Expansion 20th AFL team location

[Andy_Mac]

There won't be a 20th team in the AFL until 2030 at the earliest, probably longer. If the 15%-20% growth over the next decade is as predicted in the ACT then there will be circa 600k living there. Plenty of people to support a stand alone team, and by then the AFL will be banking on GWS to have cemented itself in its core market (Sydney), leaving a hole in the market for the 20th side in Canberra (that has been activated/engaged by a departing GWS).

By 2030 the AFL will already be plotting a 2nd Brisbane side and a 3rd Sydney side.

 

[juddy_Like]

Please ELI5, because I don't see how it technically works.

You only have 11 away games. If they're all in Canberra, one can't be the away derby in Sydney.

And are we assuming every Victorian club sells a game each to Canberra and the NT? Would Collingwood be willing to lose two home games?

And then after all ten Victorian clubs sell match, who sells the 11th? Port had a strict contract for 11 games at Adelaide Oval. I assume other WA/SA sides are similar.

Am I missing something that would make this magically work?

I’m assuming what Eddie was trying to say (and it’s shit and not very well thought out) is that yes Collingwood does lose a home game in Melbourne but play it in Canberra instead.

Thinking is Coll v Giants at the G in front of 30k isn’t really a blockbuster with so many empty seats but a packed Manuka game is something.

Same thing as North v Suns in Hobart might as well be played in Cairns (with north getting the gate).

He’s basically ignored everything else but I’m guessing this is his point.

 

[mouncey2franklin]

A team on the Murray playing out of a 10k stadium would be unreal..

Sounds crazy but I think it could work. For one thing, they produce their own talent.

Murray Bushrangers - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

There's some good names on the list of players drafted from the Bushrangers, including just the past few years.

The issue would be, how much money can they make from a small stadium, and how much corporate support could they find?

This would be one 'franchise' club which I think traditional football fans (in Victoria) would actually support.

It would be cool to see a bunch of country lads getting drafted to a country team.

 

[Walshawk]

Caught the most recent "Eddie and Jimmy" podcast on youtube.

If anyone wants to see what a puffed-up loon Eddie McGuire is just check it out. His views on running the AFL are basically return it to the VFL on crack.
Just completely money and TV ratings obsessed with zero vision on how to grow a sport nationwide.
Dinosaurs like him should never be allowed near running a competition. He's a parochial club President and that's it.

Bartel raised some very good points and was just steamrolled by tomato head at every turn. Can't see them remaining together for long - you can sense the growing animosity between them. But worth a(n) (ironic) laugh.

He also thinks gambling revenue should be the priority moving forward.

 

[Walshawk]

I feel of the options above, I'd go

1. Canberra
daylight
2. Cairns
3. Adelaide
4. Perth
daylight
5. Auckland
6. Darwin

Darwin is the sentimental favourite. But come on. The only positives in it is the PR.

Cairns has less merit than Darwin and no emotional pull either.

 

[mouncey2franklin]

If anyone wants to see what a puffed-up loon Eddie McGuire is just check it out. His views on running the AFL are basically return it to the VFL on crack.
Just completely money and TV ratings obsessed with zero vision on how to grow a sport nationwide.
Dinosaurs like him should never be allowed near running a competition. He's a parochial club President and that's it.

Believe it or not, he was once given the keys to Channel 9.

Not just the Millionaire show but the entire organisation, he was the chief for a while.

Didn't last very long before the 'boned' him though...

 

[btdg]

We don’t want a buy. Also Tassie is different it’s a footy area there will be more buy in from fans. Also reinvigorating grass roots footy there should see them producing a critical mass of local talent that they can build around

We don't need a bye to have 19 teams.

 

[Dangerousfield]

How about a team in Western Sydney, huge population of untapped potential as nothing is being done in the area for AFL

 

[Boppo]

East Fremantle.

 

[mouncey2franklin]

There have been some surprisingly good points and suggestions made in this thread (along with the usual nonsense of course).

A 20th club means an extra game every round, which presumably means a decent amount of extra broadcasting rights money.

I'd be happy to see a permanent team in Canberra, or a 3rd WA team, or a Murray team, or even a SE Melbourne team.

