Expansion 3rd Western Australian club

jatz14

Brownlow Medallist
Dec 13, 2011
11,368
16,075
WA
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Perth Glory W-League
Good for them, pretty sure though if you travel overseas most would of heard of Perth and have to ask where is Freo.
It means they were pretty quick to drop the team identified with Perth, in favour of Freo, but people in Joondalup identify with Perth. They may not be so keen on dropping the eagles, especially as this team will play at the same place.

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Oct 3, 2007
16,084
17,344
Perth
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West Perth
It means they were pretty quick to drop the team identified with Perth, in favour of Freo, but people in Joondalup identify with Perth. They may not be so keen on dropping the eagles, especially as this team will play at the same place.

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West perth would easily get 20k+ members I have not a doubt in the world.
But it won't happen though because as they did before they would rather invent two new clubs like the Eagles and Dockers than go with an established club.
 

Garlic muncher

Cancelled
Feb 3, 2016
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West perth would easily get 20k+ members I have not a doubt in the world.
But it won't happen though because as they did before they would rather invent two new clubs like the Eagles and Dockers than go with an established club.

I think you are right and whats more those 20k of members would not impact on the WCE or the Dockers in any meaningful way
 
Aug 14, 2011
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Last edited:
Nov 8, 2000
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What?? Like everyone does in the Perth metropolitan area which stretches from two rocks to Rockingham!!

Which is the difficulty in trying to set up a 3rd team when you're trying to establish a club with an identity. Joondalup and Wanneroo doesn't have any (even clubs based there don't want to be called Joondalup) because it's just general Perth suburbia. The only part of Perth where you may be able to give a team some identity is the Eastern suburbs, but surprisingly I haven't heard it discussed.
 
Oct 3, 2007
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Perth
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Which is the difficulty in trying to set up a 3rd team when you're trying to establish a club with an identity. Joondalup and Wanneroo doesn't have any (even clubs based there don't want to be called Joondalup) because it's just general Perth suburbia. The only part of Perth where you may be able to give a team some identity is the Eastern suburbs, but surprisingly I haven't heard it discussed.

How important is this identity thing Rob? All sides play at the same stadium. I agree somewhat that it would be harder to do it with a made up club like Freo and West Coast but a traditional club would not have that issue, their identity is set in stone. Which is why it makes sense if it's West Perth if and when it ever was to occur.
Of the other great WAFL clubs East and South Fremantle it can't be as we now have a Fremantle, East Perth sold their soul to the Eagles which leaves the Falcons. Yes there are 4 other WAFL clubs but none of them historically are a large supported club. Having said that no WAFL club at the present time is largely supported but again that means nothing as once you throw money and exposure at anything then people follow, look at every AFL club.
How many traditional West Perth supporters are currently members of the Eagles or dockers? If they over 35 years old I would be surprised if they wouldn't sign up for the club they grew up with, I would in a heart beat.

Anyway rambling a bit and it's all hypothetical.
 

Garlic muncher

Cancelled
Feb 3, 2016
4,480
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Staggered this got through but great to see.

Leaves the door open for Joondalup the AFL team :), personally though i think it is just a matter of time, initially the club was called Victorians when it started so it has had a change of name, this one would just reflect where it plays where 5,000 or so kids play in its district and where many of its fans live.

West Perth are actually playing East Perth today at Leederville and i am going - shitty day but anyways, West Perth has a completely different fan base at Leederville than at Joondalup, it is much more Anglo at Joondalup and much more Southern European at Leederville, a refection of the 2 different areas.


Just on the name Victorians - i assumed they were called Victorians because the team was primarily made up of Victorians, but interestingly enough it was named after the time period not the state according to this bloke who has done a thesis on it, the link is somewhere in the history section, the bloke is a member of the WA sports historians.
 
