If we do move to the Gold Coast.......

[Hawkk]

the next team to relocate would be hawks to tassie then dogs to west sydney

Just as likely as the Roos reaching 25k members next year I'd say

Based on membership figures, viva Melbourne, St Kilda, Richmond and Geelong

 

[rb214]

So you encourage, almost relish, a move for your "beloved" North Melbourne based on possible future domination due to incentives given to the AFL.

Then you post this which looks like you would take a sinister delight in another rival Melbourne club possibly relocating, despite the fact they would possibly get similar incentives to move away from Melbourne.

Your opionions seem to clash, weakening your argument..... much like your weakening opinion of your Melbourne based club.

The Kangaroos are a team that if all goes well over the next three to five years should win a premiership without incentives based on current results. What would you rather a Melbourne based premiership and a healthy Melbourne membership and sponsorship to keep them in Melbourne, or a Gold Coast premiership won off the back of AFL inducements that seem to ignore your clubs history in this city?

I know what I would rather since I support a club that gets bandied about as a possible relocation option. Give me the Melbourne based club winning a premiership any day of the week. If you want instant gratification, go buy a bag of sweets, rent a DVD and watch it, don't hope for something that may result in your club losing its identity.

(I can't believe I am actually going in to bat for a club that's not Hawthorn.... wow, I must be maturing as a football fan)

Did you even read my posts?

I made it very clear I would prefer for us to remain in Melbourne it is much more convenient. Along with that it will keep all Roos supporters happy which is great!

Secondly I said I would laugh if they moved Hawks outta Melbourne. Not out of as you put it "sinister delight" but out of irony because it seems to be your very supporters who seem to take such pleasure from our unstable financial position.

Of course I would prefer to see a Melbourne based Kangaroos win the flag. But I don`t have the decision on that. But if we did move sucess is a certain. And it will still be my club. Same name Same colours.

And the very supporters who are boasting about our possible move will be crying foul of our benifits. And the benifits will be massive. Remember Fitzroy and South Melbourne were in an extremly weak position when moved both on and off the field. We are not, ok we have some debt but none greater than 2-3 other clubs. Next year we should have 26-27000 members and we our coming off a prelim final. And they are desperate for us up there.

If they try and move us and I hope they dont you watch the showbag we get. And if we go I will still support them the same and as I mentioned earlier will laugh when your mob starts complaining as I am celebrating another premiership.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

I am going to laugh my ass off when the Gold Coast Kangaroos dominate the competition.

With the zoning, draft concessions, extra salary cap and Norths excellent young list they will dominate the competition for years to come.

And to all you petty little trolls who will complain how its not fair and we are getting a free ride. I will laugh. And fly up to the Gold Coast to watch home games. And laugh some more in the sun.

Good for you. I will have given up AFL, and Bigfooty will be a distant memory. And it will be hard to raise even a smile at anything to do with football again.

 

[SweetLeftFoot]

If we go to the Gold Coast and are called the Gold Coast Kangaroos, they can jam it.

If we go, called the Northern Kangaroos, and can work out a deal where we still play 9 or so matches in Melbourne wearing our blue and white stripes, then I can deal with it, unhappily, but I can deal with it.

 

[rb214]

Good for you. I will have given up AFL, and Bigfooty will be a distant memory. And it will be hard to raise even a smile at anything to do with football again.

Mate don`t worry it is very unlikely it will ever come to that.

 

[mton2382]

If we don't get the extra numbers then we will either fold because the afl will no longer prop us up or we bite the bullet and re locate,better north survive than not.9 gc games 1 bris 1 syd 1 wa 1 sa 1 tas 8 melb wearing stripes and hoops we have simply got to get members or reality will eventuate

 

[The Pies Are In Front]

Ill laugh my ass off too because only the sh*t teams have to pack it all in and move interstate! LOL

 

[thatswhatimtalkinabout]

I don't mind the Kangas - always had respect for them to be honest.

However when we all get in Bay13 and it's on - well I actually like to back up my spruiking with a fact or two so I do some research and these are the two most telling things to me;

1. You only have 40 more members than you did in 2000 whilst the average increase in that time across the AFL has been 21%.

