Saints to play home game in NZ on ANZAC day

[clarky449]

To me, an ANZAC day clash in NZ makes no sense, the match would have no spectacle as there would be about 3 people there.
I fully support the idea of playing a game in NZ, and i think it is a fantastic idea, but not on ANZAC day.

We learn this is Grade 2. C'mon man.

[Bernard Shakey]

It's the AFL, let's just keep it that way.

[St Lenny]

If we dont snap up this opportunity up someone else will. Great work St Kilda, cant see how this can be anything more than a plus. But then again, some people can only see they bad in everything.

[saintbrat]

Melbourne, AS 144.9667
-37.8167 Wellington, NZ 174.7833
-41.3000

Miles: 1597.30
Kilometers: 2570.53
Bearing: NE

as to........

Melbourne, AS 144.9667
-37.8167
Perth, AS 115.8333
-31.9333

Miles: 1692.03
Kilometers: 2722.99
Bearing: NW


or
Melbourne, AS 144.9667
-37.8167
Darwin, AS 130.8333
-12.4667

Miles: 1954.95
Kilometers: 3146.11
Bearing: NW

or
Melbourne, AS 144.9667
-37.8167
Cairns, AS 145.7667
-16.9167

Miles: 1443.86
Kilometers: 2323.61
Bearing: NE

[Con Gorozidis]

Dont see the point myself unless they are getting huge money. We arent going to get many if any members out of it. We lose a home ground advantage and our form in NZ is poor at best.

Dunno if we are allowed back in Queenstown

[samuraisaint]

If it helps the club make money in the long term I am all for it. WE need to attract more dollars and if playing regular fixtures in what is really just an unofficial state of Australia anyway (Kiwi-sainters don't flame me, the Trans-Tasman agreement enshrines this 'special relationship') makes the club money from sponsorship and helps us to stay in the top four, it's all good. It may even knock off a couple of the games that we play interstate at the moment anyway.

[StGoddard18]

I'm all for this. I've always wanted to go to NZ. However losing four home games to NZ is not ideal for members. Hopefully if that happens we can free entry into four away games in Melbourne.

[Dr Spaceman]

I wanna see Milney do the haka

[Cairnsman]

What did one statue say to the other statue in New Zealand?

Is dat you bro

[asiu]

.the caketin
235 x 185

.the g
174 x 148

.get guaranteed 'reproduction' of the G and we'd be killn two birds with one stone.

[yipper]

To me, an ANZAC day clash in NZ makes no sense, the match would have no spectacle as there would be about 3 people there.
I fully support the idea of playing a game in NZ, and i think it is a fantastic idea, but not on ANZAC day.

We learn this is Grade 2. C'mon man.

ANZAC = Australia New Zealand Armed Corps.
Gee wiz, why would they want to play an Anzac day game in New Zealand??

[Sainternist]

SWEET AS, BROOOOOO!

[SaintSimmo]

To me, an ANZAC day clash in NZ makes no sense, the match would have no spectacle as there would be about 3 people there.
I fully support the idea of playing a game in NZ, and i think it is a fantastic idea, but not on ANZAC day.

We learn this is Grade 2. C'mon man.

ANZAC = Australia New Zealand Armed Corps.
Gee wiz, why would they want to play an Anzac day game in New Zealand??

REALLY??

What i was trying to say was, it makes no sense to play an ANZAC day clash in NZ when you could play it in Australia, where you are likely to draw a much bigger crowd, as it would be a huge match. And on top of that i don't think anyone else should play on ANZAC day, leave it to Essendon and Collingwood.

But as I said before, I support the idea of playing games in NZ, as long as it doesn't come at the cost of losing too many home games in Melbourne.

Play games in NZ, but leave the big games in Australia.....for now.

[desertsaint]

so we are in serious financial strife. unless the afl has promised to fill our coffers this move is going nowhere, other than losing home ground advantage, which going by our record at etihad, is a pretty big loss. goodbye finals. goodbye finals prize money. goodbye saints. seaford was always going to be the beginning of the end. hope we end up somewhere near me as a rebadged team. or of course we could stay at seaford in the vfl?
or just maybe the kiwis will say wow, this afl s***s all over rugby, let's change codes. let's all follow a victorian team too. which one? is there one that plays in black and white?

[kosifantutti]

What i was trying to say was, it makes no sense to play an ANZAC day clash in NZ when you could play it in Australia, where you are likely to draw a much bigger crowd, as it would be a huge match. And on top of that i don't think anyone else should play on ANZAC day, leave it to Essendon and Collingwood.

But as I said before, I support the idea of playing games in NZ, as long as it doesn't come at the cost of losing too many home games in Melbourne.

Play games in NZ, but leave the big games in Australia.....for now.

Let me get this straight.

The Saints want to play a game in New Zealand on Anzac Day.
If it was played in Melbourne on Anzac day it would be a huge match.
We shouldn't move a huge match to New Zealand because of the loss of revenue.
But we should leave Anzac day to the Pies and Bombers.

Maybe we could play in Wangaratta?

