Curtain-raisers unveiled as a footy retro fix Michael Gleeson
The Age
November 10, 2014The AFL's desire to reconnect with fans and improve the match-day experience has seen a push by clubs for reserves matches to be returned as curtain-raisers to some games next season.
Collingwood has asked for a handful of VFL games to be played before AFL matches at the MCG, Carlton is seeking several reserves games at Etihad Stadium and some non-Victorian clubs have made the same request. This could see the return of the fans' traditional pre-match routine of arriving early at matches to watch the seconds before the seniors.
Geelong has continued to play occasional VFL matches before senior games for select fixtures at Skilled Stadium, including one in 2014.
AFL football operations manager Mark Evans said the league was keen to explore the issue but acknowledged there were significant issues to be addressed, including the attitude of the individual venue management.
"It's something we are happy to have a look at, but it will be dependent on a range of factors, such as the state of the turf and the view of the venue operators," he said.
The curtain-raiser would also be unlikely to be timed as they were in the past - running straight into the seniors' match - as the oval typically needs to be free for more than an hour before the start of an AFL match. The senior teams warm up on the oval 45 minutes before the start of games.
The impact on the turf is one of the primary concerns with scheduling curtain-raisers and the venue would retain a right of veto to cancel games at the ground if, for instance, bad weather meant the surface would be more likely to be damaged. As a result, there would need to be a contingency plan for any games scheduled at the ground.
Richmond staged VFL games at Punt Road Oval shortly before home games at the MCG this year as a form of curtain-raiser for fans arriving at the MCG. One option for other teams would be to have Punt Road Oval reserved on those fixtures as a stand-by contingency if weather or other issues forced the VFL game to be moved.
The consideration of hosting VFL curtain-raisers is part of the clubs' response to the AFL's request to come up with ways to improve the match-day experience for fans. A two-day summit involving all clubs will be held later this month to canvass options.
Clubs have pointed out to the AFL that they are restricted in some things they want to do at shared venues by the AFL having sold to Stadia Media the rights and access to the scoreboard.
"We are in discussions with the AFL, VFL and MCG about the curtain-raisers, and they have all been really good about it," Collingwood chief executive Gary Pert said.
"We all understand this pre-game experience and how important that is, and we have done research with our supporters and the No.1 thing they have said to us is they want to watch VFL games before the senior games. They want to see the star players coming back from injury or the young players emerging, and they will get there early to watch it.
"It wouldn't be like the old days where the reserves finish and almost slap hands with the seniors as one team comes off and the other runs on, but it might finish 40 minutes or so beforehand. But if there is a break in between, we have a huge number of fans saying we would be there early anyway, and we have a range of other things we are looking at for pre-match entertainment in that period."
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/curtainraisers-unveiled-as-a-footy-retro-fix-20141109-11je5i.html
