News Coburg cash strapped (Richmond may have own VFL team next year)

["The Roar Is Back"]

Those AFL clubs that want to field stand alone sides should form their own league. We all, except Melbourne, have our own grounds that can host games which would see any money generated from the games going back into the clubs. With Melbourne they could easily play games at our ground or Vic Park. All of the grounds are inside metro Melbourne, except Geelong. That is another problem with the current VFL set up. People aren't going to travel out to Casey Frankston North Ballarat or Bendigo to watch them play. However if you're playing games at Visy or Vic Park or Arden St or Witten Oval people will travel to them to watch the kids go around.

Also I don't think we have to pay the licence fee every year. I believe that would be a one-off cost in the first year, after that all we would have is the ongoing running costs each year.

City people ain't going to travel outside of the city , footy doesn't revolve around metropolitan Melbourne , in fact the financial turnover within country football is almost double that of metro footy . The sooner football returns to its grass roots where country kids can play the best level in the state outside the AFL without having to live in metropolitan Melbourne the better .
The rate of kids drafted from the country after playing with Geelong or Collingwoods VFL side as the 23rd man is extremely high .
Maybe the dollars being generated by grass roots country footy , should be used for country footy's own VFL sides , rather than that money being obsorbed within the coffers , to prop up grass root metro footy ?
Perhaps VFL sides based on TAC cup areas/sides is a better solution for the states best comp and simply return to a full AFL reserves competition .

 

[telsor]

I've supported Coburg in the past because while it wasn't ideal, I felt that we had enough control over them onfield that the extra money they contributed (for the additional players, and 'saving' on licence fees) was basically another income stream (which we definately needed) and I didn't care much about them being called Coburg or the jumper....I just viewed them as Richmond ressies (and I kinda like that they play within walking distance from my place).

But time moves on, our finances are better, and even though we still run them to a large degree, we're falling behind for best practice, and the financial 'bonus' is less...So we need to move on.
Ideally, I think there should be a complete restructure...

AFL teams have stand alone reserves that play in their own comp.

The VFL reverts to a structure like the old VFA, with divisions, or possibly promotion/relegation to local leagues. AFL teams can have associations with these teams/clubs to have them as 'thirds' if they have 'extra' players, or to draw players from (list numbers being fixed mean that there could be issues with injury coverage/structure).

 

[CoggaRules]

Interesting tid bit... did you know that before approaching Coburg (in 2000/1??), Richmond approached Port Melbourne about an alignment?

The sticking point... Richmond wanted the Boroughs to be known as the Port Melbourne Tigers and occasionally wear the Richmond jumper... both a big NO with Port Melbourne.

Do you blame them? Here they are kicking arse after having said no to us, just before we were about to light up the place for the next 10 years..

 

[_RT_]

City people ain't going to travel outside of the city , footy doesn't revolve around metropolitan Melbourne , in fact the financial turnover within country football is almost double that of metro footy . The sooner football returns to its grass roots where country kids can play the best level in the state outside the AFL without having to live in metropolitan Melbourne the better .
The rate of kids drafted from the country after playing with Geelong or Collingwoods VFL side as the 23rd man is extremely high .
Maybe the dollars being generated by grass roots country footy , should be used for country footy's own VFL sides , rather than that money being obsorbed within the coffers , to prop up grass root metro footy ?
Perhaps VFL sides based on TAC cup areas/sides is a better solution for the states best comp and simply return to a full AFL reserves competition .

I'm not suggesting it does, what I am suggesting though is that when it comes to supporters wanting to see their reserves play, they aren't going to jump in the car 9am Sunday morning to drive to Ballarat or Bendigo to watch Coburg play. However if they are playing against say Carlton at Visy there is every chance they would.

I agree with your idea of using the current TAC sides, the way I would look at doing it is having a league set up where the current TAC sides expanded to include sides 19-23 and make that the new VFL league.

Bendigo
Calder
Dandenong
Eastern
Geelong
Gippsland
Murray
Nth Ballarat
Northern
Oakleigh
Sandringham
Western

IMO that would give kids plenty of opportunity to get noticed and possibly drafted, also provides good continuity for the kids that don't happen to get drafted as they can return to their clubs and continue to work with the same coaches.

At the same time you can have the AFL sides form their own reserves comp, that would give the players that aren't noticed by time they are 23 somewhere to continue on their careers as those sides are going to need mature aged bodies to give the AFL listed players support. They can also have the opportunity if taking kids from the 19-23 sides to give them a trial.

 

[thetigerman]

The whole VFL system is a joke and proves that Victorian football is losing ground to South and Western Australia whose local competitions are actually improving in standard and crowd numbers.
The old VFA was pillaged to make way for this bastardised version and it is not working. AFL clubs want stand alone teams in a stand alone comp, but the AFL is powerless to do anything about it. It effectively killed off of the VFA by moving some clubs to the VFL, but is too gutless to actually kill it off for good for the betterment of football in this state.
The sooner we go back to a reserves system with all Victorian clubs fielding stand alone teams in a stand alone comp, the better the game will be (here in Victoria). The only problem is money. And it's an important problem. The AFL doesn't, nor should it, want to prop up a Victorian comp when the national interests are at the forefront of their minds.
The AFL created this mess by disbanding the VFA and throwing this bastardised version at us. The punters rejected it and will continue to reject it.
I don't identify with Coburg. Never have. Never will. The sooner we get our own team, playing home games at Punt Rd (with some at Craigieburn), the better we as a club will be. Not just on field, but supporters will have a reason to identify with our 2nd team again.

