- Sep 28, 2018
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The Canberra c***’s?
Expansion 20th AFL team location
- Thread starter Cubs2Lions
- Start date
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Canberra Comets
Merv Hughes as the team mascot
PM Albo as number 1 ticket holder
19 teams just doesn't sound right. I'm not so sure the AFL won't go back to 18 teams and try and force a team out? If they go to 20 teams though another team from SA or WA will be the go. They don't have to build another stadium to do it.
What they should do and what they will do are 2 different things.
Such as…
Create an alternate VFL comp (call it Victorian Football Championship or something more snappy) with the traditional clubs that are lost in the shuffle of that bastardised ‘National’ Reserves comp they’ve slapped together (Williamstown, Coburg, Port Melbourne etc) - add in some further regional clubs to broaden the appeal….and move St Kilda/North (don’t mind who really) to this league where they can dominate early doors and win trophies and pack out boutique sized stadiums with their die hards still in tact.
Nobody’s club dies, they can market it as a genuine alternative 2nd tier comp in the biggest footy market in Australia and the national league sheds state/local club to even out the numbers and balance the Vic/Non Vic split at 9-9.
- Apr 24, 2018
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It was crazy for the ACT government to sign such a long term agreement with gws unless they don’t really have any ambitions to get there own club which is possible I suppose
- Apr 24, 2018
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I don’t know why people get so obsessed with population figures I’m not saying base a team there but there is actually a very strong afl following in northern Queensland and a strong local competition they would probably start out with more support than the suns
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C'mon mate, Freo has been poor this year but it's not that bad that they should disband from the comp.
Just two points.
1. The ACT may have had faster growth than any State, but you should be comparing the urban area that will host the team with other urban areas that host existing teams.
For example Perth is growing (faster than Canberra), but many regional towns are in decline (giving the State a smaller growth percentage). But a lot of those regional towns which are 100’s or 1000’s of kilometres from Perth are not impacting the number of people going to West Coast or Freo games. Or what do the low population growth in Cairns, Townsville, Rockhampton, Mackay (which drags down QLD percentage of growth) have to do with the population growth of Brisbane or Gold Coast.
2. Looking at the urban area that is Canberra and Queanbeyan, which will host the AFL team, and is the core for supporters, it is growing fast but only at a similar percentage as the other major urban centres in Australia. The issue is the actual number of people it will grow by rather than the percentage. Canberra is starting so far behind the big cities that have a team, that a place like Brisbane will grow by an amount of people that is bigger than what current live in Canberra. Meaning despite Canberra growing, the gap in population is actually widening.
The Gold Coast (the smallest of the big 6 cities to have a team), is bigger than Canberra and growing at a faster percentage. And they are not currently an example of a successful outcome. Which does not bode well for Canberra or any other urban area that is smaller.
There needs to be better justification for a Canberra team.
Probably Joondalup but I'm not ruling out another Adelaide side...
Id also move GWS to Canberra (Canberra Giants) and Id be having the Suns play more games in Darwin and maybe call them the Northern Suns.
(Id also probably send North up make them the Northern Kangaroos playing out of GC and Darwin.)
Alternatively a 3rd SA team based on north Adelaide could encompass Darwin and Alice Springs.
Id also move GWS to Canberra (Canberra Giants) and Id be having the Suns play more games in Darwin and maybe call them the Northern Suns.
(Id also probably send North up make them the Northern Kangaroos playing out of GC and Darwin.)
Alternatively a 3rd SA team based on north Adelaide could encompass Darwin and Alice Springs.
Colonial
Premium Gold
- Apr 12, 2012
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There may be an out clause regarding their own club.
Toump Ass
The Big Deal
- Jun 14, 2015
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ok hear me out:
1. Relocate Carlton to Canberra. They have a rabid fanbase who probably won't care (most their supporters havent even seen their team make the eight, yet they still sell out every venue), this means the new Canberra club will be successful (financially) from the start. Plus it means one less club in Victoria giving nice and friendly Western Bulldogs, North Melbourne, Melbourne Demons and St Kilda Saints can get a bigger slice of that Victoria Pie.
