the canberra experiment

[CURVE]

It's the lack of support from a percentage of North Melbourne Supporters (who don't buy a Membership) that has driven the club to finding revenue elsewhere. We have such a small supporter base that we cannot survive with 20,000 to 23,000 Members a year. And anyone who thinks we can average between 25,000 and 27,000 members (probably what is required to keep our head above water) if we play all our home in Melbourne is a dreamer. We have never done it before, and I can't see us doing in the near future. We don't have the money, resources, or a bankable commodity(player) to implement a strong enough campaign to attract that kind of support.

I didn't think our Melbourne Supporters would be stupid enough to bag a positive revenue stream, especially when we have serious financial problems in recent times. Without the Canberra experiment, we would be on our knees, and close to gone.

 

[gold cup 1996]

Originally posted by Shinboners
Played the Swans at the MCG in '98.

I was about to say the same thing & funny enough this match in 1998 attracted 43,400 people, which amazes me why we play Sydney in Canberra. I know Sydney have a lot of support in the Canberra region but they do in Melbourne as well plus we don't have the ground advantage against them either in Canberra.

 

[gold cup 1996]

Originally posted by DEVO
It's the lack of support from a percentage of North Melbourne Supporters (who don't buy a Membership) that has driven the club to finding revenue elsewhere. We have such a small supporter base that we cannot survive with 20,000 to 23,000 Members a year. And anyone who thinks we can average between 25,000 and 27,000 members (probably what is required to keep our head above water) if we play all our home in Melbourne is a dreamer. We have never done it before, and I can't see us doing in the near future. We don't have the money, resources, or a bankable commodity(player) to implement a strong enough campaign to attract that kind of support.

I didn't think our Melbourne Supporters would be stupid enough to bag a positive revenue stream, especially when we have serious financial problems in recent times. Without the Canberra experiment, we would be on our knees, and close to gone.

I feel like I want to shake your hand DEVO in agreement because this is what I am getting at myself. In a perfect world it would be great to have 22 matches in Melbourne like the old days or even for you youngsters who have grown up with interstate teams 11 home matches in Melbourne. The sad thing is even when we play games in Melbourne against interstate sides in recent years we struggle to get 20,000 unless we play Brisbane or maybe Adelaide. I don't know how else to say it, we can't survive like that, wish we could but we can't.

 

[mighty mick]

dont mind the sydney game but how do you entice new members to a club when they have a mediocre attendance like today,

i understand about the money, and its all good but its getting support behind the players when they need it, 7220 doesnt make a great deal of noise and it still looked like the dogs had more support there today

 

[Lidge]

On the plus side - we made some coin today due to the game being underwritten.

We were never going to get 10K today - even if the weather was perfect - bad scheduling with the Brumbies also in action in Canberra was another factor in the low attendance.

I don't have any serious problem with us playing games in the ACT - but the club should make some demands on the AFL.

These games should be fixtured against clubs which will ensure we have a 'home' gound advantage.

eg. West Coast, Fremantle & Brisbane.

Yep - the teams who will have the nastiest road trip in the comp. Long flights for the WA boys, and having the weather and conditions stacked in our favour.

We have no real advantage on the track or financially playing games up there against Geelong, Footscray or Sydney. We'd make money at the gate against all 3 of these clubs in Melbourne and the cold climate and **** conditions at Manuka doesn't really hinder the onfield performance of Sydney, Geelong or Footscray.

 

[Briedis]

I don't agree with the Greg Millers on here that think we need to go interstate to survive. I think back to the mid-90's and the growing number of Roos supporters at games then and wonder how many of those have now dropped off because of the Sydney experiment and now the Canberra one.

One thing that worries me is that our current Melbourne supporters membership is not great value. Compare the $125 we pay for 8 games to the $140 that Saints fans pay for 11 games. Plus the Canberra memberships do not bring in as much revenue as standard ones.

