Telstra Dome is on the verge of making the Carlton Football Club an offer it cannot refuse - $3 million up-front - to move its home games to the boutique stadium in a deal understood to last seven years.
In behind-the-scenes negotiations certain to reignite the conflict-of-interest debate involving Ian Collins's dual role as stadium boss and Carlton president, the Blues are considering virtually abandoning Optus Oval as a match-day venue at the end of this season.
While none of the key parties were prepared to elaborate yesterday, it is understood the deal is being put together by Collins's executive team at Telstra Dome and overseen by Ian Johnson, the boss of Channel Seven, which owns Melbourne Stadiums Ltd (Telstra Dome). The AFL's legal advisor, Jeff Browne, is also aware of the proposal.
The MCG, which has also been asked by Carlton to put forward a home-game proposal, has unofficially accepted it would struggle to compete with the Telstra Dome offer, which would afford the Blues virtually identical privileges to anchor tenant Essendon.
The question of the multimillion-dollar up-front payment is complicated and understood to involve both Channel Seven and the AFL, relating back to a series of issues not yet resolved between the league and its former media partner, including the fact that Channel Seven is suing the AFL.
Collins told The Age: "I can't discuss this. I'm conflicted out of this and it's far too early to be talking about it. There's a process to go through and anything could happen." He emphasised any up-front payment would not be coming directly from Telstra Dome.
A spokesperson for Browne told The Age it would be inappropriate for him to comment on the issue of Telstra Dome. Johnson, too, said: "I can't comment on any of that."
Essendon's 25-year agreement with Telstra Dome allows for a second anchor tenant but states that no club can receive a better deal than the Bombers. While the Blues' potential deal would, like Essendon's, be struck on a user-agreement basis, the question of an up-front payment is a sensitive one for the Bombers.
And the question of the Blues leaving Optus Oval remains a sensitive issue for its members, whom Collins's board pledged to consult before reaching any deal to move home games. Two days ago, Larry Abramson, from the Carlton Unofficial Selectors Group, strongly criticised the decision to switch the round-10 Carlton-St Kilda game from Optus to Telstra Dome.
Carlton has officially stated it is looking at all three Melbourne AFL stadiums - the MCG, Telstra Dome and Optus Oval - to play future home games.
But clearly Optus Oval is virtually out of the equation, given that both the Victorian Government and the Melbourne City Council have stated they would not fund any redevelopment of the venue unless Carlton moved its home games from there.
The MCC and Melbourne Stadiums Ltd received expression of interest documents from the Blues at the start of April.
While St Kilda, the Western Bulldogs and the Kangaroos play the majority of their home games at Telstra Dome, none has anchor tenant privileges.
Although Carlton is contracted to play nine home games at Optus Oval until the end of 2006, the documents state that the Blues would consider moving from competing at their home of more than a century at the end of this season.
The deadline to express interest is next month.
Collins has officially removed himself from the venue decision-making process at Carlton, with fellow directors Graham Smorgon and Marcus Rose heading up the venue subcommittee on which the social club is also represented.
The Blues will soon change their constitution to simplify the relationship between the football, social and cricket clubs.
A move to Telstra Dome would also cost the Blues a substantial amount of money, given the existing stakeholder arrangements at Optus Oval - notably the catering deal with Spotless, which does not hold the contract at Telstra Dome but does at the MCG.
The Blues would retain Princes Park as the club's training and administrative headquarters, with the ground to host AFL games at least for the first seven rounds of 2006 while the MCG is reconfigured after the Commonwealth Games.
Carlton is currently seeking state and local government funding to redevelop Optus Oval to turn it into a state-of-the-art training and community venue.
The AFL has also indicated it would contribute several million dollars to Princes Park on the proviso another Victorian club - the two frontrunners are Melbourne and the Kangaroos - share the facility with Carlton.
This story was found at:
http://www.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2004/05/13/1084289818344.html
In behind-the-scenes negotiations certain to reignite the conflict-of-interest debate involving Ian Collins's dual role as stadium boss and Carlton president, the Blues are considering virtually abandoning Optus Oval as a match-day venue at the end of this season.
While none of the key parties were prepared to elaborate yesterday, it is understood the deal is being put together by Collins's executive team at Telstra Dome and overseen by Ian Johnson, the boss of Channel Seven, which owns Melbourne Stadiums Ltd (Telstra Dome). The AFL's legal advisor, Jeff Browne, is also aware of the proposal.
The MCG, which has also been asked by Carlton to put forward a home-game proposal, has unofficially accepted it would struggle to compete with the Telstra Dome offer, which would afford the Blues virtually identical privileges to anchor tenant Essendon.
The question of the multimillion-dollar up-front payment is complicated and understood to involve both Channel Seven and the AFL, relating back to a series of issues not yet resolved between the league and its former media partner, including the fact that Channel Seven is suing the AFL.
Collins told The Age: "I can't discuss this. I'm conflicted out of this and it's far too early to be talking about it. There's a process to go through and anything could happen." He emphasised any up-front payment would not be coming directly from Telstra Dome.
A spokesperson for Browne told The Age it would be inappropriate for him to comment on the issue of Telstra Dome. Johnson, too, said: "I can't comment on any of that."
Essendon's 25-year agreement with Telstra Dome allows for a second anchor tenant but states that no club can receive a better deal than the Bombers. While the Blues' potential deal would, like Essendon's, be struck on a user-agreement basis, the question of an up-front payment is a sensitive one for the Bombers.
And the question of the Blues leaving Optus Oval remains a sensitive issue for its members, whom Collins's board pledged to consult before reaching any deal to move home games. Two days ago, Larry Abramson, from the Carlton Unofficial Selectors Group, strongly criticised the decision to switch the round-10 Carlton-St Kilda game from Optus to Telstra Dome.
Carlton has officially stated it is looking at all three Melbourne AFL stadiums - the MCG, Telstra Dome and Optus Oval - to play future home games.
But clearly Optus Oval is virtually out of the equation, given that both the Victorian Government and the Melbourne City Council have stated they would not fund any redevelopment of the venue unless Carlton moved its home games from there.
The MCC and Melbourne Stadiums Ltd received expression of interest documents from the Blues at the start of April.
While St Kilda, the Western Bulldogs and the Kangaroos play the majority of their home games at Telstra Dome, none has anchor tenant privileges.
Although Carlton is contracted to play nine home games at Optus Oval until the end of 2006, the documents state that the Blues would consider moving from competing at their home of more than a century at the end of this season.
The deadline to express interest is next month.
Collins has officially removed himself from the venue decision-making process at Carlton, with fellow directors Graham Smorgon and Marcus Rose heading up the venue subcommittee on which the social club is also represented.
The Blues will soon change their constitution to simplify the relationship between the football, social and cricket clubs.
A move to Telstra Dome would also cost the Blues a substantial amount of money, given the existing stakeholder arrangements at Optus Oval - notably the catering deal with Spotless, which does not hold the contract at Telstra Dome but does at the MCG.
The Blues would retain Princes Park as the club's training and administrative headquarters, with the ground to host AFL games at least for the first seven rounds of 2006 while the MCG is reconfigured after the Commonwealth Games.
Carlton is currently seeking state and local government funding to redevelop Optus Oval to turn it into a state-of-the-art training and community venue.
The AFL has also indicated it would contribute several million dollars to Princes Park on the proviso another Victorian club - the two frontrunners are Melbourne and the Kangaroos - share the facility with Carlton.
This story was found at:
http://www.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2004/05/13/1084289818344.html
