Western Bulldogs and their partnership with Ballarat a success

[Mr. Walker]

Such a cheap investment and there should be more of it, particularly in Melbourne.

Do the Dogs run this type of program in Melbourne? Seems a great opportunity ( resource intensive if the players are involved but would be a winner)

 

[Roogal]

Watching Brisbane in Geelong last night, Brisbane seem to have rediscovered their mojo while I think that Geelong certainly felt the loss of Dangerfield. I think that the Doggies are in for one seriously tough game against Brisbane in Ballarat in two weeks time. It's going to be a good game.

 

[Northernsoul74]

Watching Brisbane in Geelong last night, Brisbane seem to have rediscovered their mojo while I think that Geelong certainly felt the loss of Dangerfield. I think that the Doggies are in for one seriously tough game against Brisbane in Ballarat in two weeks time. It's going to be a good game.

I must have been watching a different game. Brisbane were really poor. One of your less subtle attempts as spruiking a Ballarat game.

 

[Roogal]

I must have been watching a different game. Brisbane were really poor.

No the point of my post was to draw attention to the fact that you're likely to face a tough game in a couple of weeks time. I was at the game and couldn't believe that Geelong were almost beaten. Geelong normally dominate interstate teams in Geelong yet they were very very lucky to get over the line by a point. And you can't deny that Brisbane were robbed of a vital opportunity in closing minute of the game. Sometimes close games where there are two evenly matched teams can look scrappy. I stand by my original point that it'll be a very different Brisbane team to the team you played at Ballarat in 2019. I am expecting that it will be a very tough game.

Good luck with it.

 

[Roogal]

I must have been watching a different game. Brisbane were really poor. One of your less subtle attempts as spruiking a Ballarat game.

You over-estimate me, I wouldn't be that subtle about promotion, if I were touting the game then I would definitely say something more direct, definitive and to the point like:

" For the first time since 2019, the Western Bulldogs are taking on the Brisbane Lions at Mars Stadium on Saturday 10 April at 1.45pm. The Western Bulldogs’ Ballarat Membership is currently the best way to guarantee a ticket to the round four game, as club members will get priority over the general public.

Tickets are scheduled to go on sale on Tuesday 6 April (members) and Wednesday 7 April (general public). As of 23 March, a total of 8335 fans will be allowed at the game IAW current state (COVID-19) 75 per stadium capacity limitations.

Regular scheduled V/Line train services will be operating at full capacity on the day, with no additional services. From 11.30am, a shuttle bus service will transport people from the Ballarat Train Station’s bus terminal to Mars Stadium. From 4pm, a return shuttle bus service will depart Mars Stadium and drop passengers off in Sturt Street opposite the Ballarat Town Hall plus Lydiard Street North opposite the train station. Buses are expected to operate until all patrons have left the ground (approximately 5.30pm) "

... Subtle enough for you

 

[bullish23]

Why are we playing Brisbane in Ballarat and the following week the suns at Marvel?

 

[Mattdougie]

No vested interest but floods our page year on year out with a game hardly no one cares about.

At least they have Covid this year to blame when the crowd is pathetic again

 

[bullish23]

In the AFL's defence, I know that it must be very tough to try to schedule a season to achieve outcomes that satisfy all interests. Not an enviable job at all, because there will always be supporters and clubs who won't be entirely happy with the final outcome. As the old saying goes, "you can't please everybody".

Get all that but would have thought the smaller drawing suns would be the better Mars option and have lions at marvel. cheers

 

[Roogal]

Get all that but would have thought the smaller drawing suns would be the better Mars option and have lions at marvel. cheers

I agree completely, but there were likely many other factors that came into their deliberations.

 

[footscray1973]

It's the Bulldogs versus the 2 local products (McCluggage and 1x Berry). Marketer's dream - the die-hard football followers from BCC alone will fill at least 30-40 seats - unless they have a rowing event to attend.

 

[MYOB]

Can't take a trick

 

[BallaratBulldog]

At lest it’s not the second Port Adelaide game forecast.

 

[Woof]

No vested interest but floods our page year on year out with a game hardly no one cares about.

