AGM 2021

[Sir Why You Little 37,035]

1 hour ago, Macca said:

Casey is not in the middle of nowhere ... it's a huge area with hundreds of thousands of dwellings that is growing in huge numbers by the day.  The area needs a lot more infrastructure but the club will only need a proper facility (hasn't $5Million already been spent out there in recent times?)

It's in many ways a golden opportunity if the club was wanting to add on to the facility out there as we'd get State & Federal funding (IMO) as apposed to the pipe-dream that is the could-be inner City facility.  Can't see the latter happening anyway.  To me it's just hollow talk & rhetoric emanating from the board

It's not like we'd be playing out at Casey,  just training and admin etc.  Similar to Tulla & Dingley but further out.  And having a proper base out there gives the club a chance to grow its supporter base and membership

The players are supposed to be pro's so they'd get used to it.  They'd be going against the traffic in the morning and late in the arvo the same.  It's 9-5 these days as a player (with a day or 2 off per week and loads of holidays)

You can hold meetings anywhere,  gyms are gyms no matter where they are and the playing surface can be the best in the business (as the Junction Oval was historically)

Truth is that most Demon supporters are really only interested in watching the team play games on the MCG (or on the telly) so where our training base is, is quite irrelevant to the masses

I'd be angling at Casey whilst getting the State & Federal governments on board.  Take the money & opportunity whilst it's staring us in the face

It's all pointing towards Casey as I read it anyway

But there is no infrastructure out there 

A lot of houses, with nothing to do

The MFC would slowly die out there...

[Macca 16,967]

1 minute ago, Sir Why You Little said:

But there is no infrastructure out there 

A lot of houses, with nothing to do

The MFC would slowly die out there...

In your opinion.  I disagree. 

Tens of thousands of junior memberships would be a good starting point.  That's if this underforming club can finally start winning

The scope for growth out in Casey is enormous whilst we can keep our inner City roots and ageing supporter base.

It's time for change Wyl

The alternative is Gosch's (which is rubbish IMV) and an inner City facility that is nothing but a pipedream.  Ain't gonna happen in my opinion

So more of the same or you take a chance without abandoning your history

[Macca 16,967]

27 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

A lot of houses, with nothing to do

Well let's give the hundreds of thousands of people who live out there something to do ... support an AFL club like the MFC

And by the way,  the people who live in Casey are just normal people. There's nothing wrong with them.  I reckon we'd be welcomed with open arms if we committed

And no, I don't live there

We could have the best of both worlds within 5 years ... a top class State of the Art facility whilst maintaining our inner City history & roots as well as playing our games at the MCG

The $5Million that was spent on Casey recently is the pointer in my view.  The money could keep coming if we commit

[58er 6,435]

7 hours ago, old dee said:

Why? Why would  a labour government  be keen to give money to a mainly  conservative voting football club who's members are spread all over Melbourne the majority of which won't vote for them anytime. Compare that to Geelong. Plenty of potential voters to persuade there. 

Then why are they heading along this path with us and the AFL? 
We have them on board seriously so Dan must be looking at funding at some stage. Otherwise it's a complete waste of time!

If Dan can get along with ScoMo then he can do any thing for Victorians!!

 

[dpositive 1,665]

4 hours ago, Macca said:

Casey is not in the middle of nowhere ... it's a huge area with hundreds of thousands of dwellings that is growing in huge numbers by the day.  The area needs a lot more infrastructure but the club will only need a proper facility (hasn't $5Million already been spent out there in recent times?)

It's in many ways a golden opportunity if the club was wanting to add on to the facility out there as we'd get State & Federal funding (IMO) as apposed to the pipe-dream that is the could-be inner City facility.  Can't see the latter happening anyway.  To me it's just hollow talk & rhetoric emanating from the board

It's not like we'd be playing out at Casey,  just training and admin etc.  Similar to Tulla & Dingley but further out.  And having a proper base out there gives the club a chance to grow its supporter base and membership

The players are supposed to be pro's so they'd get used to it.  They'd be going against the traffic in the morning and late in the arvo the same.  It's 9-5 these days as a player (with a day or 2 off per week and loads of holidays)

You can hold meetings anywhere,  gyms are gyms no matter where they are and the playing surface can be the best in the business (as the Junction Oval was historically)

Truth is that most Demon supporters are really only interested in watching the team play games on the MCG (or on the telly) so where our training base is, is quite irrelevant to the masses

I'd be angling at Casey whilst getting the State & Federal governments on board.  Take the money & opportunity whilst it's staring us in the face

It's all pointing towards Casey as I read it anyway

You do  make sense Macca.

i am just disappointed that a Port Melbourne option has not been vigorously pursued for similar reasons.

