This post provides a clear and unarguable treatise on how the AFL have right-royally screwed the North Melbourne Football Club commercially with the fixturing this year (and over the last 14 years), and how our fixture compares with the arm-chair ride received by Collingwood and other clubs (purely as a comparison for discussion - this is not Collingwood-bashing).
This is an incisive analysis into the AFL SABOTAGE via the fixture that cuts through the MEDIA PROPAGANDA about North's alleged 'terrible crowds'. I have already demonstrated that our crowds this year, when compared with our last home game against the same team, has actually INCREASED this year:
http://bigfooty.com/forum/showpost.php?p=18161073&postcount=182
http://bigfooty.com/forum/showpost.php?p=18162263&postcount=197
Here I demonstrate how our fixture was designed by AFL ARSONISTS attacking the North Melbourne Football Club.
The following are some facts related to our home game fixture this year. These are undisputable FACTS.
Note: This is the 14th season with six non-Victorian teams (NVTs).
North playing home games against non-Victorian teams
- 2010 is the FIRST TIME we have played all NVTs in Melbourne.
- Last year we played 3 NVTs, this year we play 6 (double).
- 2010 is only the second time, first since 1998, that we play home games against all NVTs.
- We have never played 5 NVTs in the first 13 rounds (the closest is 4 by round 8 in 1998).
Fixture comparison with Collingwood this year
1. NVT home games up until the midseason break (round 13)
- North have played 5 NVTs from 8 home games after 13 rounds - one short of the absolute most.
- Collingwood have played 0 - YES, THAT'S RIGHT, ZERO - NVTs from 6 home games so far this year.
2. Total NVT home games
- North play the maximum 6 possible home games against NVTs.
- Collingwood play 2 - YES, THAT'S RIGHT, THE ABSOLUTE POSSIBLE MINIMUM, two home games against NVTs this year.
3. Home games against Victorian sides in first half of the season
- North played 2 (Round 6,9).
- Collingwood played 6 - TRIPLE THE AMOUNT.
4. Friday night games
- North play ONE Friday night game this year - AND NORTH BUILT THE DAMN THING!
- Collingwood play 5 Friday night games this year (1 home, 4 away).
Note: the last round is not set so Collingwood may get six.
5. Free-to-air vs. Pay TV games
- North play 13 games on Foxtel (non FTA); 7 home games and 6 away games (could be 7).
- Collingwood...? (about half as many)
NVT home game comparison with other Victorian sides over 14 years
Totals:
- North host 65 NVTs, average 4.64 per season.
- Carlton 55 NVTs - 3.93 per season.
- Collingwood 57 NVTs - 4.07 per season.
- Essendon 55 NVTs - 3.93 per season.
- Geelong 62 NVTs - 4.43 per season.
- Hawthorn 62 NVTs - 4.43 per season.
- Melbourne 65 NVTs - 4.64 per season.
- Richmond 55 NVTs - 3.93 per season.
- St Kilda 61 NVTs - 4.36 per season.
- Western Bulldogs 61 NVTs - 4.36 per season.
SUMMARY: EQUAL WORST treatment with Melbourne. It is 9% worse than the average. That is a MASSIVE difference.
This year:
- North plays all NVTs - second time (1998).
- Carlton have NEVER played all NVTs in a season.
- Collingwood have NEVER played all NVTs in a season.
- Essendon have NEVER played all NVTs in a season.
- Geelong played all NVTs once (2007).
- Hawthorn played all NVTs once (1997).
- Melbourne have NEVER played all NVTs in a season.
- Richmond have NEVER played all NVTs in a season.
- St Kilda have NEVER played all NVTs in a season.
- Western Bulldogs played all NVTs once (1997).
SUMMARY: Only the fifth time in 14 years; we are the only club to cop it twice.
This year:
- North played 5 NVTs in 13 rounds this year (3,4,8,11,13).
- Collingwood have NEVER done this; worst was 5 inside 20 rounds in 2003 (6,8,15,19,20).
- Carlton have NEVER done this; only had 5 once, in 2008 (6,8,9,16,19).
- Essendon have NEVER done this; worst was 5 inside 15 rounds in 1998 (4,8,11,13,15).
- Geelong have NEVER done this; worst was 5 inside 18 rounds in 1997 (2,6,7,13,18).
- Hawthorn have NEVER done this; worst was 5 inside 17 rounds in 1997 (3,5,9,14,17).
- Melbourne have NEVER done this; worst was 5 inside 16 rounds in 2005 (6,7,13,14,16) and 2010 (3,5,8,9,17).
- Richmond have NEVER done this; worst was 5 inside 14 rounds in 2005 (4,6,11,13,14); only done this twice ever.
