One-Eyed Richmond Forum
Football => View from the Outer => Topic started by: mightytiges on March 12, 2006, 03:17:07 AM
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I would hate it if the Tiges considered relocation (which some RFC board members did in the mid 80s IIRC) or even if we decided to play a few home games interstate.
Caro and some NSW polly wants the Roos and Dogs to head north:
"The ideal club to relocate to Sydney, or to play its home games here, would be the Western Bulldogs," veteran MP Charlie Lynn said, speaking in the NSW Legislative Council. "The Western Bulldogs share the same ethos as western Sydney and would be readily accepted into the fold.
"Blind Freddie knows that Melbourne cannot continue to support 10 AFL clubs and Freddie also knows that western Sydney is the economic engine room of NSW and the most culturally diverse region in Australia. To deny this region a home team would deny the code the opportunity to fulfil its potential as the greatest game in Australia."
http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2006/03/11/1141701733760.html
Having deemed they cannot bite the bullet in an onfield sense, the Kangaroos must take the off-field plunge and relocate their interstate home fixtures to the Gold Coast. In the words of one of their famous past players: "You know it makes sense."
The AFL has not spent millions of dollars revamping Carrara for nothing and CEO Andrew Demetriou has openly stated his long-term plan to schedule a game each week in Queensland in the not-too-distant future.
Lying around the corner from Carrara is one of the wealthiest football clubs in the country, Southport, which boasts facilities the Kangaroos would leap at, along with a multimillion-dollar poker machine enterprise and ambitious investments elsewhere.
http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2006/03/11/1141701729812.html
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I think the reality is that sometime within the next 3-5 years a team will relocate and it is most liklely to be a Club that is receiving "assistance" from the AFL. Now despite what you think of the Blues - I reckon you'll find that's why Collo is so against asking for CBF (or whatever they all it these days) monies - tkae the money and you lose your independence.
If I was going to pick a club I'd say it's going to be North. The Bulldogs for the time being are pretty safe IMO because of what's going on at the Whitten Construction site, compliments of the Federal Govt. North on the other hand have Arden Street - what more can you say :help
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I agree WP it's only a matter of time. The TV rights deal will keep these poorer clubs with small supporter bases going in the short term but after that if a market opens up that the AFL wants to exploit (Gold Coast or Western Sydney) then the AFL will "persuade" these clubs to relocate or face Fitzroy's fate. I think you're on the money about the CBF assisted clubs being the chosen ones WP. I can't see Carlton going. I think their large membership/supporter base as well as a number of wealthy high-profile supporters will see them eventually through their current financial crisis.
North would be my tip to go first too. The Doggies at least lay claim to representing a region of Melbourne which got them the extra $$$ to redevelop the Western Oval. North don't have that. On top of that they need to continually top up their list to remain competitive so as to keep financially afloat even with the CBF money. It must be nigh for them.
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From the Australian
Greg Denham
March 15, 2006
Elsewhere, the AFL yesterday reiterated its strong pursuit of more games in NSW and Queensland, and did not discount increasing the competition to 17 or 18 teams to achieve its target within 10 years.
Demetriou said the league was determined to strengthen its presence in the northern states, particularly in southeast Queensland and Sydney's western suburbs.
"There is no plan to relocate any clubs," Demetriou said. "I don't know in 10 years whether it'll be a new club, 17th or 18th teams. All I do know is, there will be more football being played because there has to be."
With two more premiership games in Queensland than in 2005, the AFL is determined to play on a more regular basis in the northern states.
This year a record 14 premiership games will be played in Queensland - 12 at the Gabba and two at Carrara - and a total of 12 in Sydney at the SCG and Telstra Stadium.
He said an option was for Melbourne clubs to play more home games interstate.
While not ruling out additional clubs being added to the competition, Demetriou stressed the need for the current 16 clubs to become financially secure and viable.
Clubs improved their cumulative profit last year by $14 million on 2004 figures, but four clubs posted losses and Demetriou warned that some of them were still "fragile".
AFL revenue exceeded $200m for the first time last year, which produced a record operating surplus of $130.4m.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,18468867%255E36035,00.html
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Gold Coast urges Kangaroos to head north
The Age - Breaking News
March 21, 2006 - 8:27PM
The Gold Coast wants to welcome the Kangaroos as its adopted AFL side if the club's current deal to play home games in Canberra cannot be renewed beyond 2006.
