New teams for fast growing Melbourne: Stars and Dragons

[Blackas87]

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.

What you didn't address in the OP is the other cities in Australia will also have population increases.

If North Melbourne allow a fresh new club to attract the Indian migrating population they'll fall further behind the rest of Australia

This is fantastic opportunity for them.

 

[JohnnyFontane90]

population doesn't mean they need more teams. Frankly on a team per population basis melbourne might be the last city in the world that needs extra sporting franchises.

 

[Predator35]

The Indian focused team should be the Cobras. (should of been Gold Coasts name instead of a Suns).

 

[blue harvest]

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.

Lol Melbourne isn't doubling by 2031, that 10mil figure is for Victoria by 2050.
When they say city they mean the municipality, it's just the central part of Melbourne.
'In the next 15 years, the population in the City of Melbourne is expected to double to 230,000.'
'The population of Victoria is expected to hit 10 million people by the 2050s'

 

[TheGhostOfJohnBelushi]

Sounds like Victoria needs a visit from Thanos.

 

[MaddAdam]

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 !!"

It wouldn't be the basis for the whole league and there's no ancient grievance with recent history like say Yugoslavia to stoke things.

 

[MaddAdam]

What you didn't address in the OP is the other cities in Australia will also have population increases.

Nowhere near the same rate as Melbourne's.

 

[MaddAdam]

The Indian focused team should be the Cobras. (should of been Gold Coasts name instead of a Suns).

Great shout!

Cobras, is there an existing IPL team called that?

 

[MaddAdam]

Lol Melbourne isn't doubling by 2031, that 10mil figure is for Victoria by 2050.
When they say city they mean the municipality, it's just the central part of Melbourne.
'In the next 15 years, the population in the City of Melbourne is expected to double to 230,000.'
'The population of Victoria is expected to hit 10 million people by the 2050s'

Melbourne will be about 8.5 mil.

Still enormous growth.

 

[DEVO]

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.

Canberra is expected to grow to half a million by around 2031/32. Shouldn't we get a team before Melbourne gets another?
And don't say we already have greater western SYDNEY. We don't.

 

[Sttew]

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.

Like the concept but not the distribution of teams - you shouldn't have the two Sydney in the same conference, and ditto the GC, SA and WA teams. You want to avoid the "us and them". I know that in the US baseball the pre-season practice games between the LA teams, who play in different national leagues, attracts great interest.

 

[MaddAdam]

Canberra is expected to grow to half a million by around 2031/32. Shouldn't we get a team before Melbourne gets another?
And don't say we already have greater western SYDNEY. We don't.

Hmm, if Canberra were bolted on footy territory, maybe. I just don't see it at the moment.

Has same issue as Tassie - people there already watch footy.

 

[MaddAdam]

Like the concept but not the distribution of teams - you shouldn't have the two Sydney in the same conference, and ditto the GC, SA and WA teams. You want to avoid the "us and them". I know that in the US baseball the pre-season practice games between the LA teams, who play in different national leagues, attracts great interest.

I thought this way you would maximize the derbies though?

Hmm, you do raise good points though.

 

[Blackas87]

Nowhere near the same rate as Melbourne's.

Yes but the other cities already have larger population per club. Perth Roughly 1000000 per club , Melbourne 450000 per club

If the Kangaroos moved all their home games back to Melbourne that would be fantastic for the current fans. With already 35000 members it won't be a huge financial burden on the AFL setting up clubs from scratch. The Kangaroos have already once dropped the name North Melbourne as it's not a great catchment area for the club.

Becoming The Hindu Melbourne Kangaroos the club can attract the entire Indian migrating population instead of just focusing on one region (Pakenmam)

 

[Nuggs Bunny]

Do teams have fan capacities or something? Don't understand why we need more teams, haven't ever had a problem where a team has had too many supporters. Maybe just build a bigger stadium

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[MaddAdam]

Yes but the other cities already have larger population per club. Perth Roughly 1000000 per club , Melbourne 450000 per club

If the Kangaroos moved all their home games back to Melbourne that would be fantastic for the current fans. With already 35000 members it won't be a huge financial burden on the AFL setting up clubs from scratch. The Kangaroos have already once dropped the name North Melbourne as it's not a great catchment area for the club.

