2 games in Sydney next year - from the Wednesday Age

[WhyPhilWhy?]

http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/articles/2003/07/01/1056825394802.html

Pies, AFL in bold Sydney push
The Age
By Caroline Wilson
July 02 2003

The AFL has joined forces with Collingwood in a bold new bid to take on the Sydney market next season that will give the Magpies two games in Sydney in 2004 - one a Collingwood home game - and seize a monopoly on next year's proposed split round.

The league's football operations chief Andrew Demetriou, a frontrunner in the search to replace Wayne Jackson, will talk to the NSW Government this month in a bid to underwrite a Collingwood-Sydney game at Homebush's Telstra Stadium.

The match, which would be televised on Channel Ten on a Saturday night, would be the only AFL game over the second weekend of a split round. The Magpies' asking price for the game in Sydney is estimated at more than $500,000, with the figure being split between the Carr Government and Telstra Stadium.

The other Collingwood match against the Swans would be a Sydney home game at the SCG.

The Magpies' chief executive Greg Swann revealed last night that the club was also on the verge of reaching a deal with the Western Bulldogs that would hand Collingwood members rights in an 11th game contested in Melbourne at Telstra Dome.

Swann said the Magpies, the only Victorian club not forced to travel to Subiaco Oval this season, with most clubs playing there twice, had applied to the AFL to take on Sydney at the SCG over the Easter break and again in a split round that the club hoped to move back in the drawto round 14 or 15.

Both the Magpies and Channel Ten have individually pushed the AFL to abandon the week off football, when a rugby international was played at Melbourne's Telstra Dome 11 days ago while no AFL game was scheduled.

Both parties have argued that the match would assault the Sydney market in the manner rugby assaulted Melbourne and that it would be played in a grand final atmosphere. Magpie coach Mick Malthouse is understood to have backed the plan.

The match would be televised live into the Sydney market on a Saturday night - such a move would be impossible on a Friday night because of Channel Nine's rugby league commitments - and played the weekend after the 14 other AFL clubs had completed their round of games.

The Ten network is understood to have unofficially canvassed handing the Nine network the right to televise both the Easter Monday and Queen's Birthday Monday public holiday games in return for the exclusive rights to the second half of the split round.

Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy criticised the recent week off from football, saying that the AFL had handed rugby a free kick into all Australian markets and the league has privately agreed that while all clubs thrive on having a week off, the fixture can be better marketed next season.

The Magpies have proposed a carnival weekend of football in Sydney over the split round and have already talked to a receptive Carr Government determined to lift attendances at the Homebush stadium.

Sydney chairman Richard Colless has also unofficially given his support. It is not known whether the Magpies will again be given the luxury of not travelling to take on either West Coast or Fremantle on their home turf next season.

[WhyPhilWhy?]

A couple of interesting points:

• Caroline Wilson is such a negative bitch that she has too toss in the "Collingwood doesn't travel to Perth this year" whinge even though it has NOTHING to so with the story.
  
• Neither does she make any real attempt to allay Melbourne members fear that they we lose a home game. In fact, it appears we will still still get admission to 18 games in Melbourne, with the Doggies game added as a virtual home game.
  
• Before anyone starts the "we only have one home ground - the MCG"argument, can I suggest that in fact we already have 2. The MCG and Telstra Dome. Under this arrangement, we have 3 (as we did in the 80's and 90's - Vic Park, the 'G and Waverley).

And if the deal is worth half a mill, we would be silly to pass it up.

[Blanch]

Can I suggest we have no home ground? Home ground advantage for me is train on the ground, play on the ground....with nobody else training or playing on that ground.

Brisbane, Eagles, Sydney, Crows, Geelong have home grounds. The rest of us play at a ground based in the home state. Not even Freo play at Freo oval where they train.

I agree though about it being a good opportunity. Before I get belted with how its a disgrace just ponder this:

The deal involved is a direct swap for a trip to Perth. Whilst I'd love to see the boys over here in the west our record here speaks for itself - we get flogged all but twice (both wins under 1 goal and one was ansett cup). The record of teams the week following a perth trip also speaks for itself - 0 wins this year so far.

So the law of averages suggests a perth trip results in a win/loss record of 0-2 for the trip and the week after. Even if we lose to sydney in sydney we will get a melbourne game home the next week and not have the travel factor to deal with, so we are a better chance for at least 1-1. Add the 500k - $1mill that another paper suggested and I think it's a great benefit for the club - not for the WA fans but I can put my ego and pride aside to benefit the club.

Add to that the exposure similar to the brisbane game this year on tv and more support and kudos (spelling?) will come our way.