Olympian Ron Clarke - the man who lit the Olympic flame at the Melbourne 1956 Games - has put out the welcome mat for the Kangaroos for 2007 in his role as Gold Coast mayor, and believes the Shinboners would get good crowds at Carrara Oval.
"I reckon we could fill our stadium," Clarke said.
"The city itself has 490,000 residents, and between 100,000 to 200,000 visitors at any one time, so the numbers are there.
"I believe we would be as strong as Adelaide."
The Kangaroos have played a share of their home games at Canberra's Manuka Oval since 1998, but the current contract the club has with the ACT government and the AFL will expire at the end of this season.
That leaves the Roos with the option of renewing another contract to play at the 14,000-capacity Manuka ground, or consider playing three home games a season elsewhere.
Kangaroos chief executive Geoff Walsh said the club was not committed to playing home games at any venue, and had to consider other venues, such as Carrara.
"We'd always have to look at new markets," he said.
"There's a lot of areas which are calling out for AFL games at the moment and we are always mindful of the commercial and competitive elements so we would have to consider all of those venues."
Carrara hosted the then Brisbane Bears' initial foray into the AFL from 1987-92, and although the venue failed to capture the public's imagination, the Gold Coast's reputation as a growing population base might have its attractions.
The 15,500-capacity venue attracted encouraging crowds of over 10,000 for two pre-season games this year, and will host two premiership games later this year.
Clarke said the area was desperate for a bigger slice of AFL action.
"We don't care who plays here, we need AFL football in the Gold Coast and as we test the crowds, and see if the interest is there, we will have more and more games," he said.
"This is very much a five-year plan."
The Gold Coast's active push for more games will encourage the AFL, whose chief executive Andrew Demetriou last week spoke of the need for Victorian-based clubs to "migrate" home games north so the code could seize the developing markets of Queensland and New South Wales.
But the ACT opposition said the Kangaroos' possible departure from the capital would be devastating for the territory which produced VFL/AFL champions such as Alex Jesaulenko and James Hird.
"There are rumours in some quarters that the Government is considering ending the agreement," opposition sports spokesman Bill Stefaniak said.
"There is a junior roo program that will disappear if the Kangaroos agreement is not renewed, and this will be detrimental in terms of junior AFL development in the ACT."
A spokeswoman for the ACT government was confident of retaining the Kangaroos next year.
The Kangaroos reportedly receive $210,000 per home game at Manuka - most of it from the ACT government - but Walsh said money was only one aspect, as crowd and corporate support, potential membership and marketing were other factors which needed consideration.
© 2006 AAP
http://www.theage.com.au/news/Sport/Gold-Coast-urges-Kangaroos-to-head-north/2006/03/21/1142703353669.html
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Southport Sharks should come into the competition. For mine, of course its best if the Roos went up...but in the end you cant keep a club that has so much money out of the national comp. Id almost expand it to 17 teams if there are no takers, but theres an old adage- you cant beat city hall. and in this instance if city hall has decided a club has to go and theyve decided which club that is...then i reckon its over and just a matter of time.
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It's just a feeling but it seems there's a change in attitude from the Victorian clubs compared to the one solidarity of say 5-10 years ago. If the Roos find it impossible to survive in Melbourne I don't think the other clubs will shed a tear if the Roos had to head North.
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Andrew Demetriou was on FoxFooty last night and, even though he didn't sound definite about it, he said not to discount the possibility that the number of AFL teams could expand.
Once the ideal number of teams was believed to be 12, now it's 16, so who knows what can happen in the future.
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Thanks for that TS :).
The only two problems I have with a expanded league is (i) It doesn't solve the problem of too many clubs in Melbourne. The interstate clubs are growing stronger and wealthier by the year compared to most Vic clubs. And (ii) do we have the talent pool and depth of Aussie Rules footballers to find another say 76-88 AFL standard players. It could severely dilute the quality of footy even more.
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17th side for AFL?
By JON RALPH
Herald-Sun
02apr06
AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou has raised the prospect of a 17 or 18-team competition as Australian football grows into southeast Queensland and western Sydney.
Demetriou has floated the possibility of granting more licences to emerging clubs or areas, a move that would have massive ramifications on broadcast rights.
While the plan to open expanding markets has no time frame, it would be the first major change in the make-up of the league since Port Adelaide took Fitzroy's licence in 1997.
