Impact of the TV deal on stadiums - buy Etihad or build a boutique?

[SugarHealey]

I get what you're saying and the AFL could probably be doing more, but I remember playing basketball as a kid when Michael Jordan was in his prime and in Melbourne the NBL was getting crowds between 10-15,000 everyone was saying the same thing... Basketball will take over one day! but it didn't happen, in fact it went backwards despite having great numbers and support at junior level and still does today. If you look at the A-league it's almost history repeating, it will be very interesting to see what happens with the next FFA TV rights because things aren't looking very good for them at the moment.

Basketball had numbers back then, but the adult involvement to a commitment level wasn't truly there. It didn't capture the wider communities passion & excitement. Soccer is.
And Asian immigrants over the last 15 years are having a big effect as well. We need to serve the Parents needs & the kids need for sport. By having hero's in close proximity to their lives.

 

[Kwality]

Even more ridiculous that the State Government can spend $1 billion in Melbourne to build absolutely nothing. Yet I laugh when I read posts knocking the idea of spending $15 million to build an AFL facility in Ballarat. Even if Ballarat doesn't work, $15 mil against $1 billion has a lot country Victorians scratching their heads thinking that, that $1 billion wasted on Melbourne to build nothing would have upgraded a lot of regional rail line, added 100 beds to the Ballarat Base Hospital, and upgraded a lot of schools in need of some love.

$1 billion wasted on Melbourne to build nothing

hard to argue with that

 

[Kwality]

No, my generation were brought up on footy at suburban grounds. and tribalism. Generations since have all started doing other sports, surfing, basketball, & of late, soccer is growing on school playgrounds everywhere, on the weekends.

Inner Melbourne is extremely well catered for, re AFL rules. Outer suburbs & beyond isn't, & the people out there are changing cultures away from Western, & Australian cultures. Including the sports.

Asians also play soccer within they're cultures.

Now is the time to move the smaller attendance AFL games to the outer fringes, for all supporters to get a fair go.

Otherwise more people will feel left out, and become disenfranchised

It is ridiculous that State & Federal Governments would spend the peoples txs revenues, all within small central areas of the Capitol cities.

The modern footy fan doesn't want to stand, get wet, queue for toilets - that footy is still available at a local level in Aussie Rules but to try & shoehorn AFL games into that space is unrealistic.

 

[Moll1960]

"But is it worth building a new stadium if that's going to take 2 years, and if the AFL takes ownership in 2025 anyway?"
I think not. For the cause new stadium is always for good, but devil is in the details as ever