Cockburn firming up

[salim malik]

The mayors a douche. If you're unhappy about Freo moving and are a rate payer vote him out. Freo council had plenty of opportunity to retain the Dockers but dragging their feet with their anal rules cost them. Cockburn jumped in with a better proposition, end of story. Stiff s**t to the wingers on here who want FFC to remain a cake stall funded yesterday club. If you dont like what Freo have done South Freo would love your membership dollars.

 

[Okinakashi]

Maybe the club should drop the Freo name then?

Maybe the Eagles should be renamed East Vic Park?

 

[G Mus]

Worked well for Wimbledon....

The club founded by their supporters or the renamed MK dons

 

[meima]

Maybe.

But WCE have never represented a specific place or worn a jumper to represent connections to a community.

Maybe you mistaken this is freo board not eagles .

 

[TheLoris]

Wimbledon moved around 50kms away from the south of London to Milton Keynes which is north of London. Big difference to moving what is maybe 15 minutes drive away.

That doesn't even take into consideration Wimbledon moved its home games 50kms as well. We're moving to a stadium that is lucky to be 10km from the current one.


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Actually, the writing was on the wall way before they moved to Milton Keynes. They disconnected from their local support base when they started playing down at Selhurst Park(went to a few games there because it was so easy to get tickets..). Things were alright while they were going ok in the EPL, but once they got relegated, they had no local support, hence the desperate move to MK.

Not suggesting this will happen to FFC, but they really should stay engaged with the Freo community, and trying to screw the council for money they have no ethical rights to isn't the best way to go about things.

 

[Nodgey]

The mayors a douche. If you're unhappy about Freo moving and are a rate payer vote him out. Freo council had plenty of opportunity to retain the Dockers but dragging their feet with their anal rules cost them. Cockburn jumped in with a better proposition, end of story. Stiff s**t to the wingers on here who want FFC to remain a cake stall funded yesterday club. If you dont like what Freo have done South Freo would love your membership dollars.

'Freo council had plenty of opportunity to retain the Dockers'?!?!

It's been repeated ad nauseum that Cockburn provides for 2 ovals where Freo doesn't. That Freo oval just didn't have room to grow. So we had to move.

Not having a go Salim, but the smell of bullshit is unbearable.

 

[meima]

Cockbreo FC

 

[Lach72]

I haven't been to The Norfolk for a while. I assumed Richard Utting was dead.

Pickled by 48 pints a day

 

[peppy la pew]

Pickled by 48 pints a day

He would give Slobbo a run for his money

 

[Lach72]

He would give Slobbo a run for his money

Slobbo would be a screaming mess under a table

 

[peppy la pew]

Slobbo would be a screaming mess under a table

Dicky boy likes a tipple eh

 

[Lach72]

Dicky boy likes a tipple eh

s**t yes...grooves in the bar at the Norfolk from his elbow

 

[Fred Ziffel]

'Freo council had plenty of opportunity to retain the Dockers'?!?!

It's been repeated ad nauseum that Cockburn provides for 2 ovals where Freo doesn't. That Freo oval just didn't have room to grow. So we had to move.

Not having a go Salim, but the smell of bullshit is unbearable.

Not really. Freo were still a strong chance of staying in Fremantle with various discussions centering on the Stan Reilly site development. Then the fruitcake lefty greens faction on the council insisted the new Dockers facility must be carbon neutral.
At that point Steve Rosich had had enough and said GAGF you pile of nutcases.

 

[Nodgey]

As I said, the smell of bullshit is off the scale.

 

[peppy la pew]

Not really. Freo were still a strong chance of staying in Fremantle with various discussions centering on the Stan Reilly site development. Then the fruitcake lefty greens faction on the council insisted the Dockers facility must be carbon neutral.
At that point Steve Rosich had had enough and said GAGF you pile of nutcases.

I'm not privvy to any info from either side Fred but that is the exact story I heard throughout the saga.

FFC gave the council every opportunity to remain in the City but the council were swayed by the lefty greens demands. At the time the council was more focused on heritage and preservation of the city of Fremantle, even though figures showed visitors and tourism was down and the city was regressing.

A brand new FFC facility should've been a priority but they were blinded by their insular policies.

Effectively the council dropped the ball and Cockburn swooped, and what a fantastic new training center it is.

 

[Arcassius]

The argument over whether we are moving is over. The issue now is whether the club, having chosen of their own free will to move, should try and rip off the ratepayers of Fremantle on their way out

I'm a rate payer of freo and get ripped off enough without the FFC getting involved. Bunch of whiners around here. Im glad the club is making commercial decisions

 

[Docker82]

Actually, the writing was on the wall way before they moved to Milton Keynes. They disconnected from their local support base when they started playing down at Selhurst Park(went to a few games there because it was so easy to get tickets..). Things were alright while they were going ok in the EPL, but once they got relegated, they had no local support, hence the desperate move to MK.

Not suggesting this will happen to FFC, but they really should stay engaged with the Freo community, and trying to screw the council for money they have no ethical rights to isn't the best way to go about things.

Whilst I agree with almost all the second bit, Wimbledon really isn't the best example. We are talking about the moving of a training base. Wimbledon moved their home games firstly to a home ground of an opposition (can't think of a single English ground share so is a pretty big deal, unlike in Australia) and then 50km away. Wimbledon was poorly managed, was already declining in support and couldn't find a suitable home ground in the Wimbledon area. I don't see similarities at all. Best thing to compare it to is other AFL clubs. Essendon moved from Windy Hill to a location close to the airport. Even after Dank and Hird did their best to ruin the club they are still doing quite well in terms of support.


