casey scorp

Does that men that lying is a far, far, far more naughty thing than stealing???

Depends who you lie to.

Didak got into more trouble for lying to Eddie about it, than for his despicable behaviour itself.

I believe an agreement was reached. Even if the terms weren't put into writing before the end of the last Council term (and I don't know if they were or not), an agreement's an agreement and if the Council baulked, they could be up for significant legal costs and penalties if they wanted to overturn the deal at this stage.

If there was an agreement I reckon there would have been a joint announcement from the club and the Council by now. The fact that there hasn't been would lead me to conclude that that there is no agreement (written or unwritten).

Suzanna is right - without an agreement the Dees could be exposed to a rescission motion.

been a bit of debate on the VFL site re this issue

I don't know how much truth is in the following post...no doubt Casey Scorp will reply

"The ratepayers have spoken or one could say have Shouted. Only two Casey councillors returned to office. The incumbents all are anti MFC deal. The Ratepayers want nothing to do with the MFC at their expense and the election results give the council a clear mandate to withdraw from any such commitment. I Love democracy."

Any news on the elections and how it could potentially affect the Dees? Assuming you are familiar with the council and councillors of course

I noticed two of the three against the deal lost

Any info appreciated

cheers

From vflfooty.com

Coaster wrote:

The ratepayers have spoken or one could say have Shouted. Only two Casey councillors returned to office. The incumbents all are anti MFC deal. The Ratepayers want nothing to do with the MFC at their expense and the election results give the council a clear mandate to withdraw from any such commitment. I Love democracy.

caseyscorp wrote:

Actually 3 were returned to office - 2 supporters and 1 opponent of MFC.

There were 7 Councillors defeated - 4 supporters and 3 opponents.

So it's pretty much line ball if you are trying to use the election results as determining a mandate.

Doesn't the word "committment' speak for itself? If there is an agreement in place maybe the MFC would be happy for the City of Casey to pay damages and compensation for a breach of it.

There's no agreement signed yet, so there's no commitment. There's offer but no acceptance from MFC it seems. Bit hard to claim damages when you haven't signed an agreement I would have thought!

It’s all in the 5 August 2008 Council papers.

Until July the pavilion extension was only going to cost $1.6 million, funded by:

$0.75m Council

$0.50m MFC

$0.35m State Government.

Council was to give a $500,000 block of land to MFC.

MFC then asked for the pavilion to be increased in size at a cost of an extra $500,000 to $2.1 million. MFC asked that the $500,000 extra cost be funded by the Council increasing its cash contribution from $750,000 to $1.25 million (instead of giving the club a $500,000 block of land). The Council agreed to do that.

The $2.1 million pavilion extension was to be funded by:

$1.25m Council

$0.50m MFC

$0.35m State Government.

MFC will have access to the facilities for 30 years, during which time the club will deliver a substantial community program.

While the club puts in $500,000 cash, and undertakes the community program, the benefits for the club are substantial:

• “ownership” of a major growth corridor in which to create major community connections and a substantial on-going and sustainable membership base

• a summer training base (“one with goal posts” according to Dean Bailey)

• a winter training venue once/fortnight

• a location for NAB Challenge matches (better to be at Casey Fields than in SA 2 weeks out from Round 1)

• with further development of the site, a location for NAB Cup matches

• a long term VFL partnership based at a shared facility

• guaranteed access to one of the best non-AFL competition grounds in Victoria.

There’s a few things there that MFC hasn’t enjoyed for a few decades (if ever).

It’s the sort of opportunity which might come only a couple of times a century to make a major change in direction. Yes, it might be a one-off $500,000 cost. But its an investment in the long-term future of the club.

Those who doubt whether the club should be investing in a development where it does not receive any equity should think of the cost of not doing it.

Absolutely amazing

How did it all come about?

The Casey Indoor Leisure Complex is on the site of a former agricultural machinery factory – Ford New Holland – they made harvesters.

The Cranbourne Council purchased the site of what is now the Casey Indoor Leisure Complex in the early 1990s and fitted out the basketball courts.

Casey Council:

• has put in a further basketball show court

• has set up the spaces and leased them for the other recreation facilities to be established

• is building the $37 million Casey RACE (aquatic and gym complex).

The Cranbourne East area will have the biggest concentration of community sporting and recreation facilities anywhere in Australia comprising the Casey Indoor Leisure Complex and Casey Fields. It will be a phenomenal precinct.

The trip to Casey for us was an easy one, turn right at Belgrave and pretty much straight on to Casey Fields via Belgrave Hallam Rd. Follow it through its various naming incarnations from Narre Warren North Rd to Cranbourne Narre Warren Rd then turn left at Berwick Cranbourne Rd roundabout and you’re there. You’ll pass the magnificently dominant Cranbourne Aquatic and Leisure Centre on the left before you turn into Casey Fields on the right.

