Time the Roos moved North - Age 12/3/06

[gokangas]

Lets get a few things in perspective.

I don't think many people here are saying lets move to the Gold Coast. Just that there may be an option for us to establish a second home by playing some home games there and some in Melbourne. It is worth considering.

Maybe when it is all weighed up we will all say no! But to debate the issues here is healthy and no member should be called a traitor or abused because we debate the issue.

Those members who stick their heads in the sand and say we will always survive are kidding themselves. We have to look at options where they are dollar driven and if the Gold Coast is the best option then maybe we have to think about a mix of games that includes Cararra.

Don't get down on the people here who disucuss the options even if you don't agree. If the AFL said we were relocating I would be the first in the march to burn down AFL House. So lets not let that happen by thinking about ways we can control our own destiny. No Kangaroo management has been able to stave off those calls for at least 30 years and we have had some quality people at the helm.

Debate is healthy - the Gold Coast may never be a real option but Kangaroo mates (like we all are) should discuss the issues now before we are forced to act.

 

[Zondor]

The scary thing about this thread is what seems to be a total lack of outrage at the thought of moving our footy club to the Gold Coast. I can count on one hand the people fundamentally opposed to the mere thought of it. I always thought that the club would be fine and could dicate it's own future if my opinions on the type of people that love North Melbourne were true.

Downright sh1tscared now.

That's right. Where is the outrage. I was outraged when North tried to merge with Fitzroy. I was outraged when we moved home matches to Sydney. Why are some so accepting of the notion that "Melbourne can't accommodate 10 teams" and "It's inevitable that a Melbourne team will have to relocate or merge"? This is a defeatist attitude. That attitude is not a part of the North Melbourne character.

 

[Zondor]

That's right. Where is the outrage. I was outraged when North tried to merge with Fitzroy. I was outraged when we moved home matches to Sydney. Why are some so accepting of the notion that "Melbourne can't accommodate 10 teams" and "It's inevitable that a Melbourne team will have to relocate or merge"? This is a defeatist attitude. That attitude is not a part of the North Melbourne character.

Yeah but Zondor we aren't saying that the club is relocating to the Gold Coast but entertaining the idea of playing a few home matches. What's defeatest about that?

 

[Zondor]

Yeah but Zondor we aren't saying that the club is relocating to the Gold Coast but entertaining the idea of playing a few home matches. What's defeatest about that?

Listen up Bozo, if we end up playing a few home matches on the Gold Coast we are one push away from relocation. The AFL are more likely to force us to relocate to the Gold Coast if we are playing some home matches there, then if we are to play those interstate home matches in Canberra.

 

[Event Horizon]

The scary thing about this thread is what seems to be a total lack of outrage at the thought of moving our footy club to the Gold Coast. I can count on one hand the people fundamentally opposed to the mere thought of it. I always thought that the club would be fine and could dicate it's own future if my opinions on the type of people that love North Melbourne were true.

Downright sh1tscared now.

If we were members of a political party or something, right now I'd propose to split into two - the soft bunch who is prepared to go anywhere AFL takes them, and the hardcore fans who will fight til the end and won't entertain any other option under ANY circumstances.

Somebody mentioned in another thread how at times our fans seem a bit apathetic. We don't want to be another Richmond but some more passion during games coming from the fans wouln't be a bad thing. Well, it seems that now this apathy is very much reflected on this thread.

After seeing the amount of p1ss weak supporters that we actualy have, I just hope our administration is not in any way mirroring their views. That's why a name change back to North Melbourne would be a good gesture to confirm that right now.

Ultimately, the dream for me is to build a successful business that would not only make my family happy, but would allow me to invest heavily into the club I love. Being on the board is the only sure way of making sure that tragic death will never fall upon this GREAT club.

Right now though, I am not in this position and I have my trust in our board and president to do the right thing.

 

[Shinboners]

They give me joy and hope, frustration and anguish. I love the blue and white and always will, whether they play in Melbourne, Canberra, Gold Coast or LA. The team has ticker, the club has ticker, and so do I. If we have to move it will be the last resort and I for one will follow them to wherever they go. And before you have a go, the last thing I want to see is for North Melbourne to be anything but North Melbourne, but god forbid it does happen, I'm not going to be a sooky la la and give up something that I love so much.

mav, God forbid that North ever leave Melbourne, but if they do, I can only wish you many years of joy following the club.

