Analysis Cockburn vs Freo - Should we move back

I wasn't aware of the St Kilda move.........their story is very similar to ours:

Nick Riewoldt says St Kilda’s move to Seaford ‘crushed’ the playing group


ST Kilda great Nick Riewoldt says the club’s move to Seaford in 2011 “crushed” the playing group.

The Saints elected to move from Moorabbin to Seaford off the back of falling out with Kingston City Council.

But now, St Kilda has returned to its spiritual home, with the club reopening its Linton St training base this week.

Riewoldt said the playing group had experienced a tough time at Seaford.

“I’ve heard the last couple of days now that we’re out of Seaford, everyone saying what a great facility it was for us along the journey,” he said on Fox Footy’s AFL 360.

“I mean, that’s rubbish. That’s spin.

“Because it wasn’t a world-class facility and geographically it was tough for the players.”


When asked whether the move had “ripped the soul out of the club”, Riewoldt said there was “no doubt” that was the case.

“For the group at the time, on the back of a grand final in 2009 and 2010, arguably the best list that we’d accumulated in the club’s history, and then to go down to Seaford, away from the spiritual home — yeah, it crushed the group at the time,” he said.

Former Western Bulldogs captain Bob Murphy said he empathised with Riewoldt, noting the importance of a training ground and changerooms to the fabric and history of a club.

”It’s ‘oh, you’re professionals and you get paid a lot’ and it’s like yeah but we’re all from — Nick’s from Tasmania, I’m from Gippsland country — we’re all from regional footy clubs or local footy clubs,” he said on AFL 360.

“So the smell of the changerooms and the pictures on the wall, the people that have gone before you, those things seep into — we throw the word culture around frivolously in some ways — but the actual physical home of footy clubs, and that’s very real.”


Riewoldt said one of the biggest regrets associated with the move was how it had taken the Saints away from their fans.

The former St Kilda captain said he believed returning to Moorabbin would help the club on a number of levels.


“The disconnect between us and our supporter base because Seaford was a satellite training venue. So there was just dissociation,” Riewoldt said.

“It felt like we didn’t have the same regulars that would come down to training with their clipboards and they’d sit up in the stands and pick the team. And they’re the fabric of the football club, people like that.

“So great that we’re back there, I think it’ll be terrific for the football club on a number of levels — commercially, being able to attract players, the spirit it will engender amongst the group will be great.”


Can confirm. I lived in Seaford when this happened. Seaford itself isn't that bad a place - nice beach, anawesome fish & chips joint, Banks Brewery is there, and so on. There's also some dodgy bits near Frankston North (Kananook Station has a perennial smell of urine). But it was almost as if they hid the Saints training base in a corner of the suburb that nobody really goes to away from the train line & main roads.

Hawthorn are in danger of doing a similar thing in Dingley Village (somewhere else that I've lived). They're building their place on top of an old tip.

Lol, do you even know where Seaford is? It would be like if we shifted to Secret Harbour.
Rob gets it 👍
 

Dayts

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Jul 31, 2020
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My guess””
Would be part of the freo oval redevelopment is to lure the club back to the city. Plus provide better facilities for the woman’s team.
Along with the rest of the development in freo getting the team back there would be great for the city and the club.
Just my two cents, I think the players an coach’s would prefer to be in freo.
No offense to anyone out in Burntpenis
 

Geoff

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Rosich n Harris “PROMISED” as part of the Cockburn sales pitch there would always be a connection to Fremantle and then cut any commercial links we had, their promise was a bold face lie. Happy that there is now a realisation there has to be a mix. Alcock and Co are doing a reasonable job.


Sent from my iPad using BigFooty.com
 

Bender571

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Endorses what, Fremantle going to Seaforth!!!!!
Just what is Fyfe endorsing and where do we find the information.?
I think BA meant that Fyfe endorses moving the club to Secret Harbour, presumable because he lives near there or goes surfing near there. I believe it's called a joke.
 

SupermanCapes

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Does anyone know the terms of the agreement between FFC and Cockburn Council for the facilities and move? Are we locked in for a certain number of years?
That’s the thing. Expansion has to have plans to either a) close Parry st north at Holdsworth or High st and at Norsfolk, to allow pedestrian access to the Oval as well as link to Markets. Or b) demolish the grandstand Gaol side and allow facilities all the way around connecting to the existing facilities which was already in place hospital end.
Council would never be that far sighted. South’s have too much to say, and that heritage stand, as much as it is iconic, is an eye sore.
Arden St in North Melbourne has moved forward and so has Punt Road at Richmond.
Too much shortsighted traditionalists involved here.
At least in Cockburn, the club is in charge of the development and have room to expand and develop with the council.
Completely agree that the blueprint has been created by the Arden Street and Punt Road redevelopments - probably a combination of the two if at all possible. The Freo Oval situation is a bit different to those grounds given how central it is and bounded on all sides by roads.

Also does anyone know the terms of the agreement between FFC and Cockburn Council for the facilities and move? Are we locked in for a certain number of years? I don't agree that FFC are "Cockburn Residents" forever more - we're there for as long as we've promised to stay, at which point we could move to the Hills if we want. A return to Fremantle would make so much sense - reckon we might bring back some colours too if we're getting back in touch with our heritage.
 

CapitalA

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Look Fremantle would be nice to go back to, but who's going to pay for it? We've had one bite of the Cherry already with the Feds
Isn't there plans currently underway to redevelop fremantle oval with local gov/wafc funding?

Someone linked an article about it the other day.
 

Bender571

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Isn't there plans currently underway to redevelop fremantle oval with local gov/wafc funding?

Someone linked an article about it the other day.

 
Sep 22, 2011
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Includes to upgrade South Fremantle’s change rooms/club rooms.
That’s the thing. You don’t see any of the AFL teams sharing bases with non affiliated state teams. Unless South’s officials aligned with Fremantle, it just ruins the whole point
 
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Can confirm. I lived in Seaford when this happened. Seaford itself isn't that bad a place - nice beach, anawesome fish & chips joint, Banks Brewery is there, and so on. There's also some dodgy bits near Frankston North (Kananook Station has a perennial smell of urine). But it was almost as if they hid the Saints training base in a corner of the suburb that nobody really goes to away from the train line & main roads.

Hawthorn are in danger of doing a similar thing in Dingley Village (somewhere else that I've lived). They're building their place on top of an old tip.


Rob gets it 👍
Hawks moving out of Glenferrie to Waverley was a great move.

Fremantle move
And they’ve held onto this grudge for 28 years?
Yes.

The relationship started off badly and never got better.
 
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