Wellington is it working??

[ozrulestrace]

Reading the articles in the Wellington newspaper since Saturday night, the tone is not really positive in terms of crowd numbers and attracting Kiwis devotees of the game.

There was no mention of the positive attraction of tourist dollars into the area. And at this stage it hasn't got to the point of pressuring the Wellington City Council to stop coughing up the half million dollars but I think that part of the discussion is inevitable .

But the Saints really had to win that game in order to create the positive and build on the contract they have with the council.

And they didn't, so I I'm not sure this deal will continue even to the end of the agreement.

[saintspremiers]

Reading the articles in the Wellington newspaper since Saturday night, the tone is not really positive in terms of crowd numbers and attracting Kiwis devotees of the game.

There was no mention of the positive attraction of tourist dollars into the area. And at this stage it hasn't got to the point of pressuring the Wellington City Council to stop coughing up the half million dollars but I think that part of the discussion is inevitable .

But the Saints really had to win that game in order to create the positive and build on the contract they have with the council.

And they didn't, so I I'm not sure this deal will continue even to the end of the agreement.

That's fine. They can end the deal today. And advance us half a mill for each year they've reneged, and we will play 11 home games in Melbourne next year

[Enrico_Misso]

I looked in the local paper on Sunday morning and found 1 small paragraph on the game.
It was TWELVE pages from the back page and alluded to the small crowd.

Clearly a lot more work required before the locals embrace it!

[Junction Oval]

For local involvement/success, we need to be winning and we need t0 play there twice a year - play one of our Interstate matches there. However, no other Interstate team would support the suggestion of losing a home match.

We are in it for the money at the moment.

[Animal Enclosure]

I read a reasonably sized article in the Dominion Post on Sunday morning & then they had another much bigger piece (with 3 different stories) on Monday morning. One quoted a Wellington tourism rep who was wrapped with the 4000 or so inbound tourists that the weekend provided. It also mentioned that Saturday's crowd was better the the A League crowd & only marginally behind the Super Rugby crowd.

Wellington really misses out on a lot of multiple night visitors as the focus is usually on Auckland or the South Island. 4000 people spending $1K each (which is what I spent excluding flight) is a $4m boost for a $500K investment....not bad going I would suggest. The incoming visitor numbers are much more important than the crowd figure (or more important that the number of Kiwis that attend).

The big issue there at present is TV coverage due to the broadcaster that did televise AFL going out of business. The AFL are negotiating a deal currently.

I like Wellington as a home away from home & hope it continues. As we get more successful I think the crowds will improve.

[saintbrat]

4 days ago


speaking to taxi drivers etc they said 12,000 is above average for any games played at Westpac stadium- apart from International rugby, cricket etc.. regular games do not get large crowds.

also ran into locals who were going again- having been the year before..

[thejiggingsaint]

Good post Bratty! Hang tough Sainters!

[Eastern]

4 days ago


speaking to taxi drivers etc they said 12,000 is above average for any games played at Westpac stadium- apart from International rugby, cricket etc.. regular games do not get large crowds.

also ran into locals who were going again- having been the year before..

I ran into some people at Breakfast on Saturday who were very excited about the game !!

[karnaby]

I heard Nathan Burke on the radio say that last year the crowd of 15000 was financially the equivalent of ( I might get this a little wrong) 3 Home games at the MCG and 6-7 Home games at Etihad.
So that alone means Yes it is working.........
I think he said it was 1/3 of our attendance revenue for the year.

Sad to think that we send our team to NZ, never won a game, lost in lack-lustre performances in the last two efforts to two other struggling teams in Carlton and Brisbane, play to a small crowd, the locals have largely lost interest in the whole thing- next game attendance will be three men and a sheep. Maybe the brains trust need to look at other, more inspiring avenues of improving the finances.

Yeh, yeh. We'll just flip flop around at the drop of a hat, and we'll never stand for anything!

You know it's about more than three men and a sheep turning up to watch, but that's just a nice easy way to express your dis-statist action with the idea.

Short term thinking scuppered the Tassie experiment. How many more chances can we afford to stuff up?

[Jacks Back]

I heard Nathan Burke on the radio say that last year the crowd of 15000 was financially the equivalent of ( I might get this a little wrong) 3 Home games at the MCG and 6-7 Home games at Etihad.
So that alone means Yes it is working.........
I think he said it was 1/3 of our attendance revenue for the year.

Sad to think that we send our team to NZ, never won a game, lost in lack-lustre performances in the last two efforts to two other struggling teams in Carlton and Brisbane, play to a small crowd, the locals have largely lost interest in the whole thing- next game attendance will be three men and a sheep. Maybe the brains trust need to look at other, more inspiring avenues of improving the finances.

Yeh, yeh. We'll just flip flop around at the drop of a hat, and we'll never stand for anything!

You know it's about more than three men and a sheep turning up to watch, but that's just a nice easy way to express your dis-statist action with the idea.

