, but clubs aren't doing HUGE amounts to reach out. And the "Hawthorn" of the Hawks has stuff all to do with the kind of person moving to Box Hill in 2018 (that's no dip at the Hawks, just a statement of fact)

And the simple weight of numbers means we can have two new clubs - grow the game even further.

Two new clubs = an extra round = higher TV rights - more money for the game.

Its this same thinking that said "But why should we play on Friday nights when we can just play all the games at the same time on Saturday afternoons!"

Why WOULDN'T you do everything possible to get the 5 million people coming to the home of footy ultra involved?
 

MaddAdam

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I'm gonna presume you humorously chose Pakenham because then Indians would be supporting the 'Pakis'.

Hahahaha, hadn't even thought about that.
 

MaddAdam

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Struggling clubs like North Melbourne could change their focus from Hobart to the Indian migrating population. They have a great iconic Australian nickname The Kangaroos. Drop North from their name as it's been a low supporter catchment area for them.

Hindu Melbourne Kangaroos

Struggoing club Melbourne has done lots to attract the Chinese migrants with little success - its name doesn't help.

North is just fine and the huge E-gate development near Arden Street is plenty of fresh groun for not only us, but the Dogs and Essendon.

I addressed this in the OP.
 

AndyLucimitis

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He's taking the piss, but its not strictly a bad idea. Marketing a team directly at immigrants for them to adopt and mould wouldn't be much different to Carlton's Italian culture, and the working class pride shared by the Bulldogs and Tigers. If Melbourne is going to continue to grow further out from the inner suburbs, the newer areas need to be represented. The Demons are doing okay in Cranbourne, for example, and having a non-specific name helps, but we could and should be investing far more into the region. Unfortunately, any expansion would leave a club like St Kilda in real strife given they're really struggling to find a home base and firm financial security. The Seaford disaster was such a shame, the whole bayside corridor - particularly the fast growing Carrum/Frankston region and beyond - could have been theirs.





Then we end up with an ethnic-orientated league like we had with the old National Soccer League - and which got dismantled for that reason.


....and as Marty Di Stasio once said on 'Frontline' - " in my opinion, the Serbs started it !!"
 
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