2. Fold Coast
So, now we have a club in Canberra, as well as an even number of teams so no additional inequality with a weekly bye, stronger victorian teams, tasmania are in and there’s no dilution of talent.
Brilliant. Everyone wins.
How easy was that?
1. Relocate Carlton to Canberra. They have a rabid fanbase who probably won't care (most their supporters havent even seen their team make the eight, yet they still sell out every venue), this means the new Canberra club will be successful (financially) from the start. Plus it means one less club in Victoria giving nice and friendly Western Bulldogs, North Melbourne, Melbourne Demons and St Kilda Saints can get a bigger slice of that Victoria Pie.
2. Fold Coast
So, now we have a club in Canberra, as well as an even number of teams so no additional inequality with a weekly bye, stronger victorian teams, tasmania are in and there’s no dilution of talent.
Brilliant. Everyone wins.
How easy was that?
Percel
Victorian’s love a good potato scallop
Lived there for 8 years, never gets over 34, and the humidity is really only a killer come October-December.
But 30 degrees would still be warm for southerners in July.
Yeh, does drop a bit at night doesn't it?
Percel
Victorian’s love a good potato scallop
For sure, it hit 13 in July once, should have seen us in fleece and trackies, even K Mart had a jacket stand out the front.
Percel
Victorian’s love a good potato scallop
Yep, Knights this year
Have you spent much time in Canberra?
Sure, it's not the footy heartland of Perth, but it's not exactly a non-AFL area either. Canberra's a true multi-code city with existing AFL support. It will easily dwarf the Suns and Giants.
Canberra is the Goldilocks option.
Enough AFL support to be sustainable. But enough neutral sports fans to allow growth.
Canberra helps solidify current AFL fans in the Capital Region, but grows the game for others.
Between WA3 and Canberra, Canberra It's the only option that'll actually increase the player pool and fans.
- Feb 19, 2020
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In my scenario, they are representing 4 cities,. Is it possible that they would get a large enough following from their entire market?
Their home games could be split up like:
4 Cairns
3 Darwin
2 Alice Springs
2 Townsville
They may even do a deal with some vic teams to play extra games in the NT.
It's a lot of travel and may not work, but its worth a discussion.
- Sep 6, 2011
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Central Districts. 6 games in Adelaide, 1 in Elizabeth, 4 in Alice Springs
Yeah for sure, it's certainly something to consider, and probably a better option than a few of the others in the poll.
I think that having a team play across a number of cities might mean they struggle to form an identity with any particular place. In the scenario you've suggested if a team has say 12 home games that would be max 3 per city over an entire season, that's not much. It also then poses some obvious problems like where would they play finals if they made finals (would a FNQ/NT team really play home finals at the Gabba? that would suck).
Tassie might have this problem themselves, given the fact there would be decent followings in the north and south, splitting their games across both Launceston and Hobart (I'm guessing this would happen).
I think Cairns would be a bold option. You would have to play the games during the day - maybe early Sat or Sunday game?
Good for tourism in the area and more importantly might secure more AFL fans in North Queensland. I honestly think Queensland is the State the AFL can most 'easily' convert to footy. Cairns won't ever have huge crowds obviously but I can see a lot of interstate fans travelling for games - win/win for the AFL and the local economy. Lets face it, with V'landys running NRL we need to protect and gain territory.
Darwin IMHO would be the worst option - smaller population than Cairns and TBH not much attraction to visit.
Perth and Adelaide have two successful clubs - money wise anyway - and I don't see the need for a 3rd.
Canberra is probably my next preferred option after Cairns but may have an effect on GWS support too.
Good for tourism in the area and more importantly might secure more AFL fans in North Queensland. I honestly think Queensland is the State the AFL can most 'easily' convert to footy. Cairns won't ever have huge crowds obviously but I can see a lot of interstate fans travelling for games - win/win for the AFL and the local economy. Lets face it, with V'landys running NRL we need to protect and gain territory.
Darwin IMHO would be the worst option - smaller population than Cairns and TBH not much attraction to visit.
Perth and Adelaide have two successful clubs - money wise anyway - and I don't see the need for a 3rd.
Canberra is probably my next preferred option after Cairns but may have an effect on GWS support too.
There’s only 2 realistic possibilities (the rest are totally unrealistic and should be immediately dismissed) and they are a 3rd Perth side and Canberra.
But as most of the Perth locals here have repeatedly told us in other threads, Perth isn’t a good idea. Sure, West Coast is at it’s membership capacity, and it’s home games regularly sell out, given half decent form (something they don’t have ATM), but it took quite some years for Fremantle to build up decent support base and even now they can’t fill the stadium (Derby game excepted) - and last time I was in Perth, just a couple of months back, I was told by a person very high up in stadium management that plans to add a further 10,000 to capacity (which was anticipated and planned for) have been put on indefinite hold until such time the Dockers can also regularly sell-out the stadium - and they’re a long way off that ATM. The Dockers draw much of their support from the South of city and Eagles from the North, including Joondalup and beyond. Diluting this mix by introducing an unwanted and unneeded third club for little gain makes no sense at all - so Perth is also a no go.
So it has to be Canberra - the AFL primary charter is to “grow the game”. Having a team in Canberra - which can also cover Southern NSW - will certainly help grow the game, leading to our Australian game becoming the main code in the nation’s capital again. I would think a game or two would also be played at the newly redeveloped Lavington Stadium in Albury and maybe a game in Wagga Wagga, if they upgrade their ground to suitable AFL standards. So Canberra it is - but they need either a substantial stadium upgrade or, better still, a brand spanking new stadium.
But as most of the Perth locals here have repeatedly told us in other threads, Perth isn’t a good idea. Sure, West Coast is at it’s membership capacity, and it’s home games regularly sell out, given half decent form (something they don’t have ATM), but it took quite some years for Fremantle to build up decent support base and even now they can’t fill the stadium (Derby game excepted) - and last time I was in Perth, just a couple of months back, I was told by a person very high up in stadium management that plans to add a further 10,000 to capacity (which was anticipated and planned for) have been put on indefinite hold until such time the Dockers can also regularly sell-out the stadium - and they’re a long way off that ATM. The Dockers draw much of their support from the South of city and Eagles from the North, including Joondalup and beyond. Diluting this mix by introducing an unwanted and unneeded third club for little gain makes no sense at all - so Perth is also a no go.
So it has to be Canberra - the AFL primary charter is to “grow the game”. Having a team in Canberra - which can also cover Southern NSW - will certainly help grow the game, leading to our Australian game becoming the main code in the nation’s capital again. I would think a game or two would also be played at the newly redeveloped Lavington Stadium in Albury and maybe a game in Wagga Wagga, if they upgrade their ground to suitable AFL standards. So Canberra it is - but they need either a substantial stadium upgrade or, better still, a brand spanking new stadium.
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Population isn't the only justification for a Canberra team, just another clarification for when people say we're too small. I only use the ACT because it's actually hard to get a broader Canberra Region figure in line with other cities. But Queanbeyan is growing just as fast as the ACT. Lots of dormitory suburbs booming across the border.
When we first bid for a team in 1981, Canberra-Queanbeyan made up 1.5% of the national population. We now make up about 2%. By the time we could enter in 2033, we'll make up 2.3%. It might only be keeping pace with the rate of urbanisation in WA and Queensland, but at the very least, it shows we're not being left behind.
Perth might grow by more in total numbers, but at the end of the day, what's the point? You already have two teams. If you want to follow an AFL team, you already have two options. Who do we follow for a local team? A FIFO team, or do we just end up supporting the Raiders instead?
WA3 is zero sum. No new fans, no new players. A Canberra team actually grows the game.
