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

[hotham]

Nothing the club does shocks me anymore... moving to QLD, yep whatever... how about moving the players and the administration to China.

 

[razor]

i wish we could be called NORTH MELBOURNE, have 30,000 members and play 11 home games at the mighty MCG....but pigs might fly! reality is the club is going to play home games interstate somewhere, with gold coast possibly replacing canberra..

the canberra games are so boring..there is little crowd noise and the stands look empty. is it just me or are there usually more cheers for the other team!?

seeing 3-4 night games from the gold coast can't be any worse..and if there are better facilities and the potential for more members, exposure, and money than maybe its the right move ..

 

[Hearts to hearts]

By reading some of the crap posted in this thread - I seriously doubt that.

That's why I said it. This is not a debate about what we would all prefer, it's about honestly examining all the options for keeping this great club alive - or better than that, miles clear of the life support system we've had to get used to.

We can and do have different views about the club's present and future, but I am convinced every poster in this thread loves the club as much as every other poster, and I'd like to see everyone respect that.

You think I don't want to see my sons run around Arden St after training? But if it's a choice between that and missing seing them at all, it's different.

 

[Cororoo]

With all of the hard work that has gone in to developing a market in Canberra ,retaining exisitng Melbourne based members and growing membership to record levels last year , I can't understand how some of the posters here think that throwing all of that out of the window and starting again at Carrara could be a good thing and of benefit to the club.

But then again a wise man once told me ,"There are lots of stupid people in this world."

 

[ARDENSTREETforever]

I actually didnt see too much wrong with the article.
She has some good points in the article, and maybe she is right. I have been totally against the interstate games ever since we started them, but she is right. Last year we had the Dome to ourselves and we couldnt even half fill it. i t was a disgrace, an embarrassment and humiliated the club immensely.

i am an optimist, who has always said North have quite a large lazy following, who simply dont bother to attend matches or buy memberships, but the reality is that without proper marketing, these fair weather supporters will NEVER go to matches or bur a membership so we are always going to be struggling to survive.

Have any of you seen the facilities at Southport? They are awesome... would rival Adelaides or West Coasts id imagine.
The issue of relocation is a sensitive one amongst the faithful, but if we are to ever move... Southport is a good option.

However if we actually make some right decisions and maybe take a big risk and splash some cash around a massive membership/supporters marketing campaign it may all pay off. I hope somebody at the club shows some balls, as our mighty club deserves much better.

 

[Event Horizon]

I reckon we should get Mods to close this thread before too many more idiots totally devalue our Melbourne herritage. I really hope nobody from the club is reading this crap.

I couldn't care less if Southport has golden toilets - that's their problem.

 

[Z_K]

I actually didnt see too much wrong with the article.
She has some good points in the article, and maybe she is right. I have been totally against the interstate games ever since we started them, but she is right. Last year we had the Dome to ourselves and we couldnt even half fill it. i t was a disgrace, an embarrassment and humiliated the club immensely.

i am an optimist, who has always said North have quite a large lazy following, who simply dont bother to attend matches or buy memberships, but the reality is that without proper marketing, these fair weather supporters will NEVER go to matches or bur a membership so we are always going to be struggling to survive.

Have any of you seen the facilities at Southport? They are awesome... would rival Adelaides or West Coasts id imagine.
The issue of relocation is a sensitive one amongst the faithful, but if we are to ever move... Southport is a good option.

However if we actually make some right decisions and maybe take a big risk and splash some cash around a massive membership/supporters marketing campaign it may all pay off. I hope somebody at the club shows some balls, as our mighty club deserves much better.

Nice username.

This is crazyness.

 

[The Zebra]

I may be a stupid man (god knows I have been called it before), but how do amazing training facilities benefit us if we are only playing 3-4 games up there???

Are we flying up to QLD for our MCG recoveries?

 

[NimChief]

It’s quite obvious what this articles hinting at: A RELOCATION !

Caroline harps on about Southports facilities and Demetripoo’s declaration that more games should be played in QLD. Then she implies that North’s finals crowd of 25,000 is by some means a way to judge North’s viability.

Check out the heading and the pictures, it is evidently obvious that she’s insinuating that the North should re-locate to the Gold Coast.

All of you should see that and be adamantly apposed to this article. Even more, we should be slagging the dirty Journo for disgracing the mighty NMFC!

North have a proud history of playing in Canberra that date’s way back to 1967.

NMFC playing games in Canberra is not a modern phenomenon and won’t lead to a relocation.

We should and will continue to play games in Canberra wether that be one or four games a year.

What we do have is three home and away games up for sale and I don’t see anything wrong in selling those games to the highest bidder.

One possible scenario could see North play one game on the Gold Coast and the other two in Canberra.