Oct 3, 2007
16,084
17,344
Perth
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West Perth
Leaves the door open for Joondalup the AFL team :), personally though i think it is just a matter of time, initially the club was called Victorians when it started so it has had a change of name, this one would just reflect where it plays where 5,000 or so kids play in its district and where many of its fans live.

West Perth are actually playing East Perth today at Leederville and i am going - shitty day but anyways, West Perth has a completely different fan base at Leederville than at Joondalup, it is much more Anglo at Joondalup and much more Southern European at Leederville, a refection of the 2 different areas.


Just on the name Victorians - i assumed they were called Victorians because the team was primarily made up of Victorians, but interestingly enough it was named after the time period not the state according to this bloke who has done a thesis on it, the link is somewhere in the history section, the bloke is a member of the WA sports historians.

An AFL team called Joondalup won't work. West Perth would work and at that time they can change if needed to be called Joondalup. They have an existing fan base which is required to start a third club here.
 
Nov 8, 2000
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How important is this identity thing Rob?

Easily the most important thing in setting up a football club. If you want to attract fans anyway.

If you've got no identity then you're ****ed from day 1. That's why a generic Perth team would be a miserable failure.

All sides play at the same stadium. I agree somewhat that it would be harder to do it with a made up club like Freo and West Coast but a traditional club would not have that issue, their identity is set in stone. Which is why it makes sense if it's West Perth if and when it ever was to occur.
Of the other great WAFL clubs East and South Fremantle it can't be as we now have a Fremantle, East Perth sold their soul to the Eagles which leaves the Falcons. Yes there are 4 other WAFL clubs but none of them historically are a large supported club. Having said that no WAFL club at the present time is largely supported but again that means nothing as once you throw money and exposure at anything then people follow, look at every AFL club.
How many traditional West Perth supporters are currently members of the Eagles or dockers? If they over 35 years old I would be surprised if they wouldn't sign up for the club they grew up with, I would in a heart beat.

Anyway rambling a bit and it's all hypothetical.

West Perth were always one of the better supported WAFL clubs, but even at their peak they would have, at best, been equivalent to the lowest supported VFL clubs like Fitzroy and North in terms of raw numbers. That's why the AFL would never go for it, they'd just be a permanent basketcase. Port Adelaide were a marginal proposition and they had double the share of the Adelaide market than any WAFL club had in Perth - never mind the history of the Crows inception means that virtually no Port fans would have been Crows fans, whereas i'd expect most West Perth fans would be West Coast fans, and a huge proportion, almost certainly most of them, would feel a lot more loyalty to West Coast than West Perth.
 
Oct 3, 2007
16,084
17,344
Perth
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West Coast
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West Perth
Easily the most important thing in setting up a football club. If you want to attract fans anyway.

If you've got no identity then you're stuffed from day 1. That's why a generic Perth team would be a miserable failure.



West Perth were always one of the better supported WAFL clubs, but even at their peak they would have, at best, been equivalent to the lowest supported VFL clubs like Fitzroy and North in terms of raw numbers. That's why the AFL would never go for it, they'd just be a permanent basketcase. Port Adelaide were a marginal proposition and they had double the share of the Adelaide market than any WAFL club had in Perth - never mind the history of the Crows inception means that virtually no Port fans would have been Crows fans, whereas i'd expect most West Perth fans would be West Coast fans, and a huge proportion, almost certainly most of them, would feel a lot more loyalty to West Coast than West Perth.

I don't agree mate but respect your view, numbers in your state league have zero relevance to potential numbers in the AFL.
Port averaged around 12k at games when they were the kings of SA footy and now they get 40k plus.
Money and exposure is everything.
In 1986 30-40k of people went to the WAFL every week, Eagles are created, media ignore the WAFL and the sheep follow. Every West Australian would of preferred their own WAFL club being in the AFL, as that didn't happen the majority jumped on board a side which has some sort of familiarity.
Not everyone of course is like me, if the Eagles died tomorrow I would not be concerned, if West Perth died I would be devastated. I am a member of the Eagles and follow them in the AFL but they are not in my heart as the Falcons are. I would think any West Perth supporter in my age group late 40's that oil lows the Eagles and dockers would switch in a heartbeat. But maybe I am wrong there.
 