That said, I am all for the club taking the bucks offered by the ACT govt and getting ourselves out of the debt from the Sydney/Broadmeadows debarcle.

I think the best option for the club's long-term survival is to pursue the relationship with the Casey area. The area is the 3rd fastest growing residential area and many new fans could be picked up from there. With the reserves side due to move to Cranbourne to play VFL matches either next season or the one after as the Casey Kangaroos this will be a good starting point.

 

[Jess'#1Fan]

We have lost the past 3 games we played there Dogs, Swans and the Dees does that say enough?

I love Jess Sinclair #9

 

[mighty mick]

dont get me wrong the guarenteed cash is good,

but!!..

1. give the members in melbourne 3 games extra in melbourne even if its just free entry to games at the g or telstra dome.

2. do not specify which roosgames in the season they are as not all people can get to games every week

3. it brings back value for money.

next yr im looking at an afl membership as it might give me more value for money but im sure the club will get less money out of it.

4. shinboner yesterday were you ushered out of the social club where we are supposed to be able to sit back and relax until the end of the game and later until the early hrs of the night.( because of the game between saints and lions being scheduled?)

5. and lastly the only way membership will actually rise is success, so its a matter of sitting through the rebuilding yrs, (yes i know your all sick of hearing that one) just hope we can put together some more wins we know we are capable of, so it doesnt go backwards.

but yes i would like to know what happened with the social club when the second game started.

at least at arden street we could stay open all night, and at the leveson i dont think corza is gonna be sharing any profits.

 

[Goodfella]

I was there yesterday with fellow BF'er Pres (too shattered to post here) and we agreed that

1. There were definitely more Dogs fans than Roos there

2. There was NOBODY there - seemed like approx 5000 there

 

[moomba]

I'm happy with the 3 games in Canberra, and would recommend a weekend trip to any Roos supporter. Rome wasnt built in a day, and we have to give it time and commitment if we are going to reap the rewards from it.

However for it to be a success we must ensure that:

a) we must play Sydney every year

b) where possible our games are played at a time no other games are scheduled, especially Swans games.

c) where possible our games don't clash with Raiders or Brumbies games

d) where possible our games are spread out so that travelling supporters get a bit of a break in between trips, two trips in a few weeks is a bit too much in terms of money, and time away.

Losing 3 Melbourne games a year is a small price to play to ensure that we don't lose 22 games a year.

 

[mighty mick]

Originally posted by moomba
I'm happy with the 3 games in Canberra, and would recommend a weekend trip to any Roos supporter. Rome wasnt built in a day, and we have to give it time and commitment if we are going to reap the rewards from it.

However for it to be a success we must ensure that:

a) we must play Sydney every year

b) where possible our games are played at a time no other games are scheduled, especially Swans games.

c) where possible our games don't clash with Raiders or Brumbies games

d) where possible our games are spread out so that travelling supporters get a bit of a break in between trips, two trips in a few weeks is a bit too much in terms of money, and time away.

Losing 3 Melbourne games a year is a small price to play to ensure that we don't lose 22 games a year.

dont forget the other clashes that have occured in canberra like charity walks and other things the opposition ball game is bad enough

 

[gocats]

How about start playing in Canberra when the Super 12 season is over.

The super 12 finishes in May, so the AFL could start the canberra games in Round 10. Keep the games closer together, possible over the bye weekend, so the Kangas can use the possible week or 2 to get out and promote the game in the schools and communities.

Thoughts???

 

[Archer_11]

Originally posted by moomba
I'm happy with the 3 games in Canberra, and would recommend a weekend trip to any Roos supporter. Rome wasnt built in a day, and we have to give it time and commitment if we are going to reap the rewards from it.

However for it to be a success we must ensure that:

a) we must play Sydney every year

b) where possible our games are played at a time no other games are scheduled, especially Swans games.

c) where possible our games don't clash with Raiders or Brumbies games

d) where possible our games are spread out so that travelling supporters get a bit of a break in between trips, two trips in a few weeks is a bit too much in terms of money, and time away.

