So, apparently the bidding war for the Grand Final has begun, and I believe that figures of $30+ million are being bandied around (for a State to pay the AFL / Victorian Government) for the rights.
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl...-for-the-afl-grand-final-20200824-p55oqj.html
Now, it seems that SA’s chances of hosting the GF are not great, for a variety of reasons. But I believe that not only should we not care about this, we should actively voice opposition to our participation in the bidding war.
In normal times, South Australians might jump at the chance to host a GF - and be prepared to pay for it. But these are not normal times.
COVID has hit the SA economy and community hard. Community support organisations are experiencing a major spike in calls for emergency relief. People who would, in normal times, be able to get by, are losing their jobs / hours of work and having to make choices about buying food and paying the rent. They are turning up to food hubs / support centres for assistance in putting food on the table. These things are not visible to the broader community, but they are real.
In that environment, do the people of SA really need to be handing over large amounts of money to the AFL and the Victorian Government, so that we can host a football match?
I’m normally on side with the “bread and circuses” thing. But this is not a Tour Down Under, or a Grand Prix, or a Supercar race. It’s not even Pandas It is not an event that will generate significant incoming tourism, year on year. It is not an event that will generate internal economic activity beyond, perhaps, what any other MCG-based GF would. And it’s an event that the great majority of South Australians will not even be able to attend.
When the AFL gives us the opportunity to pay for hosting rights to a “full” Grand Final, by all means let us go for it. But this is nothing more than a one-off transfer of money from SA taxpayers to (in part) the government that created this mess, in return for hosting a pale imitation of a Grand Final. It is (undeserved) charity.
Imagine the kudos (and political points) that a State Premier might gain by saying No to the GF bid, and instead publicly committing that money to supporting South Australians in need.
https://www.premier.sa.gov.au/contact
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl...-for-the-afl-grand-final-20200824-p55oqj.html
Now, it seems that SA’s chances of hosting the GF are not great, for a variety of reasons. But I believe that not only should we not care about this, we should actively voice opposition to our participation in the bidding war.
In normal times, South Australians might jump at the chance to host a GF - and be prepared to pay for it. But these are not normal times.
COVID has hit the SA economy and community hard. Community support organisations are experiencing a major spike in calls for emergency relief. People who would, in normal times, be able to get by, are losing their jobs / hours of work and having to make choices about buying food and paying the rent. They are turning up to food hubs / support centres for assistance in putting food on the table. These things are not visible to the broader community, but they are real.
In that environment, do the people of SA really need to be handing over large amounts of money to the AFL and the Victorian Government, so that we can host a football match?
I’m normally on side with the “bread and circuses” thing. But this is not a Tour Down Under, or a Grand Prix, or a Supercar race. It’s not even Pandas It is not an event that will generate significant incoming tourism, year on year. It is not an event that will generate internal economic activity beyond, perhaps, what any other MCG-based GF would. And it’s an event that the great majority of South Australians will not even be able to attend.
When the AFL gives us the opportunity to pay for hosting rights to a “full” Grand Final, by all means let us go for it. But this is nothing more than a one-off transfer of money from SA taxpayers to (in part) the government that created this mess, in return for hosting a pale imitation of a Grand Final. It is (undeserved) charity.
Imagine the kudos (and political points) that a State Premier might gain by saying No to the GF bid, and instead publicly committing that money to supporting South Australians in need.
https://www.premier.sa.gov.au/contact
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