will be interesting how the FFA handles the SBS FTA Friday night game next season. I'm thinking the FFA will try and schedule the biggest drawing (ratings wise) teams to play on Friday night.

Friday night games on SBS will be a massive boost to image of the game (if done properly) imho

That may have had something to do with the club's biggest games being played at Adelaide Oval.

Cheers. The overwhelming trend in stadia around the globe seems to be to place them as close to downtown as is financially possible.
Adelaide Oval games always draw a few more punters through the gate than games at Hindmarsh despite the oval being Shute for viewing.

Last finals game was 8 September 2012 (saturday night) against Brisbane which drew 21k. That's without a doubt the biggest fixture possible for the Cowboys. DFS holds about 26k. A 25-30k all-seater in the middle of town is probably a good idea.

We need a Canberra team.

You mean the NRL? If so....we must be the only football code that doesn't rig our fixture for bigger crowds then? Probably helps in the long run for us not to have one city providing lots of teams, a much more even footprint across the nation looks more sustainable IMO.

[quote=vanbasten88]
Do they rig the draw AFL-style for bigger crowds?
[quote]

Yes they do (It means that the draw is uneven and the AFL controls everything).

I don't follow the NRL...
Do they(NRL) rig the draw AFL-style for bigger crowds?
When did the cowboys last host a finals game?

Edited by vanbasten88: 13/1/2013 05:27:04 PM

Haven't heard anything about the stadium lately.

30k is too big even for NRL but I guess it's future-proof. Dairy Farmers only gets close to full when the Cowboys play Brisbane or a finals game.

wow 30k is huge for a town of just 200k. don't know how i missed that. kinda insane actually. you'd think 20k would be the maximum

I really think a 30k seater stadium is way too big for a team based in Townsville but that is an issue with Dairy Farmers anyway. Most certainly an in town stadium gets better patronage than an out of town stadium.

I do too, especially if this gets built

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2011/08/27/261391_news.html

anyone from NQ know what the situation is with this? Is it going ahead?

I like Townsville in that it has a booming population....it will reach 200k people this year and overtake Hobart in the next 10 years

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

My personal feeling is that the A-League like the NRL & AFL are getting too big for the smaller regional areas, hence why no AFL side in Tasmania & NRL side in central coast. The likes of Canberra & Nth Queensland may be the smallest they will go, instead looking at Auckland, 2nd Brisbane side (including Gold Coast or Sunshine coast), 3rd Sydney southern side including Wollongong & 3rd melbourne side including geelong for example. But some of these are many years down the track.

For those wanting to make either positive or negative comment on the possibility of a Tasmanian team you really need to read the Business Plan prepared by Coffey so you understand the market as well as possible. It is interesting that the Tasmania United Taskforce although acknowledging the usefulness of the document rejected its recommendations of the club being merged with FFT and being underwritten by the Government.

http://www.sportandrecreation.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/39821/Sc1423_Final_Report_v4_-_Public_Release.pdf

yeah ffa can sell western sydney so make it red bull wanderers, but i guarentee you, that they will loose at least half of the current supporters. hell i wouldnt support them anymore and i waited 8 years for a western sydney team.
would the gold coast really hop on board with a red bull team? not to sure

Really like this idea. Takes the number of teams to 14 and love the idea of another Perth/Wollongong rivalry. I think the Fury will work if given another chance.

Edited by takethemickey: 13/1/2013 12:04:20 PM

I can see a good relationship between Gold Coast and red bull marketing wise. they're the best party king city they could reach themselves out to

As I've said before - Red Bull wanted in a few years ago and the FFA tried to steer them toward Fury, but the company was only interested in an 'iconic' city (they wanted to couple the name Red Bull with the imagery of Sydney Harbour bridge) - as red Bull weren't interested in any other team and Sydney was already in secure hands the FFA (correctly) saw no point in continuing with Red Bull.

It's unfortunate - because you would have thought Red Bull would have been able to get some advertising/marketing benefit from playing up the Land Down Under northern/outback (I know it's not 'out back' but we're talking world marketing here) concept.

Tasmania will struggle to find funding for one club. It will never be able to support two. Unlike other states Tasmania is not centralised. Slightly over half of the population lives in the north of the state. The idea of starting a club in Hobart for all the state to support without playing regular games in the North will not work either. It would remain a Hobart club supported in the main by Hobartians.

Pretty much agree with you although I'm not sure if number 17 would work. I'd also push Gold Coast a bit further up.

The Wanderer name is the only thing that should be not negotiable. As for the rest of it - FFA owns WSW and will sell it with or without the fans' consent.

Kids... :lol: :lol:

agreed with this.

this is my optimistic view of how i wish the a-league can develop into a 20 team competition over the long term, all in expansions pairs and the sort of rivalry they can optimistically produce

11. wollongong wolves (perth glory: nsl derby)
12. canberra (wellington phoenix: capital derby)
13. auckland (wellington phoenix: nz derby)
14. northern fury (brisbane roar: qld derby)
15. tasmania (initially based in hobart) (only in a new rectangular stadium)
16. geelong (only in a new rectangular stadium)(small rivalry with the 2 other melbourne teams)
-long pause-
17. 4th victorian team in dandenong/south-east suburbs Dandenong Thunder?
18. christchurch (small rivalry with the other 2 nz teams)
19. launceston fc (split tasmania into hobart___) (develop a tasmanian derby)
20. gold coast city

that is what i wish to see, most would disagree somewhere on 17-20 but that is what i think would allow a great addition to the a-league. I believe the split between east and west can really develop in sydney and no further expansions in penrith, blacktown etc could provoke the sort of passion there presently is for western sydney wanderers.

I have my doubts of gold coast ever being sustainable in the a-league, but if someone with vision was to develop a brand which embraces gc culture, and positions a new 15,000 seat stadium in and around surfers paradise where the streets are packed during summer, then things could go off.

just again, reminding that this is all my wishful thinking

Edited by williamn: 12/1/2013 10:31:45 PM

I'm sure some New York fans said the same.

I agree entirely with gabgabgab and william, it would be much better if they were willing to invest in starting a franchise, and that the glitz of the Glitter Strip would be a good fit, but of course I was saying what would be their point of view based on their history.

Ah didnt know that... good deal then. Wonder if Launceston will get behind their own team

Not Tasmania.

Hobart might draw 1-2k more than in Launceston. One of the advantages any club has using Aurora is that the Government give a clean stadium at virtually no cost.

Tasmania has gone down a rung in my book, unless Hobart can somehow justify a full season..

Wollongong
Canberra
Auckland
North Queensland

Never in a million years will the fans allow Red Bull to takeover.