More games in regional centres

[Clark G]

Won’t happen but imagine the reaction if Richmond played home games in Cairns again with Gold Coast as the away team.

 

[St Plugger]

The atmosphere with the sun setting behind the hills at the GWS vs Sydney pre-season game from Lavington Oval in Albury was exceptional.

That whole area has been renovated with a new grandstand plus secondary training oval. Can now hold around 11 000 people.

Albury/Wodonga has a combined population of over 99 000.

I'm surprised the prospect of a game for points hasn't come up before. The NRL and A-league have done it, with the BBL playing an upcoming game on new years eve.

Yep, that ground is definitely up to AFL standard, for either day or night games. 3 or so hours drive from Melb and slightly longer by V/Line train.

 

[The 747]

Aren't we having a whole round next year in a regional centre?

 

[jim boy]

Albury/Wodonga has a combined population of over 99 000.

Yeah, plus Wagga Wagga and the riverina - 90 minute drive to Albury and you are looking at a population of 175,000 of what had always been a footy zone. By far the best option if you take in:
1) Too far for all but the most footy crazy fans for regular matches
2) Decent size population

That area is ripe for AFL footy, much more so than Bendigo for example. Two or three matches a year would get up to 30,000 a pop for half decent teams.

 

[citizen-erased]

Could certainly be done. But where?

In Vic for example there is Geelong, who have a team (180k people), Ballarat (105k) and Bendigo (100k).

I've argued that a club should look at moving to the outer south-east with the long-term goal of having a similar setup to Geelong. That would be the go. There is literally millions of people out there. Grow it right and you can capture their kids. in 20-30 years time.

You need a friendly local government and preferably a marginal seat like Geelong to get money in.

also a non-corrupt one in the sth east
Casey was looking a nice little spot to set up. Now I'd shudder at the thought of driving or training to a game down there.

Dogs have tried, but I think the Cats have done well to push into that northwest corridor out of Melbourne and the surrounds.
Bendigo and/or Gippsland would be where I'd try for.

When hawks/north lose Tasmania, it might be worth them exploring it.

 

[citizen-erased]

Aren't we having a whole round next year in a regional centre?

how many games will be in and around Adelaide though (unless that's a joke and it's gone over my head )

 

[Seedsfan]

Should there be more games in regional centres during the premiership season for premiership points to help the growth of regional footy?

Western Bulldogs are playing games at Mars Stadium in Ballarat for a few years now

No

 

[WillHayward]

No. If that is to happen then it should be GWS until a Newcastle side is ready to come in. Sydney don’t need it and I’m assuming Canberra enters after Tassie.

Darwin and Newcastle will be 21 and 22 if no one ends up relocating. Darwin honestly should be the 20th.

No?

I lived in Newcastle for 5 years.

Gws zone is Canberra down to Wagga. Wagga area is huge afl footy area.

The reason Newcastle hasn't had a game is no venue. But it's swans zone and already a connection with Issac Heeney a local boy and obvious drawcard and ambassador.

As for Newcastle having their own team. No chance in our lifetime. Nobody in Newcastle has any clue or interest in the AFL. Miles away.

 

[WillHayward]

Yeah, plus Wagga Wagga and the riverina - 90 minute drive to Albury and you are looking at a population of 175,000 of what had always been a footy zone. By far the best option if you take in:
1) Too far for all but the most footy crazy fans for regular matches
2) Decent size population

That area is ripe for AFL footy, much more so than Bendigo for example. Two or three matches a year would get up to 30,000 a pop for half decent teams.

Great post.

Wagga is absolutely ripe for a proper game every year. Should be GWS heatland.

Robertson Oval ready to go.

Robertson Oval - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[WillHayward]

Just because you write something with actual merit doesn’t mean you’re going to be right. Newcastle’s population is all the AFL will be thinking about for long term $$

Same reason why there’s a team in Gold Coast.

Not worried about being right or wrong.
Just saying Newie is miles off.

Gold Coast has a million people and a shit load of ex Melburnians. Southport sharks were a powerhouse for decades. And that's been a hard slog. To put it mildly. They are stil very much a welfare side that cost the AFL millions.

Just saying Newie would be a harder nut to crack than you might think. Not just not much interest but outright hostility. That being said the kids and.girls teams seem to be doing well.

Doubt there is any afl money there at all.
Knights and Jets survive on fumes as it is.
Knights have worst TV numbers in the NRL.

Just saying it would be very very challenging.

 

[terrybull]

Well, quite.

The Ballarat situation is a joke. The Victorian ALP porkbarrels and hands over cash to the AFL to secure games in a marginal state regional seat, and the teams sent to play the bulldogs there are all interstate teams. If the AFL wants to accept a Andrews bribe in 2018, why not have two teams from Andrews' state wear the consequences?

I'd be very happy to have games played in regional Vic if they are between two Vic teams.

Bring back Fitzroy - playing all home games in country Victoria

 

[CharacterFirst]

Geelong might be willing to play 11 games at GMHBA. 6 games at the G. And then be paid to play 5 games in Bendigo.

Sounds fair.

 

[L_W_P]

Could certainly be done. But where?

In Vic for example there is Geelong, who have a team (180k people), Ballarat (105k) and Bendigo (100k).