Either way that is all it will be just three games for sale. There will be no relocation or mergers.

So Caroline should get that through her thick dim-witted head!

 

[ShovelstoShovels]

Hello one and all,

I thought it was about time I should speak up, as I have looked from the outside in for the last 2 years.

Look North Melbourne, does not and will not have the supporter base in Melbourne, being surrounded by Carlton (F'em), the bombers and the western bulldogs. It's never going to happen. So we must look some where else, and the ACT is the place to be, but we need to give it time. It will take atleast 10years before we really get some strong memberships from this state. We need to push the Kangaroos brand (all diehards will still call them North Melbourne) and if we focus on this brand it will bring the rewards in the way of membership. Give the ACT time and games (max 5), it will happen.

 

[Flag Man]

We are not going anywhere.

Get used to it.

 

[Dingster]

I read an article in the GC Buletin the other week about the AFL's vision of having a game every weekend in Qld. On the plus side, the AFL will financially support it, the Gold Coast is far more viable than the dark years of the Bears with huge growth both in business and young families moving into the area. The AFL is also trying to promote the product with Auskick in the schools and ticket giveaway comps on local radio.

However....it is a rugby state. Rugby dominates the papers, supermarkets (where young kids are impressionable) and talk amongst the locals. 90% of the goods in the stores is Brissie Lions, so we'd once again be starting behind the eight ball.

The club needs to have a long term plan and be unwavering in it's committment. If we go to Qld, then we can guess that there will be enourmous pressure on us to increase our % of games up there until it eventually becomes a relocation. The club has said that Melbourne is our home. So unless that's changed, we should be developing our long term strategy around the Melbourne/Canberra option for our long term viability.

 

[Z_K]

I may be a stupid man (god knows I have been called it before), but how do amazing training facilities benefit us if we are only playing 3-4 games up there???

It doesn't Zebra, and that's why the article is a sham. It's a 're-locate North' article. Plain and simple.

And not only don't we care, the majority on this thread agree with the basic premise!!!!

As soon as the masses stop giving a sh1t, shut the joint down.

 

[Shinboners]

It doesn't Zebra, and that's why the article is a sham. It's a 're-locate North' article. Plain and simple.

Yep.

And if we did commit to the Gold Coast, the media will have a field day with the "North tried staying at home, then tried Sydney, and then tried Canberra, and now they're trying the Gold Coast" articles.

If Miller didn't get so greedy, we could have done a decent job in Sydney.

If we were a bit smarter with our marketing as the Dawks and Aints have been with Launceston, we can make Canberra work.

But as it is, people seem to switch strategies every year. No wonder people always think of us as the most likely candidate for re-location.

And not only don't we care, the majority on this thread agree with the basic premise!!!!

And I reckon that many of those who are happy to explore the possibility of playing at Carrara were against us sharing training facilities with Carlton. We'd rather our club go up the eastern seaboard for better facilities than to move a few kilometres to the east.

As soon as the masses stop giving a sh1t, shut the joint down.

If we move out of Melbourne permanently, I'm giving up footy.

 

[Z_K]

And if we did commit to the Gold Coast, the media will have a field day with the "North tried staying at home, then tried Sydney, and then tried Canberra, and now they're trying the Gold Coast" articles.

If Miller didn't get so greedy, we could have done a decent job in Sydney.

If we were a bit smarter with our marketing as the Dawks and Aints have been with Launceston, we can make Canberra work.

'98 was a huge year for North. Our crowds were at their highest ever, we played exciting footy, we had the best footballer in the game and a great list. So what do we do? Move games to Sydney.

Stupid.

But as it is, people seem to switch strategies every year. No wonder people always think of us as the most likely candidate for re-location.

Because we give the impression that our home, that our supporters and our footy club aren't rooted anywhere and can be shipped off to another location with the least amount of carnage.

Our fault, but we can fix it.

And I reckon that many of those who are happy to explore the possibility of playing at Carrara were against us sharing training facilities with Carlton. We'd rather our club go up the eastern seaboard for better facilities than to move a few kilometres to the east.

I didn't want to share it with them because I didn't think it was the best option in any way and it was Carlton. Ugh. Dirty.

If we move out of Melbourne permanently, I'm giving up footy

You'll have to get in line.

Melbourne Victory season tickets are way cheaper.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

My preferences, for what it's worth are:

1 (by a long way) - have a great base at Arden St and play all our home matches at the MCG and Docklands, depending on the opponent

2 - have the same great base at Arden St, play a majority of home matches at MCG/Docklands, and play 3-4 home matches at Canberra for a good return, while continuing to build in a market where we are the ONLY reguilar AFL presence

3 - have a split base between Arden St and Canberra, splitting home games with AFL support guaranteeing plenty of away games in Melbourne to bridge the gap

4 - any other arrangement that will keep the club going long term.