Demetriou has all but guaranteed the future of the 10 Victorian clubs, but financial battlers among them have long feared forced relocation interstate.
The AFL boss exclusively told Sunday Herald Sun columnists Kevin Sheedy and Nathan Buckley this week that the league may choose to expand the competition instead of relocate clubs.
"We have to explore the possibilities," Demetriou told the Essendon coach and Collingwood captain. "We have made no secret of that. We are not saying it is a Victorian team (that will be moved). It could be a new licence.
"In 10 years, the AFL has to have a presence in Sydney's western suburbs and in southeast Queensland -- we wouldn't be doing our job properly if we didn't."
The AFL's broadcast rights deal means it can continue to prop up ailing clubs. Western Bulldogs, Melbourne and the Kangaroos receive league handouts.
The league could award a new licence to a club such as the Gold Coast's Southport Sharks on the Gold Coast. It has a burgeoning junior program, excellent facilities and a bank balance of $21 million.
The AFL has invested a small fortune in the Queensland and NSW markets.
In the interview, Demetriou ruled out a prime-time night Grand Final in the next six years.
"I am a Saturday afternoon Grand Final fan," he said.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,18677118%255E11088,00.html
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Southport should come in, i said that earlier, The AFL should ask for $6 or 7 million upfront licence fee and it would help clubs like ours pay off some debt.
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Stadium revamp on offer if Roos commit to move
By Caroline Wilson
The Age
April 5, 2006
THE Kangaroos' pivotal role in an AFL-inspired push into southern Queensland yesterday gained momentum with Gold Coast Mayor Ron Clarke pledging to expand the crowd capacity at Carrara next season to 25,000 should the club commit to playing games there.
With the Southport Sharks offering the Kangaroos at least $400,000 a game to play at Carrara and the ACT Government yet to put a new offer to the Roos board, Clarke echoed the words of AFL executive Ben Buckley when he said the Gold Coast was looking to host six to eight AFL games next year.
"My official view is that we would accept a mix of clubs," said Clarke, "whether it be Footscray, Hawthorn or North Melbourne or a combination. But in reality the Kangaroos are the ones most in need of better facilities and support. They don't get the support they deserve in Melbourne in my view and they would get it here."
While the AFL continues to push its case for 22 games a year in Queensland, it has not yet broached the subject of transferred Kangaroos' games — let alone permanent relocation — to the Roos board. And while the Kangaroos have not officially canvassed the issue at board level, there is no doubt in the minds of the club's directors and shareholders that the AFL has the club earmarked for relocation.
The powers behind the AFL's only privately owned club — the Kangaroos members would have no official say in a relocation — are led by director Peter deRauch, who controls 35 per cent of the club's shares, having contributed more than $1 million over his time at the club.
Other major shareholders include former president Andrew Carter, director John Magowan, Robert Smith, Dennis Morgan, Peter Johnstone and former player Kerry Goode, who refused to comment to The Age yesterday.
While the Kangaroos shareholders have denied reports Southport attempted a takeover of the club last year, they remain convinced that AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou is sending a message to the club that its survival depends on a proactive move up north — at first on a part-time basis but eventually moving there permanently. None took the CEO's talk of a 17th AFL licence seriously.
In a separate development the Queensland Government reminded Demetriou that the AFL was contracted to fixture all its matches at the Gabba should a second side relocate to Queensland.
The alert came from the government's Major Sports Facility Authority which has ploughed $50 million into the final stage of that stadium's redevelopment. Demetriou, in Brisbane for talks with the Lions, assured the authority that any relocation remained some time away.
And Brisbane Lions skipper Michael Voss said of the growing momentum surrounding a second club: "We can all dodge around the question of whether it is a Melbourne club or not (but) you would think the most likely thing is that someone takes over an existing licence and a Melbourne club relocates to the Gold Coast permanently.
"I'm sure they (AFL) are hoping that in the next 10 years that something like that will happen … But I'm sure there's not too many clubs putting their hands up to do it."
Nor is the AFL prepared to put any defined relocation plans on the table. Last year the Roos requested the AFL Commission communicate whether it believed the Gold Coast would provide a better return for the club than Canberra but has so far received no response.
The league remains mindful of the damage any hint of a forced merger or relocation could wreak upon the competition. However, within days it plans to hold talks with Southport chief Paul Wyatt — whose club has been attempting to purchase an AFL licence for years and continues to push its Gold Coast plans at every opportunity.
"Perhaps we need three to four years to make it gradually happen," said Clarke. "Not that we wouldn't be able to cope with it if it were offered to us straight away …"
http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2006/04/04/1143916526123.html
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Kekka backs Roo move
06 April 2006
Herald Sun
Mark Robinson
KANGAROOS Team of the Century member Sam Kekovich is adamant the club must relocate to the Gold Coast and claims the concept has the support of prominent members and even board directors.
The outspoken club identity yesterday refused to reveal names, but expected recent "unofficial" talks about a move north to intensify throughout the season.
They will reach fever pitch by the end of the month if Canberra rejects a $400,000 a game asking price from the Kangaroos for next year.
A no answer would mean the Roos would almost certainly play three matches on the Gold Coast in 2007.
"I would support any push to go north," Kekovich said yesterday.
"I know the mood of a couple of prominent members and they believe that is the way to go. I really don't know what the mood of the board is in total, but I know there are some individual directors in favour of it.
"I know there's been some speculation, some dialogue and a lot of people are doing some feasibility studies, quiet feasibility studies, without really stoking the fire.
"I think it's gently, gently at the moment, but it would be derelict of our duty to our members if we weren't to explore it in its entirety.
"It's a gold mine and we owe it to our club's existence."
In a move certain to create division at the club, Kekovich says the club must begin talks with the AFL as a matter of urgency.
In recent days, the AFL has strongly floated the concept of a second club in Queensland.
Gold Coast mayor Ron Clarke has also pledged to expand Carrara to 25,000 capacity if the Kangaroos agree to play games there in 2007.
The Roos maintain they want to stay in Melbourne and commit to playing games in the ACT next season.
They expect an answer from Canberra by the end of the month. If they are rejected, they will entertain the idea of the Gold Coast in conjunction with the Southport Sharks, who are desperate to embrace an AFL club.
The AFL Queensland club has not yet approached the Kangaroos.
Kekovich yesterday maintained the Gold Coast was a godsend for his embattled club.
"I'm all for it," he said.
"All this talk about where the spiritual home is, that's all irrelevant in the current climate.
"We could still retain our base here, play our games north . . . it's a wonderful opportunity.
"And if we procrastinate and then become a bit-part player and miss the boat, then I reckon we've given up a golden opportunity.
"I don't want to see them just survive, I think there's an opportunity to be a prominent mover and shaker in the competition, like the interstate clubs, like the Collingwoods and Essendons.
"I think the club that goes up there will become a significant powerhouse . . . instead of fighting for our very existence every single day of our lives."
Asked if he would try to join the board or support a ticket that advocated relocation, Kekovich said "Yes".
"I'm committed on a number of fronts that precludes me from committing totally to the cause, but if the opportunity presented itself, I would like to," he said.
And the presidency? "You never say never, but who knows what's going on down the track. But at the moment, no, I think (president) Graham Duff has done an excellent job," he said.
"But if they went north I'd be more than happy to play a role, whatever role they saw fit.
"I don't know whether it's the presidency . . . but everything I've ever achieved I owe to the North Melbourne Football Club, so I've got a vested interest and probably a moral obligation to see them do well.
"Whatever role I can play I would be happy to do so."
Kangaroos chief executive Geoff Walsh yesterday tried to play down the hysteria generated in the past week of a second club in Queensland.
He said the club had played a package of matches in Canberra for the best part of a decade, but that market monopoly was now over.
"They now have competitors in as far as venues," Walsh said.
"And whether we end up continuing our relationships in the ACT or whether we explore opportunities elsewhere will, firstly, be the club's decision rather than anyone else's, and, secondly, will be determined by what is best for the long-term future of this club."
He said relocation was not a topic of discussion.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,18723925%255E19742,00.html
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King concedes Roos will have to move
By Reko Rennie and Martin Boulton
The Age
April 9, 2006
DUAL Kangaroos premiership player David King says his former team will inevitably move to Queensland's Carrara Stadium, but Western Bulldogs president David Smorgon has rejected any suggestion his club would relocate to western Sydney or the Gold Coast.
"I think it's inevitable — every year we lose more ground," said King on 3AW yesterday.
"We have to go. I don't think there's a choice. Our marketing department makes no money — not a cracker."
King estimates the move will happen within five years "for the betterment of the club".