The govt seems to want to exploit that area.

[Tim 3,418]

9 hours ago, Macca said:

The players are supposed to be pro's so they'd get used to it.  They'd be going against the traffic in the morning and late in the arvo the same.  It's 9-5 these days as a player (with a day or 2 off per week and loads of holidays)

You make a good case on logical grounds, Macca. However, I have in mind the St Kilda move to Seaford which was reversed because the troops were not happy campers down there, and Moorabbin is a lot closer to Seaford than Casey is to the Inner City Central of Swan Street etc that the players like to spill out into. Would be wary of getting a similar outcome, even if it means treating players like princesses.

[Cyclops 511]

Where is the demographic centre Melbourne? Is it Glen Waverley or nearby? Easier to get to Cranbourne from Glen Waverley than from Glen Waverley to Gosch's.

[BW511 2,668]

Think the MCG Precinct and inner city mentality is probably detrimental to the club in the long term.

With the spread of our population away from the inner metro area, why focus on an area which has zero growth.

We are a club that has a small membership base and attracts very few supporters to our games, we need to be creative with our membership and keeping them engaged. Where the players want to live should rank very low down on the priority list.

[Macca 16,967]

6 hours ago, dpositive said:

You do  make sense Macca.

i am just disappointed that a Port Melbourne option has not been vigorously pursued for similar reasons.

The govt seems to want to exploit that area.

 

41 minutes ago, Tim said:

You make a good case on logical grounds, Macca. However, I have in mind the St Kilda move to Seaford which was reversed because the troops were not happy campers down there, and Moorabbin is a lot closer to Seaford than Casey is to the Inner City Central of Swan Street etc that the players like to spill out into. Would be wary of getting a similar outcome, even if it means treating players like princesses.

Bartlett's comment that the decision on an inner city facility will be left with Pakula & the Premier with a 'hope' that we might hear something this year doesn't sound very promising at all

But I've never had any hopes for such a thing getting off the ground anyway.  It might still happen of course but I'm doubtful

So it's sharing Gosch's & AAMI Park or move to Casey ... or a bit of both as it is now

But if we can get good funding at Casey I"d be making the move.  Maybe not lock stock & barrel though.  Keep a few other options open

I've outlined my reasoning in the above posts so no use repeating

Anyway,  Port Melb seems like a bridge too far whilst with regards to the Saints, there was nothing wrong with Moorabbin to begin with

Waverley is also a fine facility as well.  There is such a thing of being a bit too fussy

 

[old dee 23,790]

9 hours ago, Macca said:

Well let's give the hundreds of thousands of people who live out there something to do ... support an AFL club like the MFC

And by the way,  the people who live in Casey are just normal people. There's nothing wrong with them.  I reckon we'd be welcomed with open arms if we committed

And no, I don't live there

We could have the best of both worlds within 5 years ... a top class State of the Art facility whilst maintaining our inner City history & roots as well as playing our games at the MCG

The $5Million that was spent on Casey recently is the pointer in my view.  The money could keep coming if we commit

You are crying in the wilderness Macca. The MFC ( well the board ) are welded to the G and surrounds. It is there or nowhere. I just hope that you all are not still discussing this subject when I am in the ground.

Edited February 23, 2021 by old dee

[old dee 23,790]

26 minutes ago, BW511 said:

Think the MCG Precinct and inner city mentality is probably detrimental to the club in the long term.

With the spread of our population away from the inner metro area, why focus on an area which has zero growth.

We are a club that has a small membership base and attracts very few supporters to our games, we need to be creative with our membership and keeping them engaged. Where the players want to live should rank very low down on the priority list.

It is not about alternatives or where the players want to live BW. It is about where the board and a substantial part of the membership wants the facility to be I.e. near the G. Everything else are red herrings. 

[BW511 2,668]

4 minutes ago, old dee said:

It is not about alternatives or where the players want to live BW. It is about where the board and a substantial part of the membership wants the facility to be I.e. near the G. Everything else are red herrings. 

Understand that completely, but my point still stands.

The arrogance of the club has done nothing but harm it's cause.

