"Home Ground" Round

[natedog]

Recently chatting to a mate we thought it'd be great for the AFL to initiate a round (possibly over the split round to make it more feasible) where all the clubs played at their original home grounds in Victoria. It'd involve all intersate clubs, Melbourne and Geelong (coz they play at their home gounds currently) playing away games. This may become more feasible in the near future as a lot of the regional grounds are to be renovated. The hype, I'm sure, would be phenomenal. I know there'd be some logistical problems, but I'm sure a lot of these could be ironed out given enough thought.

Its just that I'd just love the chance to attend a home game at the Whitten Oval again and I'm sure a lot of other supporters feel the same way about their clubs. Some of these supporters may just want to show their kids what "old style" football was all about.

 

[Adnar]

$$$$$$, there's a reason why these grounds aren't being used.

 

[Murray]

Only small crowds would be allowed into the grounds now.
Laws have changed since the early 80's

 

[rodogs]

$$$$$$, there's a reason why these grounds aren't being used.

Nth vs. Freo @ Arden st
Nth vs. Freo @ T Dome

....which do you reckon would make more money. Ian Collins charges a packet run games at the dome and doesn't even open up half the bars/eateries.

It's also give the Vic teams a proper home ground advantage for once

 

[Coin_Toss]

Sparkling idea but, chances are very grim...

In times like this we can only daydream!

 

[catters05]

Would be perfect for the NAB cup.

 

[catters05]

It's also give the Vic teams a proper home ground advantage for once

It is a proper home ground advantage vs an interstate club.

 

[catters05]

It'd involve all intersate clubs, Melbourne and Geelong (coz they play at their home gounds currently) playing away games. This may become more feasible in the near future as a lot of the regional grounds are to be renovated.

Unfortunately this will not happen because of AFL contracts with AAMI & SUBI and I think one game has to be played in either QLD or NSW on the weekend.

They could try it during Heritage Round, but allow the Showdown and Derby to play off in the same round, and bring down Brissy and Sydney.......can't see it happening.

It would be up to the Vic clubs who would lose money probably due to no corporate facilities and limited space. NAB cup.

 

[natedog]

Would be perfect for the NAB cup.

Very true....if it can't happen in the main season.

Additionally, clubs wouldn't lose money like they sometimes do at the larger stadiums. Obviously, capacity would be limited and I guess it'd have to be first in best dressed.

 

[Hawkk]

Stupid idea, it would be a logistical nightmare.

Glenferrie
Punt Road
Moorabin
Western Oval
Junction
Lake Oval
Arden Street
Windy Hill
and Victoria Park are simply not up to it.

 

[catters05]

Stupid idea, it would be a logistical nightmare.

Glenferrie
Punt Road
Moorabin
Western Oval
Junction
Lake Oval
Arden Street
Windy Hill
and Victoria Park are simply not up to it.

Not for the NAB....if the pitches are not in.

 

[natedog]

Stupid idea, it would be a logistical nightmare.

Glenferrie
Punt Road
Moorabin
Western Oval
Junction
Lake Oval
Arden Street
Windy Hill
and Victoria Park are simply not up to it.

Yes, those are the grounds where it would be held and a lot of these grounds are about to be redeveloped...thats why i said some thought would have to be put into the idea...We play games at Marrara, York Park and Manaka, there isn't a huge amount of difference between these grounds and the capacity would obviously be limited. I think the AFL could genuinely come up with some decent solutions. You don't plan something like this in a week.

Maybe, it doesn't have to happen over the one round and could be spread out over the season (one for each Victorian club). The point was to see a game played at the old ground more than have them all going on at once. Just thought the idea of having all the games on the same round seems to go with the AFLs whole idea of having themes every-so-often.

 

[blue_bhoy]

Yes, those are the grounds where it would be held and a lot of these grounds are about to be redeveloped...thats why i said some thought would have to be put into the idea...We play games at Marrara, York Park and Manaka, there isn't a huge amount of difference between these grounds and the capacity would obviously be limited. I think the AFL could genuinely come up with some decent solutions. You don't plan something like this in a week.

Maybe, it doesn't have to happen over the one round and could be spread out over the season (one for each Victorian club). The point was to see a game played at the old ground more than have them all going on at once. Just thought the idea of having all the games on the same round seems to go with the AFLs whole idea of having themes every-so-often.

You keep saying abut the redevelopments, all these are are for the inside training and admin facilities, if anything it makes them less able to host games of any sort.

 

[Thongdam]

Another problem is that it would have to be over two rounds....After all there has to be an away team!

 

[Portia]

Some of us have home grounds we don't play at too, you know.

 

[Lonie_from_50]

Good idea, but never ever would work. Players wouldn't consider it let alone the AFL.

 

[Lonie_from_50]

Some of us have home grounds we don't play at too, you know.

Port Adelaide Magpies ≠ Port Adelaide Power

 

[Hawkk]

Not for the NAB....if the pitches are not in.

Glenferrie is far to small a ground to play football matches of any sought, one of the reasons why the ground was dropped as a VFL venue in 1974. It's not even suitable to sustain the rigors of training anymore..hence the Hawks move.

Similarly Punt Road's capacity (like Glenferrie) is way to small to uphold even practise matches. Moorabin is in no order at all to field a crowd of any sought, like Arden Street I hear there is a problem with ground safety.

