Western Bulldogs and their partnership with Ballarat a success

[BallaratBulldog]

Sold out as of ten minutes ago.

 

[X_box_X]

Sold out as of ten minutes ago.

 

[Northernsoul74]

View attachment 1096168

But I thought no one was interested and it was going to be another “pathetic crowd”.

 

[NBates]

I wouldn't be too concerned with the weather on Saturday, it'll be a perfect mid Autumn day. About 15 degrees, a westerly wind and the chance of a couple of mm of rain likely later in the afternoon. It's supposed to be considerably worse in Melbourne on Sunday so make the most of Saturday.

That means it will be snowing in Ballarat

 

[Dale4captain]

But I thought no one was interested and it was going to be another “pathetic crowd”.

Isn't it only 8k max though? Not exactly bumper but I guess there's not much they could do with covid restrictions. Sad for people who missed out.

 

[TheBont]

What the **** I didn’t even get a chance to get a ticket? No email or anything? I’m a member. I’m so damn annoyed now.

I just read the last page and found out why. Still would’ve been nice to receive an email explaining how the tickets would be distributed. The doggies need better people working in their offices. The lack of information is what annoys me.

 

[Sentinel]

What the fu** I didn’t even get a chance to get a ticket? No email or anything? I’m a member. I’m so damn annoyed now.

I just read the last page and found out why. Still would’ve been nice to receive an email explaining how the tickets would be distributed. The doggies need better people working in their offices. The lack of information is what annoys me.

An email regarding ticketing for the Ballarat game went out on March 31. Did you not get that?

 

[MYOB]

What the fu** I didn’t even get a chance to get a ticket? No email or anything? I’m a member. I’m so damn annoyed now.

I just read the last page and found out why. Still would’ve been nice to receive an email explaining how the tickets would be distributed. The doggies need better people working in their offices. The lack of information is what annoys me.

I suggest you check your junk mail. An email went out to members

 

[Roogal]

That means it will be snowing in Ballarat

You bet

 

[Roogal]

What the fu** I didn’t even get a chance to get a ticket? No email or anything? I’m a member. I’m so damn annoyed now.

I just read the last page and found out why. Still would’ve been nice to receive an email explaining how the tickets would be distributed. The doggies need better people working in their offices. The lack of information is what annoys me.

Geezus and I thought that it was only the North Melbourne membership dept that did that kinda crap I'm feeling a whole lot less persecuted now

 

[NBates]

What the fu** I didn’t even get a chance to get a ticket? No email or anything? I’m a member. I’m so damn annoyed now.

I just read the last page and found out why. Still would’ve been nice to receive an email explaining how the tickets would be distributed. The doggies need better people working in their offices. The lack of information is what annoys me.

What exactly happened? Just interested.

You might want to post on WB facebook page & this page how many ticket's you're after in case ppl end up with spare...?

 

[Boyd oh Boyd]

I suggest you check your junk mail. An email went out to members

Not always. I haven't got an email since round 2. I haven't bothered to follow up cause I wasn't planning on going for a while. Sometimes I get member emails, sometimes I don't. It's pretty random.

 

[Mattdougie]

From today's Ballarat Courier: 5.30am 7th April 2021

Western Bulldogs start talks with City of Ballarat, state government over new Ballarat deal

The Western Bulldogs have started talks with the City of Ballarat and the Victorian government to renegotiate their deal to play home and away AFL games at Mars Stadium for the foreseeable future.

The Bulldogs' current five-year deal to play in Ballarat is due to expire at the end of the year, but the Sons of the West could be sticking around for another five years should talks progress. Western Bulldogs chief executive Ameet Bains told The Courier the club hoped to extend the deal out to 2026. "It's something where we absolutely love our relationship with the City of Ballarat and all of the different components of it, whether it's our community foundation, the community engagement, participation, schools, having the physical presence there on Mair Street, we think it's a wonderful partnership," he said. "We've grown our support in the region and for us, Ballarat is a strong, strategic part of our future."

