Is the strategy really to grow members up there or just to take the cash from the NT government? Don't get me wrong I'm happy to take the cash but to grow a membership base up there seems to be very difficult. Plus our on field performance doesn't help at all.

interesting point.

I am fascinated with these "Government Stadium deals" is it 3 hours of TV time they are paying for. With crowds of 6,000 it just seems strange, but they happen australia wide so there is something in it.

interesting point.

I am fascinated with these "Government Stadium deals" is it 3 hours of TV time they are paying for. With crowds of 6,000 it just seems strange, but they happen australia wide so there is something in it.

I don't fully understand it either. If it was to show NT as a tourist destination wouldn't the government want the MFC to have cheap charter flights for us fans/members to see what Darwin has to offer? If it is to show what Darwin has to offer on T.V it doesn't do a great job.

I don't fully understand it either. If it was to show NT as a tourist destination wouldn't the government want the MFC to have cheap charter flights for us fans/members to see what Darwin has to offer? If it is to show what Darwin has to offer on T.V it doesn't do a great job.

exactly, but these deals happen so often. Canberra Cairns Darwin Tassie, big $$$.

Maybe it is purely a tax relief operation.

But the $$$ is there. I do nt blame the club for taking it for one minute.

But a net gain of 160 members over 4 seasons does ring alarm bells with me.

exactly, but these deals happen so often. Canberra Cairns Darwin Tassie, big $$$.

Maybe it is purely a tax relief operation.

But the $$$ is there. I do nt blame the club for taking it for one minute.

But a net gain of 160 members over 4 seasons does ring alarm bells with me.

Agree completely. I know nothing of the landscape up there but 160 is woeful. It screams out that we are there for the dollars and not a membership drive. Which is fine by me we need the cash. But lets not kid ourselves about members.

I have been to Darwin a few times mostly in the June - August period.

weather is similar to Bali most of the year.

But in those winter ( dry ) months it is great.

18-19 min. to 28 - 30 Max. and no humidity just great in my opinion.

Darwin is good for 3 - 4 days as a tourist and further a field to Litchfield and Kakadu are very good National parks.

Easy to spend a week up there.

If you book ahead you can get lower airfares.

The thing that astounds me is that one of our major sponsors is Webjet

Why on earth is there not Charter / special deals organised by the Club to visit.

500 members from Vic up there for the game would surely be a big boost to the team.

So far the MFC have been IMO total failures in this area.

I am happy to keep playing in the NT, $700 000 a game is just what we need.

But come on MFC / Webjet lift your game

exactly, but these deals happen so often. Canberra Cairns Darwin Tassie, big $$$.

Maybe it is purely a tax relief operation.

But the $$$ is there. I do nt blame the club for taking it for one minute.

But a net gain of 160 members over 4 seasons does ring alarm bells with me.

The only thing it signals to me wyl is that we have done a poor job on the NT trips.

This is one area that IMO the MFC is stuck in the 1980's

It needs a big increase in effort.

By the way "China" must be dead nothing heard in 2 years usually means it is no more.

Agree completely. I know nothing of the landscape up there but 160 is woeful. It screams out that we are there for the dollars and not a membership drive. Which is fine by me we need the cash. But lets not kid ourselves about members.

My question cfh is "how much effort has been put into acquiring them"?

I have been to Darwin a few times mostly in the June - August period.

weather is similar to Bali most of the year.

But in those winter ( dry ) months it is great.

18-19 min. to 28 - 30 Max. and no humidity just great in my opinion.

Darwin is good for 3 - 4 days as a tourist and further a field to Litchfield and Kakadu are very good National parks.

Easy to spend a week up there.

If you book ahead you can get lower airfares.

The thing that astounds me is that one of our major sponsors is Webjet

Why on earth is there not Charter / special deals organised by the Club to visit.

500 members from Vic up there for the game would surely be a big boost to the team.

So far the MFC have been IMO total failures in this area.

I am happy to keep playing in the NT, $700 000 a game is just what we need.

But come on MFC / Webjet lift your game

Spot on. I can't justify the cost at this point but if something was on offer I could make it a holiday for me and my family. As I have said it seems the MFC is happy to take the cash and run from Darwin as soon as the game is over. There seems to be very little effort to make it a unique experience that sets us apart from other teams.

The only thing it signals to me wyl is that we have done a poor job on the NT trips.

This is one area that IMO the MFC is stuck in the 1980's

It needs a big increase in effort.

By the way "China" must be dead nothing heard in 2 years usually means it is no more.

that is exactly my point OD.

Jose is talking in terms of long term deals (10 years +-) that is great on a whiteboard. But this club does not have 10 years to slowly turn this around. It has to be quicker. On & off the ground.

If the Hawks can pull themselves off the canvas so can we.

For all the hard work being done, it is not enough.

I thank HG for handing on this info...the shareholders need to know.