Short term thinking scuppered the Tassie experiment. How many more chances can we afford to stuff up?

Maybe we could become a team for hire (like Fev). Make $500k wherever a district or town would like us to play. Wipe off our debts in no time flat and take it to the masses. Or maybe not.

[IanRush]

I heard Nathan Burke on the radio say that last year the crowd of 15000 was financially the equivalent of ( I might get this a little wrong) 3 Home games at the MCG and 6-7 Home games at Etihad.
So that alone means Yes it is working.........
I think he said it was 1/3 of our attendance revenue for the year.

Sad to think that we send our team to NZ, never won a game, lost in lack-lustre performances in the last two efforts to two other struggling teams in Carlton and Brisbane, play to a small crowd, the locals have largely lost interest in the whole thing- next game attendance will be three men and a sheep. Maybe the brains trust need to look at other, more inspiring avenues of improving the finances.

Yeh, yeh. We'll just flip flop around at the drop of a hat, and we'll never stand for anything!

You know it's about more than three men and a sheep turning up to watch, but that's just a nice easy way to express your dis-statist action with the idea.

Short term thinking scuppered the Tassie experiment. How many more chances can we afford to stuff up?

Maybe we could become a team for hire (like Fev). Make $500k wherever a district or town would like us to play. Wipe off our debts in no time flat and take it to the masses. Or maybe not.

You’d hope the Saints Admin does not have extensive gambling debts aka Fev?

[thejiggingsaint]

Hawthorn have shown quite clearly with their Tasmanian connection, just what can be achieved over a period of time. IF the Afl or NZ or whoever, decide that this is not a "goer" then fair enough, so be it. But for us to be seen to be unable or unwilling to persevere through the difficult stages,(IMHO) simply confirms our (perceived) status as "perennial losers and a basket case" and I would have to say, with some justification.

[citywest]

4 days ago


speaking to taxi drivers etc they said 12,000 is above average for any games played at Westpac stadium- apart from International rugby, cricket etc.. regular games do not get large crowds.

also ran into locals who were going again- having been the year before..

Thanks for the audio saintbrat. The fact that KiwiKick has gone from 300 kids to 30,000 in 3 years means that this experiment will work. If people can't see this then they are blind. In 5 years time when we are top 4 I reckon each game will attract 20,000 people. I still reckon there will be enough interest for 2 games in NZ per year. One in Wellington and I in Auckland. Yeah, I know the ground in Auckland is too small but I recently read an article that said they are extending Eden Park to enable AFL to be played. Stick at it Saints and the rewards will come!!!!!!

[Bunk_Moreland]

4 days ago


speaking to taxi drivers etc they said 12,000 is above average for any games played at Westpac stadium- apart from International rugby, cricket etc.. regular games do not get large crowds.

also ran into locals who were going again- having been the year before..

Thanks for the audio saintbrat. The fact that KiwiKick has gone from 300 kids to 30,000 in 3 years means that this experiment will work. If people can't see this then they are blind. In 5 years time when we are top 4 I reckon each game will attract 20,000 people. I still reckon there will be enough interest for 2 games in NZ per year. One in Wellington and I in Auckland. Yeah, I know the ground in Auckland is too small but I recently read an article that said they are extending Eden Park to enable AFL to be played. Stick at it Saints and the rewards will come!!!!!!

Three years ago KiwiKick had 5000 not 300. Still it has grown to 30k which is quite an achievement.

You may well be right that there will be more people at the game in 3 -4 years. Need to win one very soon otherwise the experiment will fail.

Dont know about two games a year, but if the AFL and Wellington council continue to subsidise the game I think it may be a worthwhile exercise

[loris]

4 days ago


speaking to taxi drivers etc they said 12,000 is above average for any games played at Westpac stadium- apart from International rugby, cricket etc.. regular games do not get large crowds.

also ran into locals who were going again- having been the year before..

Thanks for the audio saintbrat. The fact that KiwiKick has gone from 300 kids to 30,000 in 3 years means that this experiment will work. If people can't see this then they are blind. In 5 years time when we are top 4 I reckon each game will attract 20,000 people. I still reckon there will be enough interest for 2 games in NZ per year. One in Wellington and I in Auckland. Yeah, I know the ground in Auckland is too small but I recently read an article that said they are extending Eden Park to enable AFL to be played. Stick at it Saints and the rewards will come!!!!!!

Three years ago KiwiKick had 5000 not 300. Still it has grown to 30k which is quite an achievement.

You may well be right that there will be more people at the game in 3 -4 years. Need to win one very soon otherwise the experiment will fail.

Dont know about two games a year, but if the AFL and Wellington council continue to subsidise the game I think it may be a worthwhile exercise

Well done....nice to read a polite/civil exchange between CW and B_M....good effort fellows

[matrix]

i nearly fell off the couch!

[Bunk_Moreland]

4 days ago


speaking to taxi drivers etc they said 12,000 is above average for any games played at Westpac stadium- apart from International rugby, cricket etc.. regular games do not get large crowds.

also ran into locals who were going again- having been the year before..