- St Kilda played 5 NVTs in 13 rounds in 2000 (1,3,6,8,11).
- Western Bulldogs have NEVER done this; worst was 5 inside 15 rounds in 1997 (1,2,5,12,15).
SUMMARY: Only once has a team played so many home games against NVTs so early in the season.
This year:
- North waited until round 6 to play a Victorian-based team as a home game.
- Collingwood have NEVER waited this long; round 5 in 2008 (once), next worse is round 4.
- Carlton have NEVER waited this long; round 5 in 1997, round 4 in 2006, next worse is round 3.
- Essendon also waited until round 6 this year (first time for them).
- Geelong have NEVER waited this long; round 4 the longest (2004,2005), next worse is round 2.
- Hawthorn waited until round 8 in 1999; 6 in 1997; 10 of last 11 years no worse than round 2.
- Melbourne waited until round 7 in 2002; all other years no worse than round 2.
- Richmond have NEVER waited this long; round 5 the longest (2006); next 4 in 2007, 3 in 1999; next no worse than round 2.
- St Kilda waited until round 8 in 2009; next 5 in 2000, 4 in 2007.
- Western Bulldogs have NEVER waiting this long; round 5 the longest (2002); next 4 in 2000; next no worse than round 3.
SUMMARY: This year is the equal 4th longest wait; five clubs have never waited this long.
/end facts
(P.S. I am happy to be corrected on any of these statements if they are proven to be false.)
start rant
It is evident to anybody with a functioning brain cell that we have been DELIBERATELY DAMAGED by the AFL by the fixturing this year. Not only have we received the **** end of the stick for many years, we have received possibly the worst ever fixture from a commercial perspective.
When you add the CLINICAL AFL SABOTAGE with the MEDIA PROPAGANDA one tends to think that this was a DELIBERATE PLOY by the AFL to undermine the North Melbourne Football Club. Any journalist with a shred of credibility must communicate how absolutely lopsided the fixturing is and how this is COMMERCIALLY DAMAGING the club over a long period of time.
I see the dots and I join them:
- AFL gives North a fixture to deliberately draw lower crowds (early in the season)...
- Media gets on the back of North over small crowds...
- AFL stimulate media talk about North playing games in Tasmania with the AFL's backing...
This rant does not include the THEFT of our TRADITIONAL Friday night games but I'll leave that for another time and place.
/end rant
In short:
- Understand the AFL SABOTAGE.
- See through the MEDIA PROPAGANDA.
- DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE.
This is an incisive analysis into the AFL SABOTAGE via the fixture that cuts through the MEDIA PROPAGANDA about North's alleged 'terrible crowds'. I have already demonstrated that our crowds this year, when compared with our last home game against the same team, has actually INCREASED this year:
http://bigfooty.com/forum/showpost.php?p=18161073&postcount=182
http://bigfooty.com/forum/showpost.php?p=18162263&postcount=197
Here I demonstrate how our fixture was designed by AFL ARSONISTS attacking the North Melbourne Football Club.
The following are some facts related to our home game fixture this year. These are undisputable FACTS.
Note: This is the 14th season with six non-Victorian teams (NVTs).
North playing home games against non-Victorian teams
- 2010 is the FIRST TIME we have played all NVTs in Melbourne.
- Last year we played 3 NVTs, this year we play 6 (double).
- 2010 is only the second time, first since 1998, that we play home games against all NVTs.
- We have never played 5 NVTs in the first 13 rounds (the closest is 4 by round 8 in 1998).
Fixture comparison with Collingwood this year
1. NVT home games up until the midseason break (round 13)
- North have played 5 NVTs from 8 home games after 13 rounds - one short of the absolute most.
- Collingwood have played 0 - YES, THAT'S RIGHT, ZERO - NVTs from 6 home games so far this year.
2. Total NVT home games
- North play the maximum 6 possible home games against NVTs.
- Collingwood play 2 - YES, THAT'S RIGHT, THE ABSOLUTE POSSIBLE MINIMUM, two home games against NVTs this year.
3. Home games against Victorian sides in first half of the season
- North played 2 (Round 6,9).
- Collingwood played 6 - TRIPLE THE AMOUNT.
4. Friday night games
- North play ONE Friday night game this year - AND NORTH BUILT THE DAMN THING!
- Collingwood play 5 Friday night games this year (1 home, 4 away).
Note: the last round is not set so Collingwood may get six.
5. Free-to-air vs. Pay TV games
- North play 13 games on Foxtel (non FTA); 7 home games and 6 away games (could be 7).
- Collingwood...? (about half as many)
NVT home game comparison with other Victorian sides over 14 years
Totals:
- North host 65 NVTs, average 4.64 per season.