A tip on getting to Casey Fields......get onto the Monash Freeway (at Narre Warren North Road on melbman's route) and head towards Berwick. Get off at Clyde Road next to Monash Uni and turn right to Cranbourne. You can then go down the Berwick-Cranbourne Road and get in the back way to Casey Fields. It's slightly further, but it's quicker and less traffic.

The Cranbourne Aquatic and Leisure Centre has been named the Casey RACE (Recreation and Aquatic CEntre) following a community naming competition.

Photos and progress reports are at:

http://www.casey.vic.gov.au/caseyraceupdates/

(looks like it needs an update - the last one was 3 months ago!).

Well, just to be difficult, how about indoor sports like basketball & netball, volleyball, table tennis & indoor cricket?

Not too difficult at all. There is the Casey Indoor Leisure Complex about 700 metres up the road. It has:

• 5 basketball courts, which are also used for netball

• an area used for indoor football, cricket, volleyball (and even beach volleyball complete with sand courts) and probably a few others

• tenpin bowling

• a new $37 million pool/gym complex under construction due to open mid-2009, which has just been named as the Casey RACE.

No table tennis though …..they obviously haven’t thought of everything!

Can't tell exactly from the map but how far from the proposed Cranbourne East station would the walk to Casey Fields be? It looks like it would be about two thirds of the distance that would exist between Cranbourne station and the proposed Cranbourne East station and from the sounds of things one might have to walk over the upgraded Berwick Cranbourne Rd to get to the ground from the proposed station.

The proposed Cranbourne East station is about a 1km walk from the ground, and would involve getting across the upgraded Berwick Cranbourne Rd. However, there will be traffic signals. I would bet that there will be traffic signals in place long before there is a station.

BTW - did anyone notice that there's a residential estate on Narre Warren-Cranbourne Road as you come towards Cranbourne that's called Strawberry Fields?

Given the whacks delivered at this site by a previously banned poster who doesn't particulalry like us, I'm going to enjoy driving past the estate and humming that catchy old Beatles tune. It's much better than "All You Need is Love

And if you ventured into the residential estate you would find streets called Abbey Road, Liverpool Place, Lennon Court, Ringo Place, McCartney Drive, Jude Place, Beethoven Drive, Tangerine Drive, Rigby Court and Norwegian Way.

Edit: one thing that I did wonder about was how will all the cars get out once it is fully populated from a sporting perspective cos it will be one busy area

That's a good question, but there is also an answer!

Go back to the masterplan:

http://www.casey.vic.gov.au/caseyfieldsfac...e.asp?Item=3596

Where the current driveway comes off Berwick-Cranbourne Road there will be a signalised intersection with a 4 lane road running north-south across the major 4 or 6 lane east-west arterial road that Berwick-Cranbourne Road will become.

Also see the plan on page 2 of this document (the preliminary precinct structure plan for Cranbourne East to see the north-south road).

http://webadmin.gaa.vic.gov.au/Assets/File...0Newsletter.pdf

There will be 3 separate access roads into Casey Fields from this 4 lane north-south road:

* in the vicinity of the social club

* an extension of the access road shown south of the tennis courts

* an extension of the access road shown between the aths track and the soccer pitches.

In the short term (probably in about 2 years) the north-south road will be built as a 2 lane road, and the 2nd connection will be made.

The 3rd connection probably won't happen until the soccer pitches are built.

how did you find out when training was on??

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/Season2008/T...53/default.aspx

Pre Season Training

Monday 24 November - Casey Fields 8:30am

Wednesday 26 November - Casey Fields 8:30am

Friday 28 November - Casey Fields 8:30am

Please note: Training times and venues are subject to change without notice

http://www.casey.vic.gov.au/whatsonatcasey....asp?Item=13899

The Melbourne Football Club takes up summer residency at the VFL Oval at Casey Fields as of Thursday 6 November.

Training on the VFL Oval commences at 8.30am.

Following this day training is on the following dates in 2008:

November:

Monday - 10, 24

Wednesday - 12, 19, 26

Friday - 14, 21, 28

December:

Monday - 8, 15

Wednesday - 3, 10, 17

Friday - 19

how did you find out when training was on??

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/Season2008/T...53/default.aspx

Pre Season Training

Monday 24 November - Casey Fields 8:30am

Wednesday 26 November - Casey Fields 8:30am

Friday 28 November - Casey Fields 8:30am

Please note: Training times and venues are subject to change without notice

http://www.casey.vic.gov.au/whatsonatcasey....asp?Item=13899

The Melbourne Football Club takes up summer residency at the VFL Oval at Casey Fields as of Thursday 6 November.

Training on the VFL Oval commences at 8.30am.

Following this day training is on the following dates in 2008:

November:

Monday - 10, 24

Wednesday - 12, 19, 26

Friday - 14, 21, 28

December:

Monday - 8, 15

Wednesday - 3, 10, 17

Friday - 19

I'd have wagered the benefits of Casey over a $1m asset.

And the Casey Council would have probably contributed more than Frankston Council's $3 million to a full scale relocation St KFC project (they're contributing $1.4 million to the MFC project which is to accommodate only a part time occupancy).

Makes me curious why the Saints were so keen to leave, any help CS? Aside from them wanting to strengthen their allegance to the bay (an area where most people, if they are going to get an AFL team, already have one)

When they announced in November 2007 that they were going to Frankston park, the big attraction was that the Saints would get a land asset worth $1 million as part of the deal from Frankston Council (as well as $2 million cash contribution to the project). However the costs of the project blew out, and there was a range of other problems, and the complex would not stack up. So they announced in September 2008 that they would go to Belvedere Park in Seaford instead where the development costs (they hope) will be less. It certainly won't have some of the other problems of the Frankston Park site (oval too small, grounds too small to hold the buildings needed, parking shortfalls in the area, filled land over an old creek bed just to name a few). These were problems which could easily be seen but for some reason were blindly ignored by the Saints - I suspect because of the lure of the magical asset.

However, the asset has disappeared from the equation at Belvedere Park. The increasing costs of the project meant that the Frankston Council was asked to increase its cash contribution to $3 million in lieu of any land contribution. Strangely, they seemed to have lost sight of the reason for the original decision - gaining the land asset on the balance sheet.

Of course by September 2008, they had burned off Kingston Council so badly at Moorabbin they wouldn't dare go back there and try and renegotiate, and they had dumped the Scorpions in favour of the Zebras so had lost any option to get to Casey Fields. The whole process was the opposite of keeping your options open until the final deal is done. They were then left with the only possibility being in the back blocks of Seaford.

A debacle. So, in answer to your question, they chose Frankston for a land asset which will never materialise.

But it certainly created an opportunity for MFC.

Inside Casey Fields we found the home of the Casey Scorpions at the front of a winding driveway that also leads to a plethora of other sporting fields. From memory there were two other football fields, multiple tennis courts, a ground titled “Premier Cricket Field” with what looked like a turf wicket, based on the machine that was paying close attention to it, and another area that had what looked like a long and meandering bike track titled “Criterium”.

The whole area had the feel of a very forward looking local government. The type of which you wished was the norm rather than the exception.

Masterplan for Casey Fields:

http://www.casey.vic.gov.au/caseyfieldsfac...e.asp?Item=3596

Ovals 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 are built - Ovals 4 & 5 have turf pitches accommodating the Premier Cricket (District Cricket) team Casey-South Melbourne Cricket Club, although Oval 5 is also used for footy training by the Cranbourne FC (which plays its matches on the VFL Oval (Oval 1).

MFC trains on the VFL Oval.

Sports Fields 6 & 7 are also there, as well as 3 netball courts near Ovals 2 & 3. There are 12 tennis courts and the bicycle criterium track.

Plus there's lots more yet to be built.

For a document with "The Future" on the front cover, there wasn't much mention of Casey - just passing references in Chris Connolly's and Dean Bailey's pieces.

Makes me a little nervous about the real commitment of MFC to any future in Casey if that is all it gets in a forward looking document.

hey guys any ideas on time and dates on when they train?

Would like to have a geese on how there goin.

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/Season2008/T...53/default.aspx

Pre Season Training

Monday 24 November - Casey Fields 8:30am

Wednesday 26 November - Casey Fields 8:30am

Friday 28 November - Casey Fields 8:30am

Please note: Training times and venues are subject to change without notice

The Casey Scorpions have secured another NAB Challenge match at 2pm on Saturday 14 March 2009.

They've also requested the AFL to schedule MFC as one of the partcipating teams if it is not playing in the NAB Cup Grand Final that night.

but allocations can be changed

You are right that allocations can be changed, but the money was allocated in two parts (in June and August) and could well have been spent by now on the MFC project if agreement had been reached with the Council.

My point is that the longer it takes to reach agreement, and irrevocable commitments entered into (ie a contract to build the extension), the more chance there is of the funds being taken away and reallocated (whether that be because of a changing political landscape or because of other, unrelated, financial imperatives).

I think we're in agreement.

Since the Casey council is being sued by its residents re the gas issue, one hopes there is a plan B if the casey project goes belly up if the council loses. There may be insurance held by the council for such matters but the next policy may force the council to tighten its belt and not invest in casey fields etc. This is only hypothetical but should be a concern for the MFC board .

The funds for the project have been allocated in the 08/09 budget - the Council money is there.

AT THE MOMENT, AND DESPITE SOME COUNCILLORS HAVING TRIED UNSUCCESSFULLY TO REDIRECT IT.

