Western Sydney next

[kookadog]

They don't need too many more incentives to start smacking each other in the nose, apparently.

If any of this is true, some things to look out for:

- Increased AFL discussion on the importance of the WS region
- Softening up of Footscray people via press about the difficulty of the Melbourne market and the goldmine awiating a move to WS
- Demetriou spending any more time than normal with Footscray people or talking about CBF payments.

If this is true, the tactics they'll use to undermine your football club will blow you away. Snakes, the lot of 'em.

Our club and board are dedicated to Western Melbourne, we should just flatly reject it. We've seen what the AFL did to North, it would be crazy to go down a similar path.

the club might play with the AFL in accepting a package and contract, knowing it will never agree to a permanent move, there is alot of money available (North's $700k per game). But it's a messy business and will cause concern among supporters (though it may have the effect of boosting membership due to fear).

 

[Dry Rot]

This is the bit I don't get.

So blokes in Sydney's Western Suburbs who have been following Parramatta for 40 years are suddenly going to start following AFL? Sorry Vlad, ain't going to happen.

Totally agree - it's "aerial pingpong" to them.

Melbourne's West has as many people there as Sydney's West and is growing just as fast, but is full of people who already follow Australian Rules. Melbourne's West also doesn't have Parramatta, Penrith, Canterbury or West Sydney Razorbacks already there fighting for support either.

Don't forget the West Tigers too.

The AFL heartland in Sydney, such as it is, is the Eastern Suburbs and parts of the Inner West and North Shore.

And that's it.

 

[WIGNEY]

Pesonally if we play 4 'home' games in Sydney I dont have a problem as long as:

the financial benefit is significant - such as Tassie hawks.
We ditch Darwin.
We ditch Canberra.
The Sydney games are against sides such as Fremantle, Port Adelaide, Brisbane/Melb and Sydney - traditionally low crowd drawing games where we lose money.

We have the re development happening so our base is in Melb, we are always up against it as far as raising money the so called power clubs can. Development of the bulldogs brand in growing areas such as Caroline Springs, Hillside etc etc is all well and good. Even if we win a flag in the next few years there are no guarantees we will be financially sound. It may take 20 years. Maybe thats too long...

Is it really so bad to ditch the Darwin, Canberra rubbish- play the 4 games in Sydney and make some serious money- Do we really have a home ground advantage at the dome against the sides I mentioned above? Could we not develop a home ground advantage against these sides in Sydney? - besides the Swans of course.

Anyways each to their own I guess. I am not too upset if its true. Yep, there may be some conjecture on whether or not this is the beginning of the Western Sydney Bulldogs. For mine thats along way off. Then again if the survival of our club in any form in future years depended on us becoming the Western Sydney Bulldogs would I support them? Hell Yeah.
And I might just look back and say what a good decision it was all those years ago to put our toe in the water in Sydney as the alternative may have been becoming the next Fitzroy.

That was my first post for 2008. Man I feel alive. Off the smokes, back on big footy. What more could you ask for in life!!

Abuse me at will!

 

[Dry Rot]

Pesonally if we play 4 'home' games in Sydney I dont have a problem as long as:

the financial benefit is significant - such as Tassie hawks.
We ditch Darwin.
We ditch Canberra.
The Sydney games are against sides such as Fremantle, Port Adelaide, Brisbane/Melb and Sydney - traditionally low crowd drawing games where we lose money.

But why will the AFL be willing to pay us heaps and lose even more money with tiny crowds?

BTW, Homebush is quite different to the Dome - long and skinny. The Swans are very good at employing a midfield flood across the skinny ground.

Upside I suppose is that it is good to watch footy at, but I question what atmosphere a crowd of 4k will generate there.

 

[gohardorgohome]

Western Sydney is the worst region of Australia IMO. Take the four least inviting suburbs of Melbourne multiply the area by fifteen, add two and a half million people who have no interest in aussie rules and you should have a picture of what it’s like. I go there a bit for work and hate the place with a passion.

Someone earlier mentioned that the Northern Beaches, Eastern suburbs and Inner West of Sydney have a small AFL culture. That culture took 25 years to develop. This is correct but no one out west in Sydney gives a damn. They like Rugby League because it is easy for them to follow. They have no idea about Aussie Rules.

