On 2/18/2020 at 8:03 PM, dworship said:

The more astute on this site might be able to help me out here but isn't there an MCG sized oval at Fawkner Park. From memory I think it's called Cordner Oval. Easy walk to Sth Yarra Station and straight down Anderson St to the G. Has it ever been mentioned?

 

On 2/19/2020 at 4:33 PM, dworship said:

I'm not normally a person who quotes themselves but I have had no reply to my question so; bump!

Cordner Oval might be able to be turned into a decent training surface, and the name certainly has MFC connections, but there is no way that anyone would be allowed to build anything like a training facility on that site. 

On 2/25/2020 at 2:15 PM, Fifty-5 said:

My informed info is that Gosch's Paddock surface is not fit for purpose particularly mid-winter because it's open to public foot traffic.  The training surface there directly caused in-season  injuries last year.  We will need to prevent foot traffic for this to be a meaningful solution. 

Fixing a playing surface surely cannot be that big a deal if there is a genuine commitment to the site, and I doubt if a top rate surface would suffer significantly from any amount of foot traffic that may wish to traverse that particular area.  

Is it feasible to get an exact size shape replica of the G playing surface in the existing footprint?

Do that and build a facility on the car park ?F and the only real downer would be the inability to have closed sessions. Nowadays with the advent of drones, is that actually feasible anywhere other that a fully enclosed and roofed structure?

So why were we dumped from the MCG in the 1960s and why has the greatest football team of the 1950s and early 1960s been dumped into obscurity ever since????

Why can't we just ask the Storm if they wan't to move to a differen't location?

Then we can be close to the G and turn the stadium into our training ground?

15 hours ago, President Dee Trump said:

So why were we dumped from the MCG in the 1960s and why has the greatest football team of the 1950s and early 1960s been dumped into obscurity ever since????

It was in the 80s we were kicked off the G wasn't it? Probably coincided with our separation from the MCC and now things have evomved to the point where it's not feasible for us to return

48 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

It was in the 80s we were kicked off the G wasn't it? Probably coincided with our separation from the MCC and now things have evomved to the point where it's not feasible for us to return

Yes. We walked away. 
entirely our own fault 

1 hour ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Yes. We walked away. 
entirely our own fault 

really?

1 hour ago, daisycutter said:

really?

The Club decided to go alone in the early 80’s. The extent of the breakaway i cannot say, but it certainly happened

schwab and Jimmy got us back in
 

3 hours ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Yes. We walked away. 
entirely our own fault 

Not the whole story.

Richmond moved to the MCG in 1965 due to Punt road widening and reduction in ground capacity to 22,000.  It signalled the start of the professional era, which included pre-season training. 

Barassi when he returned in the 1980's got the MFC out of the MCC, simply because the MCC refused to provide enough money to run the club in the professional era.  ( I don't know that much has changed with the MCC today).

Since cricket occupied the ground for 6 months of the year, the MFC was training at all manner of suburban ovals.   We weren't thrown off, it was just that the MCC did not recognise that the amateur era was over, and that we needed proper training facilities.

Stynes then re-negotiated with the MCC to provide some financial support since 25K of the MCC members indicated that they were Melbourne supporters.  They still to this day get to turn up at Melbourne matches " for free".  Pert indicated at the AGM that at least 5K of them attend 4 or more Melbourne matches and still do not take out the MFC/MCC option.  Or to look at it another way, they probably go to more MFC games than cricket games for their membership, but the MFC gets nothing from them.

30 minutes ago, george_on_the_outer said:

Not the whole story.

Richmond moved to the MCG in 1965 due to Punt road widening and reduction in ground capacity to 22,000.  It signalled the start of the professional era, which included pre-season training. 

Barassi when he returned in the 1980's got the MFC out of the MCC, simply because the MCC refused to provide enough money to run the club in the professional era.  ( I don't know that much has changed with the MCC today).

Since cricket occupied the ground for 6 months of the year, the MFC was training at all manner of suburban ovals.   We weren't thrown off, it was just that the MCC did not recognise that the amateur era was over, and that we needed proper training facilities.

Stynes then re-negotiated with the MCC to provide some financial support since 25K of the MCC members indicated that they were Melbourne supporters.  They still to this day get to turn up at Melbourne matches " for free".  Pert indicated at the AGM that at least 5K of them attend 4 or more Melbourne matches and still do not take out the MFC/MCC option.  Or to look at it another way, they probably go to more MFC games than cricket games for their membership, but the MFC gets nothing from them.

Fair call. We are certainly in a unique situation 

Leaving the MCC did us no favours though, because the club didn’t grow itself properly. 
all in the past now

 

Watching the Eagles game now, it’s apparent that we are so far behind the top clubs in terms of facilities. Their training facility is elite and it’s no surprise that they are always around the mark

2 hours ago, Sir Why You Little said:

Fair call. We are certainly in a unique situation 

Leaving the MCC did us no favours though, because the club didn’t grow itself properly. 
all in the past now

 

The club had to split from the MCC they can't be faulted for that. There were a number of reasons most of them financial from my understanding.

