Canberra's own AFL team

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Gordon Farkas

Team Captain
Mar 8, 2020
356
972
AFL Club
Geelong
Was private industry who were involved

It was an 'Unsolicited Proposal' from Grocon, who would have paid. They would have made money from the development of land around the oval (currently parklands) into commercial and residential buildings. It would have required the ACT Government to hand over the land to Grocon, in return for the company also re-developing the oval. The project was costed at $800 million. It was never clear how much of this would have actually been spent on the oval. It never got as far as any actual plans.

Local NIMBYs and the local Government thought it wasn't a good idea.

 
Yes it makes sense. No it won't happen.

GWS is taking the Canberra area and needs it to get the support for the next 10-20 years. Building a genuine AFL stadium would cost too much. It would require a huge subsidy for many years to build the club. And with GWS the local govt gets what it wants, the AFL gets what it wants. No need for a full time team from the purse holders.

If it did I would buy a membership. I really got close to being a Giants member. But I couldn't cross the chasm from the Tigers to officially having my second team the Orange.
 

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Brett5150

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Oct 11, 2009
92
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North Brisbane
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North Melbourne. Gold Coast.
Lol. If West Coast and Fremantle don’t play this year , they might pull out altogether, since they think the AFL is so bias against them. A Tasmania side could be fast tracked to fill the void. I am being Sarcastic.
 
May 30, 2006
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Is there room to expand Manuka to a 25,000-30k seat venue in future?
The ground could be built upwards, but there's little room to expand back (some is available), no parking etc, and a wealthy and highly organised set of residents against any significant expansion. Undertsandably enough too, its very much a suburban location and not a separate precinct like a lot of grounds around the country. And 30k is overkill for Canberra.
edit: Thinking about it, maybe there's a bit more space than I was first envisioning, except at one end. 25k might be possible, but probably beyond requirement for cricket or the AFL.
 
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Bjo187

Premiership Player
Apr 30, 2020
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Whilst i think the smartest thing is to keep the competition at 18 and have the kangaroos move down to tassie, if that doesn;t happen a 19th and 20th team will need to come in.

The Canberra idea makes sense but i'd be tapping in to the Riverina for additional support too. The AFL could sell the next expansion as solidifying support in areas where it has a strong history but may start to tale off and be overtaken by other sports in the future.

I think the 20th team could be named for example: Canberra Riverina Rangers or something like that. Playing 8 games in Canberra and another 3 in Wagga or Albury. I understand they are a decent distance apart but if they were named something like that the side would own that whole area covering southern NSW, ACT and likely some of northern Victoria too.

It looks like canberra has a population of around 400k and the Riverena nearly 200k so that in affect is more than tassie. If you asked me 5 years ago if a team from this region would work I would have said no but looking at the GWS support in Canberra and the pre-season game in wagga i think they would have a decent and loyal following across a large and growing area. I'd only do this after seeing if GWS increased there support in western sydney in the next 5 years, otherwise they may be weakening them too much by pulling the canberra rug out from under their feet.
 
Nov 26, 2016
1,468
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Whilst i think the smartest thing is to keep the competition at 18 and have the kangaroos move down to tassie, if that doesn;t happen a 19th and 20th team will need to come in.

The Canberra idea makes sense but i'd be tapping in to the Riverina for additional support too. The AFL could sell the next expansion as solidifying support in areas where it has a strong history but may start to tale off and be overtaken by other sports in the future.

I think the 20th team could be named for example: Canberra Riverina Rangers or something like that. Playing 8 games in Canberra and another 3 in Wagga or Albury. I understand they are a decent distance apart but if they were named something like that the side would own that whole area covering southern NSW, ACT and likely some of northern Victoria too.

It looks like canberra has a population of around 400k and the Riverena nearly 200k so that in affect is more than tassie. If you asked me 5 years ago if a team from this region would work I would have said no but looking at the GWS support in Canberra and the pre-season game in wagga i think they would have a decent and loyal following across a large and growing area. I'd only do this after seeing if GWS increased there support in western sydney in the next 5 years, otherwise they may be weakening them too much by pulling the canberra rug out from under their feet.

Albury-Wodonga is just a bit bigger than Launceston, so if Lonnie can be a secondary ground for Tassie, AW could work too.