At least they have Covid this year to blame when the crowd is pathetic again

I care and appreciate the updates

 

[Roogal]

From today's Ballarat Courier: 5.30am 7th April 2021

Western Bulldogs start talks with City of Ballarat, state government over new Ballarat deal

The Western Bulldogs have started talks with the City of Ballarat and the Victorian government to renegotiate their deal to play home and away AFL games at Mars Stadium for the foreseeable future.

The Bulldogs' current five-year deal to play in Ballarat is due to expire at the end of the year, but the Sons of the West could be sticking around for another five years should talks progress. Western Bulldogs chief executive Ameet Bains told The Courier the club hoped to extend the deal out to 2026. "It's something where we absolutely love our relationship with the City of Ballarat and all of the different components of it, whether it's our community foundation, the community engagement, participation, schools, having the physical presence there on Mair Street, we think it's a wonderful partnership," he said. "We've grown our support in the region and for us, Ballarat is a strong, strategic part of our future."

The renegotiations come as the ladder-leading Bulldogs play arguably their biggest game so far this year when they host the Brisbane Lions on Saturday afternoon.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 128-point drubbing of North Melbourne while the Lions will be riding the momentum of a thrilling one-point win over Collingwood. With last year's Ballarat games cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it's the first time the Bulldogs have ran out onto the Mars Stadium turf since beating Adelaide in August 2019.

Mr Bains said a deal could be reached as soon as the end of the year.

"We're just starting that out now but I think there's great support from both the state government and the City of Ballarat for the Bulldogs to continue playing games in Ballarat, so if we can formalise that support over the coming weeks and months, we should be in a position to announce that hopefully before the end of the year," he said. "We see [Ballarat] as a big part of our future and of our backyard and we like to think that we command that region through western Melbourne, through western Victoria and Ballarat and the surrounding area's a really significant part of what we see as our community. We're just really excited to play at the venue and, as our players and football staff continue to say, it's one of the best if not the best surface in the country to play on, so from a players perspective, it's a privilege to come and play on the the deck out there at Mars Stadium."

City of Ballarat Mayor Daniel Moloney said talks were in the early stages and yet to be discussed by councillors or the executive team. "The deals we have had in the past with the Bulldogs have been great, including the first year of the deal being the premiership year so that was a bonus having that align beautifully," he said. "It's been great in a sense that it's not just about two games of football a year, but the discussions really would be about how we continue that it be a broader community benefit such as the programs that Bulldogs run with the Sons of the West and Daughters of the West".

Cr Moloney said council was also interested in hosting Bulldogs AFLW matches as part of a new deal. "Obviously, the women's league is doing extraordinarily well, there's huge interest in it, we think we've got a ground that is the perfect size for women's games as well. We've had a couple of practice games here but it'd be great to see some for points as well," he said. "It's definitely a partnership that we've valued over the the past five years but we will need to sit down and see what's on offer and then ultimately see if that's where we want to go for the next five years ahead. There's no suggestion we would ditch it at this stage... but the thing I do need to be careful on though is that it also hasn't been something we've sat down discussed as a councillor group, nor an executive team at council, yet because we don't yet have a full appreciation of the dollars or the deal itself, really."

A potentially renewed deal with the Western Bulldogs will play a large part in the revitalisation of the precinct around Mars Stadium.

"Our 2015 ten-year masterplan will be reviewed on that precinct later on this year and having a strong couple of anchor tenants and some good guaranteed ongoing events at Mars Stadium would probably be key to that," Cr Moloney said. "There's the sort of more micro-discussions with the Bulldogs in terms of what a deal would look like and there's the broader discussions as well in terms of what the whole precinct would look like so how you can not just get good bang for the buck at Mars Stadium, but how you can get that entire precinct humming really well and delivering a whole lot of big events. For instance, this weekend, we have the Vixens in town, a stone's throw away over at the basketball stadium as well, so what I'm talking about is a range of events that make sure that Mars Stadium and the new basketball stadium, a couple of great local assets, are used by elite as well as local people."

 

[Roogal]

At lest it’s not the second Port Adelaide game forecast.

Yup I'm pretty darn sure that the only thing that Ballarat never threw at the game that day back in July 18 was a locust plague ... cause it threw just about everything else at the crowd:

 

[Packaged]

Can anyone tell me if Ballarat members can just rock up to Mars Stadium with their membership card to gain entry or do we have to book via Ticketex??

