Western Bulldogs and their partnership with Ballarat a success

[ivan rassmussen]

I haven't noticed anywhere on here a restriction on opposition supporters. Roogal your updates are much appreciated. As someone who spent most of my life in the western suburbs and for several years have now called the Ballarat area home, the explosion in Bulldog symbols in the last 12 months or so is fairly evident. As is the hard facts of this translating to new members signing up. People who live here are well aware of it, and those who try and post from ignorance are shown up for what they are.

"Ignorance"! You make me laugh Geoff. Ignorant is a very generous description. I've got wethers with better comprehension and social skills...

 

[geoffjennings79]

Thousand of members???? Lol honestly if we get 1000 from the area I will be stunned.

Ballarat is close enough to Melbourne for people to come down to the footy every week and support their team it's not hours away. And they aren't jumping on steam that is playing like we are at the moment. It's pie in the Sky bullsh!t anyone that believes this will work is dreaming.

This will be a complete failure long term and garner so little memberships the only positive will Ballarats money until it works out is isn't working.

If we are bottom four we won't fill the place against an interstate team and how does that help us in anyway? It doesn't

You can think this is depressin but I think it's depressing the club is desperate enough to even try this let's look at the history of selling games

StKilda to NZ. FAIL
Dogs to Darwin. FAIL
Demons to Alice. FAIL
North to Tassie. FAIL
Demons to Darwin. FAIL

Hawks is the only one that has worked remotely and that's Coz they have been dominate. If they fall away it will fail also

So many wrong assumptions in your first 4 paragraphs.

Members are signing up steadily, and club projections will back up Roogal's assertion.

Three posters on here have had a talk at length with Peter Gordon, you might have heard of him. He and club have put lots of work into this, and the numbers stack up, and will be sustainable.

15k capacity will be filled easily for AFL games twice a year, and not just by Bulldogs supporters. The whole region, 200k population, are engaged. It is a far more sustainable option than Darwin or Cairns, where new member accumulation was negligible.

This is also the first concerted home game relocation within Victoria, unlike all the previous attempts.

Potential sponsors are abundant here too - Mars already involved, McCains, Haymes, Fed Uni.

Probably a wasted post though, rebutting with actual knowledge of the area and the club's actual work so far.

 

[Mattdougie]

So many wrong assumptions in your first 4 paragraphs.

Members are signing up steadily, and club projections will back up Roogal's assertion.

Three posters on here have had a talk at length with Peter Gordon, you might have heard of him. He and club have put lots of work into this, and the numbers stack up, and will be sustainable.

15k capacity will be filled easily for AFL games twice a year, and not just by Bulldogs supporters. The whole region, 200k population, are engaged. It is a far more sustainable option than Darwin or Cairns, where new member accumulation was negligible.

This is also the first concerted home game relocation within Victoria, unlike all the previous attempts.

Potential sponsors are abundant here too - Mars already involved, McCains, Haymes, Fed Uni.

Probably a wasted post though, rebutting with actual knowledge of the area and the club's actual work so far.

And that's fair enough but I personally can't see what many are suggesting will happen long term but that's my opinion and shock horror I may be wrong!!!!!

The only way things like above happen IMO is of we play more than 2 games in Ballarat and I am 1000000% against that. I stand by my comment that I have no interest in us playing in Ballarat if prefer games in Melbourne where we are from.

Members may be signing up but that is as much to do with the flag last yet as anything else, how many would be signing up if we were bottom four? Ballarat is close enough to Melbourne to travel to watch any team any week and of peel think 2 games in Ballarat will sway members from other clubs or cause a huge uptake in our membership I think this is a pipe dream.

Honestly Gordon is pushing this do you actually think he wouldn't be behind this fully when he discusses it?

How will you feel if the dogs give 4-5 games to Ballarat ? Will that actually help us? If there is a huge uptake in members from western Victoria that can hardly ever come see us how does that actually help us long term? 3 game members makes next to zero money for the club they are just a stat number on a page

And I'm happy to hear your honest opinion if you live in the area and I have a couple relatives in the area and they don't care one bit either way


Ps I'm fairly sure Mccains and Fed Uni have zero chance of membership as they are from the same categories as existing sponsors.

 

[Roogal]

Cheers, and thank you everyone.

 

[Roogal]

Don't take it to heart girl. Certain folks have a need to espouse their negativity on everything they read. I've found your dedication to the cause refreshing and unbiased Can't understand how such a bright and dedicated lady follows the Roos though. Come on over to the Dogs. You know you want to. You know you should.

