News NMFC AFLW 2019

[Only Forwards]

But why have we had to compromise ourselves, when nobody else had had to?

To push ourselves up the queue.

 

[The chorus]

Stop the presses...

Where is all this 'Tassie roos' stuff coming from?

Well, we are happy to take sponsorship money from Tasmania and we will be happy to take TT (and hopefully others in future) at a discount in the draft but the world will come to an end if "Tasmania" is part of the name of our AFLW team. Some people don't know what a partnership is! They think it is all take, take, take! The partnership with Tasmania is very beneficial for our club and is being managed well by the club

 

[discomute]

Thanks for the detail but I have gone from excited to devestated in 10 minutes.

I have a daughter and I love women's footy. I really wanted us to have a side and now it appears we never will.

 

[Only Forwards]

Well, we are happy to take sponsorship money from Tasmania and we will be happy to take TT (and hopefully others in future) at a discount in the draft but the world will come to an end if "Tasmania" is part of the name of our AFLW team. Some people don't know what a partnership is! They think it is all take, take, take! The partnership with Tasmania is very beneficial for our club and is being managed well by the club

The administration of this sport tried to push our club to a place we just played some games at.

Now for Tassie we will:
Play games there.
Have an academy there.
Have a women's team named for the state.

You cannot blame people who had to fight for the club to be wary of this.

 

[Benj7]

Thanks for the detail but I have gone from excited to devestated in 10 minutes.

I have a daughter and I love women's footy. I really wanted us to have a side and now it appears we never will.

Yep I would rather wait 6-10 years and stand for north Melbourne bloody hell not happy.
**** this seriously not happy at all have Tasmania on the score card with no mention of north .. how is that us no chance kangaroo and blue and white lol **** this.

 

[Groin guru]

Well, we are happy to take sponsorship money from Tasmania and we will be happy to take TT (and hopefully others in future) at a discount in the draft but the world will come to an end if "Tasmania" is part of the name of our AFLW team. Some people don't know what a partnership is! They think it is all take, take, take! The partnership with Tasmania is very beneficial for our club and is being managed well by the club

I don't mind the tassie partnership and i agree it has been very beneficial for our club.

I must admit though i was over the moon at first, but after hearing that the team will be referred to as "tasmania" on the ladder + a different jumper i am a bit miffed. Taken a bit of enjoyment out of it.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

To push ourselves up the queue.

Huge bargaining chip. Who knows if we got the license ahead of the other teams if we didn't involve growth initiatives into our plan.

 

[Arden]

To push ourselves up the queue.

Yep. But why do we need to push ourselves up the queue?

What is better about the other club's proposals, that we have to split ourselves to another state? Why is proven record of developing female players through our relationship with MU not enough? And our community, non-pokie approach?

Why are we treated differently to every other club?

I don't want to seem ungrateful because a women's team is an amazing thing. But I'm sick of the caveats attached to everything we do. It's a vicious cycle we are stuck in.

 

[tazaa]

Call it North Melbourne. And play the half the games down in Hobart. Thats fine. I dont mind that.
But to call it Tasmania on the ladder then no, that is not my team.

We are North Melbourne. That is our name. Sorry but will not support. Map of Tasmania on the jumper means this team can be affiliated with Carlton, Geelong or whatever. Its Blue and white but not the stripes I know and love.

 

[DarwinRoo]

We had two affiliate VFL teams at one stage, neither was named North Melbourne or the Kangaroos. Why the **** are people caring that our WAFL team contains the word Tassie. It's our team and it's not a step to relocation but if you want to be petty and not support it and see the club fail then go ahead.

 

[Zondor]

We had two affiliate VFL teams at one stage, neither was named North Melbourne or the Kangaroos. Why the **** are people caring that our WAFL team contains the word Tassie. It's our team and it's not a step to relocation but if you want to be petty and not support it and see the club fail then go ahead.

Will do. :stern look

 

[tazaa]

We had two affiliate VFL teams at one stage, neither was named North Melbourne or the Kangaroos. Why the **** are people caring that our WAFL team contains the word Tassie. It's our team and it's not a step to relocation but if you want to be petty and not support it and see the club fail then go ahead.

Because the name North Melbourne needs to be strengthened as a brand. Not weakened. It needs to be attractive and actually stand for something. Calling its Tasmania Kagaroos signifies that North Melbourne in its own entity is not worthy of a womens team. That is petty in itself.

 

[DarwinRoo]

It was our bid and it's our team. How is it not strengthening the club?