 

[footscray1973]

Can anyone tell me if Ballarat members can just rock up to Mars Stadium with their membership card to gain entry or do we have to book via Ticketex??

No, access is only by tickets purchased digitally through Ticketmaster. There are no walk-up purchases at ANY AFL game this year AFAIK. The Ballarat members window to purchase tickets online was yesterday, so you might have to resort to General Admission at this stage.

Edit: ALL member access finished at 9am this morning:

Ticketing Tips | Member access for Ballarat

The essential information for members ahead of the Round 4 home match at Mars Stadium in Ballarat.

www.westernbulldogs.com.au

You'll need to get on to Ticketmaster and see if there are any remaining seats, or take your chances with standing room, given the weather forecast.

 

[NBates]

Can anyone tell me if Ballarat members can just rock up to Mars Stadium with their membership card to gain entry or do we have to book via Ticketex??

2. Use your membership to purchase tickets in Priority 2 on-sale window



As a Western Bulldogs home member without a Ballarat Add-On, you are eligible to purchase tickets during the Priority 2 member on-sale window from 3pm, Tuesday 6 April. This is four hours after Ballarat Members and Ballarat Add-On holders have the first opportunity to secure their seats. Tickets are subject to availability and start from $27 for Adults for General Admission Standing.

There will be no walk-up match day ticket sales. All tickets must be pre-purchased via Ticketmaster.

Unlike previous seasons, AFL matches in 2021 will be fully ticketed and fully digital. To access the stadium, you will need to use the digital ticket issued to you by Ticketmaster.

 

[Roogal]

Can anyone tell me if Ballarat members can just rock up to Mars Stadium with their membership card to gain entry or do we have to book via Ticketex??

Definitely confirm via Ticketmaster. You shouldn't pay a cent extra but it confirms your seat.

 

[Packaged]

No, access is only by tickets purchased digitally through Ticketmaster. There are no walk-up purchases at ANY AFL game this year AFAIK. The Ballarat members window to purchase tickets online was yesterday, so you might have to resort to General Admission at this stage.

Edit: ALL member access finished at 9am this morning:

Ticketing Tips | Member access for Ballarat

The essential information for members ahead of the Round 4 home match at Mars Stadium in Ballarat.

www.westernbulldogs.com.au

You'll need to get on to Ticketmaster and see if there are any remaining seats, or take your chances with standing room, given the weather forecast.

Thanks for your help guys.

 

[Roogal]

No, access is only by tickets purchased digitally through Ticketmaster. There are no walk-up purchases at ANY AFL game this year AFAIK. The Ballarat members window to purchase tickets online was yesterday, so you might have to resort to General Admission at this stage.

Edit: ALL member access finished at 9am this morning:

Ticketing Tips | Member access for Ballarat

The essential information for members ahead of the Round 4 home match at Mars Stadium in Ballarat.

www.westernbulldogs.com.au

You'll need to get on to Ticketmaster and see if there are any remaining seats, or take your chances with standing room, given the weather forecast.

I wouldn't be too concerned with the weather on Saturday, it'll be a perfect mid Autumn day. About 15 degrees, a westerly wind and the chance of a couple of mm of rain likely later in the afternoon. It's supposed to be considerably worse in Melbourne on Sunday so make the most of Saturday.

 

[footscray1973]

I wouldn't be too concerned with the weather on Saturday, it'll be a perfect mid Autumn day. About 15 degrees, a westerly wind and the chance of a couple of mm of rain likely later in the afternoon. It's supposed to be considerably worse in Melbourne on Sunday so make the most of Saturday.

Who's concerned? I live a few drop punts outside the western reaches of Ballarat, and wear shorts outdoors most of the year.

 

[Packaged]

Has anyone had issues with the Ticketex websight does not recognising membership bar code numbers? I will give the club a call and see if they have any tips as well.

 

[ThePhreshOne]

Has anyone had issues with the Ticketex websight does not recognising membership bar code numbers? I will give the club a call and see if they have any tips as well.

It might be that you're on the wrong website my dude.

 

[Packaged]

It might be that you're on the wrong website my dude.

I'm using the website that was linked into the members email yesterday....will keep perservering