Ps. MD. If you aren't interested in Ballarat why don't you just ignore this thread. I'm amazed you haven't canned Lin Jong in here. You seem to enjoy hijacking threads with your blind negativity then play the victim when called out Maybe folks are just sick of your selfish agendas. As much as I've tried to to tolerate your stubborn negative attitudes ( as we have all seen you CAN actually make interesting posts occasionally) your efforts on this thread and in general over the past few weeks have been an embarrassment to both yourself and our group. Grow up mate.

Yeah I'm a North Melbourne tragic ... we all have our crosses to bare

 

[Sharkey66]

The thing is, we wont really see the benefits of this this year or even next year. Most of the people going to games will already have their club allegiances set, it is the kids who in the next few years who will form their club preferences, the 5 to 10 year olds that will hopefully become Bulldog members in 15 to 20 years time instead of becoming Geelong or Essendon or north supporters.
Its not so much the games played there, though they will help, its all the work in schools, player appearances etc that will be the big impact.

 

[Pugz89]

Happy general on-sale day everyone. Fully expect it to be an official sell out within days.

 

[BallaratBulldog]

I think it's now down to GA standing. Which you would expect with the size.

 

[Roogal]

The thing is, we wont really see the benefits of this this year or even next year. Most of the people going to games will already have their club allegiances set, it is the kids who in the next few years who will form their club preferences, the 5 to 10 year olds that will hopefully become Bulldog members in 15 to 20 years time instead of becoming Geelong or Essendon or north supporters.
Its not so much the games played there, though they will help, its all the work in schools, player appearances etc that will be the big impact.

I agree and it's about the township and broader community taking or developing a sense of shared ownership in the club, as well as building an emotional bond. Like a relationship, these things don't happen over night, but they will if the Bulldogs are in for the long haul. Today's kids are a decade from now the clubs's future young members.

North Melbourne have moved from town to town like locusts trying to build and broaden their appeal, but have never stuck around long enough anywhere to truely reap what they have sowed.

 

[Roogal]

Happy general on-sale day everyone. Fully expect it to be an official sell out within days.

Who has secured tickets to Mars?
Melanie Whelan
4 Jul 2017, 3:26 p.m.

FOOTBALL fans are bracing for a sell-out to the historic first AFL game for premiership points in Ballarat once tickets are released to the general public on Wednesday morning. The newly-named Mars Stadium can hold 11,000 supporters but host team Western Bulldogs is yet to confirm how many tickets have already been sold to their members for the August 19 clash.

Seats and general admission were thrown open to non-Ballarat Bulldogs members on Monday – and the reigning AFL premier has 46,567 signed-up to the pack. Until this week, the only way to guarantee a seat had been with a Ballarat three-game membership or Ballarat add-on, both of which are exclusively available to residents in western Victoria.

The match, against Port Adelaide, is shaping up to be a pivotal clash with both clubs still fighting for spots in the top-eight to play finals. Ballarat Bulldogs Supporters’ Group spokesman Shaun Kelly said most Bulldogs fans would be surprised if there were many, if any, tickets left for the general public.

“This is something that has seemed a bit of a pipe dream initially, but the stadium has really come along and now there’s a real excitement – and not just in Ballarat,” Mr Kelly said.

Public tickets go on sale from 10am with prices starting at $25 for adults and $50 for families in standing areas. Mr Kelly said there had been a real clamour for tickets in the Bulldogs’ cheer squad alone when places opened on June 21. He expected the result of Bulldogs’ members ticket sales to be similarly competitive.

Meanwhile, support for the Bulldogs in Ballarat is growing with more than 100 members in the Ballarat Bulldogs Supporters’ Group in what Mr Kelly said had been a 15 per cent increase on last year. This is the first year the group has become an official entity. Mr Kelly said there was now a strong Ballarat supporter community with a full Ballarat Bulldogs’ express bus to Melbourne games and exclusive match-day experiences and upgrades.

Below: In front of the Social Club two weeks ago

 

[Pugz89]

Who has secured tickets to Mars?
Melanie Whelan
4 Jul 2017, 3:26 p.m.
FOOTBALL fans are bracing for a sell-out to the historic first AFL game for premiership points in Ballarat once tickets are released to the general public on Wednesday morning. The newly-named Mars Stadium can hold 11,000 supporters but host team Western Bulldogs is yet to confirm how many tickets have already been sold to their members for the August 19 clash.

