Expansion 20th AFL team location

[CCurnow3picks]

We need a second team on the Gold
Coast.

The Cavill Ave Bouncers?

 

[CCurnow3picks]

Canberra have the money.

WA have the people.

SA has the history.

Darwin has the heritage.

The issue is will people care about a team from Canberra - nope!

A Darwin team would be an amazing brand & very marketable.

We can all imagine the talent that would run through that club.

 

[CCurnow3picks]

Isn’t that Abbotsford?

CUB lead sponsor

 

[random260]

If there was to be a third WA team I'd like them to be called 'Perth'. It's always felt odd to me that all the other capital city names are in use except Perth. I understand West Coast was named that to broaden the appeal across WA. I just reckon it would be nice to have a team named Perth in the competition.

Perth would be perfect. They will have identity

Wce the old money club
Perth the modern AFL club vibrant.
Fremantle hippies and homeless

They would fit right in.

Perth would get major sponsorship

 

[sherb]

you "relocate" GWS to Canberra

and make Northern Perth Suburbs the third team like Joondalup

No, the other way round. Relocate them out of Canberra and get them to be what they were initially marketed as - a Western Sydney side.

 

[random260]

Who is going to follow a 3rd team in Perth? Everybody already either supports West Coast, Fremantle or other random Vic clubs. Would take a new team a generation like 30 years to get any traction at all. Freo had the help of a geographical area with strong football history and providing an alternative to those that just didn't warm to Eagle mania and nearly 30 years later are still dwarfed by them in support.

Wrong the reason people don't want to follow that hippie purple loving mad town of Fremantle. That's why we have huge waiting list. Many in that would happily go to a new Perth team but fremantle is not an option

Perth would be perfect in that people who want a team now have a team.

 

[Freomaniac]

Melbourne is about to become the biggest city anyways. Maybe current state is slightly representative

Your point? Does that mean all 10 Victorian sides will average 40,000 a game at docklands?

 

[Freomaniac]

Wrong the reason people don't want to follow that hippie purple loving mad town of Fremantle. That's why we have huge waiting list. Many in that would happily go to a new Perth team but fremantle is not an option

Perth would be perfect in that people who want a team now have a team.

That wasn't the case in 2002-7 when the eagles were really good in that period.

Eagles were constantly filling out that 43,000 Subiaco oval.

Then there were some people on the waiting list for 2-4 seasons.

Some of them ran out of patience and got dockers membership to watch footy games.

It helped Freo were finals contenders at the time In 2002-7

 

[threesixpio]

Your point? Does that mean all 10 Victorian sides will average 40,000 a game at docklands?

You mean 12-17. Yes and more. There will be a stadium every block or so I imagine

 

[Freomaniac]

You mean 12-17. Yes and more. There will be a stadium every block or so I imagine

Good luck in comrade dictator Dan funding it all LoL.

I live in Adelaide and there's a pub in every 2nd block lol

 

[ibd77]

Canberra, ACT will need to be the next AFL team to even out to 20 teams based on population. It definitely has a larger population in the capital city. Will the AFL expect a brand new shinny stadium there too?

NT cannot host an fulltime AFL team with such a low population and population growth.


Tasmania population 541,071 (Sep 2020) / Hobart Population 206,097 (2016) / Launceston Population 71,980 (2022)

ACT population 431,215 (Sep 2020) / Canberra Population 395,790 (2016)

NT population 246,500 (Sep 2020) / Darwin Population 132,045 (2016)

 

[Freomaniac]

Canberra, ACT will need to be the next AFL team to even out to 20 teams based on population. It definitely has a larger population in the capital city. Will the AFL expect a brand new shinny stadium there too?

NT cannot host an fulltime AFL team with such a low population and population growth.


Tasmania population 541,071 (Sep 2020) / Hobart Population 206,097 (2016) / Launceston Population 71,980 (2022)

ACT population 431,215 (Sep 2020) / Canberra Population 395,790 (2016)

NT population 246,500 (Sep 2020) / Darwin Population 132,045 (2016)

I hope the AFL team in Canberra can be as good as the Canberra Raiders in the NRL.

Have that hardcore fan base in the ACT and even draw some fans from NSW

 

[The_Reaper]

The only push for WA3 is eastern staters wanting 20 teams

 

[Demon13304]

The issue is will people care about a team from Canberra - nope!

A Darwin team would be an amazing brand & very marketable.

We can all imagine the talent that would run through that club.

Has anyone who's suggesting Darwin actually been up there?

For starters, place is tiny, for example there's more people in the city of Casey than the whole Territory. And that population of the Territory is so isolated too.
And it's not even a 100% AFL mad city, it's a multicode code city. I'd say it's still the most popular sport up there, but Rugby (league) is damn popular there too , I'd say it's a 60-40 split AFLs way (give or take).

I'd love a Darwin team but it's just not feasible right now, maybe in 3 decades or something though.

 

[citizen-erased]

Im keen on WA and SA getting a 3rd side.
id probably go WA just purely on the time zone advantage they offer.

Could legitimately run 2x friday night games if you had an east coast start time closer to 7pm as it should be.
this 7:50 start time is stupid.