It’s not like Hawthorn and Tassie with an AFL culture. There are not many expat Victorians living there like the Gold Coast. Remember when North played a few games in Sydney six or so years back? No one went. That’s what it will be like. They only get 12000 or so to a Canterbury Bulldogs game. That club plays it's games in the heartland of Rugby League.


A terrible idea that we should not even contemplate.

 

[RoyalBlue]

Our club and board are dedicated to Western Melbourne, we should just flatly reject it. We've seen what the AFL did to North, it would be crazy to go down a similar path.

the club might play with the AFL in accepting a package and contract, knowing it will never agree to a permanent move, there is alot of money available (North's $700k per game). But it's a messy business and will cause concern among supporters (though it may have the effect of boosting membership due to fear).

Mate I've got a leaked image of the prototype stadium they'll have you playing in:

FFS, do not take the AFl up on it's offer.

 

[kookadog]

Mate I've got a leaked image of the prototype stadium they'll have you playing in:

FFS, do not take the AFl up on it's offer.

Haha, brilliant, it's got a roof just like telstra Dome.

 

[Mr Reliable]

Pesonally if we play 4 'home' games in Sydney I dont have a problem as long as:

the financial benefit is significant - such as Tassie hawks.
We ditch Darwin.
We ditch Canberra.
The Sydney games are against sides such as Fremantle, Port Adelaide, Brisbane/Melb and Sydney - traditionally low crowd drawing games where we lose money.

We have the re development happening so our base is in Melb, we are always up against it as far as raising money the so called power clubs can. Development of the bulldogs brand in growing areas such as Caroline Springs, Hillside etc etc is all well and good. Even if we win a flag in the next few years there are no guarantees we will be financially sound. It may take 20 years. Maybe thats too long...

Is it really so bad to ditch the Darwin, Canberra rubbish- play the 4 games in Sydney and make some serious money- Do we really have a home ground advantage at the dome against the sides I mentioned above? Could we not develop a home ground advantage against these sides in Sydney? - besides the Swans of course.

Anyways each to their own I guess. I am not too upset if its true. Yep, there may be some conjecture on whether or not this is the beginning of the Western Sydney Bulldogs. For mine thats along way off. Then again if the survival of our club in any form in future years depended on us becoming the Western Sydney Bulldogs would I support them? Hell Yeah.And I might just look back and say what a good decision it was all those years ago to put our toe in the water in Sydney as the alternative may have been becoming the next Fitzroy.

That was my first post for 2008. Man I feel alive. Off the smokes, back on big footy. What more could you ask for in life!!

Abuse me at will!

If you don't mind me chipping in as a well meaning visitor with recent experience of these issues, at this stage there is no need to invite argument about those who will or won't support the club if it relocates. What you've got to ask when the time comes (and I hope that's never) is who is for and who is against relocation. Limit yourselves to this issue when the time comes and worry about ongoing support only if you lose the relocation battle.

The risk with the 4 games at Telstra Stadium thing (if it happens) is that the AFL and possibly people at your club will eventually push for more games because it's 'lucrative'. Soon you will be alienating your local supporters by playing too many home games interstate.

I'd always been lead to believe that you were selling your home games solely out of financial necessity and that this practice would stop as soon as you were no longer forced to do it. If that is correct I can't see how a longterm commitment to WS could be anything other than a major warning to you guys.

 

[#1 Dogs Fan]

Well what do you suggest we do to avoid this from happening if it is going to happen ?

Also what is your source mate ?

 

[trevagreene]

just announced on SEN sport news. Bulldogs investigating possibility of playing home games in Western Sydney next year. Rocket thinks its a fantastic idea.
Dont do it !!!!!! You dont need to.

 

[gokangas]

Get ready doggies because they will screw you like they tried to screw us.

Don't trust your club on this either - they will sell you out.

Four games in Western Sydney for lots of bucks sounds great but it simply means you lose four home games that you could normally go to, and it is only the deposit.

 

[NoName]

This begs the question.

Would you continue following the bulldogs if they relocated?

NO

 

[gokangas]

Eade is already talking it up on the news so the rumours are on the money.

Get ready to fight dogies.

 

[Dry Rot]

just announced on SEN sport news. Bulldogs investigating possibility of playing home games in Western Sydney next year. Rocket thinks its a fantastic idea.

I can't wait to hear his reasoning about that.

 

[The_Bulldogs_Bite]

Foolish thinking by Eade.

