Analysis Should we be pursuing a secondary market post-Hobart? If yes, then where?

[Uncle_Leo]

Aside from feeling bad for Tassie members who have already paid, if the deal is as speculated for 2025 (2 home games in Hobart, 2 in WA), then that's fine. I think most of us could live with that.

The big question is 2026 and beyond. Is it 'only' 2 WA games forever? Or if is it going to be 3?

Eagerly awaiting details from the club.

If its 9 and 2 going forward from 2026 then its a great deal. Good money for those two games and 9 home matches in Melbourne. I think all North fans understand that 11 at this point is simply not possible.

But we have all been down this path before. 1 becomes 2, then 3, then 4, then the Busselton Kangaroos are a possibility

 

[shintemaster]

It's not really the club that's banking on any of us travelling to WA for games; it's the WA government.

Agree, sort of.

It's the club as well if they plan on this being a long term relationship.

 

[shintemaster]

Two games is the most we’ll be selling, until it inevitably moves to three….then back to four after the club becomes overly reliant on the cash.

It’s their only play.

This stuff needs to turn from being head above water money to bonus money. If we're banking $2M a year into an investment fund / alternative streams then 4-5 years of doing a deal like this starts to look like a real no brainer. If we do that along with targeted raising of funds so that in 10 years we have $10-15M just sitting there earning more for us - great.

 

[CURVE]

Still way, way too many questions to answer before I fully embrace the deal but the fact that so many morons on the main board are losing control and heads are exploding left, right and centre suggests it could be a smart move by the North board and that a lot of opposition fans are a little peeved that their boards didn't do something similar.

A few things I'd really like to know straight away are:

• We will be playing two home games in WA against West Coast and Fremantle, but will we also be playing away games in WA against them? It will be a real disadvantage if we do.
• Are we playing 4, 2 or zero games in Hobart in 2025 and beyond? Has an official statement been made about this deal, as it would be unfair to the Tassie members to drop the Hobart games altogether (and may have a ripple effect on our AFLW Team) but it would be unfair on a majority of our members to play 4 home games in Hobart, 2 in WA and only 5 or 6 in Victoria.
• Is $2m a season the maximum we will receive from this deal? Do we get a share of the gate receipts?

There really needs to be some urgent communication from the NMFC and AFL about how this will work, as the longer it goes on the more it could affect our membership numbers amongst other things.

EDIT: added an extra question I'd like to know.

 

[Ichiro #51]

Still way, way too many questions to answer before I fully embrace the deal but the fact that so many morons on the main board are losing control and heads are exploding left, right and centre suggests it could be a smart move by the North board and that a lot of opposition fans are a little peeved that their boards didn't do something similar.

A couple of things I'd really like to know straight away are:

• We will be playing two home games in WA against West Coast and Fremantle, but will we also be playing away games in WA against them? It will be a real disadvantage if we do.
• Are we playing 4, 2 or zero games in Hobart in 2025 and beyond? Has an official statement been made about this deal, as it would be unfair to the Tassie members to drop the Hobart games altogether (and may have a ripple effect on our AFLW Team) but it would be unfair on a majority of our members to play 4 home games in Hobart, 2 in WA and only 5 or 6 in Victoria.

There really needs to be some urgent communication from the NMFC and AFL about how this will work, as the longer it goes on the more it could affect our membership numbers amongst other things.

Good post.

You bring up the two points I’ve been stuck on.

In 22 and 24 we played one away game in Perth. In 23 we played two.

If we’re getting paid to play two games in Perth and that’s it - great deal.

If we’re playing three games in Perth (2 “home” + 1 away) it’s very much lineball, or I’d err on the side of a bit shit.

If we play four games in Perth in any year, then it’s all sorts of ****ed up.

There definitely should be some kind of compensation for Tassie members who’ve already renewed next year and are getting half of what they paid for. If that doesn’t happen, they’re justified in being massively pissed. I’ll be massively pissed on their behalf.

 

[andana]

I just can’t see myself coughing up $2000 or whatever for flights and accommodation to head over there

No need to stay overnight. Head straight back after game

 

[backtothedraft]

Still way, way too many questions to answer before I fully embrace the deal but the fact that so many morons on the main board are losing control and heads are exploding left, right and centre suggests it could be a smart move by the North board and that a lot of opposition fans are a little peeved that their boards didn't do something similar.