We are the only club in the AFL that doesn't have it's own facility, it's not due to available land or money, it's due to stubbornness and narrow mindedness.

[Macca 16,967]

4 minutes ago, old dee said:

You are crying in the wilderness Macca. The MFC ( well the board ) are welded to the G and surrounds. It is there or nowhere. I just hope that you all are not still discussing this subject when I am in the ground.

We saw the governments plow tens of millions into the Geelong facility angling for votes (?)

250,000 live in the Geelong area but over 350,000 live in Casey.  Same reasoning could apply OD. 

But as you said, it's whether we are prepared to move there (in part, not totally)

In the meantime,  Gosch's & AAMI is the alternative and will be indefinitely (in my view)

[Sir Why You Little 37,035]

9 hours ago, Macca said:

Well let's give the hundreds of thousands of people who live out there something to do ... support an AFL club like the MFC

And by the way,  the people who live in Casey are just normal people. There's nothing wrong with them.  I reckon we'd be welcomed with open arms if we committed

And no, I don't live there

We could have the best of both worlds within 5 years ... a top class State of the Art facility whilst maintaining our inner City history & roots as well as playing our games at the MCG

The $5Million that was spent on Casey recently is the pointer in my view.  The money could keep coming if we commit

How long have we been out there already. 
macca you are talking as if we have just arrived. 
i looked at building investment properties out there 5 years ago. 
There is nothing there, except fast food joints on street corners. 
If that is where we end up calling home, it won’t end well

[dpositive 1,665]

The government will make the decision it seems so Casey or Docklands may still be favoured.

[Melb16 493]

11 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

But if the players have the option of playing for Collingwood, Richmond, Carlton hell even Saints, Bulldogs North and Essendon and there relatively central training bases why would they have to "get used to it"?

It's an interesting point and one that would definitely have been true before 2020. However with the pandemic there seems to be a shift towards people not needing to live as centrally as in the past. Whether that lasts is the question. We've already seen Gawny and Lever move down to the coast which is the same or similar distance to Casey as the inner city.

Is it possible we could create an option for players to live on the east coast in a similar way Geelong has on the west? They have attracted superstar players like Danger and Cameron who would only play for Geelong because of geographical/lifestyle reasons. I'm sure cashed up footballers can afford to live in Sorrento, Mount Martha etc. which take a similar amount fo time to get to Casey as their traffic congested trip to Goschs.

The real key would be a Social Club. We need a viable SC within walking distance to the G for members/supporters.

[Macca 16,967]

27 minutes ago, Sir Why You Little said:

How long have we been out there already. 
macca you are talking as if we have just arrived. 
i looked at building investment properties out there 5 years ago. 
There is nothing there, except fast food joints on street corners. 
If that is where we end up calling home, it won’t end well

It's about the 350,000+ people out there Wyl and whether they get on board.  Also, you keep forgetting that I would want the club to hold on to our inner city roots & history.  No abandoning of that

It's also about a State of the Art facility that we could call our own

But the club will probably just meander along and not do much at all

I agree with old dee on that but am merely pointing out what could be done instead

I would also prefer the club to be a powerhouse on the field (ongoing) but what are the chances of that happening?

There's always hope ?

[rjay 24,923]

26 minutes ago, Melb16 said:

It's an interesting point and one that would definitely have been true before 2020. However with the pandemic there seems to be a shift towards people not needing to live as centrally as in the past. Whether that lasts is the question. We've already seen Gawny and Lever move down to the coast which is the same or similar distance to Casey as the inner city.

Is it possible we could create an option for players to live on the east coast in a similar way Geelong has on the west? They have attracted superstar players like Danger and Cameron who would only play for Geelong because of geographical/lifestyle reasons. I'm sure cashed up footballers can afford to live in Sorrento, Mount Martha etc. which take a similar amount fo time to get to Casey as their traffic congested trip to Goschs.

The real key would be a Social Club. We need a viable SC within walking distance to the G for members/supporters.

 

1 hour ago, Macca said:

We saw the governments plow tens of millions into the Geelong facility angling for votes (?)

250,000 live in the Geelong area but over 350,000 live in Casey.  Same reasoning could apply OD. 

But as you said, it's whether we are prepared to move there (in part, not totally)

In the meantime,  Gosch's & AAMI is the alternative and will be indefinitely (in my view)

I've previously been of the view that it's MCG surrounds or nothing but am coming around to the Casey idea...