Should stay right away from anything that may give the AFL a reason to throw us out. Should of learnt from The Kangaroos.

Disappointing.

 

[gokangas]

Foolish thinking by Eade.

Should stay right away from anything that may give the AFL a reason to throw us out. Should of learnt from The Kangaroos.

Disappointing.

Just remember that if this is true (as it seems) then your own committee has been plotting this behind your backs for a long time, selling you out. Eade is coach and will do what the committee tells him.

 

[ALGY VOSILITIS]

NO

Jeez talk about panic mode ! now i am sure Campbell Rose has a few brains he wouldn't have done all that hard work with the Whitten oval redevopment to then have us based in sydney , he has said our future is in the WEST , the west of melbourne not sydney.
If there is something on the go it would be to our advantage ,
It would be a similar deal as Hawthorn has in TASSY , 9 HOME GAMES IN melbourne and 2 or 3 in SYDNEY, and scrap the Darwin and Canberra games , ps nobody talks about HAWTHORN moving to TASSY.

 

[Butane]

Just remember that if this is true (as it seems) then your own committee has been plotting this behind your backs for a long time, selling you out. Eade is coach and will do what the committee tells him.

Don't get me wrong, we appreciate the concern. Specially from supporters like yourselves who are all to familiar with it. But the way your saying it, it sounds like we should grab our torches and pitchforks and start marching down to Whitten Oval. We don't need the scare scaremongering......not just yet anyway. Keep the pitchforks sharp but keep them in the shed for the moment.

 

[fred cook]

Mate

Ben from brunswick will be all over talk back radio if this happens next week

Why would you announce this four weeks before a season and the fact that u play 0 home games Sydney this yearu .

Its not going to put faith in members or people that arent signed up yet

If we do it at least wait for awhile.

 

[Butane]

he wouldn't have done all that hard work with the Whitten oval redevopment to then have us based in sydney

This is the sticking point. We have a 20million dollar facility almost complete in an area of Melbourne that actually has room to grow.

 

[hujsh]

Mate

Ben from brunswick will be all over talk back radio if this happens next week

Why would you announce this four weeks before a season and the fact that u play 0 home games Sydney this yearu .

Its not going to put faith in members or people that arent signed up yet

If we do it at least wait for awhile.

Who's he and why should we care? I'm assuming SEN?

 

[flamethrower]

Where is all the proof? At the moment it is all rumour, speculation and hearsay.

If this turns out to be all BS, 3AW and SEN should be held accountable, and stripped of their licences.

If it turns out to be true, and our board have been doing all this without member approval, they should be removed and replaced immediately.

 

[Dry Rot]

Who's he and why should we care? I'm assuming SEN?

You don't know Benno?

 

[kookadog]

Jeez talk about panic mode ! now i am sure Campbell Rose has a few brains he wouldn't have done all that hard work with the Whitten oval redevopment to then have us based in sydney , he has said our future is in the WEST , the west of melbourne not sydney.
If there is something on the go it would be to our advantage ,
It would be a similar deal as Hawthorn has in TASSY , 9 HOME GAMES IN melbourne and 2 or 3 in SYDNEY, and scrap the Darwin and Canberra games , ps nobody talks about HAWTHORN moving to TASSY.

The AFL have said that Tassie is not on the agenda, but western sydney is.

The AFL have said their preference is to relocate rather than form new entities.

Do the math.

I just saw Eade on the TV today saying it was a good idea and we could do it like hawthorn.

I live 5 minutes from homebush and I don't like the idea.

 

[robaba]

I think the advice here is trust nobody.
This is how it started for the Roos.
Play 3 ,4, 10 games in GC over 3 years to get some easy money and the board were complicit in the whole idea.
Nobody from the board had the guts (or were paid ) to come out and say any thing definite about relocation matters.
Members of the media (probably payola) were also recruited by the AFL in the whole exercise to run the club down slowly.
This went on over 5 years.
Suddenly it was, "Oh you are basket cases - the only way to survive is to relocate"
Some of the most 'loyal' past players have been turncoats in this whole saga.
Stop this bullshit now. This will impact heavily on your membership numbers, if not this season but maybe next.

If you put a frog in warm water and boil it slowly it will think nothing is wrong and just eventually boil to death.

But of course the Western Bulldogs have the whole west of Melbourne and are safe.