"I hate saying that, but I'd rather go up there and hang on to something like the Fitzroy people are still hanging on to the Brisbane Lions than have the club go down the gurgler," said King, who played in the 1996 and 1999 premiership sides during his 11-season, 241-game career.
"The North Melbourne supporters down here must realise that they will have no club if they fight this."
The Kangaroos' contract to play three games in Canberra expires at the end of year and Carrara Stadium is looking like a preferred option for the Roos.
Smorgon said the Bulldogs had no intention of moving anywhere. He said the club enjoyed greater support than any time in the past 10 years.
"For the second year in a row the Bulldogs have broken our club membership tally, club membership is now just over 22,500," said.
"I can vividly recall 10 years ago when we were hovering around 9000 and we wondered if we could ever reach 20,000.
"We've been in the Western region of Melbourne since the 1880s and if this board has anything to do with it, together with our growing number of members, we're going to be there forever."
Smorgon predicted the club's membership would reach 30,000 within the next few years.
"Let me state on behalf of the board of directors of the Western Bulldogs Football Club, on behalf of those 22,500 members, the only place we'll be relocating to is about 30 metre west of where we are today at the Whitten Oval and we'll be moving into a brand new modern facility, the miracle of the west, and that will become our permanent base for the next century or beyond.
"We have no interest, no interest whatsoever in merging with anybody or relocating anywhere, north, east or south."
http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2006/04/08/1143916766954.html
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"I think it's inevitable — every year we lose more ground," said King on 3AW yesterday.
"We have to go. I don't think there's a choice. Our marketing department makes no money — not a cracker."
Hey Kingy you're one of us now ;).
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North should go asap that way theyll get most out of the deal, the longer they wait the more theyll cough up to Southport. Itll be the difference between naming the club Northern Kangaroos or Northern Sharks. Sharks apparantly are trying to buyout the shares in North as we speak and theyve announced a press conference for tomorrow.
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Pressure to relocate mounts on strugglers
Jenny McAsey
The Australian
May 04, 2006
GEELONG president Frank Costa has distanced himself from Melbourne's poorer clubs, saying they could not be propped up by the AFL in the long-term because it was hurting others.
Costa said yesterday Victoria could not support 10 clubs and at least one of the financially troubled teams would have to relocate interstate or go out of business.
Melbourne, Western Bulldogs and the Kangaroos have received more than $1million each under the league's special distribution of funds.
But as the club presidents and the AFL gather in Melbourne today to discuss how the $780m television rights money should be carved up, pressure is mounting for the special handouts to eventually end.
Costa aligned himself with the bosses of two of the AFL's richest clubs, West Coast's chairman Dalton Gooding and Adelaide's Bill Sanders.
"I feel quite sure there is a limited period of time that the AFL can continue funding a few clubs because it is really at the expense of all clubs," Costa said.
"Every $16 that goes into one club out of the special assistance fund, that is a dollar out of every other club's pocket."
Costa said the AFL was preparing the way for one of the struggling clubs to shift to Queensland or Sydney.
"It is very hard to see how Victoria can sustain 10 clubs in the long-term," he said. "We are already seeing the stresses that are on some of the Victorian clubs just to break even.
"While it is a very unpleasant thing for members of those clubs and, if it was Geelong I would be devastated, relocation is better than extinction."
Sanders yesterday called for the AFL to put together a lucrative relocation package, using funds from the TV rights windfall, as an incentive for a Melbourne-based club to move.
The Adelaide chairman suggested it could be along the lines of the merger package put forward by the AFL a decade ago, which resulted in Fitzroy joining with Brisbane.
"I know this will be controversial but maybe it's time for the AFL commission to resurrect the old merger package, but redesign it as a relocation package," Sanders said.
"I am not talking about one of the clubs playing a few games interstate each season. They should move the whole show."
Another club president, who did not want to be named, suggested the AFL could set aside around $10m a year from the $140m it will receive annually between 2007 and 2011 from the new TV deal, to fund a relocated team. He said a transplanted team would need a big funding boost to survive the first five to seven years.
"If the AFL have learned anything from the relocation of South Melbourne to Sydney," he said, "it is that you have to capitalise these moves not just for the first year but for five to seven years, and I would say it would require a capitalisation of $40 to $50m.
"The AFL's very strong preference would be, rather than to keep subsidising clubs in Melbourne for the next decade, to bite the bullet and relocate clubs to areas where they are more strategically relevant than they are now."