I am not knocking $700,000 G's btw...at all.

I am not knocking $700,000 G's btw...at all.

Sh*t, if only it WAS $700,000 G's our troubles would be over

Sh*t, if only it WAS $700,000 G's our troubles would be over

I would be very suprised if the amount is 700,000 a game, i would think 400,000 a game would be more realistic.

I would be very suprised if the amount is 700,000 a game, i would think 400,000 a game would be more realistic.

straight thru to the keeper

straight thru to the keeper

Im agreeing with you, stop trying to be comedian all the time, your terrible at it.

straight thru to the keeper

$400 00 would be about 8 times more than we make on average in Melbourne.

We probably pay the dome of death when we have a home game there.

I would play 4 games in the NT at 400k a game = $2million PA

Bring it on MFC

Im agreeing with you, stop trying to be comedian all the time, your terrible at it.

Not sure that is accurate mjt

Tickles my fancy

Some days on here we can use all the comedy we can get

Good or bad

Whatever the figure is i am still trying to work out the incentive of the NT Government to hand over such a large sum of greenbacks.

Is it part of there annual advertising budget or is it purely tax relief. And if these deals can be arranged then the fiasco at the docklands where tennants pay if the attendance is under 30,000 is a complete disgrace.

Im agreeing with you, stop trying to be comedian all the time, your terrible at it.

dear oh dear. think about it - $700,000 G's

In 2006 a Roy Morgan AFL supporters research indicated we had 248,000.

I've always thought that we're one club that really does get supporters out of the woodwork when we start having success. More so than other clubs. I appreciate that it's an older base, which needs replenishing.

http://www.roymorgan.com/news/press-releases/2006/473/

Agree with this. I think the correct figure is just about anyone's guess. Why else would there be competitions along the lines of "Dob in a Demon"? There are many who are silently waiting in the wings I suspect. 170,000 seems a very conservative estimate.

Whatever the figure is i am still trying to work out the incentive of the NT Government to hand over such a large sum of greenbacks.

Is it part of there annual advertising budget or is it purely tax relief. And if these deals can be arranged then the fiasco at the docklands where tennants pay if the attendance is under 30,000 is a complete disgrace.

Yes wyl I remember a certain CEO of the AFL before Vlad gushing about how money could be made at 20 000

And remember the movable seats

wonder where they went.

The AFL was sold a pup from day 1

It will probably need replacing by the time they take ownership

Yes wyl I remember a certain CEO of the AFL before Vlad gushing about how money could be made at 20 000

And remember the movable seats

wonder where they went.

The AFL was sold a pup from day 1

It will probably need replacing by the time they take ownership

etihad stadium has fast tracked the 2 tiered ladder we are now staring at as a reality.

Of the bottom clubs i believe the MFC has the only chance of rising because our home is the MCG.

If we had been shunted by Jackson & co around 2000 to Colonial Stadium the MFC would be dead by now.

Nought and Footscray are walking corpses at this stage.

Edited February 2, 201312 yr by why you little

has any etihad home team won a flag yet?

no, its cursed

has any etihad home team won a flag yet?

no, its cursed

It leaves the user feeling empty ,hollow and vertiginous.

A bit like Qantas.

that is exactly my point OD.

Jose is talking in terms of long term deals (10 years +-) that is great on a whiteboard. But this club does not have 10 years to slowly turn this around. It has to be quicker. On & off the ground.

If the Hawks can pull themselves off the canvas so can we.

For all the hard work being done, it is not enough.

I thank HG for handing on this info...the shareholders need to know.

I am not knocking $700,000 G's btw...at all.

No time for short term thinking in the NT! Gotta pack our bags off to China and get stuff happenin!

Schwabdogs: "AFL's the bomb and the Dees are the most awesomest team around!"

China: "Shut up and take my money!"

No time for short term thinking in the NT! Gotta pack our bags off to China and get stuff happenin!

Schwabdogs: "AFL's the bomb and the Dees are the most awesomest team around!"

China: "Shut up and take my money!"

your point?

There's nothing short term about a push into China. It would have to be an AFL-wide approach which we could put our hand up to be band leaders in if it suited, but we're not going to make in roads into China off the back of one struggling club.

China doesn't need AFL and has very little to gain from it. You'd be better off pushing it towards a country with people that would actually want to come to Australia to play a localised Australian sport. It'd be a like a struggling Canadian Lacrosse team pushing for members in Sydney.

We have far more to gain from a push into the NT. As a Tasmanian who's been living out of the state for the last 8 years, it's easy to see the cultural shift down there each time I get back. Hawthorn is every person's second team, and people buy memberships because they love what the Hawks have brought to the state. You've got to give something to get something and Hawthorn brought regular AFL games to Tassie and so people are happy to buy in to support them. Over time (probably shorter than you think), the same thing will happen in the NT, whether we're winning games or not.