 

[Kimbo]

That being said the past 12 months I’ve gotten a bit of negativity fatigue.

All I’m saying is by all means be alert people, but don’t let outside noise ruin enjoyment of a milestone that club has worked tirelessly for. I understand the reflex to assume the worst but on this occasion I don’t think it’s worth it.

As I said, and repeated in my post, I'm holding both views and feelings alongside each other. I'm fatigued by having to read posts that suggest both can't co-exist.

 

[the big lebowski]

Yeah the ABC says negotiations are still ongoing but now the license is secured I'd expect it to be hammered out and 100% signed within weeks.

• Tasmanian government will have a 5 year deal and pay $500k a year to North Melbourne, a tidy profit.
  
• Establishment of a Tassie HQ in Hobart (Vic HQ in Arden St) and training facilities in Launceston (probably coming out of the first 500k a year deal + AFL investment in facilities and Auskick & other grass roots development)
  
• 4 home games in Tas, 3-4 in Melbourne, 1-2 interstate depending on the fixture for the 2019 season (9 rounds)
  
• The team name will be Tasmania Kangaroos. 'Tasmania' will appear on the ladder/scoreboard.
  
• The map of Tassie will appear on the guernsey (no green and gold at least)
  
• The playing list will aim to be 50% Tassie players within the 5 year deal.

Of course some of this is subject to change.

So what happens at the end of the 5 years? Tas govt has the deal with north as you say?

$2.5 mill is good money over the existing tassie deal.

How long are the govt going to pay $500k per annum to north post the end of the deal? If they don't want to pay are we free to change the team as the the licence holders?

 

[Kimbo]

So you'd prefer no income or womens team purely due to two words missing.

I seem to recall those "two missing words" meant a lot to people in 2007/2008.

 

[tazaa]

It was our bid and it's our team. How is it not strengthening the club?

Because something like this is meant to be celebrated not cause disharmony amongst the supporters.
All they had to do was call it North Melbourne. Im all for the Hobart link and support the partnership. But a map on the jumper and naming it Tasmania is weak.

 

[Kimbo]

Yep. But why do we need to push ourselves up the queue?

What is better about the other club's proposals, that we have to split ourselves to another state? Why is proven record of developing female players through our relationship with MU not enough? And our community, non-pokie approach?

Why are we treated differently to every other club?

I don't want to seem ungrateful because a women's team is an amazing thing. But I'm sick of the caveats attached to everything we do. It's a vicious cycle we are stuck in.

Yep. It's like we've accepted the 'poor cousin' narrative, rather than standing our ground and demanding the equality we deserve.

 

[BoomerRoo]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, this is mine.

I'm proud that North have won an AFLW license with my home state, Tasmania. I'm not worried one single iota that this means re-location for North Melbourne, I know Tasmanians want their own team and will NEVER EVER support a re-located one. I'll support this women's team financially and by attending games here in Tas, at Arden St or wherever they play. If the club deems this joint-venture worthy of the time and effort spent, then I'll support them and back their judgement in. And yes, I do understand the angst re the name....

It's dissapointing to read some of the comments some of my favourite posters on here have posted, conspiracy theories abound, rightly or wrongly.... but I trust the club, I'm on board 100%. I absolutely loved Twinkletoes comment re his daughter, that is what makes this such a great opportunity.

On a side note, I attended women's cricket training tonight at my club, (held indoors at this time of the year obviously), as soon as I walked in, I was suprised to see 7 North Melbourne jumpers being worn by some of the girls training (approx 20), immediately 2 gave me a massive hug and laughed about how great it was to hear the news, one of the other girls just looked at me, walked over, and high fived me.... she's already pulled the jumper on for North Melbourne (Arden St women's game earlier in the year), she knows what the jumper means to her dad, her mum, her grand father, to me and to herself, her family are 3rd generation North Melbourne members. This will mean nothing to anyone else on Big Footy but me, but anyway here goes: I watched her dad shed a few tears when he told me she would be playing in that game, he never ever thought one of his 2 kids, would ever play for his beloved North Melbourne, every fathers dream.... because his 2 kids are girls.

 

[Tas]

Neither do I but say the following things line up......

-Hawthorn don't renew their arrangement with Launceston

There isn't another team that would commit more games to Tassie than us or Hawks and both have said they are at their limit. If the AFL could find someone who would play 16 games there, they would boot both of us out in a hearbeat. There is nobody who can or would fill that void, not now.