2. A decision about GC has to be made before the end of the year.

I'd like to see you stay in Melbourne, but on those two facts alone it is near impossible to make any inroads in the time required.

Better to go up on your own terms and flourish (which you will if you play home games at the Gabba and not Carrara) or die a horrible death that sees all the efforts of your great warriors reduced to dust?

A strong board and vocal supporter base could engineer a deal that sees you playing in Melbourne 9 times a year.

On the bright side, when you retire to the Gold Coast - you'll feel right at home.

 

[Pie eyed]

I am going to laugh my ass off when the Gold Coast Kangaroos dominate the competition.

With the zoning, draft concessions, extra salary cap and Norths excellent young list they will dominate the competition for years to come.

And to all you petty little trolls who will complain how its not fair and we are getting a free ride. I will laugh. And fly up to the Gold Coast to watch home games. And laugh some more in the sun.

You don't remember they Brisbane Bears do you?

If history repeats you will have to wait until another Melbourne Club folds and is forced to merge with the Gold Coast Kangaroos before you even get to lose a game by less than 100 points...let alone dominate the comp.
And with the Roos luck it will be the Mighty Tiges who get the shove...leaving you as a supporter of the Mighty Gold Coast Tigeroos wearing the famous Yellow, Blue, Black and White Swirl.....
Have to admire your entusiasm for the 23 hour drive up for games though.

 

[thatswhatimtalkinabout]

You don't remember they Brisbane Bears do you?

If history repeats you will have to wait until another Melbourne Club folds and is forced to merge with the Gold Coast Kangaroos before you even get to lose a game by less than 100 points...let alone dominate the comp.
And with the Roos luck it will be the Mighty Tiges who get the shove...leaving you as a supporter of the Mighty Gold Coast Tigeroos wearing the famous Yellow, Blue, Black and White Swirl.....
Have to admire your entusiasm for the 23 hour drive up for games though.

What's you answer then smelly?

 

[giantroo]

I don't mind the Kangas - always had respect for them to be honest.

However when we all get in Bay13 and it's on - well I actually like to back up my spruiking with a fact or two so I do some research and these are the two most telling things to me;

1. You only have 40 more members than you did in 2000 whilst the average increase in that time across the AFL has been 21%.

2. A decision about GC has to be made before the end of the year.

I'd like to see you stay in Melbourne, but on those two facts alone it is near impossible to make any inroads in the time required.

Better to go up on your own terms and flourish (which you will if you play home games at the Gabba and not Carrara) or die a horrible death that sees all the efforts of your great warriors reduced to dust?

A strong board and vocal supporter base could engineer a deal that sees you playing in Melbourne 9 times a year.

On the bright side, when you retire to the Gold Coast - you'll feel right at home.

What are you basing this on? This years figure or our record figure? Dont expect it to be that low next year.

 

[giantroo]

Ill laugh my ass off too because only the sh*t teams have to pack it all in and move interstate! LOL

You know what? I saw you lose twice to that shit team.

 

[Pie eyed]

What's you answer then smelly?

Smelly??? Are you behind me? I just took off my shoes.

Well, Firstly I was having a go at the over optimism of the original post....
Secondly, I think relocation would be an absolute last resort.
The Gold Coast is not a huge market as Sydney was when South bit the bullet.
It is also only a couple of minutes drive from the BrisVegas camps teritory, so you would be splitting supporters.
BrisVegas already have the Brisbane name which is an important factor and would always make the new boys look just like that.
You would have to be willing to shed some of your clubs history and accept a new era, which is very difficult for the average supporter short term.

It is always easy to make such a massive commitment sound viable. It is a whole other thing to make it viable.
From a Queenslanders point of view relocation is the transplant of an existing team and the risk of rejection is high to paraphrase in medical terms.
It is far easier to accept a local team coming good, so to speak, and being added to the AFL than to have "someone elses" team dumped on your doorstep.

I wish North luck but hope they find a way to stay put.

