1 hour ago, george_on_the_outer said:

This just shows the B.S. we were fed about a "feasibility study" which took a year.

We don't even know where the facility could be built today!!!

That is not necessarily true.

The feasibility study might not have centred around the actual area, but rather cost of the project, financing it, actual facilities needed, community interaction, stakeholder approvals, site area needed to build, what exactly would be built inside the track and location etc, etc, etc.

Lastly "some" might actually know where it is likely to be built and the "we" being "us the fans" will be the last to know, as it should be in such a major project.

16 hours ago, 640MD said:

That there is a tunnel already is good, If you can widen it or make it more suitable but the tunnel was never an engineering problem.

Correct, it was a Racing problem, with their concerns that the track structure would be affected, causing interruptions to racing.

The Racing Minister was on board with that view and he is part of the State Government that is providing some of the funding.

Right or wrong, that was the concern and we couldn't just wish it away.

We may still get to the South East corner but now the North East seems to be the easy solution.

3 hours ago, Redleg said:

Plenty of room.

I'm appreciating your continued interest and reporting, Red - and that of others.

If Hawthorn's Kennedy Centre is any sort of yardstick, there are other facilities to be accommodated:

• a 54m x 28m indoor training field

• dedicated, fully-equipped AFLW facilities

• a 140-capacity function centre

• 'community meeting areas'

• a flood-lit oval with covered spectator seating, changerooms, coaching and medical spaces, and full TV and radio broadcast capabilities, for hosting AFLW home games and other 'matches at the highest level'.

I'm presuming current and further-developed Casey facilities might provide some of this?

Anyway, thoughts?

41 minutes ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

I'm appreciating your continued interest and reporting, Red - and that of others.

If Hawthorn's Kennedy Centre is any sort of yardstick, there are other facilities to be accommodated:

• a 54m x 28m indoor training field

• dedicated, fully-equipped AFLW facilities

• a 140-capacity function centre

• 'community meeting areas'

• a flood-lit oval with covered spectator seating, changerooms, coaching and medical spaces, and full TV and radio broadcast capabilities, for hosting AFLW home games and other 'matches at the highest level'.

I'm presuming current and further-developed Casey facilities might provide some of this?

Anyway, thoughts?

pretty sure the only one casey don't have is a 54m x 12m indoor facility

it's not too far off it tho; about half that size at 800m2

2 hours ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

I'm appreciating your continued interest and reporting, Red - and that of others.

If Hawthorn's Kennedy Centre is any sort of yardstick, there are other facilities to be accommodated:

• a 54m x 28m indoor training field

• dedicated, fully-equipped AFLW facilities

• a 140-capacity function centre

• 'community meeting areas'

• a flood-lit oval with covered spectator seating, changerooms, coaching and medical spaces, and full TV and radio broadcast capabilities, for hosting AFLW home games and other 'matches at the highest level'.

I'm presuming current and further-developed Casey facilities might provide some of this?

Anyway, thoughts?

The only doubtful one if if even wanted might be " covered spectator seating " beside the oval inside the track.

I am sure anything that would disrupt the viewing of the races would not be allowed.

Anyway, why would we want covered seating to watch training?

You could always put up some seating of a couple of rows over a short area, if you really wanted it, without disrupting any racing view.

• and full TV and radio broadcast capabilities, for hosting AFLW home games and other 'matches at the highest level'. This isn't happening as far as I know. It is a training facility with club administration, not a match day ground.

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7 minutes ago, Redleg said:

The only doubtful one if if even wanted might be " covered spectator seating " beside the oval inside the track.

I am sure anything that would disrupt the viewing of the races would not be allowed.

Anyway, why would we want covered seating to watch training?

You could always put up some seating of a couple of rows over a short area, if you really wanted it, without disrupting any racing view.

• and full TV and radio broadcast capabilities, for hosting AFLW home games and other 'matches at the highest level'. This isn't happening as far as I know. It is a training facility with club administration, not a match day ground.

Thanks, Red. Yeah, I reckon Casey will be our AFLW/VFL match (and training? - though this dilutes an all-in-one-place Club?) facility into the long term (hopefully further developed).

2 minutes ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

Thanks, Red. Yeah, I reckon Casey will be our AFLW/VFL match (and training? - though this dilutes an all-in-one-place Club?) facility into the long term (hopefully further developed).

How many clubs in the AFL have everything at their playing ground?

Obviously a few like the Cats and maybe a couple of interstate clubs, but I would think it is the minority who train and play at the ground where their club administration is.

