Western Bulldogs want in on possible future Good Friday AFL game

[fargy]

Essendon has big supporters in a few papers. Anyone that thinks Connelly is objective is kidding themselves.

 

[paul scholes]

We had More members than Norf in the late 2000's.
We were flying they were battling. Swings and roundabouts

 

[paul scholes]

North Melbourne CEO is on SEN saying that Carlton and North are a long way into discussions about how it would work for them. Said he understands the Bulldogs perspective but the amount of work they have already done with Carlton should have an impact on the decision. Funnily enough no mention of discussions with the AFL except 'we deserve it because we thought of it first years ago'.

Apparently because Carlton are close to the RCH it's also a good reason.
I've heard of long bows, but that is right up there.
We'll I suppose since the then Footscray football club first instigated multicultural day , we should have the only dibs on it.while we're at it our club also instigated a care for kids program, maybe we should get some sort of royalty for that.
The game should be between two small market clubs to generate some revenue, so message to North Melbourne don't get ahead of yourself , you're still a small market team.

 

[Bont2Bruce]

Man I will be that pissed if Carlton get it. Lets ******* flog them this week to show the AFL we will be better than them in the coming years, which we already know...

Not as angry as I will be if Essendon get a gig on Good Friday.

 

[doggies ftw]

Not as angry as I will be if Essendon get a gig on Good Friday.

Yep not even close!

 

[TBOW]

You would hope that our track record of community involvement & charitable work would have some bearing on the decision.
Without doing any research I think we have been leaders in this area for a long time, where teams like Carlton & Essendon have only ever cared about Carlton & Essendon.

I also think it's pretty pathetic that North are clinging so closely to Carlton's coat tails on this. Reeks of a team that has no confidence in it's own supporters creating a blockbuster environment.
Watch how quickly Carlton will push North to the gutter if they get a sniff of a Carlton Essendon game.

 

[fargy]

On my twitter timeline the majority want a North Bulldogs game. That includes quite a lot of Essendon supporters.

 

[TBOW]

On my twitter timeline the majority want a North Bulldogs game. That includes quite a lot of Essendon supporters.

It sounded the same on SEN this morning except for the typical entitled Essendon fans & Dermie who is the biggest knob in football media.

 

[lah1996]

Article from Fox Sports News

Essendon emerges as serious contender to play on Good Friday

ESSENDON has emerged as a serious contender to play in a historic Good Friday game as the AFL attempts to start the 2015 season with a bang.

The AFL seems determined to push back the season until the first week of April as a twilight Good Friday game looks increasingly likely.

Essendon ticks several boxes as a loyal Etihad Stadium tenant which pulls big crowds and is based in the inner northern suburbs near the Royal Children’s Hospital.

The return of the prodigal son James Hird will also have massive drawing power if the Bombers dodge infraction notices and he is the 2015 Essendon coach.

Essendon already has two marquee games — the April 25 Anzac Day clash against Collingwood and the Dreamtime at the ‘G fixture against Richmond.

But as much as the AFL wants to help develop marquee games for struggling clubs, it also believes maximising revenue through blockbusters will allow it to raise money to distribute across the 18 teams.



Are you serious??
Essendon already have two big games Anzac Day and the dreamtime. We have none.
They are a big name club. We aren't.
And most importantly they have cheated and used drugs. We haven't.
I think this is a pretty compelling argument as to why we should be part of the Good Friday game over Essendon.

 

[LondonBulldog]

If Essendon get this gig, Gordon will need to change his approach.
Forgot Marquee games, timeslots, exposure as the AFL is a business and the key posts and performance are run by people pushing their KPI’s and bonuses just like most business.
He should now focus solely on the distribution of the revenue earned. Eg: Push for equal gate receipts like in the NFL. Its not right but it hasn't been equal for years now at least push had for what we deserve in revenue.

 

[Dogs_r_barking]

Susan Alberti has been heavily involved with Junior Diabetes for years, raising money for this cause. This should put us in good stead for the Children's Hospital telethon you would think?

 

[Leon]

Flogs I tell ya

Essendon and Norf supporters, both as obnoxious and delusional as the other, not just on this issue but everything

Can't stand either of them

 

[Cudi]

After all the crap Essendon put the AFL and the AFL fans through last year they want to be showcased in yet another game??

Please please please Dogs beat them this year.

 

[TimC]

Article from Fox Sports News

Essendon emerges as serious contender to play on Good Friday

ESSENDON has emerged as a serious contender to play in a historic Good Friday game as the AFL attempts to start the 2015 season with a bang.

The AFL seems determined to push back the season until the first week of April as a twilight Good Friday game looks increasingly likely.

