Duff: We'll have best facilities

[FrangaRoo]

Duff: We'll have best facilities
17 August 2007 Herald Sun
Rebecca Williams

KANGAROOS chairman Graham Duff yesterday said the multi-million dollar Arden St redevelopment would provide the club with the AFL's best training facilities.

While the headquarters of Adelaide, Sydney, West Coast and Collingwood have long been the envy of other clubs, Duff said the Kangaroos would soon be the competition benchmark.

The Kangaroos have long endured the worst training facilities, with their North Melbourne base resembling more a suburban club than a national league team.

"There is no doubt, as far as facilities are concerned, of the 16 teams, we finish a very bad 16th," Duff said.

"We are not even on the same page as most of the other league teams.

"But this now gives us a facility that quite frankly takes us probably from last to first.

"The improvement that you need in this day and age in your ability to be able to conduct state-of-the-art programs . . . all come back to the facilities that you can put in place.

"This will be bigger and more up to date than the Lexus Centre (Collingwood's base). Technology changes all the time and we will go to the head of the queue.

"At least for the foreseeable future, once this is finished, we will be right at the cutting edge."

The Arden St redevelopment, beginning at the end of the year, will house the new high performance centre for fencing in Victoria.

The State Government will inject another $1.7 million towards the State Fencing Centre that will be built as part of the new complex.

It will provide a state-of-the-art training and competition venue for the Olympic sport.

The funding takes the State Government's contribution to $3.7 million.

Overall, more than $10 million is being poured into the project.

Duff welcomed the addition of the fencing facility to the club's home.

"The North Melbourne footy club is a great community club and this is another step for that community involvement," Duff said.

"The other side about it is, we're also talking about elite athletes too.

"I think there is a lot of things you can learn from every sport."

Love the part: "The North Melbourne footy club"

 

[Manbearpig]

Hmmm, now let's hold this article up against the Age's one from yesterday... no mentions of the words "gold", "coast", "gemba", "inevitable" or "expected".

Love it.

 

[Long bombs to snake]

Great coverage in the Herald Sun today on the redevelopment. Surprise, surprise not a mention in The Age. Wouldn't want the Chief Football Editor to look stupid now would we? Maybe she thinks if she just closes her eyes we might go away.

 

[shintemaster]

Maybe she thinks if she just closes her eyes we might go away.

I've been trying that with Caro for years.

 

[Mr Reliable]

Hmmm, now let's hold this article up against the Age's one from yesterday... no mentions of the words "gold", "coast", "gemba", "inevitable" or "expected".

Love it.

Yes, it was great to read a positive article and not find anything sinister in Duffy's quotes (I looked for 'em and couldn't find 'em - ok call me paranoid).

You know, where he says "they'll be great facilities for the forseeable future" and we all start worrying about why he added the last few words. Nothing like that in the article. When he mentions the future he's talking about being at the cutting edge of technology.

 

[The Zebra]

Yes, it was great to read a positive article and not find anything sinister in Duffy's quotes (I looked for 'em and couldn't find 'em - ok call me paranoid).

You know, where he says "they'll be great facilities for the forseeable future" and we all start worrying about why he added the last few words. Nothing like that in the article. When he mentions the future he's talking about being at the cutting edge of technology.

It is confusing isn't it?
Renovating a house is enough of a nightmare, so co-ordinating something like this - seems a lot of effort from a board and admin that has made up their minds on a move.

1% of me sometimes entertains the possibility that Duff and co are laying low, getting the AFL's money and come 2009 will come out and say "F*ck you AFL, f*ck you Caro, f*ck you all - we have spent the past 4 years eliminating debt, upgrading facilities and creating new income streams - now put those three games back into Melbourne, shove your CBF and f*ck off"

The Bulldogs redevelopment was hailed as the guarantee of their long term future in the comp and pretty much stopped all such talk.

I would sure owe Duff an apology if my 1% came true.