Last weekend, West Coast's Gooding warned that at least one Victorian club faced extinction if it didn't relocate in the near future.
"We believe the AFL should offer attractive incentives for a Melbourne-based AFL club to be relocated because 10 AFL clubs in Melbourne is, in our club's view, not sustainable," said Gooding, who is in charge of a club that had an operating profit of $4m last year and has more than 42,000 members.
The AFL club bosses are getting together in Melbourne today to try to reach some common ground before they meet the AFL commission to hear how it plans to spend the extra finances.
Costa acknowledged his opinions on relocation could cause tension among the ranks of the presidents.
"It is a reality we have to face. The AFL has been good enough to have that special support fund to allow money to go into the clubs that really needed it just to balance their books," Costa said.
"If they hadn't received that money over the last three or four years there would be clubs already extinct and gone."
David Smorgon, president of the cash-strapped Western Bulldogs, would not comment yesterday on the pressure coming from the more financially stable clubs.
"The time to put our various views is at the meeting (today) rather than publicly airing them," Smorgon said.
Kangaroos chairman Graham Duff declared last week his club would remain based in Melbourne.
The AFL is likely to give all clubs an extra $1m over five years from the TV rights money, however, several, including the Bulldogs and Melbourne, will press for more.
Sanders said the TV rights income should not be seen as the saviour of football clubs. "It is not a cure all for the problems," Sanders said.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,19017556-36035,00.html
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Pressure to relocate mounts on strugglers
Jenny McAsey
The Australian
May 04, 2006
Sanders said the TV rights income should not be seen as the saviour of football clubs. "It is not a cure all for the problems," Sanders said.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,19017556-36035,00.html
If the standard of the play telecast (saints v geelong) last night where the camera is naturally being focussed on the ball in play and not the overall picture of what is happening over the ground with the flooding etc. continues then i am afraid it will not become compulsive viewing and the ratings will drop and the money will stop accordingly and then where will the cure come from.
Perhaps then the powers to be will want the game to be played on shorter fields without any half forward or halfback lines to appease the viewers and lift the ratings.
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Roos Carrara deal close
10 June 2006 Herald Sun
Mike Sheahan
THE Kangaroos and Southport have moved a step closer to an alliance that would see the Roos play on the Gold Coast.
Southport wrote to the Roos this week, indicating its willingness to underwrite them in 10 games during three years at Carrara.
The Sharks are willing to commit to $2 million for the package, while allowing the Victorian club to exploit sponsorship and marketing opportunities. The AFL also could subsidise the venture, given its enthusiasm for a presence in south-east Queensland.
The Roos are in the final year of a three-year agreement to play games in Canberra, but have kept their options open on the future.
While they have built a membership in the order of 2000 in the national capital, they believe the games are worth more than they have been getting.
Southport underwrote four AFL games on the Gold Coast this year to a total of $1.1 million, but is believed to have lost more than $200,000 on the exercise.
The Kangaroos recently rejected a "futuristic" Southport invitation to play nine games in Queensland, nine in Melbourne and four elsewhere.
The Roos remain committed to a Melbourne base, despite their familiar problems.
"They have essentially not entertained our idea at this stage," Southport chairman Alan McKenzie said last night.
Asked about the latest offer, McKenzie said: "We're optimistic that it will happen."
Kangaroos chief executive Geoff Walsh said he could not comment on Southport's letter until he had discussed its contents with chairman Graham Duff, who is overseas, and the club's directors.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,19420594%255E19742,00.html
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and no wonder why....
Roos an endangered species
10 June 2006 Herald Sun
Mike Sheahan
THE Kangaroos are at crisis point. Probably at the most critical juncture in their VFL-AFL history.
They are floundering on the field (2-8), tracking towards their worst finish in more than 20 years.
It is an unexpected complication to familiar problems with membership, corporate support and exposure.
Despite best endeavours, admirable spirit and a willingness to explore every suggestion, the Roos are losing their battle.
They continue to carry a debt of $3.5-4 million, there has been a 25 per cent attrition rate in membership this year and there's a growing identity problem.
The tell-tale signs are subtle, yet profound: a diminishing presence at games; the number of blue and white jumpers on young backs; what we don't read, hear and see about players; the indecision over whether to stay with Canberra as a second home or move yet again, this time to the Gold Coast.