Nov 8, 2000
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I don't agree mate but respect your view, numbers in your state league have zero relevance to potential numbers in the AFL.
Port averaged around 12k at games when they were the kings of SA footy and now they get 40k plus.
Money and exposure is everything.
In 1986 30-40k of people went to the WAFL every week, Eagles are created, media ignore the WAFL and the sheep follow. Every West Australian would of preferred their own WAFL club being in the AFL, as that didn't happen the majority jumped on board a side which has some sort of familiarity.
Not everyone of course is like me, if the Eagles died tomorrow I would not be concerned, if West Perth died I would be devastated. I am a member of the Eagles and follow them in the AFL but they are not in my heart as the Falcons are. I would think any West Perth supporter in my age group late 40's that oil lows the Eagles and dockers would switch in a heartbeat. But maybe I am wrong there.

I'm not going to disagree with anything you said, I just don't think there are that many people in that group. Port were a monolith in SA footy, there is no comparable team in WA. Also bear in mind Perth's population the last time the WAFL was popular was half what it is now. Take into account that most under 10 at that time wouldn't remember and those over 55 are now dead, you're looking at about a quarter of Perth's population now even remember the WAFL being popular.

FWIW, I reckon you bring West Perth into the AFL and they'd be doing well to get 10,000 members in their first season.
 
Oct 3, 2007
16,084
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Perth
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West Coast
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West Perth
I'm not going to disagree with anything you said, I just don't think there are that many people in that group. Port were a monolith in SA footy, there is no comparable team in WA. Also bear in mind Perth's population the last time the WAFL was popular was half what it is now. Take into account that most under 10 at that time wouldn't remember and those over 55 are now dead, you're looking at about a quarter of Perth's population now even remember the WAFL being popular.

FWIW, I reckon you bring West Perth into the AFL and they'd be doing well to get 10,000 members in their first season.

I reckon 20,000 members would be the easiest thing the club would of ever had to achieve. That would be the easy part.
 
Nov 8, 2000
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I still dont get this need to associate a new club with some suburban area. Just call it Perth for CS!
Perth Dolphins playing out of the new stadium. Now that would be good for footy :)

You don't need to, but you need to find an identity from somewhere. Perth Dolphins would be about as popular as the Zika virus.
 
Mar 17, 2009
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You don't need to, but you need to find an identity from somewhere. Perth Dolphins would be about as popular as the Zika virus.

Calling a club Perth something would seem to have a much better ID to most people I would think. West Coasts ID is very generic. It doesnt say much at all.
A new new club called Perth would have a good appeal over time I would think. Naming it after some suburb would really limit its chance of survival, let alone the chance to attract a decent slice of the market.
 
Nov 8, 2000
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Calling a club Perth something would seem to have a much better ID to most people I would think. West Coasts ID is very generic. It doesnt say much at all.
A new new club called Perth would have a good appeal over time I would think. Naming it after some suburb would really limit its chance of survival, let alone the chance to attract a decent slice of the market.

You mean like how Melbourne is by far the largest supported team in Victoria?
 
Jan 26, 2006
40,446
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Perth
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East Fremantle
Calling a club Perth something would seem to have a much better ID to most people I would think. West Coasts ID is very generic. It doesnt say much at all.
A new new club called Perth would have a good appeal over time I would think. Naming it after some suburb would really limit its chance of survival, let alone the chance to attract a decent slice of the market.
I could say please explain?. But I know it wouldn't make much sense. Being a different city with different dynamics & different football history etc etc etc etc etc.

Because everyone already knows/considers West Coast to be the Perth team

A new team needs people who actually identify with it. Which generally means existing fanbase or geographical area.
 
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