Footscray-Fitzroy Merger

[Herne Hill Hammer]

One of my most vivid memories was a guy in an old South Melbourne jumper getting on stage and telling everyone "the AFL did it to us, don't let them do it to you!"

Dad bought an "Up yours Oakley!" sticker and put it on the car before we left. Stayed there for years.

Just a story on the "Up yours Oakley!"

There was a competition on here a while ago to win a copy of The Phoenix Rises, the story of the Oakley era. I happened to win one of them and it came with an "Up yours Oakley!" bookmark, fashioned on the sticker.

My prize showed up and I took it to work with me. I work in a mine about 500km north of Kalgoorlie, in the middle of nowhere. A couple of days back at camp and I'd knocked off for the day. I was sitting in the mess eating dinner and I noticed 2 blokes having a yarn outside, one was short and the other very tall in comparison. I couldn't see his face but recognised the shape of his head straight away. They walk inside to eat and of course it was Chris Grant. It was too good an opportunity to pass up, so I did something which I never do. I bolted back to my donga, grabbed the book and bookmark and went back to the mess for Chris to sign.

He duly signed them, we had a chat for 15 mins and I left. I actually don't think anyone else in the mess recognised him (mostly Kiwis). It was a couple of days before the VFL GF last year. I wondered what he was doing there in the middle of nowhere and it turns out that he works with Spotless who have the contract for the catering and maintenance of the camp.

 

[immortalmike]

Established earlier in the thread, as an Essendon fan he's come across an an AFL arse kisser. Not very liked amongst the supporter base.

Yeah in the same way Putin is an Obama arse kisser...

That's a lot of big words that don't mean anything, really . It's a romantic myth that the AFL needs the Western Bulldogs for the western suburbs of melbourne. The lowest membership of all victorian clubs for one is a fail for a so called region like the western suburbs.
B> it assumes somehow that the western suburbs is full of turn coats that will stop supporting eg Collingwood ect and start following the western Bulldogs because of the street they live in.
C> it also assumes there are a lot of non afl supporters there that don't currently have a team.
The sooner they realise this the better for them and hopefully they can grow and not contract their memberships.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I live in Footscray and have my whole life C isn't an assumption it's objectively true.

 

[Jade]

Just a story on the "Up yours Oakley!"

There was a competition on here a while ago to win a copy of The Phoenix Rises, the story of the Oakley era. I happened to win one of them and it came with an "Up yours Oakley!" bookmark, fashioned on the sticker.

My prize showed up and I took it to work with me. I work in a mine about 500km north of Kalgoorlie, in the middle of nowhere. A couple of days back at camp and I'd knocked off for the day. I was sitting in the mess eating dinner and I noticed 2 blokes having a yarn outside, one was short and the other very tall in comparison. I couldn't see his face but recognised the shape of his head straight away. They walk inside to eat and of course it was Chris Grant. It was too good an opportunity to pass up, so I did something which I never do. I bolted back to my donga, grabbed the book and bookmark and went back to the mess for Chris to sign.

He duly signed them, we had a chat for 15 mins and I left. I actually don't think anyone else in the mess recognised him (mostly Kiwis). It was a couple of days before the VFL GF last year. I wondered what he was doing there in the middle of nowhere and it turns out that he works with Spotless who have the contract for the catering and maintenance of the camp.

Great story mate. Cheers for sharing.

 

[yyou]

Fitzcray?
The Rayroys?

Edit: was beaten 2 the punch on the Rayroys. Oops

 

[Ant_]

your highly critical of Peter Gordon? I would love to know why

He dared to speak out over the Essendon drugs scandal. So he is now an "AFL lackey" for having an opinion.

 

[Jade]

He dared to speak out over the Essendon drugs scandal. So he is now an "AFL lackey" for having an opinion.

Just a brown nosing little snot IMO.

Saw an opening where he could pretend to be a 'leader' and decided to open his mouth about a subject he probably should have kept his mouth shut on.