Essendon ticks several boxes as a loyal Etihad Stadium tenant which pulls big crowds and is based in the inner northern suburbs near the Royal Children’s Hospital.

The return of the prodigal son James Hird will also have massive drawing power if the Bombers dodge infraction notices and he is the 2015 Essendon coach.

Essendon already has two marquee games — the April 25 Anzac Day clash against Collingwood and the Dreamtime at the ‘G fixture against Richmond.

But as much as the AFL wants to help develop marquee games for struggling clubs, it also believes maximising revenue through blockbusters will allow it to raise money to distribute across the 18 teams.



Are you serious??
Essendon already have two big games Anzac Day and the dreamtime. We have none.
They are a big name club. We aren't.
And most importantly they have cheated and used drugs. We haven't.
I think this is a pretty compelling argument as to why we should be part of the Good Friday game over Essendon.

Can't believe how absolutely stupid Essendon are. They are the only ones who see James Hird returning as a good thing. He is poision to the game and especially his club.

 

[amnesiac]

Cannot blame Essendon for wanting what is best for their club.

 

[timtamWB]

Cannot blame Essendon for wanting what is best for their club.

Said James Hird before injecting their players with illegal substances that could harm their wellbeing.

Damn straight we can blame them, they have shown no integrity or care for anyone except themselves, and to put them on Good Friday for a FUNDRAISER is a complete farce.

 

[Dogs_r_barking]

I think the Essendon football club needs more exposure - said nobody ever.

 

[Cudi]

Cannot blame Essendon for wanting what is best for their club.

But Essendon don't even need it, most of their supporters have said they would rather give it to another club

It just seems like they want a part of it so someone else doesn't

 

[Dogs_r_barking]

But Essendon don't even need it, most of their supporters have said they would rather give it to another club

It just seems like they want a part of it so someone else doesn't

Yeah it's called greed, takes us away from noticing that they haven't been a serious threat for over a decade now.

 

[boydsno1]

If the AFL turn us down as say that having a bigger drawing team will be better as we will just receive a share from that game then that's crap. A cash handout won't give us exposure, a cash handout won't get us new members. Playing in these sort of games will.

 

[Tas]

If you ask North they've been looking at Good Friday for years. Carlton have been just as late to the party as us.

Interestingly, the only party that is saying lock it in to be North v Carlton, Carlton have wanted it for 20 years - is Carlton.



I actually hadn't considered that. It's been pretty concrete that it'll be played at Etihad, so I'm not sure how that'll work in tandem with the appeal.

We had been banging on for close to 30 years with good friday games, I think the last proposal that almost got approved was the game vs carlton and it has been dead in the water ever since AD was the CEO.

I think the close proximity to the RCH is mostly a gimmick to sell the concept, I don't think either clubs have strong ties with the RCH and should have long before now if they wanted a moral high ground.

I don't really see Good Friday as a blockbuster, there is the opportunity to play during the day on Friday but I would also like to see an interstate night game on the Friday as well.

I don't really care if we play on good friday or not, club obviously wants access to the potential money but if it gets taxed to shit and another chunk goes to the RCH appeal then not sure it will be radically better outside of television ratings.

However, I think it would be better for the AFL to help promote smaller clubs so we build them up rather than rely on a handful of clubs.

 

[TheHoneyBadger]

We had been banging on for close to 30 years with good friday games, I think the last proposal that almost got approved was the game vs carlton and it has been dead in the water ever since AD was the CEO.

I think the close proximity to the RCH is mostly a gimmick to sell the concept, I don't think either clubs have strong ties with the RCH and should have long before now if they wanted a moral high ground.

I don't really see Good Friday as a blockbuster, there is the opportunity to play during the day on Friday but I would also like to see an interstate night game on the Friday as well.

I don't really care if we play on good friday or not, club obviously wants access to the potential money but if it gets taxed to shit and another chunk goes to the RCH appeal then not sure it will be radically better outside of television ratings.

However, I think it would be better for the AFL to help promote smaller clubs so we build them up rather than rely on a handful of clubs.

The exposure is the key. I don't want to get extra cash to float us along and not help us get anywhere.
Ideally, for me, there's a North-Bulldogs game at 4:40 on FTA leading into a Showdown/Derby in SA/WA, to keep the anti-Victoria whingers quiet. The appeal can still take precedence that night on FTA in Victoria.

 

[Tas]

The exposure is the key. I don't want to get extra cash to float us along and not help us get anywhere.
Ideally, for me, there's a North-Bulldogs game at 4:40 on FTA leading into a Showdown/Derby in SA/WA, to keep the anti-Victoria whingers quiet. The appeal can still take precedence that night on FTA in Victoria.