Seats and general admission were thrown open to non-Ballarat Bulldogs members on Monday – and the reigning AFL premier has 46,567 signed-up to the pack. Until this week, the only way to guarantee a seat had been with a Ballarat three-game membership or Ballarat add-on, both of which are exclusively available to residents in western Victoria.

The match, against Port Adelaide, is shaping up to be a pivotal clash with both clubs still fighting for spots in the top-eight to play finals. Ballarat Bulldogs Supporters’ Group spokesman Shaun Kelly said most Bulldogs fans would be surprised if there were many, if any, tickets left for the general public.

“This is something that has seemed a bit of a pipe dream initially, but the stadium has really come along and now there’s a real excitement – and not just in Ballarat,” Mr Kelly said.

Public tickets go on sale from 10am with prices starting at $25 for adults and $50 for families in standing areas. Mr Kelly said there had been a real clamour for tickets in the Bulldogs’ cheer squad alone when places opened on June 21. He expected the result of Bulldogs’ members ticket sales to be similarly competitive.

Meanwhile, support for the Bulldogs in Ballarat is growing with more than 100 members in the Ballarat Bulldogs Supporters’ Group in what Mr Kelly said had been a 15 per cent increase on last year. This is the first year the group has become an official entity. Mr Kelly said there was now a strong Ballarat supporter community with a full Ballarat Bulldogs’ express bus to Melbourne games and exclusive match-day experiences and upgrades.

Paid up member of the Dogs and that group. Good guy is Shaun. Now the countdown is nearly done, these last few weeks will be exciting! I still need to suss out the TAC Cup/VFL fixture to see if I can get to a game, pre-AFL match.

 

[BEaston]

I agree and it's about the township taking or developing a sense of shared ownership in the club, as well as building an emotional bond. These things don't happen over night, but they will if the Bulldogs are in for the long haul. Today's kids are a decade from now the clubs's future young members.

I mean it's obvious to most but unfortunately some people's long term outlook means looking past their nose.

 

[Snarls Barkley]

Are tickets for this game sold out already? Went to get some then and I can only see resale

 

[Mattdougie]

I mean it's obvious to most but unfortunately some people's long term outlook means looking past their nose.

The only thing that is obvious is that if I thought this was a good idea you wouldn't.

This is a gamble with no promise of success at all and sorry 15 new members doesn't really excite me or send a great positive message for the future.

I actually hope I'm wrong but this has failure written all over it.

 

[Roogal]

Are tickets for this game sold out already? Went to get some then and I can only see resale

I reckon that they would have sold out quickly, they'd be the hottest tickets in Ballarat

 

[Mattdougie]

I reckon that they would have sold out quickly, they'd be the hottest tickets in Ballarat

I didn't hear a lot of rooms are booked in Ballarat for that night so it's suggests many are coming from outside Ballarat area

 

[Pugz89]

The only thing that is obvious is that if I thought this was a good idea you wouldn't.

This is a gamble with no promise of success at all and sorry 15 new members doesn't really excite me or send a great positive message for the future.

I actually hope I'm wrong but this has failure written all over it.

The exact definition of a gamble is that there is no promise of success. If success was guaranteed, it wouldn't be called a gamble.

 

[Mattdougie]

The end act definition of a gamble is no promise of success. If success was guaranteed, it would otherwise be called a gamble.

Absolutely ans that is my point mate

No one can guarantee this will work and as I've said id rather not try it but the club has so onwards and upwards I guess

 

[Snarls Barkley]

I reckon that they would have sold out quickly, they'd be the hottest tickets in Ballarat

Oh well. Thought they would have gotten rid of that 'legalised scalping' thing that Ticketmaster has after the GWS prelim fiasco but clearly they haven't addressed it

 

[Roogal]

I didn't hear a lot of rooms are booked in Ballarat for that night so it's suggests many are coming from outside Ballarat area

I imagine that the bulk of the crowd would be from Melbourne/Geelong and Ballarat area. The game starts at 1.45 pm and the final siren goes around 4.30 pm so plenty of time to get back to Melbourne and everywhere else (by about sunset (5.52 pm in Ballarat 19 August 2017)) for a night out. I would assume that the ardent Port Supporters will largely come across as an over-nighter on the Friday night as they do for the Simonds Stadium games, and travel back to Adelaide after the game. You'd possibly anticipate that maybe a couple of hundred may book in overnight ... but then I am only guessing too. I will be as interested as everybody else to see what the crowd breakdown looks like after game and to see what sort of a spike (if much) the local hospitality sector gets from the game. It'll be interesting to see what the breakdown of the crowd is (in terms of where they are from).

