Training at the MCG

[deanox 9,843]

4 hours ago, deespicable me said:

I think the interstate sides get a pretty raw deal having to live out of hotels and fly every second week, so letting them train at the various stadiums they are going to play at that weekend is a good idea. We have just seen first hand the toll  travel and reduced time for recovery does to the squad, so any advantages given to interstate sides makes sense.

But what I think we should see is the same for Melbourne clubs at Melbourne Stadiums. I think fan engagement would be strong. At the start of each week the schedule for "training at the G" could go out and maybe even for a gold coin donation to charity there are regular training sessions that people could go to. There could be coffee carts etc and the clubs could make a big deal of it. Next week in the lead up to Anzac Day I think if marketed properly you could get 5 or 10,000 attending. The downside is staffing but I'm sure it could be doable.

Further teams should be able to train down at that sh*t-hole Kardinia Park

5k or 10k at training sounds nice but is a dream, unless it is Collingwood in grand final week.

You'd be lucky to get a few hundred at any given session.

[No. 31 1,160]

33 minutes ago, deanox said:

5k or 10k at training sounds nice but is a dream, unless it is Collingwood in grand final week.

You'd be lucky to get a few hundred at any given session.

About 6K turned up to an open training session at Parc des Princes last September to watch the Blues train in the lead up to the preliminary final.

[deanox 9,843]

4 minutes ago, No. 31 said:

About 6K turned up to an open training session at Parc des Princes last September to watch the Blues train in the lead up to the preliminary final.

Ok so you agree that that number is only feasible in the weeks leading up to a GF?

[No. 31 1,160]

2 minutes ago, deanox said:

Ok so you agree that that number is only feasible in the weeks leading up to a GF?

Probably. I took my young son to a pre-season open training session at Princes Park earlier this year and reckon there was about 3K attending and that was probably because of the ongoing optimism and good vibes of Carlton's second half of season 2023.

[deanox 9,843]

1 minute ago, No. 31 said:

Probably. I took my young son to a pre-season open training session at Princes Park earlier this year and reckon there was about 3K attending and that was probably because of the ongoing optimism and good vibes of Carlton's second half of season 2023.

For any club rolling high there is always an opportunity or two for a big turn out.

For each club there may be two opportunities to have a large crowd. Preseason on a weekend. Finals during school holidays.

I just think it's fanciful to suggest that a training in May or June will get more than a few hundred just because it's at the G.

The cost of opening the G and staffing and security and clean up would be excessive, not something that could be handled by a gold coin donation and sales from a coffee cart.

[deespicable me 1,472]

5 hours ago, deanox said:

The cost of opening the G and staffing and security and clean up would be excessive, not something that could be handled by a gold coin donation and sales from a coffee cart.

I'm not so sure. Your argument is sound enough and along with Dee Dee on the previous page you cover well the reasons the ground isn't open for training. the other one being the grounds people would prefer as little traffic as possible on the surface, but I still maintain it is very doable and it's your negative attitude that is the same as those in charge and the reason it doesn't happen. As with most things in life, things generally don't happen when there is no financial benefit to the people in charge.

Just open one gate and keep people in one area. Security could be covered mainly by cameras that are already in place and staffing wouldn't need to be a lot. I agree a lot of the training sessions wouldn't attract a lot of people but the lead in to Anzac Day and finals would and it is an iconic stadium, a chance to see players training there would be a very positive attraction for the game. 

[deanox 9,843]

8 hours ago, deespicable me said:

I'm not so sure. Your argument is sound enough and along with Dee Dee on the previous page you cover well the reasons the ground isn't open for training. the other one being the grounds people would prefer as little traffic as possible on the surface, but I still maintain it is very doable and it's your negative attitude that is the same as those in charge and the reason it doesn't happen. As with most things in life, things generally don't happen when there is no financial benefit to the people in charge.

Just open one gate and keep people in one area. Security could be covered mainly by cameras that are already in place and staffing wouldn't need to be a lot. I agree a lot of the training sessions wouldn't attract a lot of people but the lead in to Anzac Day and finals would and it is an iconic stadium, a chance to see players training there would be a very positive attraction for the game. 

I take your point that a can't do attitude is probably the biggest barrier!

 

What would be the benefit to clubs though?

If Melbourne could use the MCG to train, I reckon they'd prefer it to be a closed session, away from other eyes. The opportunity to test some things in secret and also time to work on full ground zones and positioning that is difficult on grounds with different dimensions.

Interaction with fans would be difficult, there is a large fence and supporters are back in the stands, in one pocket only. Whereas at Casey and Gosh's we can much more easily interact with the fans who attend, run parallel social activities and "fan activations" etc.

Im just not sure what the benefits are apart from "but it's the MCG".