There are decent cases to be made for any of these, although some obvious drawbacks and problems as well.

Aren't both WA teams owned by the WAFL? If so, wouldn't a third team be owned by them as well? How does that work?

They do have a relatively new and modern stadium ready to go, so if the corporate backing is there for a third team, why not?

Obviously the supporters of the existing Perth teams would be against it, but they'd get used to it eventually.

Canberra's case is probably hampered by the problems with the Giants and AFL's foray into western Sydney.

A Murray team probably doesn't make financial sense unless they get a clean stadium with low overheads.

One day greater Melbourne will have eight million people and many of them will be in the south east.

What I would love to see: A Murray team

What I would like to see: Canberra or to a lesser extent Perth 3

What I expect to see: Perth 3

What I don't want to see: Darwin, FNQ, or anywhere else with shithouse, slippery weather for footy.

 

[ItsAllAboutMe]

There's some good names on the list of players drafted from the Bushrangers, including just the past few years.

The issue would be, how much money can they make from a small stadium, and how much corporate support could they find?

This would be one 'franchise' club which I think traditional football fans (in Victoria) would actually support.

It would be cool to see a bunch of country lads getting drafted to a country team.

The issue isn’t about making money, if they had a suitable stadium they would not be a leach in the competition for the next 20 years like any other team would be, they would be immediately competitive with local talent and would have a captive fan base and tv audience.. The reality of any NT, ACT, Nth QLD etc teams is they will cost the comp millions each year and will prob never end up sustainable..

If they could some how build the stadium in with the comm games pitch for regional vic I am sure they could get support from the Vic government, and might even be able to get NSW to contribute given the fact the stadia is likely to benefit both sides of the Murray.

 

[whiskeytown]

Please ELI5, because I don't see how it technically works.

You only have 11 away games. If they're all in Canberra, one can't be the away derby in Sydney.

And are we assuming every Victorian club sells a game each to Canberra and the NT? Would Collingwood be willing to lose two home games?

And then after all ten Victorian clubs sell match, who sells the 11th? Port had a strict contract for 11 games at Adelaide Oval. I assume other WA/SA sides are similar.

Am I missing something that would make this magically work?

I never said 11 home games and 11 away games in Canberra… sounds like you never read what I posted

I posted 15-16 games at… of which say 8-9 of the standard 11 would be at home i.e Carrara or WSydney

The remaining couple of home games would be elsewhere eg Canberra, Nth QLD and NT… and an additional 3-4 away games would be played in these regions too eg North Melbourne vs Suns in Darwin

All in all 15-16 games including they’re normal 11

Poorer clubs in Melbourne in particular will happily sell the home game… gather round is proof that clubs will uproot if the financial incentive is good enough

 

[nobbyiscool]

I know there were heaps of lessons learned from Fitzroy, I know that should never happen again.

But I wonder if there's an opportunity here for the AFL to pressure everyone to get their houses in order before they entertain discussion of a 20th team. If there's no pressure to expand upwards, might we discover pressure to go back down to 18? Is GC a going concern? Do we need this many Melbourne teams?

I think, realistically, it'll be Perth, but it'll be the same criticism that Tassie faced for decades - it doesn't add any new fans. I'd like to see a Northern Australia team based out of Darwin that plays a 3-4 games a year in Cairns, but they'd be more a financial black hole than GWS will be and Tassie could be.

 

[Canberra Pear]

The issue isn’t about making money, if they had a suitable stadium they would not be a leach in the competition for the next 20 years like any other team would be, they would be immediately competitive with local talent and would have a captive fan base and tv audience.. The reality of any NT, ACT, Nth QLD etc teams is they will cost the comp millions each year and will prob never end up sustainable..

If they could some how build the stadium in with the comm games pitch for regional vic I am sure they could get support from the Vic government, and might even be able to get NSW to contribute given the fact the stadia is likely to benefit both sides of the Murray.

So a city with more than 500k, in the fastest growing state/territory, in a wider region of 700k-plus, in a city where the government gives national teams millions of dollars, will be a leech?

But a country Victorian team won't be?