It'll be interesting.

 

[Roogal]

Oh well. Thought they would have gotten rid of that 'legalised scalping' thing that Ticketmaster has after the GWS prelim fiasco but clearly they haven't addressed it

It's very hard to address because the there simply aren't enough human resources to address it. I have to agree that the GWS prelim final last year was a total joke. That game should have been played at least at the SCG, it's not about playing a final at a home ground but in the home city. Otherwise, how ridiculous would it be if Geelong insisted that they play finals at the 40,000 capacity Simonds Stadium in Victoria where we have two stadiums that hold 50,000+ for finals?

 

[Mattdougie]

I imagine that the bulk of the crowd would be from Melbourne/Geelong and Ballarat area. The game starts at 1.45 pm and the final siren goes around 4.30 pm so plenty of time to get back to Melbourne and everywhere else (by about sunset) for a night out. I would assume that the ardent Port Supporters will largely come across as an over-nighter on the Friday night as they do for the Simonds Stadium games, and travel back to Adelaide after the game. You'd possibly anticipate that maybe a couple of hundred may book in overnight ... but then I am only guessing too. I will be as interested as everybody else to see what the crowd breakdown looks like after game and to see what sort of a spike (if much) the local hospitality sector gets from the game. It'll be interesting to see what the breakdown of the crowd is (in terms of where they are from).

It'll be interesting.

What's the quality of the lights at the stadium? Are they good enough to play under? Perhaps it should be a 4 pm start and the AFL to encourage people to stay in Ballarat for the night or for dinner after the game

 

[Snarls Barkley]

It's very hard to address because the there simply aren't enough human resources to address it.

It shouldn't be too hard to stop. You should only be able to put tickets up for resale at cost price. There is 35 tickets available at resale for 3 times the cost price

 

[Mattdougie]

I imagine that the bulk of the crowd would be from Melbourne/Geelong and Ballarat area. The game starts at 1.45 pm and the final siren goes around 4.30 pm so plenty of time to get back to Melbourne and everywhere else (by about sunset) for a night out. I would assume that the ardent Port Supporters will largely come across as an over-nighter on the Friday night as they do for the Simonds Stadium games, and travel back to Adelaide after the game. You'd possibly anticipate that maybe a couple of hundred may book in overnight ... but then I am only guessing too. I will be as interested as everybody else to see what the crowd breakdown looks like after game and to see what sort of a spike (if much) the local hospitality sector gets from the game. It'll be interesting to see what the breakdown of the crowd is (in terms of where they are from).

It'll be interesting.

What's the quality of the lights at the stadium? Are they good enough to play under? Perhaps it should be a 4 pm start and the AFL to encourage people to stay in Ballarat for the night or for dinner after the game

 

[Roogal]

What's the quality of the lights at the stadium? Are they good enough to play under? Perhaps it should be a 4 pm start and the AFL to encourage people to stay in Ballarat for the night or for dinner after the game

Matt, that is a very good question, the lights aren't to AFL broadcasting standard (1500 lux). They are fitted so far for VFL professional standard and are about 50% brighter than those currently at the Whitten Oval (which also meets VFL standard). Like the Whitten Oval they do have space and capacity to be upgraded in the future if needed to about 600 lux. But also they are fitting very new generation high intensity LED spotlights around the edges of the roof line of the new higher stand which literally doubles the brightness of the ground around the boundaries projecting abiut 40 metres inward onto the field. In the future with the larger stand built around 60-70% of the arena, then the whole arena will be very bright at the edges with potentially 600 lux of lighting to be redirected at the centre of the oval.

At worst at the moment, there is ample lighting to illuminate the ground to appear much brighter and amplify the colours of the players and surface on a dull Ballarat day.

The images below show what the current 300 lux illuminated oval looks like. As I said, the four existing towers do have reserved capacity to double that.

You can see below that the LED spotlights direct concentrated light onto key parts of the field to prevent shadowing that result from the grandstand roof-line by either afternoon sun or from the light towers projecting downward. Also when you look at the rear of the stand, there are high intensity LED lights that will project upward to illuminate under the roof to create daylight conditions under the stand during games. There are coloured LED spotlights to the rear of the stand that will illuminate the geometric panels during night games. Imagine them all lit up in red and blue?

Keep in mind that the ground is only built to its first stage and there is still a long way to go to build it to its full potential, but the potential is enormous and will become a source of pride for locals and I believe the Bulldogs supporters in time.

Light towers are presently fitted with 21 globes and have spare capacity for up to 36 without any structural modification to the towers: