"Up yours Demetriou".....Brayshaw dismisses Gold C

[saintsRrising]

I actually think attendance and watching on TV is the key... these days it's the TV dollar and audience that's going to be the most valuable. Give the stations ratings, and you're the game that the sponsors will want, and the money will flow.

.

While I am not knocking the TV $$ as it is a vital income stream....in terms of club relocations it may aid the process...and not lessen it.

TV ratings can come from anyone sitting anywhere.....in any state...

Melbourne fans can watch a relocated Gold Coast Saints..

More fans watching the TV more.....and attending less and buying less memberships may in fact force an eventual relocation.




In terms of the pure argument of keeping the Saints in Melbourne...then what counts most is paid bums on seats and memberships.

[The Peanut]

The bit I still don't understand in all of this is the obsession with having a team on the Gold Coast.

Both the AFL and the NRL have tried to establish teams there previously, and both ultimately failed (the Bears moving to Brissie and merging with the Lions, and the old Gold Coast RL team just folding altogether).

Now the NRL is back there again, with massive assistance from the Qld Government (which, if they hadn't been forthcoming, would probably have seen the new team set up on the Central Coast of NSW instead).

For some reason I don't entirely understand, the AFL now wants to have another go. Sure, the Gold Coast is chock full of relocated Victorians, South Australians and Tasmanians, but they are mainly old folk and rusted on to supporting the clubs they have followed all their lives. Most of them aren't going to suddenly turn out to cheer for the Kangaroos (indeed, most of them probably prefer to watch AFL on a home entertainment system under the air-con), let alone a Gold Coast team with no tradition and which probably finishes on the bottom of the table for the first few years.

As far as I can see, it's all about Demetriou trying to find a future for a club that is dear to his heart. He's on the right track: there is no future for North Melbourne in Melbourne. They have been one of the more successful teams over the past few decades, but they have been able to attract relatively few additional fans to supplement their tiny core of long-term supporters.

They are deluded if they think that anything they can do now can change this: it's a long-term problem.

I agree that the AFL will struggle for the reasons you have stated and that is why it makes so much sense to move an established Victorian club up there.

The AFL have an agenda to move aussie rules into alian regions and the GC is perceived to be the next step. Sydney and Brisbane were basket cases to begin with and required enormous support from the AFL to establish them.

The Kangaroos have limited support in Melbourne and even St Kilda would struggle with membership figures if we didn't have the support of interstate and overseas members - you just have to see the home game attendances.

I really like the Roos and its a shame that they have corroded away over the years and I feel for the supporters, but I think that fancy pants Brayshaw is leading the club to oblivia.

Its not fair - but logical to take the AFL's package, add a few clauses and be the first Interstate club to have a strong home base and facilities in Melbourne. Manufacture a deal that provides Victorian members with much more than than Fitzroy and South's supporters got when their time was up. The AFL are desparate to establish this base.

[saintsRrising]

The bit I still don't understand in all of this is the obsession with having a team on the Gold Coast.

Both the AFL and the NRL have tried to establish teams there previously, and both ultimately failed (the Bears moving to Brissie and merging with the Lions, and the old Gold Coast RL team just folding altogether).

It is not an obsession...but if one has an agenda to strengthen a national competition then it is apretty logical move.

The population of the GC was about 250,00 back then....now it has doubled to 500,000


Not too far away the GC and the region around it will be over a million plus....


Back then AFL was largely unknown....now thanks to the Lions and AFL promotions it is alot more known...witha lot more kids playing it.

Just witness the number of players who come from Qld now who are entering the AFL.


On the other hand there are too many teams squabbling in Melbourne for too few members and sponsors.....



The AFl needs to takea long term view.......and to adress the imbalance either by less teams in Melbourne....or more teams elsewhere...ora combination of the two.



If you look elsewhere....the Gold Coast Region is the most logical place in Aus.



and not just for the above reasons but also due to:

*lots of ex-Vics and other Aussie Rules States people there...they may not follow a new AFl team passionately...but their kids sure will..