Losing 3 Melbourne games a year is a small price to play to ensure that we don't lose 22 games a year.

Agree wholeheartedly. It took South Melbourne ten years to have any sort of following in Sydney, if we're really serious about Canberra then we have to be patient. I mean really, even though 'South Melbourne - Sydney' can be described as a success even they can have poor 20,000-ish turnouts when the game has little going for it. And they've been there for 20 years!

If Canberra is to be a success, we have to give this arrangement a lot of time. I think having 1,000 Canberra members this year is a good start.

To people that feel we should play the games in Melbourne, fair enough, but considering 16 games in town is only a couple less than what other teams get, personally it's something I can live with. Especially considering moves like this keep the AFL happy and increase the chance of us qualifying for the CBF when we need it. And when the day comes when we don't require assistance, I'd be willing to suggest it's because strategies like the Canberra experiment are paying off.

 

[hotham]

The administratiion at North are only concerned about the balance sheet. I am sick of travelling to Canberra,so maybe the players are as well.

 

[gocats]

Originally posted by hotham
The administratiion at North are only concerned about the balance sheet. I am sick of travelling to Canberra,so maybe the players are as well.

They have to be, thats what they are there for. No Money, no North.

North can make Canberra work, it just will need some more time and effort.

Play the games out of the Super 12 season, then you only really have NRL to come up against.

 

[Groucho]

Originally posted by gocats
They have to be, thats what they are there for. No Money, no North.

North can make Canberra work, it just will need some more time and effort.

Play the games out of the Super 12 season, then you only really have NRL to come up against.

I know absolutely zero about this thing called "super 12's" but if their season finishes in late May and they're affecting our operations in Canberra then it certainly makes sense to arrange our Canberra games after their season is finished.
A minimum of $200k for games we'd otherwise struggle to make a profit on simply cannot be ignored. Take the flak for a 7k crowd but it's a half full stadium and therefore equivalent to a 25k crowd at TD and we make a helluva lot more from it.

 

[gold cup 1996]

I have been reading some of your comments carefully here about this controversial issue & it is something where I think we have to respect each others opinion because one thing we all will agree on is we want what is best for our great proud club agree?

I think by now many of you know where I stand & you can call me another Greg Miller if you like but some recent comments I agree 100% on like

*Rome wasn't built in a day

*Matches to played when no Brumbies matches are on

*Play the right sides up there where it is an advantage to us on field & off like West Coast, Fremantle & maybe Port Adelaide

*Design a better membership package for Melbourne based supporters. Instead of having an 8 game package, have a 11 game package for around $140.00 & we choose the away matches to attend.

*Matches in Canberra to be more spread out during the year.

*Don't have them clashing with Sydney matches.

I found it puzzling someones comment about the administration only being concerned with the balance sheets. Like I said earlier in a perfect world it would be great not having to worry on things like money & so forth but sadly my friend it is money that keeps this club alive, no money=no club just ask the poor old Fitzroy supporters. My view is 15 games in Melbourne is still pretty good considering the possible alternatives, that is no games at all in Melbourne.

Finally I may have mentioned it before & I know someone else did, Canberra is a great place to visit for the footy & a great weekend away full stop although yesterday if I went I might have thought differently though. But seriously it is a great weekend away & lovely ground.

 

[mighty mick]

gold cup 1996
summed it up perfectly,

maybe we could pass these ideas onto the club.

 

[gocats]

Originally posted by Groucho
I know absolutely zero about this thing called "super 12's" but if their season finishes in late May and they're affecting our operations in Canberra then it certainly makes sense to arrange our Canberra games after their season is finished.
A minimum of $200k for games we'd otherwise struggle to make a profit on simply cannot be ignored. Take the flak for a 7k crowd but it's a half full stadium and therefore equivalent to a 25k crowd at TD and we make a helluva lot more from it.

http://www.sport.act.gov.au/docs/mediaAFL.doc

I dont think the Kangas have to pay any money for the use of Manuka and I think they get all the profit out of the game, so whatever happens in Canberra they always walk out with money.

