Could Canberra or Tasmania support an AFL club

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Jul 22, 2000
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Could Canberra or Tasmania support AFL teams,

1. Do they have the Facilities ( sorry for my ignorance )

2. are the Facilities up to standard

3. How soon could they put outfits togethor.

If we have any Taswegians or Canberra contributors, perhaps even officials who could enlighten us.

I'd love to see regular games from clubs out of those two regions.


PA1870
 
PA1870,

To be totally honest with you, I don't think that tassie could support an AFL team. The Northern Bombers have just spent a few million bucks upgrading their ground by installing lights, improving player facilities and a few other things. But I dont think even with these upgrades they will be able to have a game of footy there, It still only holds about 8,000 people. (Thats not a accurate figure)

But having said that, I still do think that Tassie should have a team in the AFL. While their not in it, the AFL shouldn't be called the AFL. It should be called the MFL (Mainland Football League)
 
Another one of the AFL's all time stuff ups!

Canberra first - not all that many years ago Canberra was a stronghold for AFL but the league through neglect has let this growth area die. Bruce stadium would have been with a ground developement program a fantastic place to play footy. Now that venue is gone due to it being converted into a rectanlglular field. Now with the Canberra Raiders and ACT Brumbies firmly entrenched in the capital, footy is really struggling. There is no suitable place to play the game anymore, the damage done in the ACT and southern NSW is disgraceful.

As for Tasmania, it's unfortunate that they only have a small population and it's divided between Launceston and Hobart. At the moment they just don't have the finances to set up a team, although I heard that there might be a new stadium (30,000 seats) being built in Tassie. But as with Canberra footy is going through real problems, the TFL is shrinking, players drafted out of Tasmania is dwindling. Footy will always be number 1 there but somethings rotten in the apple isle.

As for your question, at the moment NO.
 

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I think Tassie deserves a club but I don't think it's going to happen in the next 10-15 years. I've heard the economy is failing and there's hardly a big enough oval. If they could somehow pay for it though, perhaps it would boost the economics there.

At any rate, I sincerely hope it doesn't happen at the expense of an established Vic side.
 
Happy Hawker, Where did you here that about a new stadium being built. I'm from Tassie and I've heard nothing!

Stealth Bomber, You dont have to worry about it being at the expence of a Victorian side. If anything, it would be because a Victorian side relocated down here!
 
CJ, when the AFL sent down a group to check the viability of a team in Tassie there were plans to MAYBE build a stadium, but don't hold your breath.
 
Sorry Tassie but when there is Practice or Ansett Cup game down there, not even enough to fill the small stadiums you do have turn up! Show some interest then there might be some viability.

However imagine the huge cost it would be to the AFL to setup a team down there, I imagine it would be massive.

Canberra, I would think to some extent would be a viable option but in the end would they draw enough people? They would most likely end up playing at the SCG anyway rather than a stadium closer.

[This message has been edited by Joel (edited 14 August 2000).]
 
Queensland will get a second side (probably at Southport) before Canberra or Tasmania. Ideally for a truly national competition there should be AFL sides operating out of both Canberra and Tasmania.
 
Saying the Tasmanian public should show some interest by going to practice matches or Ansett Cup matches is a bit unreasonable. They are knowledgeable about the game (a traditional football state) and behave accordingly. If Richmond and St Kilda play a practice match with most of their stars missing then the Tassie public isn't dumb enough to go and see it just for the sake of it. It's worth noting that in 1996 when Carlton and Geelong played a grand final replay practice match at North Hobart 20,000 people turned up. Dumping unwanted matches on the Hobart public won't work for the same reason - Fitzroy's experiment was a failure because if no-one in Melbourne wanted to watch them lose by 100 points why did officials think people in Hobart would?

The stadium issue was more straightforward - the government wouldn't fund a stadium unless the AFL guaranteed games, the AFL wouldn't guarantee games until the facilities were suitable (ie the stadium built). Without an AFL guarantee, the govt money was spent on a steam railway instead.
 
Canberra could easily support its own AFL club. The whole area from the South Western fringe of Sydney, down through the ACT and all the way down to the border at Albury and across to Wagga is the absolute heartland of Aussie Rules support in NSW.

The population of the ACT is 350,000, add to that another 300,000 which is the populations of Campbelltown, Goulburn, Albury-Wodonga and Wagga-Wagga and you can see the population is there to be able to support a club playing all, if not most of its home games in Canberra.

Its a tragedy that the AFL let this important market go in the first place, saying nothing and doing nothing while Bruce Stadium was re-developed into a rectangular stadium only was one of the AFL's worst ever stuff-ups I reckon.

However, Manuka Oval has potential, its a very picturesque setting, is large enough and has a terrific playing surface. If the facility can be re-developed to hold 30,000 in comfort then I think the AFL shuld encourage a club to re-locate there as soon as possible.

Are you listening Kangaroos ?
 
I'm no expert, But I've been to Tassie a number of times... Aussie rules is all the talk down there. I feel That if the AFL gave it a try i.e. Have a Tassie team in the Anset Cup. Then it would be obvious the need that is in that state for footy.

I was told that when there was another team, so it would be equal amounts of teams, then Tassie would be allowed in the comp. It that right or wrong?
 
The AFL is driving a wages spiral in the hope of 'persuading' victorian clubs to relocate or merge.

