Tokyospliff Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 Is it just me or does anyone else want an a-league team down in Geelong? There are four teams in new south wales two of these teams coming from regional areas outside of Sydney (Newcastle and Central Coast). So why not give Geelong an A-league franchise. Seeming that Geelong is sport crazy, i am sure they would be able to maintain a good average of attendances. Even better then both Newcastle and central coast. Also the away trips to geelong would be great plus the rivalry would be intense between the Melbourne sides and a Geelong team. Well anyway just some food for thought would like to get your opinions on this topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Che Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 I wouldn't have thought Geelong would have the interest in soccer to make it sustainable, but who knows. Canberra > all other future a-league teams though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokyospliff Posted September 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 I reckon the inclusion of both Canberra and Geelong would be the most logically next areas for a-league expansions. Or maybe even Tasmania. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 Its Aussie rules only down there mate, also fuck watching football at skilled Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DutchPride Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 Newcastle have decent crows tbh rofl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazzatron Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 nothing against the southern cross fc bid but I reckon a team in Geelong would have been a better idea than that or Melbourne heart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokyospliff Posted September 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 I Wouldn't say that it is all AFL. The only reason why Afl is so big is because its the only professional sports club in geelong. Im sure the people of geelong would definately back an a-league club because they have a huge pride for there city. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
True Until I die Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 Not bad crowds for the w-league games held there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 Not bad crowds for the w-league games held there What a couple hundred ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokyospliff Posted September 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 That's not bad for w-league Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 I live in Geelong and yeah it could of had a market, but you have too many Victory and Heart fans now. Victoria should stay as a 2 team state imo, Canberra and Tasmania would be good imo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Posted September 29, 2012 Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 I live in Geelong and yeah it could of had a market, but you have too many Victory and Heart fans now. Victoria should stay as a 2 team state imo, Canberra and Tasmania would be good imo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokyospliff Posted September 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 I reckon geelong and tasmania definately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokyospliff Posted September 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2012 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geelong_A-League_Bid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 http://en.wikipedia....ng_A-League_Bid I think Geelong could have been a great option, but i still think the fact remains, it would hurt Heart and to an extent Victory and struggle due to coming in so late on in the piece. CCM and Newcastle had the benefit of start off support, people in those area's never got access to Sydney like we have to Heart and Victory. Geelong is only just big enough in population terms before you consider that those that want to support local soccer/domestic leagues already do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXJawsaXx Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 The idea in that Geelong City bid was good in the sense that it could of been marketed well to the people of Geelong. What I mean is that retaining that consistency with the AFL team in terms of blue and white hoops (maybe royal blue like QPR, because Vucktree have navy and white) and forming some kind of partnership with the Cats would have been good. A mate of mine (Cats supporter) said he would have jumped onto a Geelong team if that bid was successful because of the similarities with the Cats. It also doesn't help that it got supported by well known guys like Bill Brownless (whether you like him or not). I do not think it will happen, it may be a bit late for it, but you never know. Although with all that being said, Canberra should be the next place to get an A-League team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LR9 Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 Wollongong > Canberra > a 2nd Tassie Side > North Qld > Gold Coast > Geelong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malloy Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 Bring back gc away tbh either that or just play our regional games there ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yelawolf Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 Geelong is too close to Melbourne so the majority of people either follow the vuck or heart won't (well shouldn't) happen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Che Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 Canberra > Wollongong > a 2nd Tassie Side > North Qld > Gold Coast > Geelong. Fixed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokyospliff Posted September 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 (edited) I'd like to see Tassie > Geelong > canberra > wollongong > Gold coast > Nth qld Good point with Geelong already having some heart and victory following. Maybe instead playing heart games down in morwell, play them down in werribee or geelong? Seems like a more logical move. Didn't even know that morewell existed up until heart played down there. Edited September 30, 2012 by Tokyospliff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSK_47 Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 Didn't even know that morewell existed up until heart played down there. Never heard of the mighty Eastern Pride? Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tesla Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 Wollongong has great potential for a team, a lot of real football supporters out there, and they have produced a lot of talented players like Mile Sterjovski, Sasho Petrovski, Naum Sekulovski, etc. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mus-28 Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 Never heard of the mighty Eastern Pride? Lol Surely he heard of the star foreign imports Esala & Manoa Masi, and who could forget boom English striker Neville Roach. Must admit they did show that you could be semi-competitive on practically no budget at all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 I'd like to see Tassie > Geelong > canberra > wollongong > Gold coast > Nth qld Good point with Geelong already having some heart and victory following. Maybe instead playing heart games down in morwell, play them down in werribee or geelong? Seems like a more logical move. Didn't even know that morewell existed up until heart played down there. I would like to see this tbh, i dont know how big a ground werribee has but would think we could get a few down at Skilled, and if i recall the profit margin at the ground is quiet strong? atleast for the cats. North Ballarats VFL ground can hold 10K so you would think Werribee would have something of a similar ilk? Ballarat and bendigo could serve as a good market for Heart amoungst Geelong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jw1739 Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 Forget about Tasmania. Half-a-million people in the entire island. Crowds for local games of any code are pathetically small and an A-League club would not survive there. I lived and worked there for nearly 15 years. IMO the obvious choices for expansion are Canberra and Wollongong. Having been snubbed several times, whether Canberra is still viable is a big question mark. Also I'm not sure the demographics there are oriented towards football. By contrast, Wollongong has a football heritage. Also, remember that in Europe they actually have efficient public transport systems that deliver people where they want to go when they want to be there. We can't organize efficient transport here in Melbourne, let alone getting people to away games anywhere, or even getting country people to and from AAMI Park in one day. While PT isn't the factor that will make or break an A-League club, a reliable service would certainly help. For each of the past two seasons my line has been out of action for three home games, either due to flooding or Sunday maintenance. Luckily I have an alternative. Many people don't. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 If we had a bit more cash through a generous TV deal there are four different markets that could come in tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Che Posted September 30, 2012 Report Share Posted September 30, 2012 IMO the obvious choices for expansion are Canberra and Wollongong. Having been snubbed several times, whether Canberra is still viable is a big question mark. Also I'm not sure the demographics there are oriented towards football. By contrast, Wollongong has a football heritage. No strong Football heritage my ass - Josip Simunic, Carl Valeri, etc etc Migrant Europeans are about are the strongest football demographic in Australia, and Canberra has plenty of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokyospliff Posted October 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 I guess if we are going by population then Canberra and Wollongong should be next for expansion then Maybe Hobart/Tasmania. I wouldn't even consider another Queensland team other then a second Brisbane team. Rugby has monopoly over Queensland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Posted October 1, 2012 Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 Townsville can work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadete Posted October 1, 2012 Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 I think any option where a Rectangle ground that is more than a Regional Footy Oval will always take precedence over other locations, the FFA does not have the money to build infrastructure. At the same time playing at prehistoric grounds just spits in face of exactly what they are trying to achieve with the A League with it being a professional league - Despite the market clearly not their yet to support a Professional League. Morwell last year was a massive failure for all concerned and that was only one game, and TBH at a pretty good stadium for Regional Victoria. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Posted October 1, 2012 Report Share Posted October 1, 2012 (edited) I think any option where a Rectangle ground that is more than a Regional Footy Oval will always take precedence over other locations, the FFA does not have the money to build infrastructure. At the same time playing at prehistoric grounds just spits in face of exactly what they are trying to achieve with the A League with it being a professional league - Despite the market clearly not their yet to support a Professional League. Morwell last year was a massive failure for all concerned and that was only one game, and TBH at a pretty good stadium for Regional Victoria. If any government, FFA or key stakeholder was serious then a decent stadium could be built for a new expansion club imo. St Mirrens in Scotland for example built a new stadium in 2009 for about $15M with a 8K capacity, more than our average crowds atm basically. It is basic but does the job and being basic can be expanded upon when the need arises pretty easily. It is not fashionable but suits the rectangular game perfectly, and is in relative terms cheap as chips. http://www.footballg...d/st_mirren.htm this would suit any new expansion market as they will be smaller than the current ones, and could be quite large 10-15K for about 30M dollars, which could be made back over a short lease ect. It would have suited NQF and GC imo, Tassie. Edited October 1, 2012 by Mentor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeartMillsy29 Posted October 3, 2012 Report Share Posted October 3, 2012 I'd love for Geelong to get a team eventually but it would be at least 15 years down the track. They already have a team to support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadete Posted October 3, 2012 Report Share Posted October 3, 2012 If any government, FFA or key stakeholder was serious then a decent stadium could be built for a new expansion club imo. St Mirrens in Scotland for example built a new stadium in 2009 for about $15M with a 8K capacity, more than our average crowds atm basically. It is basic but does the job and being basic can be expanded upon when the need arises pretty easily. It is not fashionable but suits the rectangular game perfectly, and is in relative terms cheap as chips. http://www.footballg...d/st_mirren.htm this would suit any new expansion market as they will be smaller than the current ones, and could be quite large 10-15K for about 30M dollars, which could be made back over a short lease ect. It would have suited NQF and GC imo, Tassie. TBH $15m is still much of a risk in this country to build such a stadium for an expansion market: That’s why every time Soccer, or RL has expanded into a new market they almost always setup in an est. Stadium instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Che Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 (edited) TBH $15m is still much of a risk in this country to build such a stadium for an expansion market: That’s why every time Soccer, or RL has expanded into a new market they almost always setup in an est. Stadium instead. Not always, Gold Coast Titans for example. But it failed spectacuarly imo. Edited October 4, 2012 by Che Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadete Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 Not always, Gold Coast Titans for example. But it failed spectacuarly imo. Exactly - That stadium in GC is now really a white Elephant. To be brutally honest if only MH used AMMI Park, then that place would be another White Elephant. In fact the reason CCM were given a license was to make use of what was another stadium that was a complete White Elephant at the time after its failure of as a RL arena. Australia is littered with badly thought out Stadia from the past 20 years: The Legends Stand @ Visy Park. The Major Renovation of Subi Oval completed around 1999 – Also soon to be redundant. The Major Renovation of Football Park SA – Also soon to be redundant. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokyospliff Posted October 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 A 3rd melbourne team wouldn't be out of the question either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Che Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 A 3rd melbourne team wouldn't be out of the question either Not sure if srs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tesla Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 If any government, FFA or key stakeholder was serious then a decent stadium could be built for a new expansion club imo. St Mirrens in Scotland for example built a new stadium in 2009 for about $15M with a 8K capacity, more than our average crowds atm basically. It is basic but does the job and being basic can be expanded upon when the need arises pretty easily. It is not fashionable but suits the rectangular game perfectly, and is in relative terms cheap as chips. http://www.footballg...d/st_mirren.htm this would suit any new expansion market as they will be smaller than the current ones, and could be quite large 10-15K for about 30M dollars, which could be made back over a short lease ect. It would have suited NQF and GC imo, Tassie. That $15mil stadium would cost $75mil in Australia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Posted October 4, 2012 Report Share Posted October 4, 2012 That $15mil stadium would cost $75mil in Australia. Yeah it would cost more than 15M but not 75 imo, but still even 50 million if expansion could get serious? 10M Federal gov, 10M state, 10M FFA, is 30 for a start, maybe a local council ect could chip in if they will benefit form the infrastructure? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.