If you play a game at Arden Street the AFL and the Kangaroos would have 100's of law suits on their hand, in it's current shape it's probably not fit to cope with an under 8's soccer match! Likewise the Western Oval is in no shape to have games fixtured either. The Junction was deemed unsuitable for play in the early 1980's...what chance has it got in the modern and professional era.

The Lake Oval isn't even an oval anymore, it's a Foosbull ground!

BTW, once these grounds get further developed it's only going to make playing games there even more unlikely. Have you guys even looked at the building plans yet?

And before anyone asks, NO Waverley will never be in a state to even host VFL matches.

This thread is an unrealistic pipe dream which will never eventuate. It would be a step backwards IMO.

 

[crazy_big_al]

stupid me thinks

 

[Hawkk]

Yes, those are the grounds where it would be held and a lot of these grounds are about to be redeveloped...thats why i said some thought would have to be put into the idea...

Within the Arden Street, Moorabin, Western Oval, and to a lesser extent the Princes Park, Punt Road, Windy Hill and Victoria Park redevelopments, every set of seating and terracing is being knocked down and replaced with updated facilities for both the community and football clubs. For example, of the 20,000,000 put aside for the Western Oval redevelopment something like 14,000,000 is being put aside for non football related developments. IN a way, the clubs lose out big time.

People need to look at the facts and be realistic before coming out with stuff like this, remember ALL Victorian clubs got funding from the government and councils, not to help the football clubs, but for the public. The government couldn’t give a stuff about the football clubs, they are after votes.

After these developments, grounds that once held football matches will be nothing short of a glorified public park.

We play games at Marrara, York Park and Manaka, there isn't a huge amount of difference between these grounds and the capacity would obviously be limited. I think the AFL could genuinely come up with some decent solutions. You don't plan something like this in a week.

Comparing a state of the art facility like York Park to these is silly. York Park is a state of the art facility with a capacity of nearly 25,000. These surburban grounds (with the acception of Princes Park) would struggle to cope with 15,000.

Maybe, it doesn't have to happen over the one round and could be spread out over the season (one for each Victorian club). The point was to see a game played at the old ground more than have them all going on at once. Just thought the idea of having all the games on the same round seems to go with the AFLs whole idea of having themes every-so-often.

Thought of the sponsors, broadcasting facilties, membership etc. with this?

 

[MarkT]

Nice thought but can’t be done. Where would St. Kilda play? Arden St. doesn’t even have a fence. The stand at Vic Park is help up by sticky tape and staples. Moorabbin still smells like animal excrement and human semen.

 

[MarkT]

Some of us have home grounds we don't play at too, you know.

Yes but it wouldn’t be practical to split the Crows up into that many grounds. They’d only have a handful of players for each game.

 

[Hard Ball Get]

Good idea.
Dofe V Freo at the Whitten Oval sounds pretty good.

 

[Hawkk]

Nice thought but can’t be done. Where would St. Kilda play? Arden St. doesn’t even have a fence. The stand at Vic Park is help up by sticky tape and staples. Moorabbin still smells like animal excrement and human semen.

The thing is behind Princes Park and possibly the Western Oval, Victoria Park is prbably in the best shape to hold football matches..

 

[catters05]

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,19410015%255E19742,00.html

Reserves comeback possible
09 June 2006 Herald Sun
Damian Barrett

AFL clubs have been asked to consider the future running of the VFL, including the possibility of a return to fielding reserves teams.

The proposal was one of many canvassed at an AFL club chief executive officers' meeting in Melbourne yesterday.

Referring to a paper titled VFL Position, VFL chief executive Ken Gannon outlined a range of options on the future of the VFL.

"It was really to see where the VFL competition is at the moment, what the challenges are and from there we can consider how we might move it forward in to the future," Gannon said.

"It was a case of; do you agree with this? Do you understand the numbers regarding attendances, AFL players dropping back to the VFL, the variations between the clubs in how the stand-alone clubs go compared with the other clubs, and how does it compare with other states?"

A return to reserves football, one of the game's most loved traditions, would be costly for clubs.

But, reigning back control of surplus senior players would be appealing.

Many clubs, particularly the Kangaroos, have regularly encountered problems with their surplus players heading back to their VFL-aligned team.

The Roos abandoned their links with Port Melbourne last year and now share alignments with North Ballarat and Tasmanian Devils.

"You always have different levels of opinion, one club is happy, another club may not be," Gannon said.

"The problems generally occur when there are no injuries on any list and everyone has to squeeze into the same team.

"You go to the other end of the scale where you are aligned to an AFL team that has injuries, and you have got no AFL players.

"You have a competition polarised in that sense."

The deadline for possible changes to the VFL set-up is October.

All AFL clubs are expected to submit formal proposals on the future running of the Victorian state-based competition.

"There was no detail fleshed out (at the meeting), saying how it may or may not occur, and whether the AFL clubs go back and put their own teams in to the VFL, that is an individual choice of the AFL club if things get too hard," Gannon said.

"But, then you have to talk about where they get their (top-up) players from and they haven't got venues.

"Take the Kangaroos, even though they are getting money from the government for Arden Street, there is no fence around it, no change rooms, no coaches boxes, it is not a match venue.

"The only concern we have is opportunity for Victorian players and the variation within the competition makes it the hardest thing to manage."

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Could be costly, but also could be very profitable for clubs especially when your club is travelling interstate. A bit of initiative and it could work really well, especially for clubs like the Kangaroos who's club is out of Victoria a lot.