Becoming The Hindu Melbourne Kangaroos the club can attract the entire Indian migrating population instead of just focusing on one region (Pakenmam)

Nah, we've got a perfectly good set up as is.

 

[Blackas87]

Nah, we've got a perfectly good set up as is.

Playing home games in Hobart?

 

[MaddAdam]

Do teams have fan capacities or something? Don't understand why we need more teams, haven't ever had a problem where a team has had too many supporters. Maybe just build a bigger stadium

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West Coast fans have this problem.

 

[BF Tiger]

Why not?

There's barely enough talent for 18 sides. I'd actually like to see at least a reduction of two sides. All this talk about the "state of the game" and no-one mentions that GWS and GCS are probably fielding 30+ players who could be making other sides better if they were not part of the expanded competition.

Sponsorship dollars are harder to come by. With two extra teams in Melbourne those clubs that are less appealing may find themselves not earning enough sponsorship revenue. St Kilda are sponsored by a flavoured milk and a small time money lender. The Bulldogs main sponsor makes corn chips. After Mazda I have no idea who else supports NMFC.

Player salaries are increasing too, and will only continue to do so (IMHO). Will the money one extra game on TV each week brings be enough to cover the extra 80 players pay cheque? The extra game will be of the lowest value too, basically the steak knives thrown in with the blockbuster, the good games, the game between old rivals and the already ninth game that occurs each weekend that no-one cares about.

 

[Isaac Cumming No 1]

Canberra is expected to grow to half a million by around 2031/32. Shouldn't we get a team before Melbourne gets another?
And don't say we already have greater western SYDNEY. We don't.

Actually you have the CAPITAL GIANTS

 

[blue harvest]

Melbourne will be about 8.5 mil.

Still enormous growth.

Not sure where you're getting your figures from.
At the current high growth rate the ABS has Melbourne at 5.9m in 2031.
Big growth but not double or 8.5m.

 

[Sanctuary]

Clubs like North, St Kilda and Western Bulldogs struggle enough as it is. If anything we need to chop one Victorian team.

 

[MaddAdam]

Playing home games in Hobart?

Yep.

 

[MaddAdam]

There's barely enough talent for 18 sides. I'd actually like to see at least a reduction of two sides. All this talk about the "state of the game" and no-one mentions that GWS and GCS are probably fielding 30+ players who could be making other sides better if they were not part of the expanded competition.

Yet every year the likes of Tim Kelly come out of the state leagues and straight into the big time.

I'm not convinced by this argument.

Sponsorship dollars are harder to come by. With two extra teams in Melbourne those clubs that are less appealing may find themselves not earning enough sponsorship revenue. St Kilda are sponsored by a flavoured milk and a small time money lender. The Bulldogs main sponsor makes corn chips. After Mazda I have no idea who else supports NMFC.

There'll be more dollars in a city twice as big.

Player salaries are increasing too, and will only continue to do so (IMHO). Will the money one extra game on TV each week brings be enough to cover the extra 80 players pay cheque? The extra game will be of the lowest value too, basically the steak knives thrown in with the blockbuster, the good games, the game between old rivals and the already ninth game that occurs each weekend that no-one cares about.

I reckon the extra game would, yep, at a pinch.

 

[Wacko23Jacko]

Yeah you're right about the South East being a huge growth corridor. Get the AFL involved in the Cardinia/Casey pitch for a new A-League team with stadium and training ground and utilise some extra space to build a huge ****-off stadium with a 75,000 capacity.

Then simply amalgamate two struggling Melbourne teams and rebrand per your guidelines as something relatable and relevant.

Simples