But for me, I just couldn't do it. I don't think it's a matter of fans getting sooky-sooky-la-la, but of seeing something we love making one major change too many.

Right now, I'm pretty f*cked off with footy in general. Come to think of it, I've been annoyed with it for a few years. I hate what it has become - this corporate monster where if you can't brag or cry about what happens on the field, you get into stupid arguments over membership numbers, club profits, and some fans hope their clubs lose games just to get better draft picks. Players are overpaid, coaches bitch and moan about the rules, and the AFL changes the rules every year. It is a completely different culture to the one I knew when I first started following North. I love North to bits, but if North relocated, I would have no problem in giving up footy.

 

[Event Horizon]

mav, God forbid that North ever leave Melbourne, but if they do, I can only wish you many years of joy following the club.

But for me, I just couldn't do it. I don't think it's a matter of fans getting sooky-sooky-la-la, but of seeing something we love making one major change too many.

Right now, I'm pretty f*cked off with footy in general. Come to think of it, I've been annoyed with it for a few years. I hate what it has become - this corporate monster where if you can't brag or cry about what happens on the field, you get into stupid arguments over membership numbers, club profits, and some fans hope their clubs lose games just to get better draft picks. Players are overpaid, coaches bitch and moan about the rules, and the AFL changes the rules every year. It is a completely different culture to the one I knew when I first started following North. I love North to bits, but if North relocated, I would have no problem in giving up footy.

Amen.

 

[Wild Kangaroo]

We are not going anywhere.

Get used to it.

Well Put!


I cant believe some the dribble posted on this board

 

[choppy]

The scary thing about this thread is what seems to be a total lack of outrage at the thought of moving our footy club to the Gold Coast. I can count on one hand the people fundamentally opposed to the mere thought of it. I always thought that the club would be fine and could dicate it's own future if my opinions on the type of people that love North Melbourne were true.

Downright sh1tscared now.

Well thats what happens when the club kicks you in the nuts and then has temerity to ask you for more money just so they can continue to kick you again.

The root cause of people being blase is that we are a privately owned club and what the average supporter says doesn't mean anything. We can't elect board members or presidents and therefore our name is changed, our song is changed, our jumper is changed, our ground is changed and we get stuck with an 8 game membership ticket. Thats where the apathy comes from, like it or not the club has said that your opinion doesn't matter anyway.

But getting back to your point, the thread seems to have gone from a "where do we play interstate games to" to one of relocation. I don't necessarily see the linkage b/w the two. Playing games at Carrara inliue of Canberra is the issue, not relocation. I said in one of my earlier posts that a watertight agreement, with games televised back into Melbourne on certain nights could give the club a sound financial footing in the short to medium term and thereby greater financial resistance to relocation.

I see the Canberra experiment going nowhere in another 3 to 5 years if we are in the same financial position their will be no choice but relocation.

I can't see why we can't play 3 or 4 games at Carrara, get some value back into the brand and have a 12 game membership package in Melbourne.

Their always seems to be this anti AFL administration mindset, the club should work with the AFL but demand less interstate games to Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, Tasmania etc in return for decent packages for Melbourne based members.

The AFL are going to throw money at the Queensland/Sydney market, the club should be smart and take advantage of it.

It doesn't have to be relocation if the club is smart about it.

BUT if we continue as is then their will be no choice in 5 years.

 

[choppy]

I tend not to post too much despite reading this forum every day. However, today I could not help it. I am 100% with NorthBhoy, Wrath and Vlad. Some years ago Melbourne and Hawthorn supporters also accepted that they could survive on their own. But only due to passionate supporters who had the vision and true love for their clubs these two teams are still separate entities.

But your forgetting that you have no say, you can't vote against it like the Hawthorn supporters did. If you had a say would the North supporters have agreed to changing our name and playing games in Sydney/Canberra?

 

[Z_K]

.

BUT if we continue as is then their will be no choice in 5 years.

Like 5 years ago? And 10 years before that?

We fight. We are strong because he have balls, dig in stick it up clubs with more money, better facilities and more supporters.

Say there are three clubs in line for a move (that NO-ONE has ever officially announced, discussed etc), we have the ability to improve things to a point that would mean we are not the no.1 target.

If we have lost this attitude, what is the ****ing point exactly?

Cannot comprehend any of this.