1 hour ago, Leoncelli_36 said:

Watching the Eagles game now, it’s apparent that we are so far behind the top clubs in terms of facilities. Their training facility is elite and it’s no surprise that they are always around the mark

Yes, we’re a long way behind where the eagles are, but with that said, every club is.  Some serious money in that organisation.

8 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

It was in the 80s we were kicked off the G wasn't it?

Yes.  At first they roped off the centre wicket area,  for some months at least, 'AIR'.

Than they shipped us off the 'G',  and we were sent to Coventry,  down by the lake and St-kilda locals.  And the native fauna.

On 2/27/2020 at 9:33 PM, Dr. Gonzo said:

The club had to split from the MCC they can't be faulted for that. There were a number of reasons most of them financial from my understanding.

RDB made it a precondition to him coming back to the Club to coach. At that time the entire MFC Board were appointed by the MCC. He thought the Board were totally ill equipped to guide a footy club. I'm sure there was also some lingering resentment over the way they got rid of Norm. 

The club have a couple of places in mind and when the final decision is made it will be near the "G" and will include help from both the Government and the AFL.

I wouldn't expect it for a few years yet though, there is a lot of work to do in settling on a spot and the construction of the facility.

The club are looking at something that will set them up for 50 years, not just a stop gap that will be outgrown in 10 years.

3 minutes ago, Dante said:

The club have a couple of places in mind and when the final decision is made it will be near the "G" and will include help from both the Government and the AFL.

I wouldn't expect it for a few years yet though, there is a lot of work to do in settling on a spot and the construction of the facility.

The club are looking at something that will set them up for 50 years, not just a stop gap that will be outgrown in 10 years.

You’ve been good recently Dante! Any idea on when a final spot will be agreed upon, I don’t care about it being built at this stage.

Will the fans be happy with it you think?

1 minute ago, Cards13 said:

You’ve been good recently Dante! Any idea on when a final spot will be agreed upon, I don’t care about it being built at this stage.

Will the fans be happy with it you think?

Can't say exactly when, that's still up in the air, but it will be around the MCG precinct and I'm sure that the fans will be happy with it when it happens.

It won't be at Docklands or Port Melbourne that's for sure, it will be near the MCG.

 

8 minutes ago, Dante said:

Can't say exactly when, that's still up in the air, but it will be around the MCG precinct and I'm sure that the fans will be happy with it when it happens.

It won't be at Docklands or Port Melbourne that's for sure, it will be near the MCG.

 

You’ve been a gem Dante. Thanks for the info!! 

35 minutes ago, It's Time said:

RDB made it a precondition to him coming back to the Club to coach. At that time the entire MFC Board were appointed by the MCC. He thought the Board were totally ill equipped to guide a footy club. I'm sure there was also some lingering resentment over the way they got rid of Norm. 

It's, decades of boards non decisions that have directly strangled this club... together with this club feeling Apron-Strung tied to the host parent. In short, No balls from both sides of this equation.

When we think of becoming independent, its only if we identify a Sugar-Daddy, instead of standing alone.  Again, No Balls.

.

 

Edited March 5, 20205 yr by MyFavouriteMartian

31 minutes ago, Dante said:

The club have a couple of places in mind and when the final decision is made it will be near the "G" and will include help from both the Government and the AFL.

I wouldn't expect it for a few years yet though, there is a lot of work to do in settling on a spot and the construction of the facility.

The club are looking at something that will set them up for 50 years, not just a stop gap that will be outgrown in 10 years.

You're on fire lately mate, love your work.

@Mach5 Any input? You've been quieter than dees fans in september.

1 hour ago, Dante said:

 

The club are looking at something that will set them up for 50 years, not just a stop gap that will be outgrown in 10 years.

This is what i like. To build a real home. A home that becomes a part of the Melbourne Skyline. 
no hurry, just get it right on all levels

Stage 1 is getting the football to fire ? on a regular basis...

2 hours ago, Dante said:

The club have a couple of places in mind and when the final decision is made it will be near the "G" and will include help from both the Government and the AFL.

I wouldn't expect it for a few years yet though, there is a lot of work to do in settling on a spot and the construction of the facility.

The club are looking at something that will set them up for 50 years, not just a stop gap that will be outgrown in 10 years.

Trouble is there is nothing new in this.  It was what Pert said at the AGM......, it was what was said last year at the AGM,..... and some variant from the Boards for the past 30 years. 

 

Quote from big-wig at AGM: "There is movement at the station." Ahem . . . "the STATION."

4 hours ago, Dante said:

Can't say exactly when, that's still up in the air, but it will be around the MCG precinct and I'm sure that the fans will be happy with it when it happens.

It won't be at Docklands or Port Melbourne that's for sure, it will be near the MCG.

 

So, reading between the lines ... Collingwood are going to be forcibly relocated to Hobart?

55 minutes ago, Mazer Rackham said:

 

So, reading between the lines ... Collingwood are going to be forcibly relocated to Hobart?

maybe even darwin?.......................hoping