BRINGING THEM BACK HOME - CARO ON 3AW

[Demonland 66,875]

Alpha33 reports that Caroline Wilson was on 3AW last night and her segment opened with discussion on some of the difficulties the MFC is encountering in trying to resolve matters relating to the location of its new home. It's all highly political and involves the MCC, the AFL and the State Government. It's all a hard slog for the club but with resolution there will be a way ahead.

BRINGING THEM BACK HOME - CARO ON 3AW

Gerard Healy: There's plenty to talk about tonight but let's address what you wrote about in the Age this morning and that is the Demons. Reading your article and just listening and reading between the lines among various little snippets I've picked up it would appear as if the Demons are a pawn in a very big game at the present time involving the State Government, the MCC and the AFL.

Caroline Wilson: I think that's right and they're trying to create their own destiny but of course it's difficult when you're waiting on money from the AFL and I think there was a meeting yesterday morning between Melbourne and the AFL. Well, I know there was. I don’t think it was a particularly pleasant meeting and a lot of that goes back to what previous Melbourne administrations did in the AFL’s eyes and the Commission's eyes with the money they were given but Melbourne need to know what they're getting next year from the AFL and I think they’ll know that … they won't know next week when the Commission meets. There’ll be other stuff discussed next week, Ben Cousins and the Gold Coast primarily but before Christmas they will know. I think they've asked for about $2m next year and I think in the short term they need it.

In the long term this new board and this new chief executive Cameron Schwab, there is no doubt in my mind they see the MCG as their home. They want to set up a training base there, even if they move in part terms to the rectangular stadium which is also going to house Melbourne Storm and Melbourne Victory I believe it will only be in part terms …

Gerard Healy: Surely they'll outgrow that. If Melbourne are successful they’ll outgrow that office in a very short period of time if they go to the rectangular stadium.

Caroline Wilson: They already have. There's room in that design for 45 people, already Melbourne’s staff is 50. The West Coast equivalent that they're going to build hopefully if the government allows it under this new political party in Subiaco has room for 150. It's ridiculous.

Gerard Healy: So tell me the forces that are weighing on the Melbourne situation.

Caroline Wilson: It's a bureaucratic thicket as we wrote today but I mean what you’ve got is an AFL trying to curry favour with the state government because the AFL needs the state government to put pressure on the MCG so it can get a better stadium better stadium built for Melbourne and Richmond and Collingwood and Hawthorn and all the clubs that play there. You’ve also got a situation where the state government wants an AFL team in that rectangular stadium spending all this money.

Gerard Healy: At what about $800,000.00 rent a year?

Caroline Wilson: It's too much. It's far too much. Melbourne wants subsidised rent at the rectangular stadium, they want the AFL to subsidise it and what the government and what the Melbourne Olympic Park Trust is saying to Melbourne that if you want to train at Gosch's Paddock or at one of these training areas out of Olympic Park we want you in the new rectangular stadium. Melbourne are saying, "we were born out of the MCG, we don't have a suburb to hang our hat on and they have a blueprint for the future and it is very definitely saying bring the boys back home and home is the MCG. Keep Casey. Always go out to Casey. They are training there at the moment three times a week, they're very happy there but that is very much a community enterprise in the manner that a lot of clubs are doing. I think Richmond is trying to do the same one at Craigieburn

Gerard Healy: Isn't it a time though that Melbourne got a home? And one home?

Caroline Wilson: Gerard. It's the MCG.

Gerard Healy: If they go to the MCG they’ll still be in bits and pieces. They’ll be out at Casey; they’ll be in at the MCG …

Caroline Wilson: No they want to have, short term, move into those two largely unused training rooms in the Southern Stand.

Dwayne Russell: They're not allowed to train on the MCG. They’ll never be able to do that …

Caroline Wilson: No. Gosch’s Paddock is a short walk. Collingwood are doing it at the moment, they’re doing the same. They’re walking from their training ground at Lexus and keep the community facility in the outer suburbs, which is what a lot of clubs are trying to do now, Dwayne. They want the MCG to be their home and in the long term, in the next ten years, when the AFL, the state government and the MCG develop the Great Southern Stand there'll be this huge elite training facility. Brunton Avenue will probably be underground and over it be Melbourne hope will be the Melbourne Football Club and I think it's a very worth strategy, I really do.

Caroline Wilson's article in the Age: Demons plan to turn MCG into elite facility

Thanks to Alpha33 for providing the transcript to an important interview about the club.