I'm with you TUGGA . the sooner we get our own reserve side the better. I will never watch Coburg as long as they refuse to wear the Richmond jumper at at least some of their games. There would not be a Coburg team if not for us, they would dead and buried.

 

[rfctigerarmy]

We wouldn't win a game if it weren't for some of Coburgs mids in particular.

 

[Madtiger2006]

So does that mean an extended FTF? Might have to target 7M

 

[DrMike]

I'm not suggesting it does, what I am suggesting though is that when it comes to supporters wanting to see their reserves play, they aren't going to jump in the car 9am Sunday morning to drive to Ballarat or Bendigo to watch Coburg play. However if they are playing against say Carlton at Visy there is every chance they would.

I agree with your idea of using the current TAC sides, the way I would look at doing it is having a league set up where the current TAC sides expanded to include sides 19-23 and make that the new VFL league.

Bendigo
Calder
Dandenong
Eastern
Geelong
Gippsland
Murray
Nth Ballarat
Northern
Oakleigh
Sandringham
Western

IMO that would give kids plenty of opportunity to get noticed and possibly drafted, also provides good continuity for the kids that don't happen to get drafted as they can return to their clubs and continue to work with the same coaches.

At the same time you can have the AFL sides form their own reserves comp, that would give the players that aren't noticed by time they are 23 somewhere to continue on their careers as those sides are going to need mature aged bodies to give the AFL listed players support. They can also have the opportunity if taking kids from the 19-23 sides to give them a trial.

I like your thoughts, individualises each competition and makes them special where I think introducing pure AFL teams into the VFL will ruin the comp.

 

["The Roar Is Back"]

I'm not suggesting it does, what I am suggesting though is that when it comes to supporters wanting to see their reserves play, they aren't going to jump in the car 9am Sunday morning to drive to Ballarat or Bendigo to watch Coburg play. However if they are playing against say Carlton at Visy there is every chance they would.

I agree with your idea of using the current TAC sides, the way I would look at doing it is having a league set up where the current TAC sides expanded to include sides 19-23 and make that the new VFL league.

Bendigo
Calder
Dandenong
Eastern
Geelong
Gippsland
Murray
Nth Ballarat
Northern
Oakleigh
Sandringham
Western

IMO that would give kids plenty of opportunity to get noticed and possibly drafted, also provides good continuity for the kids that don't happen to get drafted as they can return to their clubs and continue to work with the same coaches.

At the same time you can have the AFL sides form their own reserves comp, that would give the players that aren't noticed by time they are 23 somewhere to continue on their careers as those sides are going to need mature aged bodies to give the AFL listed players support. They can also have the opportunity if taking kids from the 19-23 sides to give them a trial.

I think you are correct in saying that city people are less likely to travel to country areas to watch VFL footy, the same applies for country players, parents and supporters, they'd rather play or support players of that quality in local clubs/leagues.
Your thoughts on a under 19-23 comp is already in motion and I wouldn't be surprised if it was in place for the 2014 season.

 

["The Roar Is Back"]

So does that mean an extended FTF? Might have to target 7M

No it means we need supporters to turn up to games.

 

[telsor]

So does that mean an extended FTF? Might have to target 7M

Some kind of ongoing 'additional' revenue raising was always likely to spring out of the FTF, although the name itself will probably be 'retired' (although hopefully it'll exceed the target).

The Patron program doesn't look like it's intended to be a one off for example (although the takeup for it hasn't exactly been spectacular)

 

[tugga]

No it means we need supporters to turn up to games.

For the love of god, don't start him.

 

[_RT_]

For the love of god, don't start him.

Coburg should hire the Mad one. Get him to stand on the corner of Sydney Rd & Bell St every Coburg home game and get him to harrass people on the street until they go to the game.

 

[rfctigerarmy]

Coburg should hire the Mad one. Get him to stand on the corner of Sydney Rd & Bell St every Coburg home game and get him to harrass people on the street until they go to the game.

At least it'll be easy to find a park around the corner of Sydney Rd & Bell St...

 

[theflea]

i think its unfair to compare the vfl to the wafl/sanfl considering our main league turned into the afl and took all the fans with it. those leagues would be like the vfl now had that happened.

i think we need to align the tac comp, with reserve comp, with the afl melbourne teams. i dont think you need to have an afl reserves team wholly, just an aligned team but the funding should be maybe consolidated from the afl otherwise it wont work.

