TAS Tassie... happening?

Sep 22, 2011
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I hear what you're saying, but in amongst that whole post you didn't actually address the question. If you can't work out "specifically" what is more appealing about living in Melbourne than Launceston than there's probably no point having a conversation about it, it's all pretty obvious.
Am i saying EVERY single player would prefer Melbourne, Sydney, Perth over Tassie? No I'm not, but there is a reason these places are densely populated and thats becomes a majority of the population likes living in big cities.
As for Geelong, Penrith ect, I think Hobart is a way better place, but they are also only an hour drive from the 2 biggest cities in the country.

It’s not that people “like living in big cities”, it’s mostly about jobs.
 
Sep 18, 2011
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It’s not that people “like living in big cities”, it’s mostly about jobs.
Yeh of course, but a lot of people also love it. Have quite a few mates that have moved from Brisbane to Melbourne because Melbourne has a lot more going on. I'd love a team to work in Tassie, but I can definitely understand the reseervations about it too.
 

Johnny Bananas

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Tassie will be just fine, provided they're given at least a few years of an academy similar to the Northern academies. A few years of Tassie boys playing U18, VFL and then AFL in Tassie and they'll never want to leave. Plenty of established talent to attract back too. And a culture of players staying inspires more to stay.

Really I think it just comes down to whether the AFL wants it to happen. They're not poor and they have easily enough money to help out a Tassie team should they struggle. First thing that has to go is the government deals though. No incentive to change if the AFL is getting plenty of money for doing very little.
 

Johnny Bananas

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Looking at the history of attendances one can see the crowds of some clubs don't appear to have not kept pace with the growth of Melbournes population. So what's their future? Bigger handouts? Force immigrants to games?

Pretty sure all the minnows have been considering this for decades and been marketing at the high growth areas, like North in Werribee and Melbourne in Cranbourne. We'll see if it works, St Kilda have been marketing in Frankston for decades and they're still minnows.
 

BIRDBRAIN

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Really I think it just comes down to whether the AFL wants it to happen. They're not poor and they have easily enough money to help out a Tassie team should they struggle. First thing that has to go is the government deals though. No incentive to change if the AFL is getting plenty of money for doing very little.

The AFL is a non-profit organisation. So why does EVERY decision they make need to be about revenue? Even to the point where there is no integrity left as a sporting competition. It honestly wouldn't kill the AFL would it?
 

Johnny Bananas

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The AFL is a non-profit organisation. So why does EVERY decision they make need to be about revenue? Even to the point where there is no integrity left as a sporting competition. It honestly wouldn't kill the AFL would it?

Gil needs a new diamond encrusted back scratcher.
 
Mar 17, 2009
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Call me cynical, but had Tassie scored an A league team the AFL would be moving mountains to get one going already

No, the AFL only care that Tassie has been a cabbage patch for players, money & memberships.

Few here care about A-league. Who else in Australia cares? Crowds everywhere else are ordinary. Its a 4th rate competition. Soccer heads know that.
 
Mar 17, 2009
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Tasmania has zero soccer heritage anyway, they didn't even have a team in the old NSL. The A-League can't afford to move to an area that has never had an interest in the game. The AFL can afford to move to an area that has a huge interest in the game.

Beg to differ. Tasmania's soccer heritage is wound up in the migrant intake we've had. Just like the rest of the country. South Hobart dates back to 1910 in the local competition. Many clubs started after WW2. The Polish White Eagles, Croatia, Olympia, Juventus. All the old European names, like most places. Its all about relativity.Soccer is big for kids & poor at the top level.
 

Fire

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Soccer is big for kids & poor at the top level.

It's always been like this, even in Victoria when I was a kid.

The local soccer league had a ton more kids playing in it than the junior footy comp; but it was effectively a feeder for the more adolescent footy comp.

Once the kids started to mature and their parents wernt as worried about injuries, they either switched codes or stopped playing sports altogether.
 

Johnny Bananas

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Beg to differ. Tasmania's soccer heritage is wound up in the migrant intake we've had. Just like the rest of the country. South Hobart dates back to 1910 in the local competition. Many clubs started after WW2. The Polish White Eagles, Croatia, Olympia, Juventus. All the old European names, like most places. Its all about relativity.Soccer is big for kids & poor at the top level.

How many of those clubs besides South still exist?
 

STANTS

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Every NFL team represents 1-4 Victorias.

Garbage the New England Patriots are essentially Boston's team and Boston has a population of 700,000. Green Bay Wisconsin has a population of less than 200,000 and are nearly the highest attended team in the competition. Buffalo population under 300,000 need I go on. San Francisco is only around 900,00 and Oakland is under 500,000 and at the moment both have teams and are right next to each other granted Oakland will be moving to Las Vegas soon. I could go on but you get my point. Please don't post lies as facts.
 