Edited yesterday at 05:301 day by Redleg

17 minutes ago, Redleg said:

The only doubtful one if if even wanted might be " covered spectator seating " beside the oval inside the track.

I am sure anything that would disrupt the viewing of the races would not be allowed.

Anyway, why would we want covered seating to watch training?

You could always put up some seating of a couple of rows over a short area, if you really wanted it, without disrupting any racing view.

• and full TV and radio broadcast capabilities, for hosting AFLW home games and other 'matches at the highest level'. This isn't happening as far as I know. It is a training facility with club administration, not a match day ground.

By the time we get there we might have retractable grandstand roof technology that we can wind down during racing.

In regards to the dual membership proposals spoken of here, does this conflict with our no gambling stance?

35 minutes ago, AzzKikA said:

In regards to the dual membership proposals spoken of here, does this conflict with our no gambling stance?

Not everyone in racing bets.

I have raced horses for nearly 50 years and haven’t bet at all in the last 35 years.

My son and his son attend the races on big days and when I have a runner sometimes and my son doesn’t bet.

Entry into the races doesn’t force you to bet. Not everyone who eats at the Tabaret at Caulfield bets or plays the pokies.

4 minutes ago, Redleg said:

Not everyone in racing bets.

I have raced horses for nearly 50 years and haven’t bet at all in the last 35 years.

My son and his son attend the races on big days and when I have a runner sometimes and my son doesn’t bet.

Entry into the races doesn’t force you to bet. Not everyone who eats at the Tabaret at Caulfield bets or plays the pokies.

But you have to admit betting is a big part of racing and a lot of the reason people go to the races in the first place.

On a side note do you know the Feek stable well?

Edited 12 hours ago12 hr by AzzKikA

32 minutes ago, AzzKikA said:

But you have to admit betting is a big part of racing and a lot of the reason people go to the races in the first place.

On a side note do you know the Feek stable well?

Yes racing runs on betting and no I don't know Feek stable.

1 hour ago, AzzKikA said:

In regards to the dual membership proposals spoken of here, does this conflict with our no gambling stance?

As a beneficiary of the AFL's revenues, MFC would need to label its stance a little more narrowly, methinks; namely, 'no pokies'.

Beyond that, there's our involvement with the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation's 'Love the Game' program, promoting a responsible gambling message, arguably another acceptance of gambling, albeit a 'principled' one.

But your query is still relevant to the extent MFC would share facilities with the MRC and these, or other, MRC facilities have pokies, or the MRC is less engaged with a 'gamble responsibly' message. @Redleg, do you have any insight on desirable (or necessary?) sharing, the facilities, or the MRC?

33 minutes ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

@Redleg, do you have any insight on desirable (or necessary?) sharing, the facilities, or the MRC?

I would imagine the ovals would be available to the community in some way, when not used by us.

As to the MRC, there would be no need to share facilities, but maybe there are possible sharing opportunities of say some office space, function areas.

Also there was talk of a 140 person social room as posted by someone on here.

The racecourse has many areas for entertaining, that could be utilized by the MFC on an arrangement, saving the need to build that type of area.

I know one of the large areas is used for student exams and people book the rooms for functions, so there would be many opportunities for maximizing existing facilities, allowing us to save money by only building what we really need.

I am not involved in this, so I am guessing, but this is a great opportunity to get this area and work hand in hand with the MRC to create something great for the MFC.

Maybe all of that is part of the feasibility study.

49 minutes ago, Redleg said:

Also there was talk of a 140 person social room as posted by someone on here.

(Me, cos one in new Hawks facilities)

21 hours ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

I'm appreciating your continued interest and reporting, Red - and that of others.

If Hawthorn's Kennedy Centre is any sort of yardstick, there are other facilities to be accommodated:

• a 54m x 28m indoor training field

• dedicated, fully-equipped AFLW facilities

• a 140-capacity function centre

• 'community meeting areas'

• a flood-lit oval with covered spectator seating, changerooms, coaching and medical spaces, and full TV and radio broadcast capabilities, for hosting AFLW home games and other 'matches at the highest level'.

I'm presuming current and further-developed Casey facilities might provide some of this?

Anyway, thoughts?

That can be a good start but we will be restricted by the spaces available at both Caulfield and Waverley.

You are probably aware of my advocacy for a greenfield site at Fishermans Bend/ Port Melbourne site. This allows a much more innovative and creative approach incorporating retail, commercial, transport, entertainment, community, facilities to complement the basic training administration etc options we are pursuing. Such a facility could also future proof the club.