Ian Dicker recently noted that the costs of running a team have gone from $4m in 1994 to $12-16M in 2000. This is much more than inflation which has been negligible in that time.

Ironically this will make it very hard for the AFL to fund a team (whether new or relocated) for the ten years or so it will take to establish in a new area, which is why they are doing it in the first place.

Had they established new teams in Canberra and Hobart (rather than all the dirty tricks they tried to make clubs merge) it would have been much cheaper and they might now be on the way to a viable 20 team competition, 10 in melbourne and 10 outside.

Those who say this would be compromised due to the draw required well look at the one now.

There could be 19 week season (play each other once) and a five week finals (10 finalists)

It is not too late. The VFL could be the SEAFL (South east australia FL) where new twams could be nurtured until they gained strength to enter the AFL
 

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Originally posted by Bloodstained Angel:
However, Manuka Oval has potential, its a very picturesque setting, is large enough and has a terrific playing surface. If the facility can be re-developed to hold 30,000 in comfort then I think the AFL shuld encourage a club to re-locate there as soon as possible.

Are you listening Kangaroos ?

Thanks BSA, 12 messages on this thread before someone mentioned the Kangaroos and Moving Interstate, in the same message.
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Hey RooBoy96 if you have a problem with your club re-locating interstate don't complain to me - complain to your own club.

It seems the Kangaroos are pushing ahead with plans to play home games in Sydney and Canberra this year, thats what Miller has said and thats what the AFL will schedule, as a Melbourne based supporter of the Roos I guess you have a problem with that - fine but go complain to Miller, not me, I've got nothing to with it, all I'm saying here is that IF the Roos are serious about playing games interstate (which they are) then look to Canberra instead of pushing on with your Sydney experiment.

Its not working, maybe Canberra will be more successful for you guys.

I wouldn't be suggesting the Roos move anywhere, except it is the club itself that is driving all this along, not just mindless barracking from the sidelines by punters like me.
 
PA1870
I watched an interview on the Today show this morning between Wayne Jackson & David Morfett from the NRL.
Jacko said that for the next generation of AFL supporters they were looking at making AFL stronger in NSW & QLD.
Note, he did not mention NZ, Tassie or overseas.
So can you please stop all this crap about taking AFL out of Australia, it is not going to happen.

------------------
Mantis
 
Yeah sure RooBoy96 I take your point

I could easily have mentioned the other clubs, its just that the kangaroos immediately came to mind, so I mentioned them as an example. But you are right, what I am saying could easily be applied to Collingwood or Western Bulldogs no problem.

Sorry if I have offended, obviously this issue touches a raw nerve with some Kangaroos fans.
 
Sandie,
I have asked a question that may be of interest to avid AFL supporters or those that may have a greater understanging of where the game is headed.
It is a valid question and one many seem to take some interest in.

I dont believe it is crap to ask a question
 
I reckon the concept that Pessimistic brought up about a South East Australia Football League (SEAFL) sounds like a pretty good idea. You could include a team from Tasmania and from Canberra, similar to the scenario in the TAC U18 Cup, to the VFL to make a 20 team competition. In the future, if there were other teams or areas which entered the SEAFL, you could break it up into 2 divisions with promotion and relegation at the end of each season. This competition would be a second-tier to the AFL and thus would not have as high operating costs for each club as the AFL does, therefore teams from Canberra and Tasmania would be more likely to be able to cover costs in this comp and would give them the opportunity to see footy of a pretty high quality. If these teams proved successful in this comp and proved to have adequate infrastructure and support, they could then apply for a team in the AFL. Who knows maybe in twenty teams there would be teams from Queensland and New Zealand in that comp!
 
tassie could have a team but based in melbourne?

not canberra, look what happened to the roo's.... " YAY WE GOT UP TO 8,000 TODAY"


not good enough for the "raiding premiers"
 
Originally posted by Bloodstained Angel:
Yeah sure RooBoy96 I take your point

I could easily have mentioned the other clubs, its just that the kangaroos immediately came to mind, so I mentioned them as an example. But you are right, what I am saying could easily be applied to Collingwood or Western Bulldogs no problem.

Sorry if I have offended, obviously this issue touches a raw nerve with some Kangaroos fans.
BSA, I am just getting a little tired of wiping mud off me, you know if they throw enough some will stick. We are constantly being reassured by the club that the Kangaroos are not relocating. But everytime the relocation subject raises its head who is at the top of the list.
Sorry for biting your head off.
The Kangaroos had more members then at least 4 other Vic Clubs but are continually attacked on relocation issues, should have a read of the papers in Melbourne this week, if they could hang us they would.
 
Canberra could definately support a home team but only if it was going to be a real home team. Playing a couple of games here a year will get attention but not the devotion that is required to make a side succesful. Just like Sydney doesn't want the Kangaroos, I doubt whether Canberra would really get behind a psuedo home side looking to cash in on a new market.
However if a side bit the bullet and relocated here fully, or if another side was allowed to enter the competition, then Canberra would get behind them just as they did the Raiders and more recently the Brumbies.
With the ACT and southern NSW as a breeding ground, it would have an abundance of talent as well. Just look at the captains of Sydney, the Kangaroos and Essendon as an example of the players from this area.
As for facilities and finance, Manuka is already being upgraded for the games scheduled in 2001 and there are plenty of high profile businesses that have already expressed interest in being backers.
The AFL missed a huge opportunity during the superleague war to get a toehold here but it's not too late.
 

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