How much of Melbourne do the Saints cover-

[Dr Spaceman]

I'm with you Verdun and Dave.
Geelong has been very clever in upgrading K Park stage by stage, never over-reaching,
always going to members, always securing AFL and Govt grants etc etc.
I remember being down there 10 years ago, and seriously, it wasn't much better than
Moorabbin was at the end of its life. Mounds of dirt for standing room at the
northern end etc.

Would love to see a boutique stadium somewhere between Hampton and Frankston.
Location, land vacancy, public transport links, parking, financial returns, etc, are all factors.
Having a friendly local council would be an advantage too.

One danger...the Princes Park redevelopment almost sent Carlton FC underwater !

Not sure anyone is going to build a 100 million dollar stadium in that area.

Have to agree.

It's costing $49 mill just to build a grandstand at Kardinia Park. And the Cats have had great support from successive State Governments and the local council. It's a one team town and the economy and morale of that team is heavily entwined with its footy club.

No more chance of us getting a boutique stadium in Frankston than the Bombers getting one at Tullamarine or the Tiges at Craigieburn.

It's a romantic notion but not an economic reality.

[Dave McNamara]

...One danger...the Princes Park redevelopment almost sent Carlton FC underwater..!

At least we don't have a colourful Elder failed businessman ego who was let off embezzlement charges on a technicality, so we should be ok on that count.

[Not sure anyone is going to build a 100 million dollar stadium in that area.

Have to agree.

It's costing $49 mill just to build a grandstand at Kardinia Park. And the Cats have had great support from successive State Governments and the local council. It's a one team town and the economy and morale of that team is heavily entwined with its footy club.

No more chance of us getting a boutique stadium in Frankston than the Bombers getting one at Tullamarine or the Tiges at Craigieburn.

It's a romantic notion but not an economic reality.

Hi Plugger & Dr S, sadly you blokes may be right, but I hope not.

Ok, so I'm one day late with the romance, but here goes...

The last figure I heard was that the Puddy Tats were making $800K a home game. (Can anyone confirm/deny that one?) Those sorta' figures will soon make a dent in the outlay costs. Even more so with the great backing they've had, in terms of constructiion $$$ kicked in for them.

Then there is the advantage of winning so many of those (truly) home games... True home games are something no other Vic club have, which gives those artificial interstate teams such an advantage.

Thinking about it, back in the 70's our club nearly went broke building up the best sububan ground in the competition. Remember, even the mighty Filth only had one pathetic little wooden stand at Vic Park back then. And as for North of Melbourne... spent nothing on their dung heap, instead buying premierships... then the VFL handed them use of the MCG...

And now all that is lost. All the memories, the home ground advantage (hey even those 80's sides could be competitive at Linton St), the playing might of the 60's/early 70's, the spine tingling chant around the ground, the premierships gone begging... And don't forget our on-field slide to the dark days of the 80's stemmed from the financial problems of building that wonderful facility. Sooooo sad. (Austinn, I need your help to insert some really moving prose here...)

For these reasons, and countless more, I wept when we let Linton Street go and allowed the stands to be demolished.

So, if a true home ground is ever a possibility again, then I for one would be sooooo happy if it all came to fruition.

Bring back The Animal Enclosure!!!

[Con Gorozidis]

I know its a pipedream. but frannga is 40km from town. and the north and nth west are well served by etihad. the nth and nth east well served by the g (ok im stretching a bit now).
franga development would be good and it is an area that has attracted funds before (be it state or federal). 30,000 seater there would be amazing. growth area on the seaside. i guess if it could find some uses in summer.

[plugger66]

Lets face it the AFL dont want it, the councils wont pay for it and there are bugger all votes in it so the Vic goovernement couldnt give a stuff and personally I would rather go to the city where there are pubs and nightlife than go to Frankston

[Dave McNamara]

Lets face it the AFL dont want it, the councils wont pay for it and there are bugger all votes in it so the Vic goovernement couldnt give a stuff...

Sadly that's currently true.

...and personally I would rather go to the city where there are pubs and nightlife than go to Frankston

Last time I was in Hand Bag land there sure wasn't much nightlife happening. Besides, with the Animal Enclosure followed by the Saints Disco, who needs any other nightlife?

One day circumstances may change and make this a possiblity again. Come on P66, I have faith in you, even a great pragmatist like yourself can dare to dream...

[plugger66]

Lets face it the AFL dont want it, the councils wont pay for it and there are bugger all votes in it so the Vic goovernement couldnt give a stuff...

Sadly that's currently true.

...and personally I would rather go to the city where there are pubs and nightlife than go to Frankston

Last time I was in Hand Bag land there sure wasn't much nightlife happening. Besides, with the Animal Enclosure followed by the Saints Disco, who needs any other nightlife?

One day circumstances may change and make this a possiblity again. Come on P66, I have faith in you, even a great pragmatist like yourself can dare to dream...

I dream about winning a flag and getting my next root. Anything as is just a waste of time.

[Dave McNamara]

I dream about winning a flag and getting my next root. Anything as is just a waste of time.