That and the whole 'we are the danger' crap.

In fairness though, as I've said it's only my opinion and one obviously driven by my own team allegiance.

 

[Ant_]

Like I said, hated for having a fairly mild opinion, who as a lawyer would have fair idea about governance, has also been pro the players and critical of ASADA esp since we have one of the players.

Arrogance of Essendon supporters to take it as pro AFL.

 

[Jade]

Like I said, hated for having a fairly mild opinion, who as a lawyer would have fair idea about governance, has also been pro the players and critical of ASADA esp since we have one of the players.

Arrogance of Essendon supporters to take it as pro AFL.

ONE Essendon supporter.

This guy.

 

[TheHoneyBadger]

I don't think I've had an interaction with Gordon in which he hasn't criticised or taken the piss out of the AFL.

 

[Back One Out]

On the left: Fitzroy president, Leon Wiegard - former Olympian (water polo), company director, AM radio show host (3UZ, 3AW), corporate speaker, knifed his own brother Keith to become the head Lion in 1985.
In the middle: AFL boss, Ross Oakley - businessman and all-round ********
On the right: Footscray president, Nick Columb - entrepreneur (pubs, hopitals), racehorse owner

The bumper sticker was a brilliant fund-raising initiative

Cop that AFL, you pricks!

Graeme Samuel doesn't get enough recognition for his role in the AFL wheeling and dealing. As AFL CEO, Ross Oakley was the public face of the evil empire, but Samuel was real powerbroker on the AFL commission who instigated the push for mergers and ground rationalisation.

Samuel and Oakley are the campaigners who killed Fitzroy and the SANFL and tried to kill Footscray and Hawthorn.

Andrew Demetriou was like Mahatma Gandhi compared to those two arsewipes.

 

[hotham]

The WB are doing very well at the moment they have people in influential roles in the Victorian government and since PG involvement with AFL equalisation exercise, the WB are growing in favouritism with the AFL.

 

[The_Wookie]

Graeme Samuel doesn't get enough recognition for his role in the AFL wheeling and dealing. As AFL CEO, Ross Oakley was the public face of the evil empire, but Samuel was real powerbroker on the AFL commission who instigated the push for mergers and ground rationalisation.

Samuel and Oakley are the campaigners who killed Fitzroy and the SANFL and tried to kill Footscray and Hawthorn.

Andrew Demetriou was like Mahatma Gandhi compared to those two arsewipes.

Wayne Jackson played a big role in the rationalisation program too. Appointed to the Commission in 95, he became CEO in 96 when Oakley stood down. he was the first one to come out about the bigger picture stuff.

 

[cammo78]

On the left: Fitzroy president, Leon Wiegard - former Olympian (water polo), company director, AM radio show host (3UZ, 3AW), corporate speaker, knifed his own brother Keith to become the head Lion in 1985.
In the middle: AFL boss, Ross Oakley - businessman and all-round ********
On the right: Footscray president, Nick Columb - entrepreneur (pubs, hopitals), racehorse owner

The bumper sticker was a brilliant fund-raising initiative

Cop that AFL, you pricks!

Graeme Samuel doesn't get enough recognition for his role in the AFL wheeling and dealing. As AFL CEO, Ross Oakley was the public face of the evil empire, but Samuel was real powerbroker on the AFL commission who instigated the push for mergers and ground rationalisation.

Samuel and Oakley are the campaigners who killed Fitzroy and the SANFL and tried to kill Footscray and Hawthorn.

Andrew Demetriou was like Mahatma Gandhi compared to those two arsewipes.

Leon Wiegard is one of the slimiest pieces of s**t to ever take a breath.

 

[aCunningPlan]

Wayne Jackson played a big role in the rationalisation program too. Appointed to the Commission in 95, he became CEO in 96 when Oakley stood down. he was the first one to come out about the bigger picture stuff.

