20th AFL Team

Which location will be the home of the 20th AFL team?


  • Total voters
    328

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Nov 26, 2016
1,468
2,064
Canberra, ACT
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
I recently met a family that had moved to WA from Canberra, and they are committed GWS fans.
Have Canberra people embraced the Giants en masse?

I would say Canberrans have accepted the Giants, but not necessarily embraced them.

The Giants are a way for Canberran AFL fans to band together around a team. There's no historical baggage, so it's easy for AFL fans to adopt it as a second team (maybe not for Bulldogs fans).

The crowds in Canberra definitely favour GWS, but the majority of those would by supporting the Giants as a second team. Of the AFL fans I personally know in Canberra, I only know one who has GWS as their first team. For instance, I have a Port and GWS membership. I have GWS beanies, scarfs, caps (and a poncho), and I've travelled to Sydney for two finals, but any soft spot is gone when they play Port.

The support is more for AFL in a multi-code city, and GWS is a vessel for it.

This year, Manuka Oval has averaged 11,434, which is higher than Giants Stadium (and higher than Hobart or Darwin). Long-term, the Giants have averaged crowds of 10,612 (excluding 2021). For context, across North's seven seasons, they averaged 11,070. Western Bulldogs and Melbourne collectively hosted a eight games and averaged 13,020 and 10,005 respectively. There's probably a softer spot for GWS than previous teams given their commitment, but they haven't really got much more tangible support than previous teams we've hosted.

2019 was a good eye-opener. The Raiders (in the NRL) and Giants made the grand final one week apart. The entire town was lime green. Green cakes, green balloons, green streamers everywhere. Even at the reception at my local doctor's office. I honestly can't remember seeing a speck of orange. GWS didn't get the treatment of a real Canberra team.
 
Nov 8, 2000
33,275
21,744
South of the river
AFL Club
Fremantle
Other Teams
Peel Thunder
Yes your very anti Northern Suburbs/ Joondalup attitude is apparent in your posts. We are talking about something that might never happen -At least another 20 years if ever.
Of course it might never happen but aren't we talking about it on the basis that it might actually happen?

Given that, it may as well be a serious discussion, otherwise we may as well call the new team the KGB carjackers.
 
Mar 24, 2017
4,998
5,836
Blackburn
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Other Teams
Box Hill Hawks
The argument for a third WA team is strictly commercial.
The AFL has made its strategic investments costing 100s of millions of dollars. That doesn't happen again for another 50 years, if ever.
If there is the slightest hint that a new Tassie team doesn't pay its own way 100% from the start, the idea gets shelved. It is not going to be a strategic investment for the AFL, and they are unlikely to do it for emotional reasons (ditto Darwin, and every other hair-brained suggestion).
If Tassie does go ahead, and that will be begrudgingly, then the 20th team gets introduced even more begrudgingly - and it will NOT be a strategic investment (as in spending hundreds of millions to expand into new markets) or done for emotional reasons.
The only solution is a 3rd Perth team, for the following commercial reasons:
- has the greatest chance of paying its own way, by far
- AFL mad city with growing population
- demand already exceeds supply by a long, long, long, long way (see point one and two)
- and this is perhaps the biggest reason of all - because of point 3, now is the time to reduce the attraction for another sport to mop up that excess demand - why give them a free kick? make it as tough as possible, and that is precisely what a 3rd Perth team would help achieve - that reason alone justifies it. Make market entry as difficult as possible (but to fulfill that, probably has to happen relatively quickly).
Why would a new club be able to ‘mop up excess demand’ if the Dockers can’t?
 

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May 13, 2012
15,809
5,960
AFL Club
GWS
Other Teams
Brumbies, Socceroos
So, if the Dockers have capacity for more members and bigger crowds, why is another team needed?

No one is saying the 3rd team would be domiciled next door to Freo.
Perth is already a big city, and growing.
Judging by waiting lists for memberships, there very clearly remains an excess of demand over supply.
Absolutely no other potential club even comes close to being able to meet its costs from day one like a 3rd perth team.
 
Mar 24, 2017
4,998
5,836
Blackburn
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Other Teams
Box Hill Hawks
No one is saying the 3rd team would be domiciled next door to Freo.
Perth is already a big city, and growing.
Judging by waiting lists for memberships, there very clearly remains an excess of demand over supply.
Absolutely no other potential club even comes close to being able to meet its costs from day one like a 3rd perth team.
Disagree. WA3 would be smaller than North, who have 50k members and 20k crowds. If I am wrong, and they can get 60k+ members and 25k+ crowds, How does that benefit the game anyway? What are we trying to achieve with WA3?
 
Mar 17, 2009
21,630
17,300
Hobart
AFL Club
Collingwood
Disagree. WA3 would be smaller than North, who have 50k members and 20k crowds. If I am wrong, and they can get 60k+ members and 25k+ crowds, How does that benefit the game anyway? What are we trying to achieve with WA3?

WA third professional club with a well paid players & staff of 100+ in the WA economy.

We're achieving a better deal & representation for the 2nd biggest footy market in the country.