Wagga is a footy town, but the Raiders have started playing home games there, so the AFL needs to play games there to avoid losing ground in the Riverina.

My favourite name for a team would be the Canberra Griffins. Everything in Canberra is named after Walter Burley Griffin, and a Griffin as a mascot is just bad ass. Leeton and Griffith near Wagga was also designed by Walter Burley Griffin, so the name works across the region too.
 
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Ceehook

Club Legend
Oct 3, 2017
1,325
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Richmond
The Canberra Saints or Canberra Kangaroos sound alright to me.

think they've been well hashed over
Saints were in constant discussions with Ainslie in the early/mid 80's
same colours Cowboy Neale coaching , it had its attractions
cant recall details , I think it was play some games up here next door at Ainslie oval
just before it was given exclusively to Rugby for some years

North also hit Ainslie for a pretty sizeable loan , the person I was talking to said "don't get into the water with a drowning man" , the loan didn't happen

Despite that they did keep a relationship going , and they did all the community stuff , after one of their games they wanted to do a big Auskick clinic on the Sunday morning
AFL Canb. said NO , they do enough
North kept pressuring Ainslie and their Auskick guy rang me , I said yep can organise a 1 hour session , four activitives , North players at each station
rotate every 15 mins , I'll need your help and gear and I'll bring all my gear

I turn up on the morning and the ground was already set out , AFL Canb. LOL
it was a successful morning and all the North officials in suits were introduced me
the North players were great and previously the North players that came to my clinic were great
they tried to connect with the community

but we were a bit luke warm so they turned to Tassie (they had tried Sydney but a boo a Roo campaign drove them away )

I grew up in Melb. and was an ardent fan, so going to footy here has always been a culture shock

I can see the ACT gov and the AFL persisting with GWS here as it does help them forge ties with the NSW Riverina
the amenities are improving , the parking is shite unless you have a secret spot :)
 

Ceehook

Club Legend
Oct 3, 2017
1,325
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Albury-Wodonga is just a bit bigger than Launceston, so if Lonnie can be a secondary ground for Tassie, AW could work too.

Wagga is a footy town, but the Raiders have started playing home games there, so the AFL needs to play games there to avoid losing ground in the Riverina.

My favourite name for a team would be the Canberra Griffins. Everything in Canberra is named after Walter Burley Griffin, and a Griffin as a mascot is just bad ass. Leeton and Griffith near Wagga was also designed by Walter Burley Griffin, so the name works across the region too.
I don't think you have to worry about the AFL "losing" Wagga , its been a split town for a long time
go north and it quickly turns to rugby league
go south and it quickly turns to Vic footy , beer and newspapers

We know we have the better game and league and union people know it (they'll never admit it)
Its versions for juniors , womens , low grade senior mens and Masters are better
with participation comes life long following …

Was at a wedding reception at Cootamundra , a discussion broke out which is better NRL/AFL , I got my wallet out and said 200,000 more people, every weekend , all season pay money to watch the AFL live

Footy was not discussed again
 

Choogler

Senior List
Nov 27, 2018
247
270
AFL Club
West Coast
When Tasmania gets the 19th AFL licence, Canberra should get the 20th.

GWS has been great for footy in Canberra, but playing only eight games in Sydney can’t last forever. As they continue to grow, eventually the Giants will have to leave the ACT to focus more on Western Sydney (or Los Angeles).

My proposal would be for nine men’s games a year in Canberra and one each at Wagga and Albury to incorporate everything from Canberra to the Murray.

Canberra-Queanbeyan is fast approaching 500k people (double Hobart). With Wagga and Albury, that’s a potential fanbase of 650k.

While Canberra is not the “heartland” that Tasmania is, we have more adults (15+) playing footy in the territory than both rugby league and rugby union participants combined, despite them having full-time professional teams playing in town.
I hope to god the 19th and 20th licences are never granted. Happy for teams to be located in Tas and ACT but the base for those teams MUST be a relocation of the most nonviable of the Melbourne based teams. They are the perennial leeches sucking the money out of the competition while contributing nothing. These teams survive only because of the unequal distribution of money from the AFL's equalisation fund while the well-run successful clubs are actually "taxed" extra by the AFL.
Every year the the leeches go cap in hand for more than their fair share and it's time the AFL said "no more handouts, footy is a business boys so if you are not stand on their own two feet as a viable BUSINESS then you need to merge, relocate or fold. If youn decide to relocate then we (the AFL) will provide some extra funding to assist in the transition.
Had the AFL forced the issue when GWS and GC were formed, there would now be a conservative $80 - $100 million dollars more sitting in the AFL coffers. Pretty handy in these times!
 