 

[Roobunny]

I've lived in South Australia my whole life, noone in my family supports North Melbourne, yet I've been a North Melbourne fan since I was 3 years old (25 years ago). So I've never had the Melbourne connection with the club, I've only had the chance to see maybe 5 games in total that the boys have played.

I mentioned in a thread on a different site the other day that if I had no choice that the Roos had to go/change I'd take relocation but I'd never support the club if it merged. I think because of my distance to Melbourne, the idea of relocation to another place I can't visit often anyway, wouldn't really affect me. HOWEVER, as I've read this thread, it's occured to me it's a lie simple wishful thinking that I could still have a connection to one of the greatest loves of my life if it moved but if North Melbourne did relocate, they wouldn't be my club any more either, as much as they wouldn't be if they became the Carlton Kangaroos or Northern Bulldogs etc. My club, my heart, is based in Arden Street in Melbourne not Canberra, or the Gold Coast or even Adelaide! I still call them North Melbourne rather than the Kangaroos. The North Melbourne identity and legend for me belongs in Melbourne, it belongs at Arden Street. (I realise I couldn't even be happy with them leaving Arden Street - let alone Melbourne). My club are the battlers, who prove the doubters wrong with our courage against adversity - if they moved to fancy new training facilities in a new town - that sentiment and one of the reasons I'm so devoted to them is gone.

For the love of any higher being we must fight to keep North Melbourne's, our club and passion, heritage, sentiment and location intact.

 

[choppy]

Like 5 years ago? And 10 years before that?

We fight. We are strong because he have balls, dig in stick it up clubs with more money, better facilities and more supporters.

Say there are three clubs in line for a move (that NO-ONE has ever officially announced, discussed etc), we have the ability to improve things to a point that would mean we are not the no.1 target.

If we have lost this attitude, what is the ****ing point exactly?

Cannot comprehend any of this.

But where is the link b/w playing homes games at Carrara and relocating. Where does playing games interstate mean relocation?

Relocation comes from being the most financially unviable at the bottom of the list. I still beleive Melbourne and the Bulldogs are more precarious than us.

I see more money being made on the Goldcoast than in Canberra. More money coming from elsewhere should mean better membership packages for Melbourne supporters, i.e you and I and those at the fringes and therefore better finances and therefore less probability of relocation.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

FWIW, I - who moved to Melbourne and chose North 18 years ago - found Caro's article depressing but convincing. My partner - born and bred here in a long line of Collingwood-mad, footy-mad locals - says Caro is talking crap and North are doing just fine. Cheered me up no end.

I was also reminded that facilities have done stuff all for the Pies and I'm lucky to have a club that overcomes every obstacle and sticks it up every media tipster. Quite right, too. Love the club as it is, love youse all.

 

[choppy]

Cannot comprehend any of this.

Put it this way ask yourself the question?

Can North survive by playing 11 home games in Melbourne.

No?

Well which market is going to generate more money, Canberra or the gold coast. I don't know but I'd thhink it would be the Gold Coast and not Canberra?

 

[Flag Man]

This club has been fighting above it’s weight for nearly 140 years, it’s what attracted me to it when I first chose a club as a kid.

If we dare just roll over and accept a re-location/merger/whatever then all that the club has stood for is gone (IMO) and I for one won’t bother anymore!!

Cheers

Gonzo

Spot on Gonzo.

We carry a mantle today that others carried before us, for generations.

Did they go weak? Did they roll over? Hell no.

We must strive to be worthy of that mantle.

I refuse to be a part of the generation that let North down.

Relocation/Merging = Extinction

Extinction is not an option.

 

[choppy]

Spot on Gonzo.

We carry a mantle today that others carried before us, for generations.

Did they go weak? Did they roll over? Hell no.

We must strive to be worthy of that mantle.

I refuse to be a part of the generation that let North down.

Relocation/Merging = Extinction

Extinction is not an option.

So your generation is post 98, post the generation that changed our name, jumper, songs, home game location. Thats 4 out of 5, the only one remaining being where we train.

I'm being sarcastic but this generation has in effect allready rolled over without a whimper.

Me thinks the horse has bolted, the baby thrown out and people are just beginning to wake up.

 

[Ghostwriter]

I bolded the important bit.



Report confirms AFL is going well



March 14, 2006 - 6:20PM

The AFL's 2005 annual report shows the competition to be in better shape than ever before.

