Roast AFL pisses “eight figures” up against the wall

[Bunk Moreland]

What the hell?

Is this the dumbest and most expensive blunder in football history?

The damage was actually done around 20 years ago when the AFL GAVE Waverley to Hawthorn for $1.

Now that Hawthorn are done with it, the AFL decides they do want it after all and buy it back at market rates.

$20 million was the mooted price. It’ll be less than that, but a few other media sources have confirmed it’ll cost the league “eight figures”. For something they owned and gave away.

Staggering stuff.

AFL leading the race to buy Waverley Park from Hawks

The league is leading the race to buy Waverley from Hawthorn Football Club, in a deal that would keep the former prized stadium as a football facility.

www.theage.com.au

 

[Altum Volantes]

Thought this was going to be about AFLW....or GWS...or GC....or the continual maintenance of unviable VFL throwbacks...

 

[NetworkNerd]

What the hell?

Is this the dumbest and most expensive blunder in football history?

The damage was actually done around 20 years ago when the AFL GAVE Waverley to Hawthorn for $1.

Now that Hawthorn are done with it, the AFL decides they do want it after all and buy it back at market rates.

$20 million was the mooted price. It’ll be less than that, but a few other media sources have confirmed it’ll cost the league “eight figures”. For something they owned and gave away.

Staggering stuff.

AFL leading the race to buy Waverley Park from Hawks

The league is leading the race to buy Waverley from Hawthorn Football Club, in a deal that would keep the former prized stadium as a football facility.

www.theage.com.au

I always thought the AFL sold Waverley and surrounding land to Mirvac and then Mirvac gave the oval/Sir Kenneth Luke stand to Hawthorn for $1. Something about having to have an AFL club based there. Older Hawks supporters will know

 

[NetworkNerd]

The Mirvac Waverley Park development has involved various deals and prices, including a $110 million sale of the ground and surrounding land to Mirvac by the AFL in 2002.

Looks like all 3 parties did ok

 

[Bunk Moreland]

I always thought the AFL sold Waverley and surrounding land to Mirvac and then Mirvac gave the oval/Sir Kenneth Luke stand to Hawthorn for $1. Something about having to have an AFL club based there. Older Hawks supporters will know

However the deal was structured, the AFL gave the oval and stand to Hawthorn for $1.

They’re now buying it back for $10m+

What a massive blunder.

 

[Orange Agent]

The grandstand is heritage listed, it's not worth a lot to many people. So this seems like a gift.... maybe to exit Tassie if the team and stadium get up.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

The grandstand is heritage listed, it's not worth a lot to many people. So this seems like a gift.... maybe to exit Tassie if the team and stadium get up.

The stand holds a gym and training centre and several commercially leased spaces. It’s worth plenty.

There was multiple other parties interested (sports and schools).

 

[Cleavy]

we can't all be smooth negotiators...

 

[Bunk Moreland]

we can't all be smooth negotiators...

Hawthorn have negotiated it pretty smoothly.

Absolutely brilliant deal.

 

[rye]

isnt it just money out of one pocket and into another as far as the afl is concerned

 

[Outtatym]

Insane. There is no use for it.

 

[Mitchell Madness]

1. Waverly was purchased by hawthorn from mirvac, not the AFL.
2. It was purchased as it was heritage listed and mirvac did not want the cost of upgrades, maintenance etc whilst developing the estate
3. The AFL have invested an extra 25 free kicks per game in the sale

 

[Mitchell Madness]

Insane. There is no use for it.

Plenty of high performance use.
Umpires currently train at preston oval

 

[Outtatym]

Plenty of high performance use.
Umpires currently train at preston oval

To spend that sort of coin on part time endurance 'athletes' seems wild to me.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

1. Waverly was purchased by hawthorn from mirvac, not the AFL.

Semantics. If Mirvac didn’t want it and it was worth nothing to them, then the AFL could’ve just carved it out of the deal and still got the same amount for the rest.

The AFL gave it away for nothing and have now had to spend over $10m to get it back - I suspect mainly because they’re petrified of “the optics” of other sports being played there.

It’s an enormous blunder.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

To spend that sort of coin on part time endurance 'athletes' seems wild to me.

They’ll probably try to justify it as some kind of “umpiring centre of excellence”… that’ll likely be the spin.

There’s other options for the umpires, the obvious one has always been Elsternwick Park, which is a superb facility that has no resident club. A deal to share that with the VAFA would cost a mountain less than Waverley.

It’s just one giant ****-up - tbf, by the AFL 20 years ago - who clearly had zero foresight on this. It’s cost the game tens of millions.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Semantics. If Mirvac didn’t want it and it was worth nothing to them, then the AFL could’ve just carved it out of the deal and still got the same amount for the rest.

Semantics? Or were you just categorically wrong when you stated that “The damage was actually done around 20 years ago when the AFL GAVE Waverley to Hawthorn for $1.”

The facts of the sale to Mirvac actually matter.

As for the sale back to the AFL for a tidy sum…

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Semantics? Or were you just categorically wrong when you stated that “The damage was actually done around 20 years ago when the AFL GAVE Waverley to Hawthorn for $1.”

The facts of the sale to Mirvac actually matter.

As for the sale back to the AFL for a tidy sum…

Yep, semantics. The “facts” is just paperwork. The whole deal was done. Mirvac didn’t just buy it, discover they didn’t want it, then decide to give it away to Hawthorn who… just decided to ask for it??

The deal that the AFL did was simple - Hawthorn got the ground and stand for nothing and Mirvac took the rest. Who cares what it said where on the paperwork.

It was a monumental ****-up by the AFL that has cost them huge 20 years down the track.

It was a brilliant deal by and for Hawthorn, nobody is disputing that.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Can't be arsed getting worked up about this.
If they want to move out of VFL heritage to a dump in Dingley let them.

Better in AFL's hands than any other alternative. 10m is nothing given the scale of the AFL.

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Can't be arsed getting worked up about this.
If they want to move out of VFL heritage to a dump in Dingley let them.

The dump in dingley….

 

[Teen Wolf]

Yeah Hawthorn paid $1 for the grass and some levels of the Sir Kenneth Luke Stand. And then spent millions doing it up. Didn't they also pay over $4m for the public gym?

In any case, like another poster said, the money the AFL pays to get it back will be spent on Hawthorn's nice new facilities in Dingfield. Football is the winner.

 

[Shane Heard]

Has it got a bowling club attached to a flank ?

 

[Mitchell Madness]

Yep, semantics. The “facts” is just paperwork. The whole deal was done. Mirvac didn’t just buy it, discover they didn’t want it, then decide to give it away to Hawthorn who… just decided to ask for it??

The deal that the AFL did was simple - Hawthorn got the ground and stand for nothing and Mirvac took the rest. Who cares what it said where on the paperwork.

It was a monumental ****-up by the AFL that has cost them huge 20 years down the track.

It was a brilliant deal by and for Hawthorn, nobody is disputing that.

Are you angry that hawthorn didnt get kicked out by a bowls club?

 

[My_Username]

The dump in dingley….

It literally is a dump.

It's the rubbish tip with a layer of dirt on top of it.

 

[Hungdaddy]

Hawthorn rorting the system