I think the problem we have is that we will struggle to get a 'blockbuster' unless there is a Collingwood, Essendon or Carlton involved and am sure that was the motivation for us trying to originally get Carlton involved.

The problem is every club can mount a case for having a crack at any desirable timeslot. I think what clubs like North, Dogs and Saints in particular need to do is emphasise to the AFL that an equal competition is better than a lopsided and that is not just on-field, off-field as well.

The current policy to give preferential FTA exposure, premier timeslot access and the like artificially inflates the supporter base of the clubs who get the preferential treatment. We can't ask our sponsors for $5m each because we don't have the exposure, there is no compensation for that. When a kid turns on the TV and is first exposed to footy and he sees Collingwood, Essendon and Carlton non-stop then they are going to lean towards the teams that are on TV, our clubs only get better access when we approach the premiership window.

The priority should be to build North, Dogs and Saints to a sustainable 50k membership base in Victoria, when any club can fill out Docklands when they play an interstate team and when any two Victorian teams fill out the MCG then every week will be a blockbuster, too much revolves around 3 clubs and they are complicit in terms of dragging the competition down by having it lopsided.

Our clubs are just incompetent in terms of uniting with eachother and using the combined support of the smaller clubs to have the kind of voice we should have. Clubs just look out for their own skin and do not do enough to look out for eachother.

 

[TheHoneyBadger]

I think the problem we have is that we will struggle to get a 'blockbuster' unless there is a Collingwood, Essendon or Carlton involved and am sure that was the motivation for us trying to originally get Carlton involved.

The problem is every club can mount a case for having a crack at any desirable timeslot. I think what clubs like North, Dogs and Saints in particular need to do is emphasise to the AFL that an equal competition is better than a lopsided and that is not just on-field, off-field as well.

The current policy to give preferential FTA exposure, premier timeslot access and the like artificially inflates the supporter base of the clubs who get the preferential treatment. We can't ask our sponsors for $5m each because we don't have the exposure, there is no compensation for that. When a kid turns on the TV and is first exposed to footy and he sees Collingwood, Essendon and Carlton non-stop then they are going to lean towards the teams that are on TV, our clubs only get better access when we approach the premiership window.

The priority should be to build North, Dogs and Saints to a sustainable 50k membership base in Victoria, when any club can fill out Docklands when they play an interstate team and when any two Victorian teams fill out the MCG then every week will be a blockbuster, too much revolves around 3 clubs and they are complicit in terms of dragging the competition down by having it lopsided.

Our clubs are just incompetent in terms of uniting with eachother and using the combined support of the smaller clubs to have the kind of voice we should have. Clubs just look out for their own skin and do not do enough to look out for eachother.

Agree 100%.
Finding the main board's thread to be particularly frustrating - one supporter in particular believing their club is entitled to every blockbuster so long as they're the biggest club, based on some fabricated membership statistics. By the same token, should Richmond get to a point where they're bigger than Collingwood, is it time for an Anzac Day re-think? There's no logical manner to the argument. You can't play the tradition card and the logic card at the same time, particularly as either an Essendon or Collingwood supporter.

 

[Tas]

Agree 100%.
Finding the main board's thread to be particularly frustrating - one supporter in particular believing their club is entitled to every blockbuster so long as they're the biggest club, based on some fabricated membership statistics. By the same token, should Richmond get to a point where they're bigger than Collingwood, is it time for an Anzac Day re-think? There's no logical manner to the argument. You can't play the tradition card and the logic card at the same time, particularly as either an Essendon or Collingwood supporter.

It is hilarious when you hear Collingwood and Essendon supporters say they should keep ANZAC day because they put all the effort to develop it to what it is, yet are okay with North having Friday night games taken away from us 'for the good of the game' when we were the ones who developed it to be a premier timeslot and the other clubs bitched, moaned and complained that they didn't want to play us on Friday nights as the away team.

We lost a fair bit of money early on building it up and the AFL took it off us while we were still in the premiership window and drawing big 60-70k games when we played teams who were playing well.

It is just a lost opportunity, AFL went for sure beats and safety and it has cost the competition badly. Round 22, 1998, Dogs and North 1 and 2 on the ladder, Friday night game, 68k, one of the best home and away games, a lot of support for both clubs, what could have been if the AFL moved in and helped the clubs to promote themselves, draw more support here. They went the opposite direction, forced us both to near insolvency, given horrible timeslots, forced to sell games off, our supporter bases shrunk, didn't have the resources to put more into the on-field let alone to promote the clubs, build up the supporter base.

Attitudes have changed but the mindset has to move away from lifetime handouts to building an equitable competition with 10 strong Victorian clubs.