*While the Gold caost is not my ide of holiday heaven...it is for many....and fans will fly in fora weeks holday anda game...or even two as per the smart FF ide of back to back games. I can easily imagine that thousands will make ita winter tradition to fly in for aweeks holidays (whereas for Tassie no they would not insuch numbers)

*It is well served by flights...and with Tger airways, Air Asia joining JetStar and Virgin there is now plenty of cheap seats going there making ita lot more viable for the vaerage fan to fly in..


*it getsa game each week in Wld (now this could be at the GABBA only)...but their are the other aadvantages of having half in the GC...and many people would not want to holiday in Brisbane).

[saintsRrising]

and that is why it makes so much sense to move an established Victorian club up there.

.

Yes I agree that relocating an existing club gives youa big head start.....and hence why the AFL made such an attractive offer to the Roos.

[saintsRrising]

I really like the Roos and its a shame that they have corroded away over the years and I feel for the supporters, but I think that fancy pants Brayshaw is leading the club to oblivia.

Its not fair - but logical to take the AFL's package, add a few clauses and be the first Interstate club to have a strong home base and facilities in Melbourne. Manufacture a deal that provides Victorian members with much more than than Fitzroy and South's supporters got when their time was up. The AFL are desparate to establish this base.

Indeed.....the Roos had an opportunity to really take advantage of the AFL...as the AFL was desperate to havea team up there.

At this point in time they could have strucka truly amazing deal witha minimum number of games in Melbourne guarantee...and other benefits which in the past the AFl would not give...nor would it in the future.



....whereas on the other hand as Bam!1 has posted after an initial blaze of glory what is much more likely to occur is that the Roos will be facing oblivion in say 5 years time.

with the new GC team then established to AFL will not be propping up Melbourne teams any more....

One HUGE advantage that the roos have over St Kilda...is that they have a very strong symbol in the Kangaroos..

With us it is manly our name and colors....as there basically is true Saint mascot or imagery...even the stick figure was taking off us.


The rub and sticking point for the Roos is that they would lose North Melbourne...but then unless someting remarkable occurs they will probably lose that and everything else within 5 years.

Still that is therir decision..it is their club....if they choose oblivion it is their choice.....and if they avert oblivion it will be by their own actions

However I cannot but wonder if those that went last night might not have been biased in numbers by those very passionate about staying.

many that I have spoken with have though that they should go...but were glum about it.

I wonder whata true voote of members would have showed??

[4theluvoftheclub]

I have it on good authority that there will be no change to the roos fixtured games...or at least most of them, next year, and so no team( us, filth etc) will be playing there next year...but 2009 will be up for grabs.

[Duggie]

Highest praise from me to Brayshaw and his group for telling Dimwitriou where to go, and also for going back to the traditional name of the club.
I have always admired North for its spirit and I just hope it can revive after this shake-up.

[rogerwa]

dont feel sorry for north supporters...north will go to the gc & the afl WILL MAKE SURE THEY SUCCEED as they have done with bris/syd & 99% of there current members will be basking in the glory (flag)they will surely get...something they will never achieve as long as their backside points to the ground by staying in melb

massive tv rights,exposure,sponsorship etc etc to be gained by the afl sending them north...nothing to be gained by them staying in melb

just wish it was us heading that way

repeat the warning....dont feel sorry for them cause they will give us some hidings down the track just as the bears have done...& to make matters worse bloody riewoldt & gilbert will be in their lineup

stuff em or the 17th club that comes along

[st_Trav_ofWA]

what good is having spirit f you dont put your money where your mouth is ?? it pisses me off how ppl go on and on how loyal the north fans are lets look at it the bought their first flag and even though they had success in the 90's they still cant keep members where as you look at us we worked our ass off for our first flag and we havent had one since we have had ears at the bottom and almost been squeezed out of existance but our loyal fans dug deep and pulled us out of the mire ... in all honesty if north had half the passion and love for the club as the saints supporters do four st kilda they wouldnt be in this mess

[BAM! (shhhh)]

I actually think attendance and watching on TV is the key... these days it's the TV dollar and audience that's going to be the most valuable. Give the stations ratings, and you're the game that the sponsors will want, and the money will flow.