[fan4collingwood]

It seems in the past that we only travel interstate 4 times a year......does caro want us to travel 6 times?
A couple of points:
Would we still have to travel another 3 times interstate as well as those 2 in sydney?
And why good friday eve?.......All those who have to work on the thursday before good friday have no chance to travel to Sydney in time for the game, and as in mine and Mr J who never behaves position, we like to go to Melbourne at easter, and missed out on a game this year.

[Donny]

This first post from Dark Lord was submitted at about the same time as the above first post from WPW so I copied the following posts - Dark Lord, tessa403 and Licuria biggest fan - and put them in here.
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Dark Lord:

I woke up this morning with news on the radio saying that Collingwood has stitched up a deal with the AFL that we'll be playing 2 games in Sydney for the next 2 years.

I sure hope it's good for our coffers, cause I'm not sure it'll be too good for our supporters or ladder position.

Thaughts? Comments? Or have I been misinformed?
_________________
"Accept the Lord of Darkness as your saviour." - The Undertaker
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tessa403:

Has CFC announced the deal?

If not don`t believe it.
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http://www.geocities.com/pinkmagpies/
Click on the Logo to enter
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Licuria biggest fan:

Apparently by today's paper and radio this morning. They are saying it will be in round 13 (bye weekend ). That Collingwood play Sydney at Telstra the only game on that weekend. Greg Swann has confirmed the request.

The other Sydney game would be played on Good Friday eve instead of Brisbane it would be Sydney.

Who Knows...........................
_________________
One day our dreams will come true for our beloved Magpies to win another grand final:
2003
2004 ................... and so on....

[Voice of Reason]

Has Caroline Wilson forgotten that in 2002 we played in Perth twice? If clubs that play one another once work on an alternating roster of home game one year and away game the next, that would mean that it is our right to not travel to Perth this year. It would also mean that in 2004, assuming we only play the Dockers and Eagles once, that both games would be in Perth.

[The Prototype]

[Dr Alf Andrews]

If the Bulldogs agree to give Collingwood member's rights for THEIR home game at Docklands they are more stupid than I thought they were.

This proposal is the height of arrogance ... but it will sit OK with me because it will save me the expense and bother of ever having to attend another football match.

I feel better already just thinking about it ... A footy-free winter in 2004 ... And every year ....

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS !

[Blanch]

I'd like to know what the bulldogs get out of it. There must be more to this deal than they are letting on.

Mods, please intercept where necessary here as I'm about to lose my mind. No matter where we play I treat watching the pies on tv as a PRIVILEGE. To see them live and take them for granted as such is arrogance and I take that arrogance personally. To be at the ground once a year would make my year. You still get to see them the same number of times that year - possibly more as some may be able to make it to the sydney game as opposed to few who can make to subi oval.

Is it the principle of the matter that upsets you? Yes, people have every right to stand up and walk away if they wish - sad point of view if you ask me. I thought we SUPPORTED this club. That means asking not what the club can do for us, but what we can do for it. To sacrifice 1 game up in sydney for the good of the club I don't think is asking for much.....then to be compensated so that we still get the same number of entries through the gate sounds pretty good to me.

Can't we see that in essence all we are doing is transferring our long road trip from subi to sydney, then somehow calling that a home game (haha!) then making an away game against the bulldogs into a home game. Wake up and smell the roses!!!! The bottom line equation adds up to swapping an away game in WA for an away game in sydney plus $500k to boot. Please explain to me how this bottom line is a bad thing!

[SuperBucks]

This proposal is bullshit. The draw is uneven enough as it is. Why give those Sydney pricks extra advantages. That will make 13 home games for them (including the Bulldogs).

People should pressure the club not to tinker with our matches here in Victoria. If we are drawn to play the Swans at home, that match belongs to US - COLLINGWOOD'S MELBOURNE BASED SUPPORTERS!!

Eddie you are great, but you are wrong for once.

[Adz]

Hopefully, they wont have a home grand advantage.
So, let me get it right, there would be 7 games one week and 1 the next. Wayne Jackson said there wouldn't be a split round next year. But he's leaving so what right does he have?

[Culprit]

This would have to be the best deal going around. We get a max of 4 interstate trips so it's two in Sdyney and two else where. We get maximum exposure in Sydney as we are the only game on. Sydney's Melbourne fans get pissed off cause they don't see them in Melbourne. And we get membership rights to a non home game.

Many of the other clubs bleed about Anzac day, well they will be crying about this.

And we did not even hold a gun to their heads... lmao

[Adz]

Thats a good deal. Hopefully it pulls through. I can see our other two interstate games between Freo and Adelaide.

[Get Smart]

Sounds good to me...2 games in Sydney WHOOHOO