 

[Pie eyed]

Yeah. Come on what's with the "smelly"?

 

[thatswhatimtalkinabout]

What are you basing this on? This years figure or our record figure? Dont expect it to be that low next year.

http://wearenorthmelbourne.com.au/editorial.php
PERCEPTION IS EVERYTHING
2007-09-20
The North Melbourne Football Club is quickly becoming the laughing stock of the AFL with the way it is whoring itself all over the country, "trading as 'the Kangaroos'".
This is not to say that the club shouldn't sell a few games interstate to stabilise our financial position, but the way it has allowed the media to run riot with stories of relocation without so much as a peep is just unacceptable.
Perception is everything in todays media and gossip driven world.
When the club essentially remains silent on the single most important topic in the clubs history, the public are going to believe what they read, and all they are reading is the Gold Coast bound Kangaroos.
Not only does this perception make it difficult to retain members when the team isn't doing so well on field, but it makes it almost impossible to attract new support for the club. This in turn affects the club's ability to attract sponsorship and eventually hurts the bottom line.
Figures show that the club's membership in comparison to the rest of the league has steadily dropped since dropping North Melbourne name. While the league wide membership has increased 21 percent since the turn of the millenium, our membership had only increased 11 percent to last year. Now with the constant relocation speculation, combined with last year's poor finishing position, dropping our membership tally 9 percent this year, we are only forty members up from our year 2000 tally.
The club must stand up to its critics and as was done in this year's member forums, tell the media and the public to take "relocation out of your vocabulary". Our players on the field know how to stand up for themselves, why is it that the club's administration doesn't posess the Shinboner Spirit?.
SS

Read for yourself. It's your site so I haven't seen any reason to doubt it.

 

[giantroo]

http://wearenorthmelbourne.com.au/editorial.php
PERCEPTION IS EVERYTHING
2007-09-20
The North Melbourne Football Club is quickly becoming the laughing stock of the AFL with the way it is whoring itself all over the country, "trading as 'the Kangaroos'".
This is not to say that the club shouldn't sell a few games interstate to stabilise our financial position, but the way it has allowed the media to run riot with stories of relocation without so much as a peep is just unacceptable.
Perception is everything in todays media and gossip driven world.
When the club essentially remains silent on the single most important topic in the clubs history, the public are going to believe what they read, and all they are reading is the Gold Coast bound Kangaroos.
Not only does this perception make it difficult to retain members when the team isn't doing so well on field, but it makes it almost impossible to attract new support for the club. This in turn affects the club's ability to attract sponsorship and eventually hurts the bottom line.
Figures show that the club's membership in comparison to the rest of the league has steadily dropped since dropping North Melbourne name. While the league wide membership has increased 21 percent since the turn of the millenium, our membership had only increased 11 percent to last year. Now with the constant relocation speculation, combined with last year's poor finishing position, dropping our membership tally 9 percent this year, we are only forty members up from our year 2000 tally.
The club must stand up to its critics and as was done in this year's member forums, tell the media and the public to take "relocation out of your vocabulary". Our players on the field know how to stand up for themselves, why is it that the club's administration doesn't posess the Shinboner Spirit?.
SS

Read for yourself. It's your site so I haven't seen any reason to doubt it.

yeh yeh i believe you. I just wanted to know what year you were basing the "40 members up on 2000"on. I guess it was on 2007.

Like i said don't expect our figures to be low as this year. We had a drop of 9% but like that opionionated piece says, there was reasons to that.

 

[thatswhatimtalkinabout]

Smelly??? Are you behind me? I just took off my shoes.

Well, Firstly I was having a go at the over optimism of the original post....
Secondly, I think relocation would be an absolute last resort.
The Gold Coast is not a huge market as Sydney was when South bit the bullet.
It is also only a couple of minutes drive from the BrisVegas camps teritory, so you would be splitting supporters.
BrisVegas already have the Brisbane name which is an important factor and would always make the new boys look just like that.
You would have to be willing to shed some of your clubs history and accept a new era, which is very difficult for the average supporter short term.