Arwib

Club Legend
Apr 9, 2011
2,444
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Will the AFL Fixture Canberra's home games around Parliament sittings weeks to ensure that 1/3 of the population is actually in town and not flying off to their electorates/Singapore?

There's 430 thousand people in the ACT, upwards of 650 thousand within a couple of hours' drive. There's 226 parliamentarians and maybe a couple thousand staff and a few dozen journos who FIFO for sitting weeks. They're a mostly invisible tiny group unless you're in one or two suburbs or trying to catch a taxi.
 

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There's 430 thousand people in the ACT, upwards of 650 thousand within a couple of hours' drive. There's 226 parliamentarians and maybe a couple thousand staff and a few dozen journos who FIFO for sitting weeks. They're a mostly invisible tiny group unless you're in one or two suburbs or trying to catch a taxi.

Whoosh—— even People in Canberra joke that the city appears emptier when Parliament isn’t sitting.
 

Aussie in exile

Norm Smith Medallist
Nov 21, 2013
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There's 430 thousand people in the ACT, upwards of 650 thousand within a couple of hours' drive. There's 226 parliamentarians and maybe a couple thousand staff and a few dozen journos who FIFO for sitting weeks. They're a mostly invisible tiny group unless you're in one or two suburbs or trying to catch a taxi.
We have to say though, it hasn't done the union side a lot of good
 

Bjo187

Premiership Player
Apr 30, 2020
3,032
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1 in Canberra
1 in Tasmania
2 in Queensland
2 in Sydney
2 in Adelaide
2 in WA
8 in Melbourne

I agree with this actually, a better balance 10 teams outside of vic and 8 in. Opposed to the current 10 in vic, 8 outside.
 

Aussie in exile

Norm Smith Medallist
Nov 21, 2013
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This is not the worst idea anybody has ever had. Can't imagine GWS would support it, but they are going to do fine
regardless. If Tasmania can handle one team, then Sydney is big enough to support two teams without GWS having
to tap into Canberra. 20 teams, 19 rounds... sorted.
It is my opinion that all the while GWS are playing games in Canberra there won't be a AFL team there
 

Aussie in exile

Norm Smith Medallist
Nov 21, 2013
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The ground could be built upwards, but there's little room to expand back (some is available), no parking etc, and a wealthy and highly organised set of residents against any significant expansion. Undertsandably enough too, its very much a suburban location and not a separate precinct like a lot of grounds around the country. And 30k is overkill for Canberra.
edit: Thinking about it, maybe there's a bit more space than I was first envisioning, except at one end. 25k might be possible, but probably beyond requirement for cricket or the AFL.
If the ground capacity is increased for a AFL team playing there who is going to pay for it?
 
Nov 26, 2016
1,468
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Canberra, ACT
AFL Club
Port Adelaide
It is my opinion that all the while GWS are playing games in Canberra there won't be a AFL team there

GWS only plays eight home games in Sydney. If they finally get the LA game they want, they'll only have seven home games. That's surely not enough for Sydney-based fans. And not a great way to help grow their brand in Sydney.

GWS is capable of hosting 10 or 11 games in Western Sydney. They'll be even more capable in a decade or so when Canberra would come in. If they're really still not confident with that many games, the Giants could play a game or two in Newcastle.

If the ground capacity is increased for a AFL team playing there who is going to pay for it?

I'd assume it'd be a combo of the AFL/Territory govt/Fed govt like most stadiums. It's the main stadium for cricket in the ACT, too, so they may chip in a bit.
 

Chief Ten Beers

Norm Smith Medallist
Aug 11, 2008
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I think there was even a Baseball team or something once

All failed really.

Raiders are still around though right? NRA or something isn't it?

But seriously the Goverment down there is to build a new Stadium, or are at least talking about one in the CBD up to 40K spectators....but soccer and Rugby only!!
 

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