Junction Oval in funding crisis.

[samuraisaint]

Unfortunately, as someone old enough to have St. Kilda play at the Junction, albeit as a 'visitor' against Fitzroy, the Junction will never see football at the top level played there again.
I remember even Fitzroy couldn't make it work financially for them, despite them making the top 5 five times from 1979-1986 and winning a night premiership in 1978.
They had to go into several groundshare scenarios all over the eastern suburbs, inner city and western suburbs until their demise in 1996. In fact, even when they played at the Junction they trained at Westgarth under car headlights in the 80s due to them being unable to train there.
They haven't even played the Community Cup there for twenty years, which was a St. Kilda-Fitzroy combined community initiative with RecLink, moving first to Elsternwick Park and now Victoria Park in Abbotsford, so we don't bother going anymore, I no longer feel any connection to it.

[Dave McNamara]

JO is just featureless. No atmosphere, most don't know it exists.

Wow! No atmosphere?

Yorkey, you certainly set the bar high. Just how much atmosphere do you need?

[saynta]

The JO is a dump. Always was, always will be

[The Fireman]

The JO is a dump. Always was, always will be

[Dave McNamara]

The JO is a dump. Always was, always will be

That's a bit harsh. Plenty of places pick up. Take the former West Melbourne swamp, home to the 'Dudley mansions', for example.

Today, some highly respected people call this area home.






Even has a footy ground too.

[saynta]

Say what you like. No one is going to change my mind. I went to see the saints nearly every second week for decades growing up. The place was a smelly slum . To add insult to injuries the dump was in the total control of the Cricket club.

[Saint 58]

I'll change your mind ... if my crypto currency ever kicks in !!

[saynta]

I'll change your mind ... if my crypto currency ever kicks in !!

Eff me. You think I am motivated by money? You are dead wrong.

[magnifisaint]

I think it will get bulldozed. It's totally outdated.

[Saint 58]

I'll change your mind ... if my crypto currency ever kicks in !!

Eff me. You think I am motivated by money? You are dead wrong.

Eff no, not trying to motivate you with money
IF my crypto ever gets there, it will be happening

[samuraisaint]

I think Moorabbin Oval is our future tbh.
When we do win a Grand Final, sure, do our celebrating at the Junction Oval as a nod to our historical links to the area, and maybe a Captains' Run in a pre season as part of the St. Kilda Festival, but apart from those things, I think a focus on our real grassroots support south of Elsternwick is the way forward.

[samuraisaint]

Say what you like. No one is going to change my mind. I went to see the saints nearly every second week for decades growing up. The place was a smelly slum . To add insult to injuries the dump was in the total control of the Cricket club.

I never saw us play there as the home side, but I saw us play there plenty against Fitzroy away, and even back 50 years ago the joint was oooold.

[Yorkeys]

Might want to hide this thread, if the Premier sees it its by by oval, hello high rises. It only survives because she is unaware.

[Moods]

Say what you like. No one is going to change my mind. I went to see the saints nearly every second week for decades growing up. The place was a smelly slum . To add insult to injuries the dump was in the total control of the Cricket club.

As a former Fitzroy supporter who grew up watching footy at the ground from 78-84 I disagree and agree. The surface was close to the best in the league. It was a great size for footy, not too big but not a postage stamp either. It was one of the few grounds at the time that had tiered seating that you didn't have to pay for in the outer, therefore catering for opposition fans. I concede that this seating was only put in place in the late 70's well after the Saints had departed. Parking around the ground wasn't great and public transport to the ground wasn't great either. As far as describing it as a smelly slum..... I would have described it as being no different from any other VFL ground of that era. Certainly don't recall it ever stinking

The St Kilda cricket club ripped the club off blind and wouldn't acknowledge any of the money and support that the footy club brought to it. In fact they never wanted Fitzroy there and Cricket Victoria eventually got their way and had us evicted. Sadly many shared home bases from the period on did the same to the Roys, Unsurprisingly Princes Park was the worst, but surprisingly Collingwood were quite fair. Bulldogs were the best but by that time the club was looking for a place to die.

[Moods]

Unfortunately, as someone old enough to have St. Kilda play at the Junction, albeit as a 'visitor' against Fitzroy, the Junction will never see football at the top level played there again.
I remember even Fitzroy couldn't make it work financially for them, despite them making the top 5 five times from 1979-1986 and winning a night premiership in 1978.
They had to go into several groundshare scenarios all over the eastern suburbs, inner city and western suburbs until their demise in 1996. In fact, even when they played at the Junction they trained at Westgarth under car headlights in the 80s due to them being unable to train there.
They haven't even played the Community Cup there for twenty years, which was a St. Kilda-Fitzroy combined community initiative with RecLink, moving first to Elsternwick Park and now Victoria Park in Abbotsford, so we don't bother going anymore, I no longer feel any connection to it.

Not true. They always trained at the JO whilst it was their home base. Club trained at Lakeside Oval for awhile then Westgarth Street after that I think. I think trained out at Bulleen for awhile as well. But they definitely trained at JO, I went and watched some training sessions out there.

[samuraisaint]

Unfortunately, as someone old enough to have St. Kilda play at the Junction, albeit as a 'visitor' against Fitzroy, the Junction will never see football at the top level played there again.
I remember even Fitzroy couldn't make it work financially for them, despite them making the top 5 five times from 1979-1986 and winning a night premiership in 1978.
They had to go into several groundshare scenarios all over the eastern suburbs, inner city and western suburbs until their demise in 1996. In fact, even when they played at the Junction they trained at Westgarth under car headlights in the 80s due to them being unable to train there.
They haven't even played the Community Cup there for twenty years, which was a St. Kilda-Fitzroy combined community initiative with RecLink, moving first to Elsternwick Park and now Victoria Park in Abbotsford, so we don't bother going anymore, I no longer feel any connection to it.

Not true. They always trained at the JO whilst it was their home base. Club trained at Lakeside Oval for awhile then Westgarth Street after that I think. I think trained out at Bulleen for awhile as well. But they definitely trained at JO, I went and watched some training sessions out there.

Okay, I stand corrected.






But I do wonder if a star studded VFL side like Fitzroy, back in the 1980s who were regular finalists and actually winning finals during this period, couldn't sustain playing there from an economic standpoint, why would we think we can?

[The Fireman]

The Jo is the Go

[magnifisaint]

The Jo is a No

[The Fireman]

The Jo is a No

[The Fireman]

The Jo is a No

[Dave McNamara]

Two of the persisting arguments against the JO. One seems to be that the place used to be a garbage dump. (Not sure if those making that statement are thinking Puerto Rica, or going all out and thinking on a USA scale?) The other is the influence of the representatives of the dark side, aka, the St Kilda Cricket Club.

Gotta' say that I simply don't get either 'argument' in 2024.

Apart from the MCG, every surburban footy ground resembled Diaper Don's vision of the USA. But that no longer applies.

And same re the evil empire. Our move to JO would have seen their tyrannical reign come to an end.

[Dave McNamara]

Would we have won that '66 flag if we'd stayed at the JO? Who knows?

But, what all those opposed to the JO overlook, is that the Moorrabbin move is the reason why we crashed from (finally) being a league powerhouse, to nearly two decades of bouncing along the bottom of the ladder.

And worse. The move to Moorrabbin is why our club went oh so close to going the way of the dodo, the swan, the lion, and Vortex's bar shout.

[Yorkeys]

Would we have won that '66 flag if we'd stayed at the JO? Who knows?

But, what all those opposed to the JO overlook, is that the Moorrabbin move is the reason why we crashed from (finally) being a league powerhouse, to nearly two decades of bouncing along the bottom of the ladder.

And worse. The move to Moorrabbin is why our club went oh so close to going the way of the dodo, the swan, the lion, and Vortex's bar shout.

That's a relief, I had understood it was chronic mismanagement and players taking the piss, literally.
Now I know it was just bad luck from one well intentioned decision I can re-dress the conventional wisdom that the club just wasn't serious for a longish time.

[Dave McNamara]

Would we have won that '66 flag if we'd stayed at the JO? Who knows?

But, what all those opposed to the JO overlook, is that the Moorrabbin move is the reason why we crashed from (finally) being a league powerhouse, to nearly two decades of bouncing along the bottom of the ladder.

And worse. The move to Moorrabbin is why our club went oh so close to going the way of the dodo, the swan, the lion, and Vortex's bar shout.

That's a relief, I had understood it was chronic mismanagement and players taking the piss, literally.
Now I know it was just bad luck from one well intentioned decision I can re-dress the conventional wisdom that the club just wasn't serious for a longish time.

Things were going really really well for our club. Yes, we had a huge loan from building up the Moorrabbin stadium, (which was far and away better than the other clubs' third world hovels). But we were comfortably managing the loan repayments.

Till interest rates took off in the mid 70s.

The mismanagement, that nearly destroyed out club, was that the Board of the day hadn't locked in a low interest rate to shield us.

That's why we had to let go of beloved players like the Green and Elliott brothers, Perovic, Big Carl, and the list goes on. We also had to relinquish our Form 4 which would have seen Graham Moss become a Saint, instead of a E-Don's Bronwlow Medalist.

Somehow though, the club survived. We even held onto Moorrabbin. Despite the cost.

I've followed our Saintas since 1967. (Yes, I'm still waiting for a flag.) In all that time, the club has only made me cry once.

That was when they let the bulldozers into Moorrabbin. After what that place had cost us! Letting the bulldozers in was simply criminal!


In leiu of the JO, we should at least be playing boutique home games at Moorrabbin. (And at least, it would be a shorter parkour course for Martin to get there c/f the JO. )

[B.M]

Moorabbin does not have the amenities to host AFL footy

It’s a training base

It has one small stand, a big concrete area, and a small hill on one side

In fact it’s not great watching games there now. It’d only hold 8-10k max probably only 5-6 even?

It has no bathrooms
Not enough food or drink facilities - lines are ridiculous
No parking

It would work as a VFL ground or AFLW ground
even a AFL pre season game

But a game proper- nope

If a strand around the outer was built and capacity raised to 15k

Then maybe games vs Port, Freo, Giants, GC might be achievable