The renegotiations come as the ladder-leading Bulldogs play arguably their biggest game so far this year when they host the Brisbane Lions on Saturday afternoon.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 128-point drubbing of North Melbourne while the Lions will be riding the momentum of a thrilling one-point win over Collingwood. With last year's Ballarat games cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it's the first time the Bulldogs have ran out onto the Mars Stadium turf since beating Adelaide in August 2019.

Mr Bains said a deal could be reached as soon as the end of the year.

"We're just starting that out now but I think there's great support from both the state government and the City of Ballarat for the Bulldogs to continue playing games in Ballarat, so if we can formalise that support over the coming weeks and months, we should be in a position to announce that hopefully before the end of the year," he said. "We see [Ballarat] as a big part of our future and of our backyard and we like to think that we command that region through western Melbourne, through western Victoria and Ballarat and the surrounding area's a really significant part of what we see as our community. We're just really excited to play at the venue and, as our players and football staff continue to say, it's one of the best if not the best surface in the country to play on, so from a players perspective, it's a privilege to come and play on the the deck out there at Mars Stadium."

City of Ballarat Mayor Daniel Moloney said talks were in the early stages and yet to be discussed by councillors or the executive team. "The deals we have had in the past with the Bulldogs have been great, including the first year of the deal being the premiership year so that was a bonus having that align beautifully," he said. "It's been great in a sense that it's not just about two games of football a year, but the discussions really would be about how we continue that it be a broader community benefit such as the programs that Bulldogs run with the Sons of the West and Daughters of the West".

Cr Moloney said council was also interested in hosting Bulldogs AFLW matches as part of a new deal. "Obviously, the women's league is doing extraordinarily well, there's huge interest in it, we think we've got a ground that is the perfect size for women's games as well. We've had a couple of practice games here but it'd be great to see some for points as well," he said. "It's definitely a partnership that we've valued over the the past five years but we will need to sit down and see what's on offer and then ultimately see if that's where we want to go for the next five years ahead. There's no suggestion we would ditch it at this stage... but the thing I do need to be careful on though is that it also hasn't been something we've sat down discussed as a councillor group, nor an executive team at council, yet because we don't yet have a full appreciation of the dollars or the deal itself, really."

A potentially renewed deal with the Western Bulldogs will play a large part in the revitalisation of the precinct around Mars Stadium.

"Our 2015 ten-year masterplan will be reviewed on that precinct later on this year and having a strong couple of anchor tenants and some good guaranteed ongoing events at Mars Stadium would probably be key to that," Cr Moloney said. "There's the sort of more micro-discussions with the Bulldogs in terms of what a deal would look like and there's the broader discussions as well in terms of what the whole precinct would look like so how you can not just get good bang for the buck at Mars Stadium, but how you can get that entire precinct humming really well and delivering a whole lot of big events. For instance, this weekend, we have the Vixens in town, a stone's throw away over at the basketball stadium as well, so what I'm talking about is a range of events that make sure that Mars Stadium and the new basketball stadium, a couple of great local assets, are used by elite as well as local people."

Can only hope talks fail and we get the 2 games back in Melbourne

 

[TheBont]

So I did get the email as sentinel suggested on the 31st. I forgot you have to pay extra to watch the ballarat games. Glad I’m not going now. 37$ add on? How about

 

[Packaged]

As posted earlier, I had all sorts of drama's getting the Ticketex website to recognise my membership number (I'm a Ballarat member) so I called the club and they were fantasitc, they have sorted me out with two tickets for the game - absolutly wrapt!!

 

[footscray1973]

As posted earlier, I had all sorts of drama's getting the Ticketex website to recognise my membership number (I'm a Ballarat member) so I called the club and they were fantasitc, they have sorted me out with two tickets for the game - absolutly wrapt!!

Are your references to Ticketex meant to say Ticketmaster, as that is the ticketing agency involved?

 

[Packaged]

Are your references to Ticketex meant to say Ticketmaster, as that is the ticketing agency involved?

Correct, my bad....