A couple of things I'd really like to know straight away are:

• We will be playing two home games in WA against West Coast and Fremantle, but will we also be playing away games in WA against them? It will be a real disadvantage if we do.
• Are we playing 4, 2 or zero games in Hobart in 2025 and beyond? Has an official statement been made about this deal, as it would be unfair to the Tassie members to drop the Hobart games altogether (and may have a ripple effect on our AFLW Team) but it would be unfair on a majority of our members to play 4 home games in Hobart, 2 in WA and only 5 or 6 in Victoria.

There really needs to be some urgent communication from the NMFC and AFL about how this will work, as the longer it goes on the more it could affect our membership numbers amongst other things.

Id say we will play Fremantle once and West Coast twice next year, all in WA and travelling twice total. West Coast seems the obvious double up game given fixture groupings under the 6-6-6 model.

It’s been suggested elsewhere on this board and the club have indicated privately that we are unlikely to secure a deal similar to the Tasmania (4 games) moving forward, and a return of some home games to Melbourne seems likely in 2026 and beyond as the Tasmania deal expires. The only spanner in the works could be the possibility of playing games in the NT, particularly if we have an academy aligned to the area as has been previously suggested in media reporting earlier in the year. Perhaps the financial windfall we receive as apart of the WA deal will make this less of a priority now.

 

[Chadwiko]

A few things I'd really like to know straight away are:

• We will be playing two home games in WA against West Coast and Fremantle, but will we also be playing away games in WA against them? It will be a real disadvantage if we do.

As the deal is described, we will;

• Definitely be playing 2x NMFC 'home' games against West Coast and Freo in WA.
• POSSIBLY/LIKELY but not guaranteed be playing 1 or 2 'away' games vs West Coast and Freo in WA - the fixture is set by ladder groupings, and the teams you play twice in the season are most likely to come from your own 'grouping'. West Coast and Fremantle both missed the 8 so there's a more-than-better chance that yes, we will end up playing them both in WA twice. Almost definitely West Coast twice as they're in our grouping of 6.

• Are we playing 4, 2 or zero games in Hobart in 2025 and beyond?

My understanding based on reporting (noting there's been no official confirmations at all) is that we will play 2x home games in Hobart in 2025, and these will be our last ever Tasmanian home games. Meaning 2x WA and 2x Tassie 'home' games in 2025.

There's no confirmation about if that means we will increase our WA 'home' games from 2 to 3 or 4 in 2026 and beyond, but the deal as reported is $6m for 3 years, broken down as $1.2m for the Optus Stadium game and $800,000 for the Busselton game. If we take this as accurate, it seems to suggest we will not be increasing the WA allocation beyond 2 games per year.

However, as Tasmanian fans would attest this year... deals can change unexpectedly, apparently.

• Has an official statement been made about this deal

No, none.

• (and may have a ripple effect on our AFLW Team)

Yeah, this is a massively overlooked/under-discussed ramification of the deal. Our AFLW team is literally called the 'North Melbourne-Tasmanian Kangaroos'. North Melbourne's AFLW team gets $500,000 per year from the Tasmanian government under this arrangement, and I have concerns for what this new deal would mean moving forward for our AFLW team.

 

[BoomerRoo]

ABC Hobart interview with Cricket Tas CEO Dom Baker re North Melbourne games in Hobart

1hr 52 min 30 sec in

Mornings - ABC listen

Stay informed about Tasmanian and national issues.

www.abc.net.au

 

[joegreen]

ABC Hobart interview with Cricket Tas CEO Dom Baker re North Melbourne games in Hobart

1hr 52 min 30 sec in

Mornings - ABC listen

Stay informed about Tasmanian and national issues.

www.abc.net.au

Wow! Must listen. No correspondence with the AFL. WTF.

Edit. Just listened to it all. He'd be very surprised if in 10 days when (if) the fixture comes out, there are any games in Hobart. What is going on here???

 

[gokangas]

Wow! Must listen. No correspondence with the AFL. WTF.

Edit. Just listened to it all. He'd be very surprised if in 10 days when (if) the fixture comes out, there are any games in Hobart. What is going on here???

Doesn't seem right.