 

[Billy ray]

Imagine being 18 and getting drafted to Darwin. Ffs people it wont ever happen.
Canberra is a shoe-in before any new ones in heartland states and even that will be 10-15 years after Tassie. So 2038-2043.

 

[ItsAllAboutMe]

Imagine being 18 and getting drafted to Darwin. Ffs people it wont ever happen.
Canberra is a shoe-in before any new ones in heartland states and even that will be 10-15 years after Tassie. So 2038-2043.

The reality is that it would end up purely indigenous players who they are able to retain, which would be an interesting novelty at the start but I doubt they would ever be able to build a side good enough to compete.

 

[Captivating]

19 teams is perfect. Weekly bye means Thursday night football all season long. AFL and 7 network will be hard and throbbing

Makes Gather Round weird for one team.

 

[Billy ray]

Makes Gather Round weird for one team.

Least of anyone’s concerns. Happy gor my team to sit it out in 2028

 

[eth-dog]

Imagine being 18 and getting drafted to Darwin. Ffs people it wont ever happen.
Canberra is a shoe-in before any new ones in heartland states and even that will be 10-15 years after Tassie. So 2038-2043.

No way known they wait that long to make it even again.

 

[amazingjoshy]

We don’t want a bye. Also Tassie is different it’s a footy area there will be more buy in from fans. Also reinvigorating grass roots footy there should see them producing a critical mass of local talent that they can build around

We have byes now

 

[Big Animal]

No way known they wait that long to make it even again.

agreed. that's why I think it would be Perth3. Don't necessarily agree with it but can see the financial case. After the set up, stadium and other costs in Tassie, Perth3 would be relatively easy, low cost, with lots of $$ to be made relatively easily with a ready to go 60K stadium which will be at least half filled within a couple of years.

 

[Canberra Pear]

I never said 11 home games and 11 away games in Canberra… sounds like you never read what I posted

I posted 15-16 games at… of which say 8-9 of the standard 11 would be at home i.e Carrara or WSydney

The remaining couple of home games would be elsewhere eg Canberra, Nth QLD and NT… and an additional 3-4 away games would be played in these regions too eg North Melbourne vs Suns in Darwin

All in all 15-16 games including they’re normal 11

Poorer clubs in Melbourne in particular will happily sell the home game… gather round is proof that clubs will uproot if the financial incentive is good enough

You never said 11/11. But Eddie did. Your idea might have merit, but Eddie's still a dumbass.

 

[RedBloodBlackSwan]

I like Canberra, especially because it stops with the nonsense of GWS spanning two completely different geographies and identities. Sport is tribal and teams need to connect with their local communities.

For this reason, I am also against a northern Australian team. Cairns is very different from Darwin.

Before Canberra though, I think the AFL should look at removing one team. I am pro expansion clubs, but I really wonder if Gold Coast will make it. It is living up to its reputation as the great graveyard of Australian sporting teams.

The AFL should also look at removing a Melbourne club. To their credit,
North and Saints have done a good job a remaining viable, so they have made it difficult for the AFL to pick a loser. But there are too many Melbourne teams for a national competition.

 

[beema limapep]

Reckon each Thursday they should start the round with a 'Thusday Three-sy' - three teams all on the ground at once with three sets of goals and one ball.

Also, no holds barred.

 

[sydney_gws]

I like Canberra, especially because it stops with the nonsense of GWS spanning two completely different geographies and identities. Sport is tribal and teams need to connect with their local communities.

For this reason, I am also against a northern Australian team. Cairns is very different from Darwin.

Before Canberra though, I think the AFL should look at removing one team. I am pro expansion clubs, but I really wonder if Gold Coast will make it. It is living up to its reputation as the great graveyard of Australian sporting teams.

The AFL should also look at removing a Melbourne club. To their credit,
North and Saints have done a good job a remaining viable, so they have made it difficult for the AFL to pick a loser. But there are too many Melbourne teams for a national competition.

I think stick with 19 for a few years, see if a 20th is warranted . Possibly a merger could occur ( like bears and fitzroy) between Gold Coast and a Melbourne team. That decreases teams to 18. Or a merger between the new Tassie team and a Melbourne team could occur.