- Carlton 55 NVTs - 3.93 per season.
- Collingwood 57 NVTs - 4.07 per season.
- Essendon 55 NVTs - 3.93 per season.
- Geelong 62 NVTs - 4.43 per season.
- Hawthorn 62 NVTs - 4.43 per season.
- Melbourne 65 NVTs - 4.64 per season.
- Richmond 55 NVTs - 3.93 per season.
- St Kilda 61 NVTs - 4.36 per season.
- Western Bulldogs 61 NVTs - 4.36 per season.
SUMMARY: EQUAL WORST treatment with Melbourne. It is 9% worse than the average. That is a MASSIVE difference.
This year:
- North plays all NVTs - second time (1998).
- Carlton have NEVER played all NVTs in a season.
- Collingwood have NEVER played all NVTs in a season.
- Essendon have NEVER played all NVTs in a season.
- Geelong played all NVTs once (2007).
- Hawthorn played all NVTs once (1997).
- Melbourne have NEVER played all NVTs in a season.
- Richmond have NEVER played all NVTs in a season.
- St Kilda have NEVER played all NVTs in a season.
- Western Bulldogs played all NVTs once (1997).
SUMMARY: Only the fifth time in 14 years; we are the only club to cop it twice.
This year:
- North played 5 NVTs in 13 rounds this year (3,4,8,11,13).
- Collingwood have NEVER done this; worst was 5 inside 20 rounds in 2003 (6,8,15,19,20).
- Carlton have NEVER done this; only had 5 once, in 2008 (6,8,9,16,19).
- Essendon have NEVER done this; worst was 5 inside 15 rounds in 1998 (4,8,11,13,15).
- Geelong have NEVER done this; worst was 5 inside 18 rounds in 1997 (2,6,7,13,18).
- Hawthorn have NEVER done this; worst was 5 inside 17 rounds in 1997 (3,5,9,14,17).
- Melbourne have NEVER done this; worst was 5 inside 16 rounds in 2005 (6,7,13,14,16) and 2010 (3,5,8,9,17).
- Richmond have NEVER done this; worst was 5 inside 14 rounds in 2005 (4,6,11,13,14); only done this twice ever.
- St Kilda played 5 NVTs in 13 rounds in 2000 (1,3,6,8,11).
- Western Bulldogs have NEVER done this; worst was 5 inside 15 rounds in 1997 (1,2,5,12,15).
SUMMARY: Only once has a team played so many home games against NVTs so early in the season.
This year:
- North waited until round 6 to play a Victorian-based team as a home game.
- Collingwood have NEVER waited this long; round 5 in 2008 (once), next worse is round 4.
- Carlton have NEVER waited this long; round 5 in 1997, round 4 in 2006, next worse is round 3.
- Essendon also waited until round 6 this year (first time for them).
- Geelong have NEVER waited this long; round 4 the longest (2004,2005), next worse is round 2.
- Hawthorn waited until round 8 in 1999; 6 in 1997; 10 of last 11 years no worse than round 2.
- Melbourne waited until round 7 in 2002; all other years no worse than round 2.
- Richmond have NEVER waited this long; round 5 the longest (2006); next 4 in 2007, 3 in 1999; next no worse than round 2.
- St Kilda waited until round 8 in 2009; next 5 in 2000, 4 in 2007.
- Western Bulldogs have NEVER waiting this long; round 5 the longest (2002); next 4 in 2000; next no worse than round 3.
SUMMARY: This year is the equal 4th longest wait; five clubs have never waited this long.
/end facts
(P.S. I am happy to be corrected on any of these statements if they are proven to be false.)
start rant
It is evident to anybody with a functioning brain cell that we have been DELIBERATELY DAMAGED by the AFL by the fixturing this year. Not only have we received the **** end of the stick for many years, we have received possibly the worst ever fixture from a commercial perspective.
When you add the CLINICAL AFL SABOTAGE with the MEDIA PROPAGANDA one tends to think that this was a DELIBERATE PLOY by the AFL to undermine the North Melbourne Football Club. Any journalist with a shred of credibility must communicate how absolutely lopsided the fixturing is and how this is COMMERCIALLY DAMAGING the club over a long period of time.
I see the dots and I join them:
- AFL gives North a fixture to deliberately draw lower crowds (early in the season)...
- Media gets on the back of North over small crowds...
- AFL stimulate media talk about North playing games in Tasmania with the AFL's backing...
This rant does not include the THEFT of our TRADITIONAL Friday night games but I'll leave that for another time and place.
/end rant
In short:
- Understand the AFL SABOTAGE.
- See through the MEDIA PROPAGANDA.
- DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE.