Expansion Selling Blockbusters out of Victoria ..? The next step in AFL Expansion

[speedpeck23]

The NRL sells SOO around the nation ( pandemic permitting) , why wouldn't the AFL do the same with Blockbusters.

Clearly it's favorable to do so at present, but why not promote the game with your best product. In a post pandemic world the SCG would easily be a sell out for the Melb/Coll match and has obvious advantages for the Fight MND cause as well as promoting AFL.

Traditionalist will struggle with it but the AFL needs to back it's expansion commitment. In any case a re match could always be fixtured later in the season back at the G. Obviously which matches are sold would be influenced by the relative performances and support bases of the clubs involved.

Besides its good to get out of Melbourne in winter....if you can.

 

[Chinacats]

I don’t mind it. Dreamtime should be awesome in Perth!

 

[Senor M]

What “blockbuster” games will make significantly more money interstate than they will at the MCG?

 

[Upgrayedd]

Great way to de-value the MCC memberships, and club memberships, and denying close to 40k of ticket sales moving things from the MCG to elsewhere something the NRL doesn't have to they have to chase dollars. Clubs sell home games already to different states like Tasmania, NT, even north coming to WA to make best of a situation one time. Are you suggesting clubs start doing what is already happening? Or the AFL force that? Which often pisses off fans (Hawthorn sold games to Tasmania because we would draw more fans then trying to get members to turn upto docklands being forced to play games over there)

Unless your getting millions it's not worth it. And it really kills teams gate takings and a great way to bankrupt clubs unless the AFL was going to compensate them for moving. Which would pretty much mean you wouldn't make any money from moving the game at all

 

[telsor]

Great way to de-value the MCC memberships, and club memberships, and denying close to 40k of ticket sales moving things from the MCG to elsewhere something the NRL doesn't have to they have to chase dollars. Clubs sell home games already.

and AFL Memberships.

 

[Upgrayedd]

and AFL Memberships.

Forgot about that. It only gets better!

 

[Blackas87]

State of Origin is completely different to Blockbuster AFL games. Does the OP think moving Easter Monday’s Hawthorn vs Geelong to the Gabba a good idea to promote expansion over allowing Hawthorn’s paying members to watch their rival opponent?

 

[telsor]

Forgot about that. It only gets better!

Yeah, but that's the clearest example of how moving such games would cost the AFL money. (The AFL also gets money from the MCG in other ways too...just as the big/cumulative crowds bonus)

The AFL is happy to have the Vic clubs lose money, but the league losing money is a much bigger deal.

 

[BallaratBulldog]

Yeah, nah.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Origin is next level to any club game in any code in Australia. It’s the biggest rivalry there is in Aust sport.

It’s a huge game that hosts like Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth only see once in a blue moon. Every state aside from Tassie gets an AFL club game every week.

 

[JohnZ]

I think Geelong should sell their home games against Richmond, Hawthorn and Collingwood to Kardinia Park. Novel idea I know.

 

[Vaccination]

Blockbusters make the most sense in Melbourne because that's where the biggest stadiums and most of the teams are.

OP is trying to compare 2 different things. Moving a blockbuster (Say Richmond Collingwood) to the Gabba would be the equivalent of moving Sydney vs Souths to Adelaide. That just doesn't make much sense

Having said that I'd be all for having a spread out AFL SOO all across the country.

 

[Scotland]

Yeah, nah.

The AFL's entire fixture is centred around maximising crowds in Melbourne. The MCG holds 100,000 people and is full twice a year. As cool as Dreamtime in Perth will be as a one off, the fixture regularly gets 80k+. It makes no sense playing this game in Perth or Sydney or wherever when you have the MCG and two large supporter bases right there.

The AFL has already rejected the idea of smaller Victorian clubs playing home games in Perth against WC/Freo. Happened once in 2018 with GC vs Freo when Metricon was out of action but apparently it goes against the integrity of the fixture. *giggles* Playing North vs GWS or something in Perth isn't going to pack out Optus Stadium.

What the AFL doesn't have that rugby league and other codes do is matches other than H&A/finals that anyone cares about. If we had SOO or Dreamtime was an indigenous all stars type game then there would be some scope to move those fixtures around. Just moving what is essentially any other H&A game between two big Melbourne clubs to another state is dumb.

 

[HaroLad]

in a post pandemic world the SCG would easily be a sell out for the Melb/Coll match

no it would not

 

[telsor]

I look forward to the various derbies being shared around.

WCE vs Freo at Metricon will be epic.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

I look forward to the various derbies being shared around.

WCE vs Freo at Metricon will be epic.

I think it was Barrett a couple of years ago that said the Showdown should be played at the G.

 

[Billy ray]

I look forward to the various derbies being shared around.

WCE vs Freo at Metricon will be epic.

Play everything at Metricon i reckon

 

[telsor]

Play everything at Metricon i reckon

Didn't we try that last year?

 

[Billy ray]

Didn't we try that last year?

Yeh was great. I saw 24/40+ games

 

[Kwality]

State of Origin is completely different to Blockbuster AFL games. Does the OP think moving Easter Monday’s Hawthorn vs Geelong to the Gabba a good idea to promote expansion over allowing Hawthorn’s paying members to watch their rival opponent?

Compare the TV ratings & learn.

 

[Blackas87]

Compare the TV ratings & learn.

What am I supposed to learn about the TV ratings?

Should Hawthorn’s paying members miss out on a game against rival Geelong because of the differences between the State of Origin and AFL blockbuster games tv ratings?

 

[HaroLad]

This is especially a great idea when you consider just how much interest the QLD locals gave to interstate games last year.

 

[Pessimistic]

Part of the reason is Richmond or Essendon already have paid reserved seats at the mcg. As have mcc and afl members.
most of the 55k would have paid cash walk ups
It’s not unreasonable that 110-120k seats were bought for this game

do this every year and it’s unsustainable

 

[Rob]

The AFL selling games? The AFL doesn't put them on in the first place.

Individual clubs selling games has been around for decades, although they generally only sell their s**t drawing games interstate.

 

[VolgaBoatman]

Ok, so what about rather than have two Victorian clubs play the Marquee games which are promoted and have no competition on TV - they share around, say the Dreamtime game, Anzac game etc with different teams, and at different venues.

The WAFL was miles ahead of the VFL in terms of participatation of indigenous players for example - so having one of the WA teams involved makes sense. Obviously there is a long history in South Australia also.