And I will sign up as a member, and keep attending whatever games I can, as long as the club exists.

However, for any of the first 2 options to stay viable, it will take a lot more than me signing up. We will need sustained, strong support from the entire Melbourne supporter base to stay a predominantly Melbourne-based club, that's all there is to it. If we - Melbourne fans of North - can't give the support here the club needs, I back the board looking wherever they need to, to get that support. They will still have mine, whatever happens.

 

[Zondor]

I just reckon that the Kangaroos name is opening us up to all this relocation talk at the moment more than ever.

There is a way to put an end to it.

Yep. That's right Vlad. We are North Melbourne. Last year we heard the reintroduction of the true North Melbourne theme song at Melbourne matches. It's time to take the next step and start referring to us as North Melbourne again. Signify to the rest of the AFL world that the club's long term goal is to be based in Melbourne.

 

[Zondor]

If we move out of Melbourne permanently, I'm giving up footy.

Yep. I just wonder how some Fitzroy supporters can support Brisbane and some South Melbourne supporters support Sydney. If our club moved or merged I'd give football away. It just wouldn't be the same any more.

 

[mav-1]

Yep. I just wonder how some Fitzroy supporters can support Brisbane and some South Melbourne supporters support Sydney. If our club moved or merged I'd give football away. It just wouldn't be the same any more.

do you wonder how a West Aussie boy living in Adelaide can support a Melbourne team?

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.

 

[Event Horizon]

I agree with NorthBhoy about 1998. Bloody Greg Miller came up with a silly idea and everyone in the adminisration ever since have not had the courage to put an end to it.

I am not opposed to playing 3 games in Canberra per say, although I don't like it. But one thing that I never understood is why did we actually change the name? Why can other clubs have supporters interstate without changing the name and we can't?

It's not like the ACT or Gold Coast folk are that stupid that they are suddenly going to say: "Oh, here is the National Team we can follow!".
I just think our administration lost the plot over this whole issue. Playing different version of the team song in Sydney/Canberra to Melbourne was extremely naive. Who do they take us for?

As far as I am concerned the name is and should always be North Melbourne. If someone interstate will ever buy our membership, it won't be because we changed our name to Kangaroos.

Time for us to bite the bullet and end the whole speculation. The only way to put a lead on the constant relocation talk.

I have a lot of respect for doc Aylett, but to hear him say that we have a National team based at Arden st sounded a bit George W Bush like.

 

[razor]

so even if a gold coast deal gave the club more:

money
market
television coverage

(remembering its only 3-4 games)

you guys would be ********ed? why? because of the two members we have in canberra? whats the big deal?

thats roos v dogs match 98 with 50-60+ thousand attending seems to long ago

 

[Zondor]

do you wonder how a West Aussie boy living in Adelaide can support a Melbourne team?

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.

Mate, if North Melbourne merged or relocated, for me it would be the death of the club as it is. I support North Melbourne, not North Gold Coast, North Kangaroos, Carlton Roos, Melbourne United, Canberra Kangaroos or any other rot imaginable that is not the North Melbourne Football Club. For you it's different. That's fine that you wouldn't sook about. For me it would be like a death in the family. I would be guttered and football would be for the tip.

 

[Arden]

so even if a gold coast deal gave the club more:

money
market
television coverage

(remembering its only 3-4 games)

you guys would be ********ed? why? because of the two members we have in canberra? whats the big deal?

thats roos v dogs match 98 with 50-60+ thousand attending seems to long ago

I think the issue isn't what playing games will bring to the club, but at what cost?

There is a sinister movement at the AFL trying to get a permanent prescence on the Gold Coast, and the side that takes the carrot being dangled will eventually being cornered into permanency there.

Can you imagine going to the AFL looking for assistance, and them saying: "sure, if you play another 3 games a year at Carrara, otherwise no".

I don't feel that we will ever be faced with this situation with Canberra.

 

[Zondor]

I think the issue isn't what playing games will bring to the club, but at what cost?

There is a sinister movement at the AFL trying to get a permanent prescence on the Gold Coast, and the side that takes the carrot being dangled will eventually being cornered into permanency there.

Can you imagine going to the AFL looking for assistance, and them saying: "sure, if you play another 3 games a year at Carrara, otherwise no".

I don't feel that we will ever be faced with this situation with Canberra.

That's right. To put it simply people Play 3 to 4 games at Carrara now = Relocation to Carrara in 5 to 10 years time.

 

[Z_K]

First person to question my allegiance to the footy club for not supporting a re-located team gets a cyber punch in the face.

Dunno if it has happened yet, but I sense it's coming.