 

[Roogal]

Important info for those attending Saturday's game on Ballarat Council's website:

https://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/news/game-afl-action-returns-mars-stadium

Mars stadium will operate at 75% capacity for Saturday’s big game, with some 8,250 ticketholders allocated in two zones. This means patrons will not be able to walk around the venue and must stay in their designated zone.

Key points if you are attending the game:

• Download your mobile ticket before you arrive
• Use Ticket Forward to send tickets to the individuals attending within your group
• Do not sit in unsold marked seats in your bay as they are to remain empty
• Stay in your designated zone
• Enter via the right gate:
  • Gate 1 – Zone 1 (Eastern, Northern & SE Standing)
  • Gate 3 – Zone 2 (Western & SW Standing).

Additional transport services have been arranged for patrons seeking transport to Mars Stadium with a return bus shuttle service operating between the Ballarat Train Station and Mars Stadium from 11.30am.

From 3:00pm, the return shuttle bus service will depart Mars Stadium and will drop passengers in Sturt Street, opposite the Ballarat Town Hall. A second drop-off will be made in Lydiard St North across from the train station. 
 
Services are expected to operate until all patrons have left the ground.

 

[Dogs 13]

But I thought no one was interested and it was going to be another “pathetic crowd”.

We're undefeated, on top of the ladder against a preliminary finalist from last year. We'll be getting Friday nights soon.

8,335 capacity, let that sink in for a minute.

Our average crowd there is 8,394, so forgive me if I think this is the wrong direction for the vast majority of members given what we could have drawn elsewhere.

 

[lachy]

We're undefeated, on top of the ladder against a preliminary finalist from last year. We'll be getting Friday nights soon.

8,335 capacity, let that sink in for a minute.

Our average crowd there is 8,394, so forgive me if I think this is the wrong direction for the vast majority of members given what we could have drawn elsewhere.

Yep a big risk to turn away at least 20,000 members for dollars from the state government the year after lockdown. If anything should have been the Suns down there and not the Lions. Hope the dollars are really big

 

[Mattdougie]

We're undefeated, on top of the ladder against a preliminary finalist from last year. We'll be getting Friday nights soon.

8,335 capacity, let that sink in for a minute.

Our average crowd there is 8,394, so forgive me if I think this is the wrong direction for the vast majority of members given what we could have drawn elsewhere.

yeah 8500 people is a blockbuster crowd apparently


Couldnt drag me to support this game. It’s embarrassing

 

[Cadillac]

In before MattDougie complaining about today’s game being in Ballarat.

 

[ossie_21]

In before MattDougie complaining about today’s game being in Ballarat.

Far, far too late

 

[doggies ftw]

So I did get the email as sentinel suggested on the 31st. I forgot you have to pay extra to watch the ballarat games. Glad I’m not going now. 37$ add on? How about

No you have to pay, not extra. You bought a 9 game (or 3/6) membership.

This is really simple stuff I can’t believe people haven’t worked it out by round 4 ffs. You have a membership it allows you to purchase a ticket for free in your chosen area midweek before the game, If you have an away membership you’re allowed a general admission ticket for free. If you want to upgrade that ticket you pay.

Theres nothing complex or unusual about this system does everyone have to be babied and have their hand held by the club throughout the whole process every single week **** me swingin

edit: This is not referring to problems with Ticketmaster/ticketek, those systems are shithouse and a nightmare to use at the best of times. But that’s not the clubs fault.

 

[Cadillac]

No you have to pay, not extra. You bought a 9 game (or 3/6) membership.

This is really simple stuff I can’t believe people haven’t worked it out by round 4 ffs. You have a membership it allows you to purchase a ticket for free in your chosen area midweek before the game, If you have an away membership you’re allowed a general admission ticket for free. If you want to upgrade that ticket you pay.

Theres nothing complex or unusual about this system does everyone have to be babied and have their hand held by the club throughout the whole process every single week fu** me swingin

edit: This is not referring to problems with Ticketmaster/ticketek, those systems are shithouse and a nightmare to use at the best of times. But that’s not the clubs fault.

Lol f*****g spot on mate.