Thanks for the audio saintbrat. The fact that KiwiKick has gone from 300 kids to 30,000 in 3 years means that this experiment will work. If people can't see this then they are blind. In 5 years time when we are top 4 I reckon each game will attract 20,000 people. I still reckon there will be enough interest for 2 games in NZ per year. One in Wellington and I in Auckland. Yeah, I know the ground in Auckland is too small but I recently read an article that said they are extending Eden Park to enable AFL to be played. Stick at it Saints and the rewards will come!!!!!!

Three years ago KiwiKick had 5000 not 300. Still it has grown to 30k which is quite an achievement.

You may well be right that there will be more people at the game in 3 -4 years. Need to win one very soon otherwise the experiment will fail.

Dont know about two games a year, but if the AFL and Wellington council continue to subsidise the game I think it may be a worthwhile exercise

Well done....nice to read a polite/civil exchange between CW and B_M....good effort fellows

Well C_W was not being outrageous in his post. Some things I dont agree with in it but on the whole it is reasonable.

[matrix]

did i hear on the commnetry last week that games have just started going in to nz live
like as of last week?

this can only be good
and if it wasnt done before then fmd thats pretty bad when youre trying to get fans on board for the last two years
surely thats not right and i heard wrong (?)

[saintsRrising]

I really fear that Wellington is becoming exactly like the tassie gig years ago.

In Tassie we had/have a large following built on the era where we had so many great Tassie players playing for us. Not playing there now means that base will be drifting away as new younger fans pick other teams.

In NZ we had/have nothing....and a community who do not even follow the game.

Going to NZ when we are at our worst was never goining to end well.

Dogs are even now looking to take over Ballart where we hada bit ofa following.

[citywest]

I really fear that Wellington is becoming exactly like the tassie gig years ago.

In Tassie we had/have a large following built on the era where we had so many great Tassie players playing for us. Not playing there now means that base will be drifting away as new younger fans pick other teams.

In NZ we had/have nothing....and a community who do not even follow the game.

Going to NZ when we are at our worst was never goining to end well.

Dogs are even now looking to take over Ballart where we hada bit ofa following.

Hey saintsRrising, did you miss the part about KiwiKick? And what about the fact that the AFL are negotiating live telecast of the game throughout NZ? I take it that you don't want the Saints playing 1 or 2 games per year in NZ? Then please tell me how we are ever going to get rid of our $9Million debt...let alone raise another $5Million for the Moorabbin project? I am eagerly awaiting your response.

I would also like to draw your attention to this article.....

Who are the big losers in the AFL’s money war?
The balance sheets are in for the 18 AFL clubs, with the viability of two of them in serious jeopardy.
St Kilda's on-field struggles are being mirrored in financial statements.
Two AFL clubs are on the brink of financial collapse and many others are grappling with huge debts, threatening to cost the AFL millions to keep them afloat.
An investigation by The New Daily of the financial accounts of the AFL’s 18 franchises reveals that cashed-up clubs such as Hawthorn and Collingwood are more prone to achieving on-field success than clubs with clapped-out balance sheets such as Brisbane and St Kilda.
In fact, the data suggests that if Brisbane and St Kilda don’t start winning games, generating sponsorship revenue and signing up more members, their continued participation in the competition could become untenable for the AFL.
The analysis shows a massive disparity in the fortunes of the haves and have-nots in the AFL system. While the West Coast Eagles have $45 million in cash, clubs like Port Adelaide could be crippled if interest rates on their substantial bank debt began rising.
Close your eyes Saints fans because what you’re about to read should be almost as painful as the 2010 Grand Final replay. The Saints are broke – again. A net loss of $3.91 million in 2014 and an asset deficiency of almost $1 million leaves the club in serious strife. Poor on-field performance and dwindling membership mean the club is battling. Losing a Grand Final is hard, but losing your club is unthinkable.

http://thenewdaily.com.au/sport/2015/04 ... oney-wars/

[saintspremiers]

CW - that article states dwindling membership numbers.

Maybe the jerk who wrote could've done some research and would've seen our membership numbers are HIGHER than last year!

[ozrulestrace]

And let's not forget that for the three years the Brisbsne Lions won their premierships, they had losses of over
$2 million each year. That was when they were at their pinnacle so how bad are their finances now?

Stadium deals with the Gabba Trust ( sound familiar?)

Maybe someone on this forum will have more up to date information of the Brisbane/Gabba stadium deal?

[gringo]

And let's not forget that for the three years the Brisbsne Lions won their premierships, they had losses of over
$2 million each year. That was when they were at their pinnacle so how bad are their finances now?

Stadium deals with the Gabba Trust ( sound familiar?)

Maybe someone on this forum will have more up to date information of the Brisbane/Gabba stadium deal?

The AFL doesn't learn, the power and crows have signed their lives away.