.

While I am not knocking the TV $$ as it is a vital income stream....in terms of club relocations it may aid the process...and not lessen it.

TV ratings can come from anyone sitting anywhere.....in any state...

Melbourne fans can watch a relocated Gold Coast Saints..

More fans watching the TV more.....and attending less and buying less memberships may in fact force an eventual relocation.

In terms of the pure argument of keeping the Saints in Melbourne...then what counts most is paid bums on seats and memberships.

Keep in mind we've moved into an age of more local content on TV. For example if yuo're up in Brisbane, Friday night football isn't AFL. You don't get the 5th quarter, you don't have an entire Saturday saturated with AFL coverage. To follow AFL in queensland, you really need Foxtel/Austar (locals, please jump in and correct me if I'm wrong).

Basically, a team on the Gold coast expands the national scope for AFL on free to air TV. It's not going to shrink any in Melbourne, but can be grown in QLD. Which IMO is the answer for those asking about the "obsession" with the Gold Coast... another team garnering more interest means more total airtime means more TV sponsorship money.

As for Melbourne fans watching the Gold Coast whoevers, and locals not converting allegiances from other AFL teams, the examples are Fitzroy and the Lions. Die hard Fitzroy supporters converted, and the Lions get better Melbourne attendance than the Roos do (3 premierships probably helped with that)... however it certainly not like the Lions (or Swans) have anywhere near as many Melbourne based fans as any Melbourne team. but the state of TV coverage in QLD has seen many AFL fans end up Lions supporters, because it's what they can get.

I don't mean to belittle attendance and membership - every membership helps (not least because it's 90% attendees), it gives a number the club can point to, it gives them a barometer of success, and of course puts money directly into the club while creating a community around that club... but at the end of the day, it's going to be TV ratings plus attendance to measure viability and hence relocation. If Roos fans had showed up for the last 10 years, they'd be in a much stronger position.

[saintsRrising]

I have it on good authority that there will be no change to the roos fixtured games...or at least most of them, next year, and so no team( us, filth etc) will be playing there next year...but 2009 will be up for grabs.

I assume you mean...other than what is already fixtured as we are already playing the Roos there...

Round 14 - Split Round
AFL Round 14 St Kilda Sat Jun 28 Kangaroos Gold Coast Stadium Away 7:10pm Ten
And yes 2008 cannot be changed now as memberships, seats, sponosrships etc are all already being sold etc. changing things now would be very complicated and messy...and as we know from the posts on airfares many fans have already boaught cheap airfares in advance to attend games...

[barks4eva]

pffft... this is rich

the kangaroos supporters have neglected and not given a cr@p about that club since the 70s and r now jumping on the bandwagon... this will last 2 years tops until they implode into the rabble that they are

[cwrcyn]

If the Kangaroos don't want the deal, then I'd take it. Consider this:


Massive AFL support (which we've never had)

Huge injection of cash over a long period (which we've never had)

Possibility of zoned draft concessions (which we've never had)



All this and still playing a huge slice of games in Melbourne.



This could equal two significant support bases, with enough home games in each state to keep everyone happy. Imagine 30,000 members in Victoria and another 15,000 members in Queensland. We'd then be in the financial realms of the Crows and the Eagles.


Howl me down if you wish, but Let's look at the reality of our typical current annual revenue on top of a successful period. It is no better than the Kangaroos. What happens when we go through a slump and that slump lasts a few years? I'll bet that we'll be in the red for a fair chunk of that time, which leads us back to where we have precariously sat during our unfortunate past.

As far as I'm concerned, this week the Kangaroos have left the door open for us to snare a rare, if not unique opportunity.


An if worse comes to worse, and the experiment fails, we go back to playing all home games in Melbourne with the AFL's cash still in our pockets.