Melbourne to have new home in Docklands

[titan_uranus 24,558]

3AW about to discuss this further...

[deeflog 679]

Not interested in a move. i love the mcg and nobody plays it better than us when we are up and going

[WonnaJurah 5]

3AW about to discuss this further...

I thought the other new stadium was our new training base

[titan_uranus 24,558]

Not interested in a move. i love the mcg and nobody plays it better than us when we are up and going

It's to be a training base, not a ground we play matches at.

[deeflog 679]

It's to be a training base, not a ground we play matches at.

oh right, i thought we were going into the new rectangle stadium? Who is pushing our move into this new stadium?

[titan_uranus 24,558]

oh right, i thought we were going into the new rectangle stadium? Who is pushing our move into this new stadium?

Melbourne City Council, apparently.

[titan_uranus 24,558]

OK, this is on 3AW right now.

Robert Doyle has raised the prospect of MFC having a training ground at Docklands, MCG sized. A home for us. It's not confirmed yet. Would keep Casey as a second home, maybe for summer training. But this new ground would be built just for us, as a full home for us.

[Vipercrunch 2,820]

All sounds a little bit too late from the council. We have made long term commitments to Casey, which from all appearances seem to be working out well.

[deeflog 679]

i think there is more to this behind the scenes, would this ground be used for any other purpose? games that atrract smaller crowds for us, the roos, the doggies? or is it just a ground that will have a small stand for a gym and change rooms

[sideshowbob 0]

This was raised by Cameron Schwab earlier this year as our own version of Lexus/Waverley. We'd train once a week at Casey (as in the Agreement) but have our own centre where we'd train at all other times, and build a social club etc. This is why the Bubbledome agreement is on a rolling five year basis. In 5 years time the Docklands will be build and we'll be in.

This is not a proposition for playing home games anywhere other than the G.

[titan_uranus 24,558]

i think there is more to this behind the scenes, would this ground be used for any other purpose? games that atrract smaller crowds for us, the roos, the doggies? or is it just a ground that will have a small stand for a gym and change rooms

There's a suggestion that it could also provide a home for AFL Victoria. It's also about creating interest in the Docklands precinct. But the basic idea is it gives the team Melbourne a home in Melbourne.

This was raised by Cameron Schwab earlier this year as our own version of Lexus/Waverley. We'd train once a week at Casey (as in the Agreement) but have our own centre where we'd train at all other times, and build a social club etc. This is why the Bubbledome agreement is on a rolling five year basis. In 5 years time the Docklands will be build and we'll be in.

This is not a proposition for playing home games anywhere other than the G.

Exactly my understanding of it. It's an exciting prospect for us.

[mikeod 21]

This, to me, sounds like a very exciting prospect.

In addition - the support of the Melbourne City Council is also very appealling.

One campus at Casey and another in the Docklands. This would be appealling to the players and the club.

The bubbledome is looking less and less likely to be able to fully accommodate the club - we already know the admin will be split. That is not what the club would want.

I know its been in the works for a while - Cameron Schwab certainly had some inkling of it when he posted here a number of months ago - so hopefully it is developing.

[beelzebub 23,186]

All sounds a little bit too late from the council. We have made long term commitments to Casey, which from all appearances seem to be working out well.

Youre not quite understanding htis.. Casey is a parallel development to what ever else we have.

Currently we dont train exclusively at Casey, though it is used all but as such during summer. "In season" traingn is currently done so out of ATCO huts and a second rate ( by afl ) ground ( Junction Oval ). This together with runs at Goschs...its all over the place.

A centralised home with associated training ground with full facilities would be marvellous.. Imagine that..the team called Melbourne right in the middle of .........Melbourne !! Casey is the icing on the cake..not the cake.

[titan_uranus 24,558]

A centralised home with associated training ground with full facilities would be marvellous.. Imagine that..the team called Melbourne right in the middle of .........Melbourne !! Casey is the icing on the cake..not the cake.

Correct. This is what the MFC needs. A true home, in Melbourne. Something we can make our own, rather than the Bubbledome, which is to be shared amongst different teams (right?). Casey, as you've said, is a bonus that we can use as a summer training ground to attract new members and consolidate our VFL affilliation.

[harry 1]

This has been mooted once before from memory. It seems like it will be a good thing as, whilst bubbledome will be an improvement, it won't be a perfect fit as the admin will be split, we'll have to share the gym etc. If this new ground is being built just for us, you'd think it would be moulded to fit us perfectly.