Wayne Jackson is up there as one of, if not the best CEO's the league has had. After all the talk of expansion who was the one to actually make it work while looking after those already in the league, the stability can be traced back to him.

 

[The_Wookie]

Wayne Jackson is up there as one of, if not the best CEO's the league has had. After all the talk of expansion who was the one to actually make it work while looking after those already in the league, the stability can be traced back to him.

What expansions exactly did he have to "make work". Fremantle were before him, the only team to come in was Port Adelaide and that was more or less a fait accompli that was actually due before he came on board but held up until the Fitzroy issue was resolved. That said, he did preside over the Lions 2001-2003 premierships.

 

[Doss]

Why would we? The whole idea is to, over time, get the fastest growing Region in the country behind us.

Would also be commercial suicide.

I'm not so sure it would. North went back to their old name.

Then again I'm a bit of a stickler for tradition with these things. I've never warmed to Western Bulldogs, simply. They're still Footscray to me.

Also, I read Oakley's book last year. The guy was a snake. He got Fitzroy in the end but thank goodness the Dogs held out against him.

 

[cammo78]

I'm not so sure it would. North went back to their old name.

Then again I'm a bit of a stickler for tradition with these things. I've never warmed to Western Bulldogs, simply. They're still Footscray to me.

Also, I read Oakley's book last year. The guy was a snake. He got Fitzroy in the end but thank goodness the Dogs held out against him.

What geographic area does the word "Kangaroos" represent? It represents their nomadic, playing anywhere that will pay us, stance. Which continues to some extent today, regardless of their name.

Their reverted name is not too far removed from our current name, further to that. Had they been the Kensington Kangaroos, there's every chance a wise admin may well have moved from that to North/Northern Melbourne, anyway.

 

[Doss]

What geographic area does the word "Kangaroos" represent? It represents their nomadic, playing anywhere that will pay us, stance. Which continues to some extent today, regardless of their name.

Their reverted name is not too far removed from our current name, further to that. Had they been the Kensington Kangaroos, there's every chance a wise admin may well have moved from that to North/Northern Melbourne, anyway.

I suppose I've just never been convinced that rebranding as 'Western' has quite had the intended effect. As Footscray everyone thought of them as the team of the west anyway.

Was there a thought at the time that 'Footscray' at the time, as a name, had bad connotations as it wasn't a great area twenty years ago? Because that certainly doesn't apply anymore, in the past two decades Footscray as a suburb has changed enormously.

 

[cammo78]

I suppose I've just never been convinced that rebranding as 'Western' has quite had the intended effect. As Footscray everyone thought of them as the team of the west anyway.

Was there a thought at the time that 'Footscray' at the time, as a name, had bad connotations as it wasn't a great area twenty years ago? Because that certainly doesn't apply anymore, in the past two decades Footscray as a suburb has changed enormously.

Footscray was a shithole back then. Full of viets who didn't give a s**t about footy, and rife with drugs.

Now it's full of mid/upper class 20-40 year olds who paid squillions for inner city property, and likely are either disinterested in footy or already have an allegiance (main allegiance being cafes and cycling - gross generalisation but you get the point).

So while it's great we still have our heritage, out roots, in Footscray - growth is going to continue to push outwards toward Geelong/Ballarat. The desired results probably won't be seen this generation - but hopefully over a 20/30/40 year period we "own" the West. A number of flags would help this situation immensely.

Me - I don't give a s**t what they're called, really. As long as they are the Bulldogs in Melbourne - call them what you like.

 

[Doss]

Footscray was a shithole back then. Full of viets who didn't give a s**t about footy, and rife with drugs.

Now it's full of mid/upper class 20-40 year olds who paid squillions for inner city property, and likely are either disinterested in footy or already have an allegiance (main allegiance being cafes and cycling - gross generalisation but you get the point).

So while it's great we still have our heritage, out roots, in Footscray - growth is going to continue to push outwards toward Geelong/Ballarat. The desired results probably won't be seen this generation - but hopefully over a 20/30/40 year period we "own" the West. A number of flags would help this situation immensely.