I reckon having a true home ground advantage would help us with the first desire, and who knows, maybe the Saints Disco with the second, though I don't doubt that you can 'fend for yourself' ???

[plugger66]

I dream about winning a flag and getting my next root. Anything as is just a waste of time.

I reckon having a true home ground advantage would help us with the first desire, and who knows, maybe the Saints Disco with the second, though I don't doubt that you can 'fend for yourself' ???

I dont think so otherwise I wouldnt be dreaming. Saints disco form was fair at best. Matter of fact it was poor. Had more luck at Derby's and Nicca's.

[8856brother]

I dream about winning a flag and getting my next root. Anything as is just a waste of time.

I reckon having a true home ground advantage would help us with the first desire, and who knows, maybe the Saints Disco with the second, though I don't doubt that you can 'fend for yourself' ???

I dont think so otherwise I wouldnt be dreaming. Saints disco form was fair at best. Matter of fact it was poor. Had more luck at Derby's and Nicca's.

Derby's. What memories. The over 35's at the Sanbelt after palying footy in Bentleigh and drinking plenty on a Saturday night was also interesting.

[Austinnn]

(Austinn, I need your help to insert some really moving prose here...)

Mate, from reading your post, I'd say you're doing fine by yourself!

I would love to believe in the resurrection of our home ground, but that ship has sailed I think. Perhaps the wheel will turn once more and boutique grounds will become sought after once more. Frankly the idea of a "Saints disco" is unappealing though. Footy is one thing, music, dancing and P66's 2nd dream are another, and I've seen little good result in mixing them.

[Austinnn]

I live in Collingwood.

Great suburb. Shame about the football club.

me too and there are two others in our street

there used to be a guy, mad as a hatter, rode his pushy around Abbotsford / Collingwood with an old tattered Saints jumper with the number 66 on the back

That could have been me, except I only wore my vintage Saints jumper on game days commuting to/from the grounds, and it didn't have numbers on the back.

It's great to read all different poster's stories as well. You're all welcome to drop in on us next time you're in Nantes!

I think the only way we'd get our own stadium again is if we gave up the StKilda city identity and became the Eastern Suburbs Saints or Eastern Victoria Saints or something that would encompass all the fans from the burbs like Springvale and Moorabbin as well as towns like Gippsland, Traralgon, the Peninsula and so on. Personally I hate the idea, but I understand many of us live out that way. It would be between us and the Hawks I suppose, and you could see that happening eventually. If we don't do it, someone will and they'll probably do well with it.

Good luck to em I say, in an ideal world we'd move back to Junction Oval, build our Saint Kilda identity and become the team for the south of the Yarra crew (or just make the 'pies relocate to Tasmania and buy their training centre off them and we can move to MCG thanks - those fiends stole our patch from under our noses); that's my dream.

But actually I'd be happy with on-field success and club survival for now.

[bergholt]

Lets face it the AFL dont want it, the councils wont pay for it and there are bugger all votes in it so the Vic goovernement couldnt give a stuff and personally I would rather go to the city where there are pubs and nightlife than go to Frankston

i reckon i'd go to two games a year if they were in franga, whereas i go to fifteen in the city. but that's just me and i'm lazy.

[Dr Spaceman]

Lets face it the AFL dont want it, the councils wont pay for it and there are bugger all votes in it so the Vic goovernement couldnt give a stuff and personally I would rather go to the city where there are pubs and nightlife than go to Frankston

i reckon i'd go to two games a year if they were in franga, whereas i go to fifteen in the city. but that's just me and i'm lazy.

Well you wouldn't get me to a night game in Frankston

[yipper]

Saints strongholds?? Coming up from Gippsland - we have plenty of support from down that way. There is a really big supporter group based in Lakes Entrance and I had one going strong in Central Gippsland. At our peak we had over 200 members. There are sainters everywhere down in that area - particularly now that many Gppsland boys are now on our list i.e: Gram, Siposs (pakenham), Goddard, Polo, Dempster, Staley - previously we had McQualter, Ferguson, Heyne, Eddy etc.

But I would think we are attracting people in from the Mornington peninsula - heaps. The bayside suburbs included.

[paddy]

I live in North Melbourne, but hail from Frankston

[Spinner]

Yep let's build a stadium in Frankston.

People seriously have no idea. We'd be paying it off for years, and building in the middle of nowhere.

There are enough complaints about our training base. Imagine a whole stadium.


Some people really want to go backwards strategically.

[Dave McNamara]

Yep let's build a stadium in Frankston.

People seriously have no idea. We'd be paying it off for years, and building in the middle of nowhere.

There are enough complaints about our training base. Imagine a whole stadium.


Some people really want to go backwards strategically.

No worries Spinner, none of us want that.

For me, firstly I'm bemoaning what we had and have now lost.

The second point to all this is that maybe, if, who knows... a future opportunity presented itself... then a return to playing on our own home turf would be a dream come true.

So, like P66 tearing it up at the Saints Disco, I am keeping the hope alive.

[Furphy]

I recall back in the 90's driving through Trafalgar one Saturday morning & seeing a large crowd decked out in Saints colours in front of the Trafalgar pub, waiting for the bus to take them to the footy.