It will be interesting to see figures in a few years of how much support/members we generate out of the Casey region. Casey is great for us now and in the next couple of years because we currently can't use the Junction Oval or the G in summer because of cricket. So it provides us with great facilities over summer and we don't have to train at different grounds every week. However, once the new ground or bubbledome is in action, we presumably will be able to train at them over summer. Which means that the only point to training out at Casey will be from a marketing perspective, not for the facilities. This means that the whole Casey experiment will have to justify itself on the grounds of the support generated. To simply manufacture a region of support would be an extremely tricky task in a city with entrenched football loyalties going back decades. I hope the club are able to succeed.

Nonetheless, I don't believe the Casey venture is costing us anything financially, so conceivably the only drawback to the club if the experiment fails would be an inconvenience to the players having to drive out there all summer.

[Demon Disciple 11,607]

Very exciting news indeed. From what i gathered about Casey, we are to train their once a week, as well as it being our summer training base (once it is all up and running, the facilities will be second to none). Our season training facilities were to be the bubble dome and Casey once a week. Given that the bubble dome would be shared with another 2 tenants, and us having to use Gosch's Paddock, this proposed idea from the council would be most beneficial to us, as it would provide for all of our admin and training/recovery to be in the one place.

Hopefully it all comes to fruition.

[CarnTheDees 52]

So it provides us with great facilities over summer and we don't have to train at different grounds every week. However, once the new ground or bubbledome is in action, we presumably will be able to train at them over summer.

Not sure about this. When we move into the bubbledome the training will not be on the playing surface - it will be on Gosch's paddock which is the oval closest to the corner of Punt Rd and Swan St. This oval is used for Premier Cricket over the summer, hence the pitch and removal of goal posts would rule it out as a training venue.

Would also assume that this would be the case for the new docklands ground - if it is a Melbourne Council owned venue you would think that it would get used for cricket over summer but maybe not.

So in either circumstance I would think that we would probably still do our summer training at Casey.

[harry 1]

Not sure about this. When we move into the bubbledome the training will not be on the playing surface - it will be on Gosch's paddock which is the oval closest to the corner of Punt Rd and Swan St. This oval is used for Premier Cricket over the summer, hence the pitch and removal of goal posts would rule it out as a training venue.

Would also assume that this would be the case for the new docklands ground - if it is a Melbourne Council owned venue you would think that it would get used for cricket over summer but maybe not.

So in either circumstance I would think that we would probably still do our summer training at Casey.

Fair enough then.

Although I'd hope they wouldn't put a bloody cricket pitch in if they build a new ground for us.

[mikeod 21]

Fot those interested, you can hear the interview HERE.

As I've said, the concept sounds very interesting.

Cameron Schwab's idea of having several 'Campuses' around the place would work...

[titan_uranus 24,558]

More info here

[beelzebub 23,186]

Is Doyle a D ??

[Cards13 9,117]

Robert Doyle is an interesting fellow. He actually seems to have genuine ideas and thought processes on issues and topics to do with the city he is Mayor of. Not sure I or most people agree with them all (ie moving the MCG car parking underground, the Premier laughed it off) but this one would seem to be on the surface an attractive concept for the team. To have a training base deep in the city would be amazing, to bad it ain't our home ground..

Edited September 3, 2009 by Cards13

[dimmy 1,281]

What a load of Crap.

We have just organised a deal with Casey. How much will it cost us to get out of that ??

Part of a plot to isolate the MCG for use by Eddiewood, The Cheats(Carlton), Richmond & Essendon.

Cannot tell me equity is part of the considerationplanning of AFL.

Collingwood played 14/22 games on MCG this year, St Kilda 1/22

Read that Channel 9 is bidding (contemplating) on the basis of buying certain clubs games (guess who would be missing out!!)

Thank god I have Austar

[Carn dees 108]

As long as we dont have to play home games there im happy.

Our home ground is the G and should stay that way forever.

[mikeod 21]

dimmy - this wouldn't affect the deal with Casey, nor would it affect any home games at the MCG.

I really only see positives in this potential deal, and no doubt the club will flesh it out.

Imagine having two 'communities' that Melbourne can be apart of, when previously we've had none?

Its all about growing our supporter base. One thing I've noticed about Docklands is that it is attracting more and more immigrants (mainly Asian students etc) - these people don't have any connection to a football club yet. We can target them with this.