Seems a waste Optus only sees one game a weekend. AO as well for that matter

NT would be cool from a national perspective. Would suggest Alice makes more sense, but never been to either
Canberra Koalas perhaps? get a team in the official capital.
Never been to either, or WA for that matter, so not sure how that would take off there

 

[Big Animal]

Perth Sharks. Will use the same 1.7billion$ stadium as the other 2 WA teams (not building another one in Bunbury or Geraldton as suggested or using the WACA). There's 40K WC members that pay good money but can't get a seat. Thousands of others that would if they were guaranteed a seat. West Coast, wherever that really is, appears to cover the coastal towns pretty well. Don't need to sell any more memberships or tickets in those locations. Perth on the other hand is still a massive market for football of over 1 million spread between 2 teams. And imagine having a WA team with all the concessions and picks that GC or GWS had (instead of the cardboard boxes and packing peanuts they gave Freo). They'd get real strong, real quick and a supporter base to match. If AFL House want it, it's pretty much good to go. Just need a good colour combo and not something too weird (or calling it Joondalup which would be incredibly limiting).

 

[citizen-erased]

Perth Sharks. Will use the same 1.7billion$ stadium as the other 2 WA teams (not building another one in Bunbury or Geraldton as suggested or using the WACA). There's 40K WC members that pay good money but can't get a seat. Thousands of others that would if they were guaranteed a seat. West Coast, wherever that really is, appears to cover the coastal towns pretty well. Don't need to sell any more memberships or tickets in those locations. Perth on the other hand is still a massive market for football of over 1 million spread between 2 teams. And imagine having a WA team with all the concessions and picks that GC or GWS had (instead of the cardboard boxes and packing peanuts they gave Freo). They'd get real strong, real quick and a supporter base to match. If AFL House want it, it's pretty much good to go. Just need a good colour combo and not something too weird (or calling it Joondalup which would be incredibly limiting).

and a song. neither WA team has been blessed in that dept.
but i don't mind that suggestion, or the mascot/emblem....i'd adopt them as my equal 2nd team (i love sharks)

 

[SeanM]

Darwin makes sense geographically. Looking at a map, all the other AFL teams are based so far south. Even Perth is on the south west corner of Australia. And Brisbane is half way up.

Although it does not make sense economically unless it was heavily subsidised.

The Tasmanian stadium is apparently only 23k capacity. So I wonder if Darwin could get 15k+ crowds if they had their own team.

 

[CCurnow3picks]

Has anyone who's suggesting Darwin actually been up there?

For starters, place is tiny, for example there's more people in the city of Casey than the whole Territory. And that population of the Territory is so isolated too.
And it's not even a 100% AFL mad city, it's a multicode code city. I'd say it's still the most popular sport up there, but Rugby (league) is damn popular there too , I'd say it's a 60-40 split AFLs way (give or take).

I'd love a Darwin team but it's just not feasible right now, maybe in 3 decades or something though.

I look at GWS with the population that region has and the crowds they draw either in Sydney or back at Canberra - a bigger population doesn’t guarantee success - especially if there’s no following for the game.

Looking at the AFL as a brand/product I don’t see Canberra/Norwood or Joondalup adding any brand value.

I think the story telling around NT/Darwin AFL and what that team culture could very quickly be like - they’d get 10k to each game for their own team.

It’s a much more authentic product. I’d love to see it & would travel there to watch my team play.

Television rights alone would pay for the team - also has local player catchments they could develop players from.

Crowd size aside - I think it would be an exiting value add to the AFL brand - where Canberra, Norwood or Joondalup just wouldn’t.

 

[FlowersByIrene]

The only push for WA3 is eastern staters wanting 20 teams

And anyone in WA who isn't a Freo or West Coast fan.

 

[Billy ray]

if Darwin gets up at any stage in my lifetime, i will buy you a platinum membership to bigfooty (so long as you love this post)

 

[OxfordCambridge]

East Adelaide Blue Bloods

Norwood/Sturt Bid. 2 billionaire backers

 

[peetoo]

The vibe that ‘19 teams and bye is not a problem’ as reinforced as ‘17 teams and a bye is a problem’ before the gws/gc’ by the talking heads.
What exactly has changed

 

[Tall poppy Syndrome]

I thought Ainslie footy club in Canberra already was the 20th team? My son played with them and I used to get it all the time, “I hear your son’s playing AFL for Ainslie.”

 

[Demon13304]

I look at GWS with the population that region has and the crowds they draw either in Sydney or back at Canberra - a bigger population doesn’t guarantee success - especially if there’s no following for the game.

Looking at the AFL as a brand/product I don’t see Canberra/Norwood or Joondalup adding any brand value.

I think the story telling around NT/Darwin AFL and what that team culture could very quickly be like - they’d get 10k to each game for their own team.

It’s a much more authentic product. I’d love to see it & would travel there to watch my team play.

Television rights alone would pay for the team - also has local player catchments they could develop players from.

Crowd size aside - I think it would be an exiting value add to the AFL brand - where Canberra, Norwood or Joondalup just wouldn’t.

I know population isn't everything, hence why Tassies getting a team (which I do think will succeed). At least with Tassie you've got the biggest AFL heartland with 6 million people only a short flight away for away fans. Darwin is far just for almost everyone and expensive flights too - meaning you won't get as many away fans

120k is just too small, and that's my point they're not even an AFL mad city like everyone seems to think Darwin is. You'd be asking for about roughly 10% of the population every game, and that whole population is a multicode population too.
And I haven't even mentioned the weather up there, it's bloody extreme sometimes.

Canberra is also a multicode city, but has 4 times the population of Darwin.
And GWS and Gold Coast are growing the games in some of the most populated areas in the country.

Don't get me wrong I really love Darwin, some of my best mates live up there and I've been going just about every year for the last 15 years. I just don't think it would work right now but it could work in the future!