A team will definitely be on the Gold Coast by 2010

[skeptic]

hope the kangaroos go...

they're weighing down the AFL. They have NO SUPPORT in Vic and just put pressure on other teams RE local talent and home games + if we survive the new gold coast team and the inevitable western NSW team then we're out of the danger zone as far as relocating goes

[Riewoldting]

I understand the AFL is dead-set keen to have a presence in the recognised growth area of the Gold Coast, playing its home matches out of Carrara.

Accordingly, the whisper is that the AFL is considering relocating the Brisbane Lions 75km down the road.

The team will be renamed the "Brisbane Bears" in the interests of attracting sponsors - alliteration is so important in the world of marketing, don't you know. The mascot will be a dirty great big koala bear. Logo and proposed home and away strips below.





I also understand the team will have a known coach with strong credentials, and a big-name marquee player, maybe even a Brownlow medallist (but not as good as Shane Woewodin). These two fellas are on the shortlist. Exciting times ahead. This is all very hush-hush, mind you.




The exciting new franchise will also have a couple of independent financial backers. Can't remember the name of the company though ... Qantax? Qintex? Anyway, the word around the boardroom is that this company can expect 20+ halcyon years of sustained growth and a consequential increase in share price, especially with a couple of honest and competent businessmen at the helm.




They have Demetriou's and Anderson's full confidence. Yep, rosy days ahead for those Brissie Bears.

[karnak]

I think that Tassy would provide a much better option than either GC or western sydney.

I think quite easy to think of 4 or more teams being relocated over the next 20 years. Here are some possibilities.

TAS
ACT
Western Sydney
GC
Darwin

Just because two move does not make any other victorian clubs safe.

I think that the only safe vic clubs are

Geelong
Collingwood
Essendon
Tigers

The other positions for permanent Vic clubs are up for grabs.

Saints
Hawks
Kangaroos
Blues
Demons
Dogs

You'd have to say the Kangas (obviously), Hawks and either Bulldogs or Melbourne at this stage would be on the way out.

But imagine if these decisions were being made in 2000 - 2002.

We'd be gone! Not too long ago and we had 17,500 members. As said earlier in this post it is sooooo important to get a membership every year. It is like what Mr. Alan Greenspan says with the economy! why does it have to be cyclical? why can't it be functional? I agree with him on this. If we can continue to buy memberships we build strength off field in the form of solid recruiting, injury management etc etc etc. This in turn encourages on field performance which encourages memberships.

The point is if we sit on the bottom of the ladder for 2 years running in the next 10 years, then there is a good chance we'd be gone!

[bigcarl]

If that is rejected, the AFL have said they are going to start a 17th team on the Gold Coast in 2010.

they'd better bloody go then. the last thing we need is another team in the competition. 16 is too many already and every team you add just lessens your team's chance of winning a flag.

17 teams? no way

[n1ck]

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/a ... tmlMichael Lynch | November 1, 2007

FOOTBALL Federation Australia has been urged to move swiftly and capture the floating fan base on the Gold Coast before the AFL does by relocating the Kangaroos to the fast-growing region.

Expansion has become a topic of debate given the impression the A-League has made in its first three seasons and a cashed-up Gold Coast consortium fronted by former Sydney FC chairman Walter Bugno and ex-Queensland Roar coach Miron Bleiberg is aiming to become the competition's ninth club, perhaps as soon as next season.

A number of potential investors have already expressed interest in putting money into new ventures in Sydney and Melbourne.

But the A-League clubs in those cities, Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC, have been give a five-year monopoly to consolidate their presence before a new club can be admitted — at the earliest — in the 2010-11 season.

The FFA has commissioned a consultancy group to examine which markets would prove to be the most ripe for development. But the promoters of the Gold Coast bid believe there is a tremendous opportunity to strike now and capitalise on any indecision and conflict over the Roos' potential move.

"We are ready to go in the 2008-09 season and we have the financial backing and the support to get things happening quickly," Bleiberg said.

"We have financial backing of $7.5 million for the first year and the pledge that what ever we lose, that sum will be topped up every year for five years. We have got four or five property developers who are ready to take a stake in the club and there is the opportunity to get a number of other sponsors too."

FFA chief executive Ben Buckley said the Gold Coast is on the federation's radar, adding that while the AFL is "a relevant issue, it's not the only one". "We have to proceed on a timetable that suits us and the game's development, not be too focused on other sports," he said.

