Gather Round Chat 2025

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Why is the cost more? Do they have to keep the turf to afl standard?
You’d think it would have bells and whistles to make it easier to maintain.

High quality ovals need to be mown twice per week and top dressed twice per year.

Also needs a more expensive cylinder mower than a typical slasher.

Turf pitch preparation plus everything that goes with that - scarifier, roller, decent mower, pitch clay plus storage.

There's landscaping around the oval at Mt Barker I believe (I haven't been there) whereas most country grounds are untouched.

At some ovals especially country ones the club goes almost everything themselves with a band of volunteers. Their own mowing, line marking, getting by on their own toil rather than having council staff do it.

It's the same in town. An oval like Woodville Oval that has grandstands, clubrooms, carparks, grassed spectator areas, garden areas plus the ground itself has significantly higher maintenance costs than a Woodville South Oval just down the road.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Unlike golf clubs, footy clubs tend to live rent(or peppercorn rent) free. I don't care that much about local footy clubs, but if you own a council asset, sureky you'd make it palatable to a footy club. Otherwise, what's the point of the council asset?

It ticks a box for them

Councils are required to provide a certain amount of green space/open space for its residents

I think it's actually mandated

So they try to provide this space at as low cost to themselves as possible and recoup a few dollars if they can

Then have the oval open to the public at times when not being used for its tennants

 

[1970crow]

High quality ovals need to be mown twice per week and top dressed twice per year.

Also needs a more expensive cylinder mower than a typical slasher.

Turf pitch preparation plus everything that goes with that - scarifier, roller, decent mower, pitch clay plus storage.

There's landscaping around the oval at Mt Barker I believe (I haven't been there) whereas most country grounds are untouched.

At some ovals especially country ones the club goes almost everything themselves with a band of volunteers. Their own mowing, line marking, getting by on their own toil rather than having council staff do it.

It's the same in town. An oval like Woodville Oval that has grandstands, clubrooms, carparks, grassed spectator areas, garden areas plus the ground itself has significantly higher maintenance costs than a Woodville South Oval just down the road.

I played in 3 flags at Woody South. U10s as a CHF (2 goals on full Woodville Oval), U11 as CHF and first year U13s off a full season knee injury.

 

[Interloperer]

They didn't think it through or listen to those who know.

Grassroots clubs don't have a lot of money. They are volunteer run. Chook raffles and quiz nights. Goodwill of a few sponsors who don't get dollar value back.

The reality is that pretty much every community club in Australia is heavily subsidised by their local council. They pay a lease but this is a pittance compared to the maintenance, watering, groundstaff, mowing etc.

And at Mt Barker they've got a ground where the upkeep is far more than at a typical country or suburban ground. The ground costs more but how did they think a club based there would have more money than Echunga Football Club for example?

I'm interested how Lyndoch will work whereas this one is failing. Yes, they have a tennant lined up in Lyndoch but how are they going to afford the cost long term?

Personally I read the choice of Lyndoch as a last-resort compromise for showpiece events in the region while avoiding both NIMBY's and the problematic clubs in that region. Probably some combination of State and Council (or even local league) funds makes it worthwhile as a result.

 

[Cromulant]

Personally I read the choice of Lyndoch as a last-resort compromise for showpiece events in the region while avoiding both NIMBY's and the problematic clubs in that region. Probably some combination of State and Council (or even local league) funds makes it worthwhile as a result.

I think that's a long bow

 

[Interloperer]

I think that's a long bow

Growing up in Gawler it was not unheard of to read reports of matches in the Bunyip with more suspensions dished out than players.

 

[Crow till I die]

 

[FR0GGY]

Took my kid to a Buddy Franklin clinic at park 12 yesterday.
The paperwork said Buddy will be there for a signing and Q&A
No Buddy

 

[Samcro24]

Took my kid to a Buddy Franklin clinic at park 12 yesterday.
The paperwork said Buddy will be there for a signing and Q&A
No Buddy

You should do some sort of vlog highlighting this shit.

