Tigers to play a home game in Cairns 2011-13 [Official]

[one-eyed]

Tigers set to play a home game in Cairns
Caroline Wilson
September 19, 2010

RICHMOND is negotiating to sell a home game to Cairns next season as the AFL's frontiers continue to expand with the introduction of a 17th club.

The Tigers, who will also host a home game against Port Adelaide in Darwin, have tentatively agreed to play a pivotal role in the competition's premiership season debut at Cairns's Cazaly Stadium against the Gold Coast, which has been pushing for a 13th game in Queensland in 2011.

The move would mean Richmond would no longer play the Gold Coast in its AFL debut game at the Gabba in round two, as earmarked earlier this month by the AFL. The Tigers have told the league they would look at hosting a game in Cairns if it removed an Etihad Stadium home game from their fixture.

A Cairns home game would add $500,000 to Richmond's bottom line on top of the $1 million three-year Darwin deal in which the club agreed to play two home games there between 2010 and 2012.

Although Richmond, which is still serving a debt of close to $5 million, has requested to play all home games at the MCG, except for the Darwin clash, the prevailing view is the club would do better to host the Gold Coast in Far North Queensland than at the Docklands.

The AFL is negotiating with the Queensland Government, which is pushing the fixture along with AFL Queensland, to upgrade Cazaly Stadium in time for next season. It is not known whether lights can be installed in the first stage redevelopment but, if not, the match will be played in daylight.

The stadium hosted a cyclone-affected NAB Cup clash in 2009 and the seasonal weather conditions have caused Cairns to be deemed unsuitable for future pre-season games.

Gold Coast chief executive Travis Auld told The Sunday Age last night that his club had requested a fixture in Cairns next year with a view to expanding its development across the state where the club had already established a number of talent academies.

''Our stadium agreements mean it would have to be an away game for us,'' said Auld. ''AFL Queensland is keen to get more games up here and we are keen to have a bigger presence in Cairns.

''We understand the AFL has spoken to a number of clubs and I heard last week that Richmond had shown an interest.''

The Tigers had also looked at selling home games to Hobart, but were told by the AFL that North Melbourne would be the prime candidate to host games at a redeveloped Bellerive Oval, but not before 2012.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/tigers-set-to-play-a-home-game-in-cairns-20100918-15h8t.html

[Ramps]

selling the home game against the GCS is probably a good idea but we really need to do something about the debt situation. in all honesty if the toorak toffs can do it surely the RFC can as well!

[Penelope]

If it adds about $1/2 mil to revenue then it it is helping rid the debit.
The bloke going by RFC official on BF said something would be announcds soon regarding Debit demolition

[RollsRoyce]

I trust they will adjust the price of our membership ticket accordingly

[jackstar is back again]

love Cairns

[WilliamPowell]

Not too keen on this because it again means our supporters in Melb (who put in the most $$$ into the club via membership - sorry interstaters but it is a fact) lose out again.

But I suppose we have to make up for the loss of $$$ from the Royal Oak somehow 

Just on the Debt thing - and doesn't Caro make a song and dance about it when it is clearly manageable unlike what Melb had  - March mentioned at the B&F that they would launching something later in the year to give it the flick 

[bojangles17]

didnt see it coming but makes a whole lot of sense and if it returns 500k pa then a very good decision

[Tigermad20011]

Yes but will they use the money on getting rid of the debt.

[FNM]

Love Cairns!
Go for it!

[Penelope]

Not too keen on this because it again means our supporters in Melb (who put in the most $$$ into the club via membership - sorry interstaters but it is a fact) lose out again.

But I suppose we have to make up for the loss of $$$ from the Royal Oak somehow 

Just on the Debt thing - and doesn't Caro make a song and dance about it when it is clearly manageable unlike what Melb had  - March mentioned at the B&F that they would launching something later in the year to give it the flick 

Not directed at you WP, but all the supporters who won't attend games at Docklands for whatever reason have no real gripe about this. If supporters regularly filled the stadium like they did last round against Port, then the financial incentive of this wouldn't be so great.

[WilliamPowell]

Not directed at you WP, but all the supporters who won't attend games at Docklands for whatever reason have no real gripe about this. If supporters regularly filled the stadium like they did last round against Port, then the financial incentive of this wouldn't be so great.

That's a fair point al and part of me agrees BTW but I really do worry about what appears to be a form of "punishing" Melb based supporters at times.

We need to keep our membership growing and for some people the idea of losing another Melb game could be the difference between being a member and saying "no thanks"

I suppose I am really lucky because I travel to interstate games so get to see a fair bit of my tigers but alot of people (I'd say the majority) aren't in that position.

Actually I was lucky enough to attend all H&A games this year - yep all 22. With that in mine & after reading this article I've been thinking about what I will do next year? All 22 or do I give one of the trips a miss. If we do Darwin and Cairns then even for me it would be a real stretch ...

I just think it is really important not to alienate your long term supporters. I understand the need for doing it I just worry about the execution of how it's done

[cub]

Love Cairns!
Go for it!

Lived up there and in the table lands for 6 months, living off the land crabs prawns fish pigs, was an awesome time. Be a blast to go back.

[MADTIGER2010]

I blame the 10,000 missing limp wristed fans at Etihad when we played Freo  . Should have been 35,000 that night. They lack the passion of being at the game to drive that extra 10 minutes or pay that extra $5 to get to Etihad compared to the G. Are they tight or what  

[mightytiges]

If the AFL are consistent with our fixture based on recent years then we'll probably cop the Darwin and Cairns games in consecutive weeks  .

I can understand the $500k being the incentive and the need for cash but I don't like the idea of selling off two home games  . One is bad enough. We're a Melbourne based club; not nomads. It's not supporters fault either the club has been rubbish onfield for so long and that this year we were fixtured home games against 5 interstate clubs, the 3 low drawing Melbourne clubs - North, Dogs, Dees - and finally a "home" game against St Kilda at their home ground  . It was a poor draw from a financial perspective given we all knew we would struggle big time in 2010.

Actually I was lucky enough to attend all H&A games this year - yep all 22.

It wasn't so lucky up to round 6 


.

[jackstar is back again]

I blame the 10,000 missing limp wristed fans at Etihad when we played Freo  . Should have been 35,000 that night. They lack the passion of being at the game to drive that extra 10 minutes or pay that extra $5 to get to Etihad compared to the G. Are they tight or what  

Correct