The league boasted increases in revenue, game attendances, television viewership, participants at community level and club memberships in 2005, which culminated with Sydney breaking its 72-year premiership drought.

A record total of 6.28 million people attended games last year, which was just the second season where over six million fans watched games live. The mark eclipsed the former record of 6.12 million in 1998.

Four million people watched games on television every week, while 1.1 million fans listened to games on radio every week.

Sydney's four-point defeat of West Coast in the grand final was the most popular television program for the year, and attracted 3.38 million viewers to Channel Ten's broadcast.

Off the field, the AFL recorded another strong year.

The league recorded $203 million in revenue, announced an operating surplus of $130 million, and distributed $92 million to its 16 clubs.

The AFL can also expect another increase in revenue next year, when the next round of broadcast rights kicks in.

Networks Seven and Ten will provide $780 million for the right to televise games from 2007-11.

Twelve of the competition's 16 clubs recorded profits totalling $14 million last year, and most recorded increases in attendances.

Essendon was the most-watched club, attracting 508,182 fans to its home games, while 465,751 fans watched Adelaide home games.

The Kangaroos (26 per cent) and Hawthorn (20 per cent) recorded the largest growths in attendances.

Club memberships broke through the 500,000 barrier for the first time, and of the 506,509 paid-up members, Adelaide (43,256), West Coast (42,406) and Collingwood (38,612) were the leaders.

Player wages were also up, with the average wage more than $187,000. Three players - believed to be Carlton's Anthony Koutoufides, Collingwood skipper Nathan Buckley and Brisbane Lions captain Michael Voss - were paid more than $800,000.

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said the league wanted to use the coming broadcast rights money to build on the competition's already strong financial base, and grow the game, especially in New South Wales and Queensland.

"What we will be doing without doubt is using the additional funds right across the football industry to make sure we set this game up for future generations," Demetriou said.

"It is a marvellous opportunity the AFL has, with its clubs and players, to establish this code as the leading code for a long, long time and that's what we intend doing."

Australian rules participation rates were also up across the country, and there were a record 539,000 participants at club level, with strong growth in Tasmania and Queensland.

© 2006 AAP
\nBrought to you by aap

 

[Flag Man]

FFS, put this on the main board.

 

[windsock]

The root cause of people being blase is that we are a privately owned club and what the average supporter says doesn't mean anything. We can't elect board members or presidents and therefore our name is changed, our song is changed, our jumper is changed, our ground is changed and we get stuck with an 8 game membership ticket. Thats where the apathy comes from, like it or not the club has said that your opinion doesn't matter anyway.

Don't agree with a lot of everything else you've said but the above makes sense. A very paternalistic "we know better" attitude has infiltrated the upper reaches of our club.

Just a suggestion: Perhaps a "Meet the Board" is one for the next edition of Roos News?

 

[Hawkk]

Ahh....what the hell.

We had the 2nd greatest attendance rise...and we won one more game.


No worries, I will post it on the main board.

BTW, having thought about it, I have had mail that Melbourne, Carlton and possibly Richmond are looking at playing games on the Coast, so 2-3 games there doesn't = relocation.

 

[pharro]

Ultimately, the dream for me is to build a successful business that would not only make my family happy, but would allow me to invest heavily into the club I love.

I'll race you Vlad. First to toss in a million clams and become a club director.

 

[Dingster]

But where is the link b/w playing homes games at Carrara and relocating. Where does playing games interstate mean relocation?

Everything in the media from up here...admittedly sweet f/a...is pushing for a second team in Qld in the future. If that is on the money, and words coming from the AFL support it, then any team that plays 4-5 of their home games up here would be under enourmous pressure long term.

The current arrangement is what we should be working on keeping the same split, but developing off field ventures.

 

[pharro]

So your generation is post 98, post the generation that changed our name, jumper, songs, home game location. Thats 4 out of 5, the only one remaining being where we train.

I'm being sarcastic but this generation has in effect allready rolled over without a whimper.

Me thinks the horse has bolted, the baby thrown out and people are just beginning to wake up.

98? Home game location changed in 85. Jumper has changed several times over 137 years. Name changed in 1870.

I tell you, this club hasn't been the same since you young whipper snappers allowed them to give up good old Hotham.

 

[Flag Man]

98? Home game location changed in 85. Jumper has changed several times over 137 years. Name changed in 1870.

I tell you, this club hasn't been the same since you young whipper snappers allowed them to give up good old Hotham.