 

[Bojangles17]

Interesting development, in view of much improved ammenities at punt rd , i would have thought any increased cost in fielding a standlone side could be offset to a fair extent with catering to the punters that regularly attend vfl games. Tugg makes a decent point that the afl have a problem on their. Hands they are not prepared to face, its laughable that a handful of clubs have their own ressies yet the others are being discouraged by various means to appease these relic vfa teams that should be able to go with dignity, instead we're gonna look like the mongrels that have turned off coburgs life support

 

[balmainforever]

We were mongrels to start with because we took Coburg from under Fitzroy if I remember rightly.

How many people really actually follow this defunct comp anyway.

 

[Bojangles17]

We were mongrels to start with because we took Coburg from under Fitzroy if I remember rightly.

How many people really actually follow this defunct comp anyway.

It wasnt from under fitzroy so to speak it was a loose affiliation thru nothing else than a shared emblem which attracted a fringe of fitzroy bleeding hearts. Since its come to usn having to orop them up to survive , time enough now to forge ahead in new direction. Will be good for the tiger brand playing out of punt rd.....believe me, they market it right, the club wont be outa pocket

 

[Frank Grimes]

instead we're gonna look like the mongrels that have turned off coburgs life support

In the end we have to do what's best for Richmond. Richmond had to actually put our hand in our pocket and help keep Coburg on life support this year. It is unreasonable to expect us to pay for the privilege to have Coburg as our affiliate. That money may as well go to funding our own VFL team rather than being bailing out Coburg.

Anyway, If we have our own VFL side I actually think we can make it profitable. If we have it at Punt Rd before the game at the MCG then it will attract a decent crowd. Especially if the opposition is the same as who we are playing at the 'G'. This is something no other club except for us will be able to do. I personally love the idea of watching Coburg at Punt Rd and then wandering to the MCG for the main event.

 

[sregit]

In the end we have to do what's best for Richmond. Richmond had to actually put our hand in our pocket and help keep Coburg on life support this year. It is unreasonable to expect us to pay for the privilege to have Coburg as our affiliate. That money may as well go to funding our own VFL team rather than being bailing out Coburg.

Anyway, If we have our own VFL side I actually think we can make it profitable. If we have it at Punt Rd before the game at the MCG then it will attract a decent crowd. Especially if the opposition is the same as who we are playing at the 'G'. This is something no other club except for us will be able to do. I personally love the idea of watching Coburg at Punt Rd and then wandering to the MCG for the main event.

 

[Bazzar]

With Richmond pushing to play finals, continuing to eradicate its debt and facing a decent profit for 2012, Hardwick wants that stand-alone team next year.

​

​

Yes please​

 

[Truetiger]

Coburg should hire the Mad one. Get him to stand on the corner of Sydney Rd & Bell St every Coburg home game and get him to harrass people on the street until they go to the game.

Madtiger does not go to any coburg games. One thing is for sure its time Richmond had there own vfl side

 

[Madison]

I would love to go to Punt Rd to watch the ressies, then walk to the G to watch the seniors.

I go to every Richmond game in Melbourne and if they lined up our home games so they were on the same day I would absolutely go to every home ressies game. Have a couple snags and walk over to the G. Brilliant day.

I never want to see any club fold, so hope that Coburg can survive without us, but we need our own team and the club is just waiting till they can go ahead with it.

I think the club forecast that it will cost 500k and I think we are now getting to a point where we can handle the extra cost.

 

[krisholio14]

I'm not suggesting it does, what I am suggesting though is that when it comes to supporters wanting to see their reserves play, they aren't going to jump in the car 9am Sunday morning to drive to Ballarat or Bendigo to watch Coburg play. However if they are playing against say Carlton at Visy there is every chance they would.

I agree with your idea of using the current TAC sides, the way I would look at doing it is having a league set up where the current TAC sides expanded to include sides 19-23 and make that the new VFL league.

Bendigo
Calder
Dandenong
Eastern
Geelong
Gippsland
Murray
Nth Ballarat
Northern
Oakleigh
Sandringham
Western

IMO that would give kids plenty of opportunity to get noticed and possibly drafted, also provides good continuity for the kids that don't happen to get drafted as they can return to their clubs and continue to work with the same coaches.

At the same time you can have the AFL sides form their own reserves comp, that would give the players that aren't noticed by time they are 23 somewhere to continue on their careers as those sides are going to need mature aged bodies to give the AFL listed players support. They can also have the opportunity if taking kids from the 19-23 sides to give them a trial.

I'd be up for this idea if we could bring back the purple and gold

Only problem is they've not long ripped up the old terraces at Warrawee

 

[CoggaRules]

Tipping if and when we do get the Tiger 2s playing at Punt Rd. Dont really think they are gunna schedule to many games before the seniors at the G, unless its a night game. To much infrastructure movement required and on game day it will be like bourke st , seeing there will be 2 teams and 2 teams of support people etc etc at Punt Rd.

Lets face it, from reading some of the posts here, some tigerheads think that the ongoing viability of a tiger ressies team hinges on the 30 or so posters who suggest they would love having a snag in the morning watching the 2s at Punt Rd and then walking to the G to watch the seniors...