It is always easy to make such a massive commitment sound viable. It is a whole other thing to make it viable.
From a Queenslanders point of view relocation is the transplant of an existing team and the risk of rejection is high to paraphrase in medical terms.
It is far easier to accept a local team coming good, so to speak, and being added to the AFL than to have "someone elses" team dumped on your doorstep.

I wish North luck but hope they find a way to stay put.

All Magpies and Crows are smelly mate, not to mention loud and obnoxious and pretty dopey - but their supporters are OK.

I'd like North to stay as I said, but I don't think Surfer's people will think that North has been dumped on them. It's go up there and get the equivalent of $5 mill a year over 10 years and go well or stick it out here and die. As a footy club they deserve better.

There is a saying in footy - It's later than what you think - it has never been more appropiate than at the North Melbourne Footy Club at the moment.

 

[relapse]

I wouldn't laugh.

Dunno, but I don't really find the murdering of this magnificent club funny.

Its more about the club surviving than dying. The people pushing to keep the club in melbourne might end up being the ones that murder the club.

Better to be like South Melbourne than end up with a quasi side like Fitzroy supporters have ended up with.

Fitzroy held out for a miracle, it should have gotten funding and moved to Tassie in the 90s it would have at least still be around today and their records would have actually had some meaning now instead of just being a defunct club like university.

 

[relapse]

All Magpies and Crows are smelly mate, not to mention loud and obnoxious and pretty dopey - but their supporters are OK.

I'd like North to stay as I said, but I don't think Surfer's people will think that North has been dumped on them. It's go up there and get the equivalent of $5 mill a year over 10 years and go well or stick it out here and die. As a footy club they deserve better.

There is a saying in footy - It's later than what you think - it has never been more appropiate than at the North Melbourne Footy Club at the moment.

I agree that they deserve better, this is why I am astounded that North supporters would rather the side just die rather than live on relocated, but essentially remaining the same entity.

I dont want to see any more teams die in the AFL, I wanna see the Kangas continue to exist whether they are North Melbourne the Gold Coast or whatever. The AFL losing clubs shouldnt be happening, hopefully sides have learnt from the Fitzroy disaster that you dont continue to flog a dead horse in the hope of a financial miracle and that smart decisions are made before its too late. Sometimes people to think and made deicisons with their heads and not their hearts.

 

[kookadog]

I hope the kangaroos stay in melbourne, but I have the feeling the reason the north board are silent on the issue is because they are seriously considering it, it's like they are softening the blow so that it's not such a shock when they announce it in 2009.

The club will fear a rally to stay as North will lose lots of members if the rally is unsuccessful.

 

[Roylion]

Fitzroy held out for a miracle, it should have gotten funding and moved to Tassie in the 90s it would have at least still be around today and their records would have actually had some meaning now instead of just being a defunct club like university.

Two points..

Brisbane has attempted to keep the records of Fitzroy going, proposing earlier this year, to the AFL that they adopt Fitzroy's records in the VFL-AFL, meaning that the club's history would stretch back to 1897. The AFL rejected this proposal.

Fitzroy certainly didn't hold out for a miracle either. They considered the following relocations / mergers in the last 17 years of their partipation in the AFL competition.

For example:
1979: Fitzroy investigated a move to Sydney to play in the competition as the Sydney Lions. Fitzroy went as far to look at the SCG, had talks with North Sydney with a view to establishing a HQ to play out of. They also looked at training grounds, had a sponsor organised and were given the blessing of the VFL to go ahead. Fitzroy even registered the name "Sydney Lions." The club wasn't incorporated at that stage so any proposal had to go to the members, who of course were dead against it. (especially after finishing fourth that year). Fitzroy was incorporated in 1981 and from then on the club only needed to consult with the shareholders. However South Melbourne relocated to Sydney in the meantime and that option was removed.

1985: Fitzroy and Melbourne discussed the possibility of merging as the Melbourne Lions. The jumper was chosen, the board agreed on and the proposal came within 48 hours of being recommended to the various voting memberships of both clubs. Melbourne pulled out.