[samuraisaint]

I don't believe in always chasing the almighty dollar, but you do need to use common sense. If we can make good coin out of TV rights, sponsorship, a sweetheart deal where these four games come at the expense of other interstate/Geelong games we would have to play anyway, I think it could work out well. I am old enough to remember the real bad old days between 77-89 when we were really uncompetitive due to lack of money and have no wish for St Kilda to return to those dark days.
Look at North, they are now playing games in Tassie but this will fail ultimately because Tassie has already been hooked by Hawthorn. No, we needed to find some sort of new market/opportunity to make the big bucks so that we can consolidate our future and remain top four and I support the club in this.
Plus historically there is a link between the club and NZ. Older Sainters will know what this link is.

[No1_Saint]

There is a huge untapped talent base here in New Zealand that the club should access before anyone else.It is too large for the NRL and NZRU to fully absorb. The popular image of large Maori and Pacific Island men is not always the case. There is an entire generation of slim, athletic Maori boys perfect for the sport. A lot of them also do waka ama which is similar to dragon boat racing which gives great upper body strength. In addition to this there is an entire network of Maori language full immersion schools which are traditionally neglected by the large sporting bodies in New Zealand. An AFL push into these schools will give them direct access not only to the students but their families as well for supporters as these schools operate collaboratively with families. They tend to be high discipline schools working perfectly with the demands of the sport. If they were to connect with the right principals in the right area they could gain access for the sport into a nationwide network of players and supporters.

I know that the NZAFL visited a school in South Auckland late last year in the hopes of introducing the game in the school curriculum. This is a logical next step in developing a talent zone to draw from. If the AFL and the club show enough commitment with development and support to the young kids then their families and friends will show up to support them. I believe the strength of the game with the right marketing can make this work...but like pushing into Western Sydney and the Gold Coast, this needs a long term plan.

If the club treats this like the failed Tasmania project then this will be doomed to failure. People don't like to be treated as cash cows.

[asiu]

.twas one of the few 'mindset' failures that i ramped home to gt.
.dumb dumb decision to walk on tassy ,
especially after proclaiming we were a 'anywhere anytime' footy side.

Wediculous effen decision.

[Bazza1970]

Happy to transfer 1 home game for the money. With our normal minimum 6 interstate games plus 4 home games in NZ, we will only have 12 games in Melbourne. I can guarantee the AFL won't lessen our interstate travel. I love watching the Saints live, I don't won't to be TV team. This will just alienate what members we have even further.

[matrix]

s***
im undecided is!

[saintbrat]

Happy to transfer 1 home game for the money. With our normal minimum 6 interstate games plus 4 home games in NZ, we will only have 12 games in Melbourne. I can guarantee the AFL won't lessen our interstate travel. I love watching the Saints live, I don't won't to be TV team. This will just alienate what members we have even further.

what if it was 1 or 2 NAB games and then 1 Home game...

[asiu]

.i'd personally rather watch the boys on telly for 4 extra games knowing the money is there to send them into battle well prepared and that there will be a club for them to play with next year.
.watching em win finals will keep the members happy.
.

[Animal Enclosure]

There is a huge untapped talent base here in New Zealand that the club should access before anyone else.It is too large for the NRL and NZRU to fully absorb. The popular image of large Maori and Pacific Island men is not always the case. There is an entire generation of slim, athletic Maori boys perfect for the sport. A lot of them also do waka ama which is similar to dragon boat racing which gives great upper body strength. In addition to this there is an entire network of Maori language full immersion schools which are traditionally neglected by the large sporting bodies in New Zealand. An AFL push into these schools will give them direct access not only to the students but their families as well for supporters as these schools operate collaboratively with families. They tend to be high discipline schools working perfectly with the demands of the sport. If they were to connect with the right principals in the right area they could gain access for the sport into a nationwide network of players and supporters.

I know that the NZAFL visited a school in South Auckland late last year in the hopes of introducing the game in the school curriculum. This is a logical next step in developing a talent zone to draw from. If the AFL and the club show enough commitment with development and support to the young kids then their families and friends will show up to support them. I believe the strength of the game with the right marketing can make this work...but like pushing into Western Sydney and the Gold Coast, this needs a long term plan.

If the club treats this like the failed Tasmania project then this will be doomed to failure. People don't like to be treated as cash cows.

Well said. A good insight into why the club should be looking across the Tasman.

Too many people in sport today are unable to look beyond the short term... cricket will be on it's knees unless it starts to plan 20-30 years ahead.

In order to get a new generation involved in a sport you need them to be exposed to an elite level of competition. It is exceptionally smart for a club like St Kilda (that is middle of the road in terms of the size of it's business) to look in this direction.

From a current day member's point of view, a mid season trip to NZ would be a ripper! Cheap airfares and Wellington is a great city (& only an hour's flight from Queenstown!)

[70s sainter]

Four games in N. Z would be selling our soul. I cant see that many saints supporters going over. It s not like ducking accross to tassie like 10 000 hawks supporters do, So why would the n.z govt pay our sponsorship . Plus the only ones that would go to the game would be a few ex pats, and I don't think there s that many living over there. Generally They come here, we don't live there. Therefore I assume we would be getting sponsored from the afl itself to promote the game . It would want to be at least 700 000 a game. As a supporter who loves going four games over there would suck. Finally players like Goddard would prob get sick of it and bail to a rich melbourne club that doesn't travel every sec week.

[SainterK]

At this stage, it's on the cards to play there only every second year on Anzac day