Me - I don't give a s**t what they're called, really. As long as they are the Bulldogs in Melbourne - call them what you like.

Did laugh at the bolded.

I like Footscray. As an area (these days), and as a club, for exactly the reasons Runknisse articulated on the first page.

 

[Spongebob]

The official party line for the name change was to embrace, and be embraced by, the western growth corridor.

The unofficial speculation, along with NM changing, was to de-identify with specific parts of Melbourne and make them easier to market as relocated teams. Western Melbourne/Sydney Bulldogs.

 

[cleveland]

was in the museum at whitten oval yesterday and saw this..haha great sticker

 

[inamedthegiants]

Are you actually daft?

The hobart games provide valuable membership and sponsorship dollars for North while providing Hobart with three games a year. You will find that north supporters are very suspicious of the arrangement with hobart, and would not allow the club to do anything that could be seen as co-location or relocation. Unlike a lot of supporters from other clubs, we don't just trust what our club tells us in blind admiration, we actually question their decisions.

In any case, we would still have the ballarat option if your club had kept its slimy hands away from our ideas.

Norths push into Hobart is inspired.

It's a shame the grounds in Tassie don't hold 30,000, imagine a North v Hawks game in Launceston or Hobart. The north/south rivalry of Tasmanian's would gag for it.

 

[cammo78]

Are you actually daft?

The hobart games provide valuable membership and sponsorship dollars for North while providing Hobart with three games a year. You will find that north supporters are very suspicious of the arrangement with hobart, and would not allow the club to do anything that could be seen as co-location or relocation. Unlike a lot of supporters from other clubs, we don't just trust what our club tells us in blind admiration, we actually question their decisions.

In any case, we would still have the ballarat option if your club had kept its slimy hands away from our ideas.

Your current administration refuses to constitutionalise more games in Hobart. You have no say in the matter, you cab question all you like. They've made it abundantly clear they do what they want. These games are also underpinning your entire financial model.

Your club started a Ballarat venture - didn't bother to engage the party that actually won the election - then effectively kicked them to the kerb when Hobart started flashing the cash, expecting Ballarat to sit tight until you were good and ready. A president with some semblance of nous and business acumen spotted this situation and acted accordingly. Don't blame us, blame Brayshaw.

Finally. It is utterly delusional to laud a man who a few short years ago said "no more travelling Kangaroos", only to then underpin your club's entire financial situation to the area that is clearly next in line for any future expansion. Just bewildering. Particularly when you've already thumbed your nose at the AFL's last attempt to move you. As they say - enough rope to hang yourself. Which JB is doing a mighty job of, it seems.

How you people continually swallow this tripe is just staggering. A few, like Tas (irony at its finest) see the forest for the trees. The rest of you are so drunk on the Kool Aid it's happening before your eyes.

 

[NorthernLights]

Your current administration refuses to constitutionalise more games in Hobart. You have no say in the matter, you cab question all you like. They've made it abundantly clear they do what they want. These games are also underpinning your entire financial model.

Your club started a Ballarat venture - didn't bother to engage the party that actually won the election - then effectively kicked them to the kerb when Hobart started flashing the cash, expecting Ballarat to sit tight until you were good and ready. A president with some semblance of nous and business acumen spotted this situation and acted accordingly. Don't blame us, blame Brayshaw.

Finally. It is utterly delusional to laud a man who a few short years ago said "no more travelling Kangaroos", only to then underpin your club's entire financial situation to the area that is clearly next in line for any future expansion. Just bewildering. Particularly when you've already thumbed your nose at the AFL's last attempt to move you. As they say - enough rope to hang yourself. Which JB is doing a mighty job of, it seems.

How you people continually swallow this tripe is just staggering. A few, like Tas (irony at its finest) see the forest for the trees. The rest of you are so drunk on the Kool Aid it's happening before your eyes.