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[Admiral Byng]

Actually, the writing was on the wall way before they moved to Milton Keynes. They disconnected from their local support base when they started playing down at Selhurst Park(went to a few games there because it was so easy to get tickets..). Things were alright while they were going ok in the EPL, but once they got relegated, they had no local support, hence the desperate move to MK.

Not suggesting this will happen to FFC, but they really should stay engaged with the Freo community, and trying to screw the council for money they have no ethical rights to isn't the best way to go about things.

I would wager that the Dockers key supporter base is not primarily concentrated in Fremantle local government area, even though they share the name. The club has far broader support than that in the greater Perth region.

 

[M_rash]

Basically the Fremantle council is akin to Xiaver Richards. Thought they were better than they are, demanded more than they should, and are now high and dry.

$4MM to get the site back, have their assets significantly upgraded, and be able to hold events there for the next 40 years is a pretty bloody good deal to me. You don't need to run the numbers to see that the NPV and DPI would be very attractive!

It's a win win for both parties, however the council will have a cry because that's what Australia does against the big "mean" corporations that help this nation thrive. Would have been great to stay in Freo, but eventually the needs of the council would have driven us away anyway. Business needs some give and take, if it's all one sided, the business will leave for a better a deal. Hello Cockburn

 

[FreoMonocle]

Maybe the club should drop the Freo name then?

The AFL was ready for a 2nd WA club, it could have been anything at that point, such as the "Widgiemooltha poodles", "the other, but better west coast eagles", "the proudly sponsored by wheetiecrips your favourite breakfast cereal team" or whatever.

But the licence was granted with a nod to the prior attempts of both Fremantle WAFL teams to have a merged side in the VFL and a long and strong football history in the area - and we haven't moved out of that area, we're still in what was the catchment zone for those teams.

Then there is the whole hassle of finding new website and company names and such bollocks. We'll be the Fremantle Dockers for a long time to come.

 

[balthazarthedonk]

Basically the Fremantle council is akin to Xiaver Richards. Thought they were better than they are, demanded more than they should, and are now high and dry.

$4MM to get the site back, have their assets significantly upgraded, and be able to hold events there for the next 40 years is a pretty bloody good deal to me. You don't need to run the numbers to see that the NPV and DPI would be very attractive!

It's a win win for both parties, however the council will have a cry because that's what Australia does against the big "mean" corporations that help this nation thrive. Would have been great to stay in Freo, but eventually the needs of the council would have driven us away anyway. Business needs some give and take, if it's all one sided, the business will leave for a better a deal. Hello Cockburn

Heh. Except for the minor issue that it is not "their" money, it is ratepayers money. And they have a duty to obtain value for money, not do sweetheart deals with corporate interests, with my money.
Personally, I am quite excited that the Dockers are moving - I don't want them to stay at the Oval now as I think the plans to re-align the oval with the old stand and have Soufs and Easts co-located is a great one. I am looking forward to the retail and accommodation developments because the idea to link the cappucino strip with the shopping and restaurant strip down the South Fremantle end of South Terrace is a no-brainer and great for Fremantle. Also having more people (particularly younger people) living in the city is great because currently it's looking like one big retirement home. But that development is now on hold because of the usual rent-seeking corporate behavior which is so prevalent in this country and people are rightly frustrated.
I suspect in time people will wonder whether the move is a good decision - certainly the Cockburn taxpayers who will find the club takes the same hard-nosed attitude with them - and there is some evidence the Melbourne-based clubs which have moved from their heartlands have started to have second thoughts. Not my problem though. The move is good for the WAFL and is good for getting much needed development into Freo. I just want it done but not on the basis of corporate blackmail.

 

[Freo Shark]

Its a shame they couldnt stay. But space was limited especially as the teams nowadays want two ovals ++. So on that basis they need to go elsewhere. I just hope the cockburn ETAF has room to grow over the decades and they dont get built around.

The $4m or whatever is abit harsh but theres more too it I think.

 

[salim malik]

'Freo council had plenty of opportunity to retain the Dockers'?!?!

It's been repeated ad nauseum that Cockburn provides for 2 ovals where Freo doesn't. That Freo oval just didn't have room to grow. So we had to move.

Not having a go Salim, but the smell of bullshit is unbearable.

The Freo councils demands where unreasonable and Cockburn offered a better deal. Whats bullshit about that.

 

[hoss]

I would wager that the Dockers key supporter base is not primarily concentrated in Fremantle local government area, even though they share the name. The club has far broader support than that in the greater Perth region.

Yeah, Freo is full of Eagles supporters. Gives me some sort of perverse satisfaction they might be financially contributing to our club.

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[M_rash]

Heh. Except for the minor issue that it is not "their" money, it is ratepayers money. And they have a duty to obtain value for money, not do sweetheart deals with corporate interests, with my money.

Well technically only about half of the revenue comes from rates. The budget for this year is about $91MM, so whilst $4MM isn't a small amount, it's hardly gonna cause them financial struggles when looking at a long term view - which you would assume they do before entering such sweetheart deals.

Also interesting that the population for Freo is estimated at about 31k. So FREO FC > Freo city.

There'll always be a link between the two entities and this minor dispute will be long forgotten. Onwards and upwards.

http://www.fremantle.wa.gov.au/site... Fremantle Annual Budget 2016-17-C-000500.pdf