Bleiberg would be in charge of the club's football operations, but would not necessarily coach the club.

"If there is the desire for me to coach at first then I would do it but I do not feel as though I have to," he said.

While regarded as the nation's hottest new marketplace, a number of expansion franchises in different sports have come to grief in south-east Queensland in the past.

But Bleiberg and his partners argue that the development of the new rectangular stadium at Robina for the Gold Coast Titans rugby league side — a 27,000 capacity venue to open next year — represented a great chance for soccer.

"In addition to that, we have state-of-the-art training facilities … These are training facilities that any club in the English Premier League would not be ashamed of using," Bleiberg said.

The consultant's report on expansion is likely to form the basis of an A-League review next year, so the prospect of a new side in Queensland would be more likely in season 2009-10.

The AFL wants the Kangaroos to move in time for the 2010 season.

[rodgerfox]

The thing I just don't understand about this is why they think an AFL team at the Gold Coast would succeed. Sure, salary cap concessions and draft picks would mean that they would have a strong team for a few years, but Brisbane have the support of the entire state, yet the least amount of members of any team in the AFL.

I think Brisbane's membership is at about 21k at the moment. If the Kangaroos moved to the GC they would have about 18, and would be stealling a few from Brisbane. If Southport joined the league they would have about 12k and Brisbane would lose about 5k.

The entire state is a dead zone for Aussie Rules, and introducing another club would surely just be creating a new problem child for the AFL as well as hurting Brisbane.

People on the Gold Coast generally spend.

Merchandise, tourists.

The AFL is abuot money - not diehard fans. The diehard fans are not part of what makes the AFL tick.

It's the corporates, the people who want 'entertainment', the people who are prepared to pay $500 to sit around watching a 'free flowing' game they have no interest in just so they can tell their mates they sat in a box.

Also, playing home games on the Gold Coast would potentially open up the game to the world, in a sense.

When you go to the US, you rarely go looking for a sport to watch (although some do). But if the city you're visiting happens to be playing a home game whilst you're there, you try to get a seat.

And quite often, you buy a cap or some other crappy merchandise and go home telling your mates you follow the San Fransisco Giants.

Gold Coast is teaming with tourists, and not backpackers neccessarily - but one's who like to spend.

The AFL is a circus. And a joke.

I don't really care where we play to be honest. The club and the sport aren't what I fell in love with.

[BAM! (shhhh)]

same arguments as when the Swans moved to Sydney 20 odd years ago

It took 15 years and some tampering by the AFL to finally make that move work ...

History is about to repeat ..

And now one team just about has a monopoly on AFL fans in Australia's largest city. May have taken a long time to catch on, but a la Melbourne's president's comments re: China, the Swans are in a great spot now.

We should remember the possibility of another perspective on this announcement. Due to other pressures (namely, Rugby, A-League) in one of Australia's key growth areas, and the now seeming stability of the Lions, the AFL wishes they'd been setting up for this 4 years ago. 2010 would seem to still be within a good timeframe to capture the market, and quite simply they want a team there.

Given the Kangaroos situation, it would be unfair of the AFL NOT to give them first crack, prior to assembling a new team, or offering it elsewhere. Given the Kangas financial woes, it would be irresponsible not to strongly recommend they take the offer.

To take it to a microcosm, I find it interesting that of the Kangaroos supporters I know, the ones who actually step up and go to games actually seem to be in favour (they can tell by the empty stadiums the team is in bad straights) while it's those who watch on TV who are up in arms...

[Saint Mik]

Is this the reason why the FIXture was put together the way it was for the 08 season and beyond.

Doesnt matter how many teams are in the comp when you can play the same team twice before you play all teams.

The Kangas will take it IMO there is no way they can come up with an extra 7 million a season starting from now, wheres it going to come from even our supporters and others buying memberships wont make up the shortfall

What other option do they have i dont understand why they wont take it its not like they have anything here in melbourne really except a few members and a run down training facilty sounds harsh but its the true.

No more help after 09 from the AFL so how long will it continue lets be honest at least when we were in trouble we went about getting out of it what have they done other than put out there hand to the AFL and now its getting to the stage where its unfair to the rest of the comp so you cant even blame Dimwit for his view on the topic IMO.

They have to go or bust unless someone like MR Pratt is out there when it comes to the crunch time.

[BAM! (shhhh)]

The Kangas will take it IMO there is no way they can come up with an extra 7 million a season starting from now, wheres it going to come from even our supporters and others buying memberships wont make up the shortfall

What other option do they have i dont understand why they wont take it its not like they have anything here in melbourne really except a few members and a run down training facilty sounds harsh but its the true.