If we don't do something I can see us 10 years down the track talking about the missed opportunity at Casey like we have been going on and on about the lost Olympic Park opportunity.

We we could establish that east coast thing from the peninsula down to Phillip Island...

The traffic around the city is becoming a real turn off anyway so if you were driving out of town it might not be as long a journey as into town if you are in the Eastern suburbs...

One of the first things we would need to do though is get coverage around the whole ground from the wind...

I would see as 'Macca' says a huge opportunity to get government funding out there...

 

Edited February 24, 2021 by rjay

[old dee 23,790]

29 minutes ago, Melb16 said:

It's an interesting point and one that would definitely have been true before 2020. However with the pandemic there seems to be a shift towards people not needing to live as centrally as in the past. Whether that lasts is the question. We've already seen Gawny and Lever move down to the coast which is the same or similar distance to Casey as the inner city.

Is it possible we could create an option for players to live on the east coast in a similar way Geelong has on the west? They have attracted superstar players like Danger and Cameron who would only play for Geelong because of geographical/lifestyle reasons. I'm sure cashed up footballers can afford to live in Sorrento, Mount Martha etc. which take a similar amount fo time to get to Casey as their traffic congested trip to Goschs.

The real key would be a Social Club. We need a viable SC within walking distance to the G for members/supporters.

I don't! 

[whatwhat say what 22,749]

originally, a decade or so ago, i was in the 'mcg precinct only' camp

now i really don't see the requirement for that to be the case

if casey is our best option from a landspace, performance, and capability standpoint, so be it

[poita 3,902]

Another year gone and another year wasted by a board that is asleep at the wheel. Last year's lockdown has allowed them to cover up a multitude of issues, particularly in respect of a dwindling and disgruntled membership base, and declining non-football revenues.

Having a training / members' facility in the MCG precinct is not going to happen, and I'm not convinced that is what our fan base wants either. We should be looking at areas within 5-10 kms of the arc from Cheltenham to Glen Waverley, which covers off the population centre of Melbourne and the majority of our fan base. I've said it before, but Moorabbin would have been perfect.

Casey is hardly going to be an attractive proposition for the playing group long term and, as attractive as it would be to entrench ourselves in the local community, I simply don't believe that a significant portion of the local population cares about an AFL club (particularly not one that requires an hour long trip to see play). If we were prepared to play half our home games there at a remodelled, boutique stadium, then that is a different proposition entirely.

This whole situation feels like it either it has been put in the too hard basket (again) or it is a convenient excuse for the club to hang on to when justifying ongoing on and off field under-performance.

[BDA 22,753]

I don’t believe Casey is the best option. In fact i think it is a terrible option. It’s desolate out there. It’s even got that bleak prairie wind blowing across the tundra feel to it. No public transport you need the car to get anywhere. I suggest to anyone advocating Casey to head along to the next ALFW game there and have a look around. You might change your mind.

If MGC precinct falls over then we have to look at other sites closer to the city.

[Sir Why You Little 37,035]

2 hours ago, Macca said:

It's about the 350,000+ people out there Wyl and whether they get on board.  Also, you keep forgetting that I would want the club to hold on to our inner city roots & history.  No abandoning of that

It's also about a State of the Art facility that we could call our own

But the club will probably just meander along and not do much at all

I agree with old dee on that but am merely pointing out what could be done instead

I would also prefer the club to be a powerhouse on the field (ongoing) but what are the chances of that happening?

There's always hope ?

We first went to Casey 10 years ago, and we are still wondering if anyone has noticed. 
We got the gig, because no one else wanted it. 
 

Yes there is always hope, just not at Casey...

[Dr. Gonzo 24,215]

13 hours ago, Macca said:

Because they're getting paid to do so.  They are professional sportsmen once contracted to the club

But they could get paid to do so somewhere closer to the CBD/inner suburbs. If given the choice of playing with a team that trains at Casey or one that trains at Olympic Boulevard, Punt Rd or Princes Park most guys in their early-mid 20s would choose the central location over the outer suburbs every day of the week.

[binman 42,939]

19 hours ago, Rab D Nesbitt said:

He's looking more like Sir Les Patterson by the day. 

The videos of Pert's and Bartlett's speeches (but not Goodwin's) are up on the MFC facsimile of a website.

Glen doesn't exactly glow with good health. That said he might want to have a chat to the AV crew - the lighting is not particularly flattering. He looks a bit grey.