1986: Fitzroy investigated a relocation to Brisbane to form the Brisbane Lions. In the meantime a Melbourne based company Hecron agreed to become a part time owner of the club in return for financing the club to the tune of $2.6 million (which would have enabled the club to pay off its' debts and afford to pay for new facilities and players) Fitzroy knocked back the offer from Paul Cronin's syndicate on the strength of that, but then the VFL knocked that Hecron deal on the head. Unfortunately too late to reconsider the Brisbane offer as the plans for the Bears were up and running.

1989: Fitzroy, at the request of the VFL, agreed to merge with Footscray. At first reluctant, Fitzroy were keen to preserve as much of the Fitzroy identity as possible. After being threatened with the loss of their licence by the VFL, Footscray also agreed to merge. We know what happened there.

1992: Fitzroy tried playing home games in Tasmania to expand their membership and sponsorship opportunities with a possible view to relocating eventually. They received no financial support from the AFL whatsoever, even having to pay their own airfares and billet players at supporters' homes.

1994: Fitzroy once again tried to merge with Melbourne to form the Melbourne Lions. Fitzroy also had discussions with Hawthorn and North Melbourne at the time. Due to the beans on the proposed merger being spilled by Geoff Lord of Hawthorn (who themselves saw Melbourne as a prime merger partner), Melbourne board members came under considerable pressure from their members not to merge and they pulled out of discussions.

1995: Fitzroy offer to relocate to Canberra and play a maximum of seven home games in the national capital as part of a joint venture with the Canberra Raiders. This was also supported by the Ainslee Football Club and the ACT government. An official application to play four games for the 1996 season was lodged with the AFL only to be refused by the AFL, who wanted a small Melbourne based club to either merge or be liquidated, so that Port Adelaide could enter the AFL and keep the competition at 16 teams. Fitzroy even proposed that seven home games would be played at Canberra.

1996: Fitzroy enter into serious discussions with North Melbourne, after resolving in July 1995 to seek a merger if they could not find an extra $1 million to become more competitive on field. They enter into discussions with North Melbourne in May 1996 and agree on a merger with North on July 3rd 1996, two days before the July 5th AFL commission imposed deadline.

So of all the merger/relocations listed above only 1979 and 1986 were times when Fitzroy rejected the chance to either merge or relocate. 1985, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1995 and 1996 were failed attempts certainly, but the reasons for their failure could not be laid at Fitzroy's door.

 

[Subprime]

Great post Roylion.

That history shows all the options for the clubs that are at the lower end of the scale in terms of support and finance in Melbourne. It illustrates to any supporter of a Melbourne-based club with limited resources what the options are for them.

Those options are to merge, re-locate or downsize to a state-based competition.

The latter is the option that supporters of Norwood, Sturt, East Perth, East Fremantle and all the other clubs of the SANFL and WAFL (bar Port Adelaide) have already taken. Not that they had a choice in the matter.

 

[Trickstar]

Yeah, that all pay 5 dollars so they can get access to their pokies.

Sounds like a real solid base to build a footy club on.

Yeh exactly - how many watch the football? Take out the 45,000 that are either pensioners, unemployed or just there to play the pokies there isn't that much there.

 

[giantroo]

I hope the kangaroos stay in melbourne, but I have the feeling the reason the north board are silent on the issue is because they are seriously considering it, it's like they are softening the blow so that it's not such a shock when they announce it in 2009.

The club will fear a rally to stay as North will lose lots of members if the rally is unsuccessful.

Don't worry, we will rally. I think they have taken into account that they will lose 20000 members if they decide to relocate.

 

[NimChief]

Its more about the club surviving than dying. The people pushing to keep the club in melbourne might end up being the ones that murder the club.

Better to be like South Melbourne than end up with a quasi side like Fitzroy supporters have ended up with.

Fitzroy held out for a miracle, it should have gotten funding and moved to Tassie in the 90s it would have at least still be around today and their records would have actually had some meaning now instead of just being a defunct club like university.

No, see you don't follow the the Roos so you can't speak about shit.

Don't sit behind your computer screen and preach to me about what's best for my footy club.

kthxbye