Better opportunity for the kids in WA to get picked up & stay at home.

Better use of & work for the staff in the best modern stadium in the country.

Better spread of times for TV broadcasts.

That benefits both the game overall & in WA.

The argument that the AFL is getting too big is a reflection on the Victorian problem. Not anything to do with WA3, Tas1 & ACT1. It is supposed to be a national league after all.
 
May 24, 2022
532
518
Thailand
AFL Club
Tasmania
Other Teams
St Helens R.F.C. | Adelaide T'Birds
A 3rd SA team would be good but it would need to be a sort of super club merger of different SANFL teams.

Norwood-Sturt (East Adelaide)
North-Woodville-West Torrens-West Adelaide (The Cartel)
Glenelg-South Adelaide (The Southern Panthers)

I don't see the point of another corporate made club like the crows being made. Should be a pre-existing club. Same argument for a 3rd WA team.
 

Elite Pete

Club Legend
Oct 4, 2007
1,878
977
Adelaide
AFL Club
West Coast
Other Teams
Golden State Warriors
20th team will be coming when there Tassie team is announced. It’s just a matter of when and the logical time would be when this TV rights is about to run out. You can guarantee it would of already been discussed.

Tassie 2026 and give them 5 years of the best talent via draft and FA. This is what stuffed up the GC and GWS . Bringing them in Together or short turn around.

‘WANorth’ 2031.
 
Nov 26, 2016
1,468
2,064
Canberra, ACT
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
20th team will be coming when there Tassie team is announced. It’s just a matter of when and the logical time would be when this TV rights is about to run out. You can guarantee it would of already been discussed.

Tassie 2026 and give them 5 years of the best talent via draft and FA. This is what stuffed up the GC and GWS . Bringing them in Together or short turn around.

‘WANorth’ 2031.

I agree there should be a bit of a longer gap between teams entering, but I expect it'll only be two or three years. I don't think it'll be five years with odd teams. The longest the VFL/AFL has gone (in the past century) was four years between the Crows' and Freo's entries.

Also, it's hard to tell sarcasm online. Please tell me you're joking about WANorth. There's no city over 20k people and all the cities are hours apart. They'd struggle to average 2k crowds.
 

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Elite Pete

Club Legend
Oct 4, 2007
1,878
977
Adelaide
AFL Club
West Coast
Other Teams
Golden State Warriors
I agree there should be a bit of a longer gap between teams entering, but I expect it'll only be two or three years. I don't think it'll be five years with odd teams. The longest the VFL/AFL has gone (in the past century) was four years between the Crows' and Freo's entries.

Also, it's hard to tell sarcasm online. Please tell me you're joking about WANorth. There's no city over 20k people and all the cities are hours apart. They'd struggle to average 2k crowds.

WA north, meaning Perth North but they will have to attach it to an area to get support
 

RedV3x

It's about time some mods started being fair
Dec 14, 2015
5,063
1,586
It's about time some mods started being fair
AFL Club
Fremantle
The argument that the AFL is getting too big is a reflection on the Victorian problem.

Never heard that the AFL is "too big". Do you mean too many teams ?
What is the Victorian problem exactly ?
Not anything to do with WA3, Tas1 & ACT1. It is supposed to be a national league after all.

Yes, we should have Newcastle and Woolongong just to make it "national'.
 
I'm not sure there's a viable market at the moment for a 20th team. Tassie had to fight for so long and have only just scraped over the line. I can't imagine somewhere with half the population getting a team any time soon.

WA could support a 3rd team probably, but it'd just be splitting the WCE and Freo fanbase.
 

RedV3x

It's about time some mods started being fair
Dec 14, 2015
5,063
1,586
It's about time some mods started being fair
AFL Club
Fremantle
WA could support a 3rd team probably,

Theoretically yes.

but it'd just be splitting the WCE and Freo fanbase.

No. There would be no splitting of fanbases. Why would fans jump ship ?
Freo did pick up some disenfranchised Eagles supporters and the remainder of the WAFL community
but people cannot even point to where this new team would be the focus.
 
Theoretically yes.



No. There would be no splitting of fanbases. Why would fans jump ship ?
Freo did pick up some disenfranchised Eagles supporters and the remainder of the WAFL community
but people cannot even point to where this new team would be the focus.

Undoubtedly some would, but most wouldn't I agree. The main point was that you're probably not going to bring in a lot of new AFL fans by introducing WA3, so it'd be a case of doing it just because it's possible.
 

RedV3x

It's about time some mods started being fair
Dec 14, 2015
5,063
1,586
It's about time some mods started being fair
AFL Club
Fremantle
Undoubtedly some would, but most wouldn't I agree. The main point was that you're probably not going to bring in a lot of new AFL fans by introducing WA3, so it'd be a case of doing it just because it's possible.

You wouldn't do it because it doesn't add anything.
It doesn't grow the game, add new fans or add to the media rights.
Two powerful teams in Perth produce more - more profits for local football and more onfield success.
A new team would only drag the k.p.i.s down for a considerable time.
 
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