 

[Grogg]

ABC Hobart interview with Cricket Tas CEO Dom Baker re North Melbourne games in Hobart

1hr 52 min 30 sec in

Mornings - ABC listen

Stay informed about Tasmanian and national issues.

www.abc.net.au

Wow.

So the contract was renewed until 2025, not 2025 inclusive as reported. He sounds pretty annoyed understandably given zero communication with either North or the AFL brass, which is frankly poor from us.

We might be getting a 9/2 split sooner than thought.

 

[joegreen]

Doesn't seem right.

Yep, at complete odds with everything else reported.

 

[Dan]

As a whole I feel like the club would have made a statement if what’s been reported wasn’t true.

Most likely ironing out a few things before the ink hits the paper.

 

[Grogg]

Yep, at complete odds with everything else reported.

These negotiations that get leaked before any pen has been put to paper just highlights the hubris of the AFL and footy in general. Gotta keep the machine churning, eh.....

 

[Dan]

Wow.

So the contract was renewed until 2025, not 2025 inclusive as reported. He sounds pretty annoyed understandably given zero communication with either North or the AFL brass, which is frankly poor from us.

We might be getting a 9/2 split sooner than thought.

 

[Sillygit]

Is this suggesting that those on the tasmanian side of things didn't even read the specifics of the contract to know when it ended? How else could they be surprised by it?

 

[Zondor]

Wow.

So the contract was renewed until 2025, not 2025 inclusive as reported. He sounds pretty annoyed understandably given zero communication with either North or the AFL brass, which is frankly poor from us.

We might be getting a 9/2 split sooner than thought.

Yeah I am not so sure about that Grogg. Old Mate is speaking about a specific contract with Cricket Mapmania to play games at Bellerive. Spirit of Mapmania, as far as I can tell, is signed on for one more year as a sponsor and I assume that is tied in with the current deal to play 4 games on the Map. A deal that is most likely being altered due to the WA deal on the table. I could be wrong but that's the way I hear it. :stern look

 

[Gasometer]

No need to stay overnight. Head straight back after game

And fly back the next week?

 

[RooStu15]

Still Radio silence from the Club. Bit piss poor

 

[trooroo4life]

ABC Hobart interview with Cricket Tas CEO Dom Baker re North Melbourne games in Hobart

1hr 52 min 30 sec in

Mornings - ABC listen

Stay informed about Tasmanian and national issues.

www.abc.net.au

9 games at home then..

 

[Colby Cheer Squad]

Still Radio silence from the Club. Bit piss poor

Old mate from Tassie throwing a tantrum is exactly why clubs don't make announcements before all aspects of a deal have been agreed upon by all interested parties and signed off in permanent ink. Just because some **** head ITK spilled their guts to a journo who rushed to print is no reason to put out a premature statement.

 

[Sillygit]

Old mate from Tassie throwing a tantrum is exactly why clubs don't make announcements before all aspects of a deal have been agreed upon by all interested parties and signed off in permanent ink. Just because some **** head ITK spilled their guts to a journo who rushed to print is no reason to put out a premature statement.

 

[amaz199]

I think what he meant was we are still playing games there but not the year after. Honestly, for a CEO, you would expect the bloke to be more concise.

So 2025, we're playing X amount of games there (to be determined) then it's possibly no games after that to prepare for the Tassie entry. I think we are waiting on the AFL moreso than making Tassie wait.

 

[Chadwiko]

Old mate from Tassie throwing a tantrum is exactly why clubs don't make announcements before all aspects of a deal have been agreed upon by all interested parties and signed off in permanent ink. Just because some **** head ITK spilled their guts to a journo who rushed to print is no reason to put out a premature statement.

Yes and no.

You're right that it's almost certain this leak didn't come from the club, and they wouldn't have wanted anything to be revealed until the T's are crossed and the I's are dotted.

That said... it has leaked, and it wouldn't be too hard to put out a simple statement that assuages member angst without actually saying anything.

Something like;

"The North Melbourne Football Club continues to explore all commercial and logistical options available in regards to the transition away from our long and successful Tasmanian partnership. While we cannot comment on media speculation at this time, the club would like to ensure all of our members that we will remain open and transparent with them once any potential deals have been finalised. This will include responding to any impacts to member entitlements or game access."