Seems to happen a lot

 

[Samcro24]

The BUDDY FRANKLIN CLINIC

Featuring Lance “buddy” Franklin*












*or Joel Amartey

 

[FR0GGY]

The BUDDY FRANKLIN CLINIC

Featuring Lance “buddy” Franklin*












*or Joel Amartey

Half the essendon side was there. Including Draper in a crows polo.

 

[Samcro24]

Half the essendon side was there. Including Draper in a crows polo.

Bye bye Rob then

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Took my kid to a Buddy Franklin clinic at park 12 yesterday.
The paperwork said Buddy will be there for a signing and Q&A
No Buddy

 

[BRL121]

Half the essendon side was there. Including Draper in a crows polo.

Assuming you're not joking, that would be a very strange thing to do if you were actually coming to the Crows, wouldn't it?
I would guess he's having a laugh and is not coming.

 

[Samcro24]

Assuming you're not joking, that would be a very strange thing to do if you were actually coming to the Crows, wouldn't it?
I would guess he's having a laugh and is not coming.

It was Sid

 

[BRL121]

It was Sid

Bloody Froggy!

 

[Samcro24]

Bloody Froggy!

He’s a joke maker, tell him FR0GGY

 

[FR0GGY]

Assuming you're not joking, that would be a very strange thing to do if you were actually coming to the Crows, wouldn't it?
I would guess he's having a laugh and is not coming.

I was taking the piss

 

[feenix67]

I don't mind glengowan's idea about West Adelaide relocating to Mt Barker.

Lateral thinking.

I don't think Sturt would ever move there as a home base

The zones are re-drawn every 5 years as it is. Sturt would need to pick up West Adelaide's country zone presumably (Riverland). A bit like how Norwood lost Gumeracha, Lobethal, Woodside when they gained Eyre Peninsula.

West would add foothills eg Belair, Coromandel Valley, Blackwood plus keep Flagstaff Hill, Happy Valley. Plus all the hills, Murray Bridge,

Sturt gain Goodwood, Edwardstown etc.

Interesting.

Unless West became fully country? All hills + Riverland. Sturt all metro.

The SANFL (or would this be Trigg's SA Football Commission?) will need to think outside the square to stay financial and relevant.

I think it's time to acknowledge that 3 west side teams doesn't reflect the demographics on that side of town anymore. Westies should really merge with WWT. Sturt need to commit to the eastern hills of Mt Barker etc. There's really no room for too many inner suburban teams anymore, all the growth is out of town.

 

[Redline]

I think it's time to acknowledge that 3 west side teams doesn't reflect the demographics on that side of town anymore. Westies should really merge with WWT. Sturt need to commit to the eastern hills of Mt Barker etc. There's really no room for too many inner suburban teams anymore, all the growth is out of town.

I don't think a West and WWT merger.would work. Sturt in Mount Barker could work but they are so well supported locally you wouldn't want to lose any of that. I think West would be better moving.

Despite what many say just about every 'major sport' has a competition between elite and community/ recreational sport. District Cricket and Basketball are examples. There is a place for the SANFL.

 

[feenix67]

I don't think a West and WWT merger.would work. Sturt in Mount Barker could work but they are so well supported locally you wouldn't want to lose any of that. I think West would be better moving.

Despite what many say just about every 'major sport' has a competition between elite and community/ recreational sport. District Cricket and Basketball are examples. There is a place for the SANFL.

Very definitely a place for the SANFL.

I dont think West is a sound enough club to trust relocating anywhere. They are most likely operating insolvent at the moment. All their benefactors have long gone. The impetus to turn things around seems fairly low.

 

[TubbsFarquhar]

View attachment 2283456

Crunchy >>> Buddy.

 

[Redline]

Seems like every council is running a campaign for Gather Round.

I can see some positives with Noarlunga but do interstaters really want to go there? McLaren Vale is close but it is still a decent car or uber ride which on a match day isn't ideal.

I think you need most of the games close to the city so maybe they replace the Barossa.

I don't think they should replace Norwood (or equivalent ground like Glenelg ect)

 

[arrowman]

I think they'll want to get 2 years out of Lyndoch.

 

[FR0GGY]

Reckon Glenelg is the only other viable (city) option.