Bomberboyokay

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Garbage the New England Patriots are essentially Boston's team and Boston has a population of 700,000. Green Bay Wisconsin has a population of less than 200,000 and are nearly the highest attended team in the competition. Buffalo population under 300,000 need I go on. San Francisco is only around 900,00 and Oakland is under 500,000 and at the moment both have teams and are right next to each other granted Oakland will be moving to Las Vegas soon. I could go on but you get my point. Please don't post lies as facts.

Green Bay Packers are Victoria if it had one AFL team and played in Bendigo. Rest, you need to look at metropolitan areas not bloody council boundaries.
 

STANTS

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Green Bay Packers are Victoria if it had one AFL team and played in Bendigo. Rest, you need to look at metropolitan areas not bloody council boundaries.

How far are people travelling. US cities aren't as big as you think my old man always calls it the country of a thousand Geelongs. I have been to Boston I promise you it's a small city.
 
Apr 12, 2012
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How far are people travelling. US cities aren't as big as you think my old man always calls it the country of a thousand Geelongs. I have been to Boston I promise you it's a small city.
There's 4 million people in greater Boston, their version of a metropolitan area, or Sydney Metro which has around 5 million.

Boston is small for the yanks. For us it's a major city.
 

Bomberboyokay

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Pretty sure all the minnows have been considering this for decades and been marketing at the high growth areas, like North in Werribee and Melbourne in Cranbourne. We'll see if it works, St Kilda have been marketing in Frankston for decades and they're still minnows.

We know that doesn't work when it gets down to it. None of them play games in these areas. Local businesses having a club sticker on the window doesn't turn people. With everybody* playing in two stadiums, Melbourne kids are indoctrinated by their family or go for whoever's good in their formative years.

*except Geelong
 
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STANTS

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There is no way in hell that all NFL clubs except Green Bay cover supporter bases of 1 to 4 Victoria's New England which we are arguing about is a bigger market than Buffalo and Oakland for example. The comment was wrong it's not factual. Also I would say Boston is a pretty large city by U.S standards. It's the 21st largest city in the country and is not the smallest that hosts an NFL side. Detroit for example is the 23rd largest city and Nashville is the 24th both host NFL teams. Buffalo which is home to an NFL team is 81st and I have driven that part of the states there's nothing else around Buffalo to increase the crowd size. The statement that NFL teams are there to cover supporter bases of 1-4 Victoria's is laughable even 1 is not correct.
 
Mar 17, 2009
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Garbage the New England Patriots are essentially Boston's team and Boston has a population of 700,000. Green Bay Wisconsin has a population of less than 200,000 and are nearly the highest attended team in the competition. Buffalo population under 300,000 need I go on. San Francisco is only around 900,00 and Oakland is under 500,000 and at the moment both have teams and are right next to each other granted Oakland will be moving to Las Vegas soon. I could go on but you get my point. Please don't post lies as facts.

And the population of the city of melbourne is 135k.
Greater Melbourne about 5milyun

Boston 700k
Greater Boston about 5milyun
 

Fire

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Garbage the New England Patriots are essentially Boston's team and Boston has a population of 700,000.

Ok, no that's simply not true. The US counts their cities populations differently than what Australians do. To crudly translate it, they count their local councils whereas Australia counts greater metropolitan areas.

If Boston was in Australia it would be said to have a population of about 5 million people. If Melbourne was in the US it would be said to have a population of about 140,000.

Don't underestimate how big the US is.
 
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Has that translated into bigger clubs in Melbourne? Some maybe. But others have lagged behind & struggle without massive handouts. Looking at the history of attendances one can see the crowds of some clubs don't appear to have not kept pace with the growth of Melbournes population. So what's their future? Bigger handouts? Force immigrants to games?

Whilst I agree with the rest of your post as far as the bolded goes then on face value that would make them a liability not a viability right?

If that is the case then why are these clubs not merged or culled? Probably because the lowest member base of any vic club is approx 40k and you could arguably thrice that for non member paying supporters right? In which case HQ aren't going to merge 240k of cull 120k of revenue streaming supporters right?

We all know (I hope) that every club gets funds from HQ right? Some more than others and I think this is where the misnomer comes from, that clubs that are not corporate level financial are in "desperate financial trouble, let's cull em. They're a drag on the other clubs"

Sure there are a couple of clubs not in profit but it's hardly tens of millions which is besides the point anyway. The point is HQ ain't gonna just snub their nose at these numbers so these clubs are still viable after all.
 
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