....i know, pipedream

 

[Manbearpig]

1% of me sometimes entertains the possibility that Duff and co are laying low, getting the AFL's money and come 2009 will come out and say "F*ck you AFL, f*ck you Caro, f*ck you all - we have spent the past 4 years eliminating debt, upgrading facilities and creating new income streams - now put those three games back into Melbourne, shove your CBF and f*ck off"

Poetry.

 

[King Corey]

Duff's use of the 'North Melbourne Football Club' is very curious because club instruction (which would be fully supported by him) is very much to use 'Kangaroos' in any public context.

 

[Manbearpig]

Duff's use of the 'North Melbourne Football Club' is very curious because club instruction (which would be fully supported by him) is very much to use 'Kangaroos' in any public context.

It doesn't quite sound right saying "The Kangaroos is a great community club... ". If we want to embrace the North Melbourne community, why not change it back?

 

[shinboner magic]

It is confusing isn't it?
Renovating a house is enough of a nightmare, so co-ordinating something like this - seems a lot of effort from a board and admin that has made up their minds on a move.

1% of me sometimes entertains the possibility that Duff and co are laying low, getting the AFL's money and come 2009 will come out and say "F*ck you AFL, f*ck you Caro, f*ck you all - we have spent the past 4 years eliminating debt, upgrading facilities and creating new income streams - now put those three games back into Melbourne, shove your CBF and f*ck off"

The Bulldogs redevelopment was hailed as the guarantee of their long term future in the comp and pretty much stopped all such talk.

I would sure owe Duff an apology if my 1% came true.


....i know, pipedream

Love it ZEB,hope its true but wouldnt give duff that much credit

 

[Errol St Lad]

Love it ZEB,hope its true but wouldnt give duff that much credit

You never know, I think he's on to something.

Lead the AFL down the garden path and then say, "mmmm, sorry Andrew, things have changed, we're pretty happy here in Melbourne after all, we've got no debt, 30,000 members, Ponting and Archer (board members) want the club to remain in Melbourne. Ricky has been fantastic in bringing in a number of sponsors and lifting the membership and what Ricky and Archer say happens.

Thanks for the cash, good luck in setting up your franchise up there.

 

[trevagreene]

You never know, I think he's on to something.

Lead the AFL down the garden path and then say, "mmmm, sorry Andrew, things have changed, we're pretty happy here in Melbourne after all, we've got no debt, 30,000 members, Ponting and Archer (board members) want the club to remain in Melbourne. Ricky has been fantastic in bringing in a number of sponsors and lifting the membership and what Ricky and Archer say happens.

Thanks for the cash, good luck in setting up your franchise up there.

Love to see Ponting get some of his ex wealthy Indian cricketers pump some money into the club.

 

[Lidge]

****ing great! We'll have the best sword fighting facilities in the AFL while our footy team is playing home games 2,000 miles north.

 

[Tas]

****ing great! We'll have the best sword fighting facilities in the AFL while our footy team is playing home games 2,000 miles north.

They are athletes, they need to do physical conditioning like all athletes, they only need a big empty room to do their fencing training in.

I think it is important to draw more parties to the Arden Street region, it will help to strengthen the club. I still think they should look to get some money from Victorian Cricket and have the state team based at Arden Street over summer.

There would be scope to control the catering and the like and make money over the summer as well.

 

[digby]

Glnn Archer stand-or memorial perhaps
even a statue for the gr8 man a true
shinboner/legend of the North melb footy club
over + out
Digby

 

[theduckfan]

is this Developement have a Social room so we dont have to hire somewhere else, does it have somewhere we we can go and watch interstate games?

 

[shinboner magic]

You never know, I think he's on to something.

Lead the AFL down the garden path and then say, "mmmm, sorry Andrew, things have changed, we're pretty happy here in Melbourne after all, we've got no debt, 30,000 members, Ponting and Archer (board members) want the club to remain in Melbourne. Ricky has been fantastic in bringing in a number of sponsors and lifting the membership and what Ricky and Archer say happens.

Thanks for the cash, good luck in setting up your franchise up there.

Yeah and we will give you brown as a sign of our goodwill
sucker

 

[RoyalBlue]

Still more improvements for Mark Perkins Pavillion.

I like it.