However it requires MFC to reach agreement with the Council. If MFC doesn't sign an agreement with the current Council before the election it may well become a very different situation if the opponents of the project get re-elected to Council.

Then MFC will need plan B.

You make good points belzebub.

Interesting that there is another article in the same paper:

AFL help sought for soccer bid

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/afl-...6318935613.html

THE AFL could be forced to move premiership matches interstate or even overseas if Australia wins the right to host the 2018 or 2022 soccer World Cup.

But in exchange for giving ground to a competing code the league would inherit a new set of stadiums built to host the largest event in world sport.

That would likely include a new AFL stadium on the Gold Coast — overcoming one of the most significant impediments to the AFL's successful expansion into the area.

You would think that part of the deal could also be the establishment of the boutique 3rd stadium in Melbourne. It would have longer lasting benefits than matches being relocated interstate or overseas. While being obviously far more expensive, it is a neat fit with the AFL's other objective of establishing the boutique stadium.

While we spruik Casey Fields as the 3rd stadium, there is also a soccer strategy from FFV for 12 Centres of Excellence around Victoria.

http://www.footballfedvic.com.au/strategic/development.php

Casey Fields is the site which is likely for the CoE for the metropolitan Southern Zone.

In addition, if the World Cup comes to Australia, we need 32 quality training complexes in the nation. The FFV stratgey, while providing for the growth and development of the game in Victoria , also assists by ticking boxes for international training complexes.

The fact that Demetriou and Buckley met this week and discussed co-operation regarding stadiums and scheduling matches around any World Cup bid is incredibly signifcant.

Casey Fields with an FFV CoE and a boutique AFL stadium just might be a major piece of the puzzle.

she rarely writes an article about an actual game of football... it's always about the behind the scenes issues when it comes to Caro... boardroom spills, players taking drugs, coaches getting sacked, anything off field she's all over it and does a good job... but she rarely comments about what actually happens on the field...

i'd be interested if you could find me an article written by her that's about a game of football...

She has a good understanding of the behind the scenes issues. If that's her forte, she should concentrate on that. There are plenty of others (about 1600 I think) who can write about a game of footy.

It would be cold & Barron out there.

Interesting spelling of barren, and with a capital B. Like someone's name.

The AFL would have a field day.

Why would the AFL have a field day if it was cold and barren at Casey Fields? The AFL is investigating a 3rd Melbourne stadium (a smaller boutique stadium) for playing interstate clubs.

Michael O'Donnell.... isn't that mickrocks1??

One participating Melbourne member, Michael O'Donnell, said he thought the club should encourage tourists and new citizens to go to games.

"Melbourne has to increase their supporter base," O'Donnell said.

"So I think every time there's a citizenship ceremony done by Melbourne City Council, Melbourne footy club should be giving out a five-game membership to new Australian citizens and maybe a scarf as well."

This is a good idea, and MFC is also in a position to establish something with the City of Casey.

If you want to see large numbers of new citizens you probably can't go past Casey. In 2006/07 Casey had about 2,300 residents conferred Australian citizenship.

I believe the Casey arrangement is the right way to go, but we should go further and tie ourselves into that community. We need to get Demons involved at grass roots level, auskick and schools. We need to invest in the demograhic. We can still do the MCC/MFC/MCG thing.

The plan already is to go further, right along the same lines you were thinking about. There was a heap of info about the community program to be delivered by MFC when the Council considered the matter on 5 August (first item on the agenda - you can find it through http://www.casey.vic.gov.au/meetings/artic...Item=11233#aug) including:

* Business Ambassadorship

* Melbourne FC in Schools

* family day at Casey Fields

* inviting locals down to training, with sausage sizzles etc

* Coach the Coaches/Ambassadors

* Demon’s Cup for local clubs & Curtain Raiser on the MCG

* Local Police/Community Service Training Days

* Involvement in articles in local papers

* employment of a Community Development Officer to oversee the community program

* seeking to have one or two NAB games at Casey Fields each year.

MFC are certainly planning to get right into a partnership with the community.

Does anyone now of any possible dates for the alleged Cranbourne East station? Is it more likely than not?

The Cranbourne East railway station has been planned for more than two decades. In the 1999 election, the Labor Party promised to extend the electrification and to build a station at Cranbourne East. But they didn't deliver.

In the government's transport planning document of a couple of years ago, Meeting our Transport Challenges (MOTC) which took transport planning out to 2030, the Cranbourne East station was not even mentioned. It had fallen off the radar completely.

With the greater focus on public transport in the last 12 months, there was every expectation that the Cranbourne East station would do a Lazarus and rise from the dead. However, the current financial situation might just make the Government a little bit reserved in some of its plans.

Not that there should be any reason why Cranbourne East would not get a guernsey – it’s right at a growth area.

As far as timing goes – I think we’ll have to wait and see what the new strategy reveals. Next months I think it’s due.