There is a disturbing level of indifference towards the Kangas. Newspapers rarely carry feature stories on players; no letters to the editor; the major television programs such as The Footy Show seem to ignore them as prospective guests; they are rarely heard at peak times on radio.
While the Roos-Sydney game in Canberra last Sunday drew almost 15,000 people, observers estimated Sydney supporters made up 75 per cent of the crowd.
The club used to boast more ambassadors than the national capital. Circumstances have changed the profile of some – Simon Crean, for example – but where have the others gone?
While Trevor Marmalade and Sam Kekovich continue to fly the flag, Ricky Ponting is one of the few fresh faces.
The Australian captain has genuine passion for his club, wherever he is in the world, and happily does anything asked of him.
If the Roos didn't have such a fine history of defying the odds, if we didn't admire them for their bravery and brilliance through the 1990s, they might be termed an irrelevance.
Chief executive Geoff Walsh angrily rejects that notion, yet is willing to classify the immediate future as "challenging".
"We're a club that will continue to be challenged; we're running a break-even business," he says.
Walsh, who has led the resistance movement for the past four years, said the Roos were enduring their worst start to a season in 20 years, adding: "You can bounce back pretty quickly if you make the right decisions."
He said the administration and coach Dean Laidley retained the passion to do what had to be done.
But do they have the time to rebuild?
It was Laidley who famously told the Herald Sun in October last year: "As much as St Kilda got their priority picks and the Bulldogs got their priority picks, we can't do that.
"If we did that for two years, (it would be) go and shut the doors."
He will have regretted saying that, but it was justification in part back then for the decisions to draft players, including Jonathan Hay, from other clubs.
So, where to from here for the Roos? Walsh says the redevelopment of Arden St is a major advance that will boost morale in all sections of the club.
While they are a chance to win their next three games, it now is a story more about a club's future than how many wins it can muster in a season.
The Kangaroos want to remain a Melbourne-based club, with a presence in Canberra or on the Gold Coast.
Given the AFL's commitment to develop south-east Queensland and the Roos' needs, it is likely they will forsake Canberra for the Gold Coast from next year.
Walsh said: "It's fair to say the decision on where we play will be significantly influenced by what the AFL will offer in a partnership sense."
The Roos, who previously tried and failed in Sydney, are going to have to address the thorny issue of relocation as a matter of urgency.
They need to bargain with the AFL from a position of some strength, not waste away like Fitzroy did, losing all bargaining power in the process.
Walsh and former chairman Allen Aylett have fought bravely, but Aylett stepped aside in favour of Racing Victoria chairman Graham Duff after 50 years as a player and official.
Hard to see Duff giving the same time, passion and level of commitment to his secondary interest.
Walsh, who has been acknowledged by the AFL for his work at Arden St, says he still enjoys the challenge.
Significantly, he adds: "Sometimes you look at other clubs and you wonder what life would be like in someone else's shoes.
"Is the whole North Melbourne community tired of continually supporting the team against the odds? Can your supporter base run out of steam?"
The flood waters keep rising for all: a hard-working administration, a player group struggling to replicate heroic deeds of their predecessors, a frustrated senior coach whose torment is so painfully obvious.
The Southport Sharks are understood to have made a written offer to the Roos this week to play three games on the Gold Coast from next year.
It must become more tempting by the day.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,19419681%255E19742,00.html
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North one step closer to Southport....
AFL eyes stake in Roos, but not for relocation
Caroline Wilson
December 14, 2006
THE AFL has conceded it could buy a financial stake in the North Melbourne Football Club, but denied the move was part of a secret plan to push the cash-strapped Kangaroos out of Victoria.
League boss Andrew Demetriou confirmed to The Age last night that he discussed the potential share purchase at the most recent Kangaroos board meeting — which he attended — during which he also strongly recommended Mark Brayshaw for the position of club chief executive.
He also rejected comparisons with the early 1980s when the then VFL organised its key sponsors and supporters to try to win control of the South Melbourne Football Club by buying memberships in a bid to move the club to Sydney.
"I would hope people wouldn't say that because it's simply not true. We haven't done this in the past because there is no other club which is structured like the Kangaroos with private ownership," he said.
"We did discuss the possibility of buying shares at a board meeting last week. There were some shareholders who were asking whether we'd be interested in purchasing their shares and we said we'd look at it."
Full article at: http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2006/12/13/1165685752518.html