3 hours ago, Redleg said:

Not everyone in racing bets.

I have raced horses for nearly 50 years and haven’t bet at all in the last 35 years.

My son and his son attend the races on big days and when I have a runner sometimes and my son doesn’t bet.

Entry into the races doesn’t force you to bet. Not everyone who eats at the Tabaret at Caulfield bets or plays the pokies.

Gambling and racing come with a pretty big stigma attached

Stop saying it’s our training ground.

It’s a shared community asset.

If I recall correctly, and I normally do, Friends of Save Caulfield racecourse reserve had a seat at the table, and it was agreed that we would train no more than 3 times a week, for a total of 12 hours, a week

Schools and community groups will be able to book the grounds by contacting the managing officer.

Many folk also believe it will be a place to go and get boozed after a game, but that’s a long stretch of the truth.

2 hours ago, dpositive said:

That can be a good start but we will be restricted by the spaces available at both Caulfield and Waverley.

You are probably aware of my advocacy for a greenfield site at Fishermans Bend/ Port Melbourne site. This allows a much more innovative and creative approach incorporating retail, commercial, transport, entertainment, community, facilities to complement the basic training administration etc options we are pursuing. Such a facility could also future proof the club.

And might I repeat my query, to any Demonlanders in the know, about (and then potentially plug?) the large, evidently vacant spaces at the north-east corner of Clayton and Kingston Roads, in Clayton South - their condition, availability, zoning, etc.? If the Hawks find Dingley satisfactorily positioned and serviced, this area, with the same access and a kilometre nearer the supposed heartland that Caulfield suits, seems to tick boxes.

21 hours ago, layzie said:

By the time we get there we might have retractable grandstand roof technology that we can wind down during racing

I suspect most racing on the back straight etc is watched on the big screen these days. The binocular brigade are very few but I suppose the trainers etc still like them.

I'm sure there's a racetrack somewhere with an apartment building or hotel in the middle. There are certainly F1 tracks that come close

18 minutes ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

And might I repeat my query, to any Demonlanders in the know, about (and then potentially plug?) the large, evidently vacant spaces at the north-east corner of Clayton and Kingston Roads, in Clayton South - their condition, availability, zoning, etc.? If the Hawks find Dingley satisfactorily positioned and serviced, this area, with the same access and a kilometre nearer the supposed heartland that Caulfield suits, seems to tick boxes.

If we ever do move on and seek out alternative venues in our catchment area, which is now Casey, Cranbourne and East Gippsland.

The most obvious is the Island, clearly the city is moving East, kilometres a day

One hour from Casey.

Moto GP are vacating, infrastructure is existing, and the State Government would love to have a tenant at penny rental, to keep the visitors up.

Worth a thought, Melbourne city and the racetrack are Not out recruitment area.

Well worth trying a few games at Phillip Island, would be like gathering round.

5 minutes ago, bluey said:

If we ever do move on and seek out alternative venues in our catchment area, which is now Casey, Cranbourne and East Gippsland.

The most obvious is the Island, clearly the city is moving East, kilometres a day

One hour from Casey.

Moto GP are vacating, infrastructure is existing, and the State Government would love to have a tenant at penny rental, to keep the visitors up.

Worth a thought, Melbourne city and the racetrack are Not out recruitment area.

Well worth trying a few games at Phillip Island, would be like gathering round.

Could we change our name to the Penguins?

24 minutes ago, bluey said:

If we ever do move on and seek out alternative venues in our catchment area, which is now Casey, Cranbourne and East Gippsland.

The most obvious is the Island, clearly the city is moving East, kilometres a day

One hour from Casey.

Moto GP are vacating, infrastructure is existing, and the State Government would love to have a tenant at penny rental, to keep the visitors up.

Worth a thought, Melbourne city and the racetrack are Not out recruitment area.

Well worth trying a few games at Phillip Island, would be like gathering round.

Thanks, Chris Lorax! 😄

@bluey, I thought your suggestion might have been, as 'Mad As Hell''s Newsc**p sub-editor, Chris Lorax, always counters, 'Just a bit of fun!'?

Were you serious, however? Imaginative! And I wouldn't complain - PI and Casey inside 60 and 90 minutes away!

The Club would sure become well skilled in windy conditions (matched by Hawks now, apparently!)

Edited 5 hours ago5 hr by Timothy Reddan-A'Blew