-Tasmania want those games replaced, Gil has stated he want's only one team, despite our constitution do you think we are not filling that void

Gil has stated that, but the AFL has also gone to the point of actually running a club (Melbourne) rather than see them die/forced to relocate. While the blank cheque attitude continues, they can't conditionally offer it to some clubs and not to us. The AFL is also giving us a ton of extra cash which has partly been used to repay debt and partly used to spend on increasing our supporter base, their investment is probably critical to the massive improvement we have made in Werribee, the region where the future fund identified as being the target of growth spending. If the AFL wanted us dead, or wanted us to remain weak so we would be ready to be shoved off, they had the opportunity to do so and didn't take it.

I think ultimately, Gilligan and even AD thought GC and now Tassie was the best thing for us, because our administration was a farce. It is not surprising that others have that outside looking in approach when even our own directors and past players felt the same way, and they weren't malicious about it, they just thought we were stuffed here.

The current environment with the swimming pools of broadcasting revenue cash makes it almost inconceivable that we are ever in any threat. We still hit 40k members despite the exodus of players and the poor anticipation for immediate on-field success or performance. The investment in Werribee increased our membership base from about 25k sustainable to about 35k sustainable and Tasmania probably gives us about 5k. Docklands is not going to fit more than 50k and we are about 70% away from filling it ourselves, it is not inconceivable that if we extend that Werribee investment to other high growth regions then 50k, 60k and 70k in the future is very achievable.

-Tassie get's behind the all of North arrangements,

The only threat Tasmania can be to us is if they all purchase memberships in one year and then seek to relocate the club, and that would only exist because JB fought against the members to put in place tighter restrictions on moving games and moving the club.

-Time goes on and Tassie says and proves, we want and deserve a full time team

I think it is inevitable that they will eventually get their side when we convert to a conference system. Our current administration has been very clear about it's stance on even increasing the number of games, it is not on the table. The ultimate say is with the members and members will vote no.

-Media turn up the north to tassie heat

Media were on our case during the GC fiasco, we were almost broke, had an incompetent administration, we had directors who were ready to sell out and members had no voice... and they still couldn't get it done. We don't rely on gambling money, our debt is almost gone, we make a profit while spending as much as anyone else on the football department and the AFL has now taken ownership of Docklands. This was the dream scenario when we at deaths door. It would take something utterly unforseeable for us to be put in a position where the media could influence the members.

-North rebuff relocation

As we should.

-AFL fixtures North 4:40 sunday every round of the year.

Hurting us financially is kind of pointless when they are ponying up extra cash to clubs they screw commercially for fixture inequalities. You will find the other clubs are quite supportive of eachother in this aspect, they wouldn't allow the AFL to threaten a club financially. You have to understand ALL the clubs backed the AFL spending $200m of this broadcasting money to buy Docklands prematurely so the AFL could improve the earning potential of Docklands tenants. I doubt these clubs will be thrilled that they spent that money only to have the AFL torpedo one of the three main beneficiaries of this significant expenditure.

-AFLs own media turns up relocation heat

There is no difference between media and afl media.

-Membership/Crowds diminish

These tend to fluctuate based on performance, however, we are the main drivers when it comes to controlling our destiny.

-Player recruitment becomes even harder.

Again, we are the only ones in control. If you have a good culture, draft well, develop well then players are happy to be here. We generally don't have issues retaining players.

We need to make sure we have a plan to combat this, because the AFL will engineer a relocation if it is their will.

Being paranoid isn't plan B.

I rather we focus the grassroots development that we did in Werribee into other regions as well, it will give us the critical mass that will enable us one day to fill the Docklands ourselves irrespective of opponent.

 

[DarwinRoo]

I seem to recall those "two missing words" meant a lot to people in 2007/2008.

It was a tad more than "two missing words". This isn't even in the same ballpark.

 

[Kimbo]

It was a tad more than "two missing words". This isn't even in the same ballpark.

I'm not referring to the whole relocation attempt. I was specifically referring to part of the mandate for Brayshaw was to reinstate "North Melbourne" into our name. I would have thought that was obvious, but it goes to show.

 

[DarwinRoo]

It's a Tasmania Kangaroos named WAFL team or its the Essendon Bombers or Hawthorn Hawks WAFL team.

Which one benefits the NMFC the most?

 

[Zondor]

Is there one Tassie based NMFC fan that is unhappy that this Women's Team is supposedly going to be called the "Tassie Kangaroos"? :stern look

 

[goalieboy82]

and with the AFLW Kangaroos team being announced:
Scamper, my little Geelong Cat,

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