Maybe they are not promoting the games well enough to sell out the games.

Maybe they should try have 2 games around the week break and the team stays in canberra for the 2 weeks, trains gets out to the schools and communities and really pumps it up. Play Sydney in the first game.

 

[CURVE]

Originally posted by gocats
How about start playing in Canberra when the Super 12 season is over.

The super 12 finishes in May, so the AFL could start the canberra games in Round 10. Keep the games closer together, possible over the bye weekend, so the Kangas can use the possible week or 2 to get out and promote the game in the schools and communities.

Thoughts???

The weather kept a lot of families away on Saturday, so if you decide to play at Manuka later in the season you are risking smaller crowds. Anyone who was at the game on Saturday would have felt a real bite in the air. It is still May, so that was mild compared to what we can get when Winter really strikes.

North can play in Canberra during the Brumbies, but it would be best to play while the Brumbies are on tour in South Africa or New Zealand. They are usually away for two or three weeks at a time, and we do get rather hungry for footballl when they are away.

 

[Hotel 6]

While the Crowd figure was given as 7222, I am not sure how accurate that figure is. As an AFL member I was able to walk in the ground by just showing my membership (as did my wife and son). I was sitting behind a few doggies supporters and over heard them say that they showed their Bulldogs membership and just walked through the gate as well. There is no scanning of these tickets so I am fairly sure I was not counted in the official crowd.

Another factor may be that the GA charge is $18.50. To sit in the Menzies Stand costs $40.00. I think these costs are a little high perhaps when compared to GA in Melbourne.

I don't think the weather was such a huge factor as I have been to about 8 of the Canberra games so far and this was nowhere near the coldest I have been to. I think the forcast for rain was the killer as was the live broadcast of the game in Canberra on Fox Footy.

BTW on the AFL membership and in partial an answer to Mighty Mick's Question, I also have a the Kangaroos supporter package on there and that is the same as having the standard Kangas membership. Therefore I am counted as a Kangas member and have upgraded my seats. You can also upgrade to any Kangas package you want (Legend's, Captain's etc).

 

[hotham]

Originally posted by Hotel 6
While the Crowd figure was given as 7222, I am not sure how accurate that figure is. As an AFL member I was able to walk in the ground by just showing my membership (as did my wife and son).


My wife and I used our AFL membership to enter the ground. The comment was made by the attendant "I havnt seen one of those before". We thought the comment was really strange. The previous ten or so times we have been up to Canberra we had purchased a reserve ticket. So far our AFL club memership has been better value for money.

 

[The invisible mullet]

Originally posted by gocats
http://www.sport.act.gov.au/docs/mediaAFL.doc

I dont think the Kangas have to pay any money for the use of Manuka and I think they get all the profit out of the game, so whatever happens in Canberra they always walk out with money.

Maybe they are not promoting the games well enough to sell out the games.

Maybe they should try have 2 games around the week break and the team stays in canberra for the 2 weeks, trains gets out to the schools and communities and really pumps it up. Play Sydney in the first game.

The Sydney game was sold out.

 

[The invisible mullet]

Originally posted by moomba
I'm happy with the 3 games in Canberra, and would recommend a weekend trip to any Roos supporter. Rome wasnt built in a day, and we have to give it time and commitment if we are going to reap the rewards from it.

However for it to be a success we must ensure that:

a) we must play Sydney every year

b) where possible our games are played at a time no other games are scheduled, especially Swans games.

c) where possible our games don't clash with Raiders or Brumbies games

d) where possible our games are spread out so that travelling supporters get a bit of a break in between trips, two trips in a few weeks is a bit too much in terms of money, and time away.

Losing 3 Melbourne games a year is a small price to play to ensure that we don't lose 22 games a year.

agree with all of this - the Raiders aren't so much of a problem but clashes with the Brumbies are.