Can you see Ballarat ever having a AFL side?

[NUFC Tiger]

While it would be great to have an AFL team based in my hometown, I can't see it happening for a number of reasons.

Firstly, given the AFL's snub of Tasmania would hardly see a regional centre like Ballarat to be a priority for expanding the game so would almost certainly never give a license for this to happen.

Secondly, most Ballarat AFL fans already follow clubs - you will find weekly vline and bus services going to Melbourne for these footy trips.

Thirdly, as some have pointed out - Ballarat perhaps isn't the most interesting place to live, especially for young people. A Ballarat club may struggle to attract talent - they might be able to get some of the local draftees to come back (guys like Petrie, Grigg, the Brown twins, Sewell, Ricky Henderson and quite a few others that I can't recall off the top of my head) but I would say only players looking for guaranteed game time or the chance to squeeze onto a list might consider Ballarat. Ballarat is a pretty good place to raise a family, it is big enough to have everything you need and still small enough to drive everywhere in 10-20 minutes so it might appeal to players wanting to get out of the limelight and have a more peaceful existence. Melbourne is 70 mins drive away anyway so it isn't like you'd be isolated from the world 'much'

Fourthly, as someone mentioned, a lack of corporate facilities and potential sponsors. IF they could secure local businesses like Mars, McCains, Bendix and a few other smaller ones, they might be able to scrounge up enough money but its a big if.

The possibility of a Vic Country team would certainly enhance and grow the potential market for sponsors, fans, members etc however, would people from places like Bendigo, Warrnambool, Horsham, Mildura, Shepparton, Ararat etc be willing to drive anywhere from 1-3 hours just to see a team not based in their town? That remains to be seen - though on the flipside, for many of these places, Ballarat is closer than Melbourne so if you wanted an AFL fix, it might have some merit.


The relationship with the Kangas is probably the best or closest we could get to H&A AFL football in Ballarat and the country areas. Places like Darwin, Tasmania, Canberra, even international expansion would be ahead of Ballarat in my opinion.

 

[Blues_Man]

lol there are states without AFL sides ..why would Ballarat get one before them ?...supid dumb ignorant call .

 

[Ice-Wolf]

St Kilda will be playing some games out of the Frankston / Upper Mornington Peninsula area before a team moves or is set up in Ballarat.

If there was a Metricon or Sydney Showgrounds sized stadium or slightly smaller we'd probably doing it now though so not the greatest example.

Frankston / Mornington Peninsula has a population similar to Greater Geelong, is a similar distance from the cbd and there are already train lines through to Frankston and down the Westernport side and the Government plans to develop the Port of Hastings into the Victoria's new container Port over the next 10-20 years bringing with it numerous infrastructure upgrades.

Is within 30mins of Dandenong and Cranbourne and is fairly close to east Gippsland.

 

[muesli]

Never be a side in Ballarat, best they will do is some North Melbourne home games, which is a strong possibility in the years to come.

There won't be further expansion before 2020 and you would think Darwin, Canberra, Tassie and a 3rd WA club would be well ahead of Ballarat.

 

[Arwib]

Yeah Canberra's only a bit smaller than Gold Coast-Tweed and our footy demographics wouldn't be any more hostile than Gold Coast's. A team would be viable, I'm sure, but it won't happen for a decade or three.

It doesn't seem that unlikely that a Victorian city of 100 000 could support a small AFL team if one already existed, but it wouldn't happen unless the expansion went to about 24 teams.

 

[cos789]

Never be a side in Ballarat,

Never say "never". They said that about Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast and a second Sydney side.

best they will do is some North Melbourne home games, which is a strong possibility in the years to come.

Most probably.

There won't be further expansion before 2020

Probably, but I wouldn't rule it out.

you would think Darwin, Canberra, Tassie and a 3rd WA club would be well ahead of Ballarat.

Yes, but that wasn't the question.
Tasmania and Canberra yes.
Darwin hasn't the population.
A 3rd WA side is a technical proposition rather than an emotional one.

 

[madmug]

Yeah Canberra's only a bit smaller than Gold Coast-Tweed and our footy demographics wouldn't be any more hostile than Gold Coast's. A team would be viable, I'm sure, but it won't happen for a decade or three.

It doesn't seem that unlikely that a Victorian city of 100 000 could support a small AFL team if one already existed, but it wouldn't happen unless the expansion went to about 24 teams.

Canberra, about 350.000. Has NRL & RU teams
Gold Coast, about 600,000 Has AFL, NRL, A league & NBL
Tasmania, about 515,000 SFA
Figure that out

 

[lionbear]

Don't think Ballarat are the answer, too close to Geelong, but you never know.

 

[Sprout]

I don't believe Canberra has ever been given a fair go. If the AFL had committed to it from the beginning I believe it would be an AFL town by now. Instead they sent the Roos there for 4 days a year and wondered why the community didn't embrace them

The Kangaroos thing was a fiasco. Went to a Roos v Swans game at Manuka where the Swans fans outnumbered the blue and white by about 4 to 1.

You might be right and there is certainly a healthy following, but you can only draw so much from the well and having 3, possibly 4 codes competing in a town of 350,00 is always going to be an uphill battle.

 

[Dont be a lemon]

Ballarat is much too small for an AFL club.

Stupid thread is stupid.

 

[Arwib]

Canberra, about 350.000. Has NRL & RU teams
Gold Coast, about 600,000 Has AFL, NRL, A league & NBL
Tasmania, about 515,000 SFA
Figure that out

Gold Coast-Tweed has 590k and Canberra-Queanbeyan-Yass has 410k, but your point is taken.

 

[Brett5150]

I stand corrected Stawell has a population of 6k, not 8k. Hardly makes a difference to the discussion. However I believe Ballarat still has a higher population than Bendigo, fractionally.

Comparing the % of population to attend for a Ballarat and a GWS team is stupid. Of course a higher % will attend in Victoria as is a football state, GWS is not.

However once again I will say that I don't think they will get a team, nor should they. I was merely pointing out that it could be done on a population and interest basis.

Ballarats population is just under 100 thousand, only in the CBD and the surrounding suburbs. Thats not including Wendouree, Sebastopol, Rainbow and i've heard theres been new suburbs been built in the last 5 years. including surrounding suburbs Ballarats total could be easily 150/160 thousand. I highly doubt Bendigo is as high as that.
In my opinion only, a Ballarat side would work, even if it takes North Melb to relocate. It might be a few more years but i can see it working...

 

[lyonaround]

Ah ha ha ha!!
Ballawhere?

Never going to happen.

 

[Quicky]

I think it would be a real shame if anywhere got a team before Tasmania. Ballarat is an interesting one though. I know a lot of the western district is pretty pro Geelong and everyone else has their teams. Without giving it a great deal of investigation i'd question whether a team is viable with a population of 100 odd k with most people holding allegiances to current sides.

 

[Quicky]

Ballarats population is just under 100 thousand, only in the CBD and the surrounding suburbs. Thats not including Wendouree, Sebastopol, Rainbow and i've heard theres been new suburbs been built in the last 5 years. including surrounding suburbs Ballarats total could be easily 150/160 thousand. I highly doubt Bendigo is as high as that.
In my opinion only, a Ballarat side would work, even if it takes North Melb to relocate. It might be a few more years but i can see it working...

North has made its decision. If they turned down the fruits of the Gold Coast I can't see them turning to Ballarat. It wasn't about concessions or commercial opportunity with North. We're talking about a team that fought hard even to be included in the VFL. A side that has invested heavily in new facilities in Melbourne. You can see them as a weak link that are convenient to relocate but that totally ignores the history of the situation.

 

[R00StaR]

North has made its decision. If they turned down the fruits of the Gold Coast I can't see them turning to Ballarat. It wasn't about concessions or commercial opportunity with North. We're talking about a team that fought hard even to be included in the VFL. A side that has invested heavily in new facilities in Melbourne. You can see them as a weak link that are convenient to relocate but that totally ignores the history of the situation.

Exactly, North arent going anywhere. Geelong plays home games in Melbourne, doesnt mean they have to relocate there.

People are happy to look at populations of certain areas over the next 15-50 years but never look at whats on the doorstep. Docklands in AFL hands changes things massively for one, but also 20-30k people living around Docklands a stones throw from our home ground another 20-30k tipped for Nth Melb on top of a booming Melb population. If the Mega Melb planning happens which makes sense to curb urban sprawl then who knows how many there'll be. North would be stupid to look elsewhere, a tie in with Ballarat for low drawing games makes perfect sense for both, our future is very bright right where we are!

Others want a club shoved over there another here, there everywhere - but never mention who plays at Docklands to meet the contract requirements. Yes Dockland tenant clubs struggle to make coin off games, but it wont always be the way.

 

[Bombermania]

Sounds nice but as others have said the train has left the station on Ballarat having its own team from scratch.

Maybe a relocated team would work but even if Ballarat becomes an outer suburb of Melbourne it will become to be seen in much the same light as Dandenong.

The city of Geelong has over 200,000 and is growing as is the surrounding population along the surf coast.

Maybe in a 100 years places like Ballarat and Bendigo might have a team but highly unlikely also I think Bendigo can claim the Queen Elizabeth Oval to be a nicer ground that North Ballarat Oval.

 

[cos789]

People are happy to look at populations of certain areas over the next 15-50 years but never look at whats on the doorstep. Docklands in AFL hands changes things massively for one, but also 20-30k people living around Docklands a stones throw from our home ground another 20-30k tipped for Nth Melb on top of a booming Melb population. If the Mega Melb planning happens which makes sense to curb urban sprawl then who knows how many there'll be.

The problem with Melbourne is not the number of teams but the unequal distribution of team support. I don't see it as an easy matter to reverse this.

North would be stupid to look elsewhere, a tie in with Ballarat for low drawing games makes perfect sense for both, our future is very bright right where we are!

North would be stupid not to look at all the options. A country liason seems a good idea. Apart from the money, what's the benefit in playing games in Tasmania if you're not going to relocate there one day?