No more help after 09 from the AFL so how long will it continue lets be honest at least when we were in trouble we went about getting out of it what have they done other than put out there hand to the AFL and now its getting to the stage where its unfair to the rest of the comp so you cant even blame Dimwit for his view on the topic IMO.

They have to go or bust unless someone like MR Pratt is out there when it comes to the crunch time.

To be fair to those who have run the Kangaroos, efforts such as Canberra and now the Gold Coast have been attempted, in the same way the Saints took on Tasmania - it's part of why they get first crack at the Gold Coast market. I think their biggest issue is what other have alluded to, and that's the latent supporter base.

Look at North Melbourne on the map, and through the last 15 years, and even when they've been at the top of the ladder, their support hasn't been overwhelming because it's a transiently populated suburb nestled between the traditional territories of Carlton (also somewhat transient but less so), Essendon (much more stable), and Collingwood (also transient)... similar issues to those facing Fitzroy. Where St. Kilda has ended up with massive latent following through the southeast in spite of lack of onfield success due to branding the area through their move to Moorabbin (and has taken advantage of it in recent years - but there's no guarentees), If you were zoning out Melbourne for an expansion club, the Kangaroos traditional homeland would be marked as the proverbial 3rd rail.

I agree, it's a tough love situation, and the Kangaroos will have little coice but to relocate... Hard to see a Pratt like figure stepping in (not because there aren't successful Kangaroos men, but the Carlton brand and North Melbourne brand are miles apart in market potential, and if the eventual move is inevitable, can't see anyone spending a few years bruning money just to delay it), and the rest of the Melbourne clubs should take note: the AFL is a growing and succesful league, losing money hand over fist is not a long term option where other markets can be found. If Carlton can go to the wire, anyone can.

IMO, the only result of keeping the Kangaroos in Melbourne will be a struggle gold coast expansion team for a few years until a forced merge with one of the Melbourne clubs anyway. It makes more sense to simply move one of the teams.

[Saint Mik]

Ageed with what you say Bam (shhhh)

The thing that i dont like is that the AFL say we wont tip money into your pockets if you stay in Melbourne because its not fair to the other Melbourne clubs ect., but if you go to the GC we will give you plenty of dollars to get what we want so how is that being fair to Melbourne clubs.

Its been going on for years I know but surley the help these interstate clubs get outways what they are currently doing for North Melbourne.

The AFL run there own agenda and the clubs have to jump to there demands and its getting worse, talk about being backed into a corner but thats the way it is and we all let it happen the AFL does as it pleases and we put up with it(from the FIXture to the price of food ect.) which is just a shame really.

I still think that North should of been smarter in the board room because if teams like (well every one knows who they are) can get the finances right why hasnt North been able to do the same over the years and now they have been given a choice because of it, but money has been used for an excuse so the AFL gets what it wants.

It would be small change to the AFL what they are giving North and to say its not fair is just a cop out from dimwit the whole comp is not fair so whats the big deal i'm sure all Melbourne clubs would rather North get a bigger hand out and stay here if a survey was done but that wont ever happen.

Perhaps a rebel comp needs to be started in Victoria and get some star players to the new comp to shove it up the AFL wishful thinking I know but it would be fantastic if it did ever happen they have ripped the heart out of some of these supporters in Victoria so you never know it may happen one day in the future when some one says enough is enough.

Its still enjoyable but nothing like it used to be IMO.

[riccardo]

My conspiricy theory is the AFL wants thier slice of the Gold Coast sporting pie before all the little kids are running around in Titans jerseys.

Lets face it, GC has killed innumerable sports teams, including a very good attempt on the fledgling Bears. The only chance an AFL team has of surviving is if it is an existing Melbourne based team supported financially by the AFL. It already has members and history and dosen't have to start from scratch. As North are the least viable club ATM, sadly they are on the chopping block.

Funnily enough, if you replace "Gold Coast" with "Sydney" and "North" with "South", this is how I hear it basically went down in 1980/81 with the last totally relocated side.

[saintspremiers]

Hes a big ugly liar.

According to Derryn Hinch, he's also a "greasy Greek"

I loved that one, so, so true!!!

[FullMonty]

If the roos don't go they will be going down the Fitzroy path from then on.
Death awaits, it's just a matter of time but the AFL will determine this.