Manuka hosting AFL into the future in doubt

Indoor stadium and it would have been packed.
Why would StKilda give up playing at Docklands to play at Manuka? $400,000 wouldn’t even get them here. We’re better off building the stadium and then they will want to come for free.

I don’t even mind if the stadium is square. Anything that is warm to warch sport has got to be a good thing for Canberra.

Chilly Chop

@Comment 6 The NRL scheduling a game on the same day was stupid. Maybe even beyond stupid. But that’s what you would expect from the NRL.

The NRL crowd was substantially higher than the AFL crowd. The NRL got 11,150, that’s about 50% more than the AFL got. I’d say the NRL won the battle.

Further, since the NRL was always going to be more popular in Canberra than the AFL, and since it was obvious the NRL was not going to make way for an inferior competition, the AFL and its broadcast partners could have elected to reschedule the game at Manuka so that they would get a respectable turnout there. I know it rarely/never happens, but then, if the AFL wanted respect/a respectable turnout, they needed to blink.

As for the rest of your comment, remember, the NRL don’t schedule their own games. Foxtel and Channel 9 do.

Yeah, that may be true, but that still doesn’t make it even. 😛

HC – It’s more ‘even’ than the NRL that’s for sure!

Whats this about “crappy old teams”.

Nobody knows from year to year how a team is going to go. 2 years ago St Kilda was hopeless and 3 years ago Geelong was pretty crappy.

Melbourne is obviously tanking & the Swans can’t make the 8 so its not surprising that there was no enthusiasm from the teams or the supporters.

And surely the game should be played in April when the weather has a better chance of being decent.

AG if you reckon the AFL distributes free to air games evenly then you have a distorted view of reality.

The scheduling thing can be worked out if the NRL grows some big ones and stands up to Ch 9 next round of contract negotiation. The contract allows Ch9 to dictate when and what time each game is played six weeks in advance. This is supposedly to allow the best games to go free to air. What it actually does is discriminate against teams like the Raiders who then struggle to get air time for themselves and their sponsors. Yes this could be solved if they won a few more games but it shouldn’t matter.

The AFL publishes every date and time for the season in October each year. This allows every team to get a fair airing on TV – thus making it easier to get sponsorship from corporations. yes you get the occasional issue – like the Geelong StKilda game being held on a Sun arvo – but these are few and far between.

More even coverage for all teams is the goal as is avoiding clashes with code competitors in smaller centres like Canberra.

Growling Ferret said :

Magoo

FNF is LIVE every week. It just costs your hard earned but is worth every cent. You just need to convince the fun police that its worthwhile!

The NRL scheduling a game on the same day was stupid. Maybe even beyond stupid. But that’s what you would expect from the NRL.

Ahh the fun police, our lives are so guided by their earnest hand.

Magoo

FNF is LIVE every week. It just costs your hard earned but is worth every cent. You just need to convince the fun police that its worthwhile!

The NRL scheduling a game on the same day was stupid. Maybe even beyond stupid. But that’s what you would expect from the NRL.

maybe i’m wrong but the teams in question sell their home games for the money directly(ie whatever share of the $366k fee the ACT pays the AFL) or indirectly (trying to increase their member base – worked wonders for the hawks in tasmania) – so i’m guessing they reckon it’s worthwhile for them or they wouldn’t do it. but as for ACT choosing which teams they want to make a deal with to make it worthwhile for ACT residents (who are paying for it!) – that is what i am questioning!!

And besides all that as usual in this town the left and right hands don’t speak to each other. Who in their right mind didn’t think that having the Raiders on at exactly the same time was OK? Yes I know that they are two different crowds of supporters etc., but sportsfans are sportsfans and why put two major winter codes on AT THE SAME TIME!!!!!!!!!

MrMagoo said :

And while we are on it, (declaring himself as a Swans Fan) I do agree that why would you on a cold and lousy arvo pay money to go and watch a game when it is on television at the same time. Why can’t we get the best game on Sunday, not the Swans all the time. why also, can’t we get the Saturday night game regardless whether the swans are playing or not at 7.30? AND WHY DO WE have to wait til 9.30 on a Friday night? That is my rant for the day.

We can blame the AFL for the TV scheduling. When the Swans play the games the TV broadcasters are obliged to show the games live on FTA into the NSW/ACT market.

So we often have the case where the game is on Fox Sports, free-to-air as well as being at Manuka Oval.

Love your work Jabba!

It always makes me laugh when the Melbourne media start bagging Canberra for low crowds at Manuka Oval.

On a per capita basis, and using very rough figures, a crowd of 7000 is equivalent to around 2% of the city’s population. That would translate to a crowd of around 60,000 in Melbourne. I know that is a very simplistic comparison, but, if the Melbourne clubs weren’t so desperate for cash, and could generate a guaranteed crowd of 60K each week, then do you think they would even bother coming to Canberra.

The AFL needs to grow some balls. Ten teams in Melbourne is at least two too many. And that has nothing to do with crowds in Canberra!

It is absurdly naive to think that any of the ‘big’ Melbourne clubs will give up a home gate of 50K people to play in front of 16K at Manuka no matter how much ACT government promises to chuck in. Andrew Barr isn’t thinking if he feels he can hold out for better games, it won’t happen, much like the much vaunted 2nd Sydney team. Pipedream at best.

And while we are on it, (declaring himself as a Swans Fan) I do agree that why would you on a cold and lousy arvo pay money to go and watch a game when it is on television at the same time. Why can’t we get the best game on Sunday, not the Swans all the time. why also, can’t we get the Saturday night game regardless whether the swans are playing or not at 7.30? AND WHY DO WE have to wait til 9.30 on a Friday night? That is my rant for the day.