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http://afl.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=150995
Cats rule out game switch
5:56:59 PM Mon 24 May, 2004
Paul Gough
Sportal
Geelong will not consider switching its potential round 18 blockbuster clash against St Kilda from Skilled Stadium to Telstra Dome despite attracting a record crowd of more than 51,000 to Docklands for Saturday night’s win over Essendon.
Cats’ chief executive Brian Cook revealed to Sportal on Monday that the Cats made between $80,000 and $100,000 more than they expected from Saturday night’s home game at Telstra Dome, which attracted a club record crowd at the venue of 51,400.
The Cats downed the Bombers to entrench themselves in the top eight and their clash later in the season against the unbeaten league leaders could be expected to draw even more than Saturday night’s game – with the two clubs having already drawn 50,533 to the ground for this year’s Wizard Cup final.
However Cook said the match would remain at the Cats’ traditional home, even though the re-building work has reduced the capacity at Skilled Stadium to 22,000.
But Cook said the Cats still made more money out of a crowd of 22,000 at Skilled than they do from a crowd of 50,000 plus at Telstra Dome.
“We make $450,000 on a home game at Skilled with 22,000 but at Telstra Dome (with about 50,000) it’s around $320,000,” he said.
“And the reason for that is we keep everything at Skilled, where we share everything at Telstra Dome.”
Cook said for example the Cats’ kept 100 percent of the money they make from the sale of food and drink for matches at Geelong but only 10 per cent for matches at Docklands while the club received only 50 percent of reserved seat premiums for Telstra Dome matches but the full amount at Geelong.
“And then you also have the football considerations and certainly we would have more chance of beating St Kilda at Geelong than we would have at Telstra Dome (the Saints home ground).”
Cook said the Cats’ also had a commitment with the local council to play a minimum of seven games per season at Geelong with each home game being worth about $1.3 million to the Geelong economy.
And while delighted with Saturday night’s massive crowd – in what was one of three scheduled home games for Geelong at their Melbourne base this season – the Cats are still down on their overall budget for the season.
“We’ve been a bit down because of our poor start to the season (the Cats were thrashed in their first two home games) in areas like membership and coterie revenue,” Cook said.
“We were probably down about $250,000 overall so we were playing catch-up but after Saturday night (when the club made up to $100,000 more than expected after only budgeting for a crowd of 45,000) we are probably down about $150,000.”
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Good decision IMO or why not switch to MCG, that would maybe be worth it. Not Saints Home Ground. Geez could possibly get 60K.
Cats rule out game switch
5:56:59 PM Mon 24 May, 2004
Paul Gough
Sportal
Geelong will not consider switching its potential round 18 blockbuster clash against St Kilda from Skilled Stadium to Telstra Dome despite attracting a record crowd of more than 51,000 to Docklands for Saturday night’s win over Essendon.
Cats’ chief executive Brian Cook revealed to Sportal on Monday that the Cats made between $80,000 and $100,000 more than they expected from Saturday night’s home game at Telstra Dome, which attracted a club record crowd at the venue of 51,400.
The Cats downed the Bombers to entrench themselves in the top eight and their clash later in the season against the unbeaten league leaders could be expected to draw even more than Saturday night’s game – with the two clubs having already drawn 50,533 to the ground for this year’s Wizard Cup final.
However Cook said the match would remain at the Cats’ traditional home, even though the re-building work has reduced the capacity at Skilled Stadium to 22,000.
But Cook said the Cats still made more money out of a crowd of 22,000 at Skilled than they do from a crowd of 50,000 plus at Telstra Dome.
“We make $450,000 on a home game at Skilled with 22,000 but at Telstra Dome (with about 50,000) it’s around $320,000,” he said.
“And the reason for that is we keep everything at Skilled, where we share everything at Telstra Dome.”
Cook said for example the Cats’ kept 100 percent of the money they make from the sale of food and drink for matches at Geelong but only 10 per cent for matches at Docklands while the club received only 50 percent of reserved seat premiums for Telstra Dome matches but the full amount at Geelong.
“And then you also have the football considerations and certainly we would have more chance of beating St Kilda at Geelong than we would have at Telstra Dome (the Saints home ground).”
Cook said the Cats’ also had a commitment with the local council to play a minimum of seven games per season at Geelong with each home game being worth about $1.3 million to the Geelong economy.
And while delighted with Saturday night’s massive crowd – in what was one of three scheduled home games for Geelong at their Melbourne base this season – the Cats are still down on their overall budget for the season.
“We’ve been a bit down because of our poor start to the season (the Cats were thrashed in their first two home games) in areas like membership and coterie revenue,” Cook said.
“We were probably down about $250,000 overall so we were playing catch-up but after Saturday night (when the club made up to $100,000 more than expected after only budgeting for a crowd of 45,000) we are probably down about $150,000.”
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Good decision IMO or why not switch to MCG, that would maybe be worth it. Not Saints Home Ground. Geez could possibly get 60K.