I've argued that a club should look at moving to the outer south-east with the long-term goal of having a similar setup to Geelong. That would be the go. There is literally millions of people out there. Grow it right and you can capture their kids. in 20-30 years time.

You need a friendly local government and preferably a marginal seat like Geelong to get money in.

The issue with this is where do you build the ground?

Maaaaaybe you could take some of the space at Casey Fields and put a 20,000 seater there to get started but the infrastructure would make it a nightmare to get in and out of. The trainline doesn't get out that far and would need to be extended, the roads all around the precinct are one lane each way and shared by the local residents. Traffic after a game would be impossible. Worse than Waverley.

Best bet would probably be to extend the trainline south from Pakenham and build something in Officer/Cardinia and then develop an industrial and residential area around it.

No government is going to commit hundreds of millions to putting all that in place though.

Maybe if they tie it together with the eternally proposed "Tooradin International Airport" then you could get something going to put the infrastructure in place but, unfortunately, councils and government just dont think that far ahead.

 

[BarbieITFC]

WA has never hosted an AFL match for premiership points in Bunbury, Albany, Kalgoorlie or Geraldton

True - but of those only Bunbury is of any size - and even that size is small. For example, Ballarat and Bendigo are both around 110k populations, whereas WA's largest regional towns are:

• Bunbury: 75k
• Busselton: 41k
• Geraldton: 37k (and shrinking)
• Albany: 34k
• Kalgoorlie: 28k (and shrinking)
• Karratha: 17k
• Port Hedland: 15k
• Broome: 14k

Sure - the populations of the last four on that list get swelled by tourists and/or FIFO workers, but everyone of those towns apart from Bunbury are smaller than Warragul.

The other factor is that all of those places apart from Bunbury are a flight away from Perth - and Bunbury is a good 2 hour drive away.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

The issue with this is where do you build the ground?

Maaaaaybe you could take some of the space at Casey Fields and put a 20,000 seater there to get started but the infrastructure would make it a nightmare to get in and out of. The trainline doesn't get out that far and would need to be extended, the roads all around the precinct are one lane each way and shared by the local residents. Traffic after a game would be impossible. Worse than Waverley.

Best bet would probably be to extend the trainline south from Pakenham and build something in Officer/Cardinia and then develop an industrial and residential area around it.

No government is going to commit hundreds of millions to putting all that in place though.

Maybe if they tie it together with the eternally proposed "Tooradin International Airport" then you could get something going to put the infrastructure in place but, unfortunately, councils and government just dont think that far ahead.

Yeah Casey or Frankston. Trains to Casey would be simple, the line runs straight past the ground, just needs to be extended again from Cranbourne and a station built.

Transport is a good question. How do they handle transport and traffic around Kardinia Park when there’s 30k + there?

 

[Blackas87]

North Melbourne should scrap Hobart and play 4 games in Bendigo

 

[Blackhawk42]

No?

I lived in Newcastle for 5 years.

Gws zone is Canberra down to Wagga. Wagga area is huge afl footy area.

The reason Newcastle hasn't had a game is no venue. But it's swans zone and already a connection with Issac Heeney a local boy and obvious drawcard and ambassador.

As for Newcastle having their own team. No chance in our lifetime. Nobody in Newcastle has any clue or interest in the AFL. Miles away.

A Canberra side that plays a home game in Albury and a home game in Wagga would actually work really well in my opinion (as opposed to a Newcastle proposal).

Unfortunately I don't see the Giants footprint in Canberra washing away unless they suddenly win over Western Sydney like the AFL ultimately desire.

 

[nobbyiscool]

I reckon people underrate some of these fun little regional stadiums.

I've been lucky enough to watch AFL at York Park (UTas Stadium), Bellerive (Blundsone), Cairns/Cazaly, Manuka, and Ballarat (Mars). As well as North Hobart Oval in the old days, a praccy in Devonport, and AFLW at the Whitten Oval.

There's a really fun community element to a lot of these games that you can never, ever get at the MCG or Docklands.

However, I live in inner Melbourne these days, so that's not to say I want to go to more than 1 game a season at any of these venues!

 

[Schauermann]

I like the idea of very team having a home ground.

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

Should there be more games in regional centres during the premiership season for premiership points to help the growth of regional footy?

Western Bulldogs are playing games at Mars Stadium in Ballarat for a few years now

like the idea esp where it involves the minor clubs.

Unhappily the North Ballaarat Oval is near the worst ground in Ballaarat.

 

[Hoops]

With Magic Round anything is possible

 

[kaiserchief13]

Yes every team should play 1 home game and 1 road game at a regional venue

 

[eth-dog]

Wouldn't mind it. I hope Essendon gets one of the regional games in "Magic round"

 

[lewdogs]

North Melbourne should scrap Hobart and play 4 games in Bendigo

They'd need to upgrade the stadium as it only holds 10k but it would be awesome.

 

[1970crow]

Well, quite.

The Ballarat situation is a joke. The Victorian ALP porkbarrels and hands over cash to the AFL to secure games in a marginal state regional seat, and the teams sent to play the bulldogs there are all interstate teams. If the AFL wants to accept a Andrews bribe in 2018, why not have two teams from Andrews' state wear the consequences?

I'd be very happy to have games played in regional Vic if they are between two Vic teams.

interstate sides should only ever play at potential finals venues when playing in Victoria. And shouldnt have to play in Tassie until they've got their own side.