2004 AFL Fixtures

[robbieando]

Originally posted by NMWBloods
What's the Melbourne-based membership - $90? That's $18 per game - certainly not an over-the-top amount and cheaper than walking up to a game without membership.

Cheaper going by GA prices in Sydney, but no difference to what GA prices are in Melbourne. If I wanted to walk up to the gate for each match, over the course of a season I would be paying an extra $7.50 or $1.50 extra per match.

Membership just isn't worth it. For my $90 this season I got

- Entry to 5 matches
- A keyring
- 1 copy of the club newsletter (should of got 3, but they never seem to turn up)
- A bumper Sticker

Hardly value for money now is it.

Anyway, I think the draw is more favourable to the Swans than having more games in Melbourne, and if it is more favourable then there is more chance of seeing the Swans in Melbourne when it counts - September.

Gee, that makes it all better 3 problems with that view
1) The Swans have to make the finals
2) The Swans are then drawn at some point to play in Melbourne and as we saw this year, we didn't end up in Melbourne once for the finals.
3) If we happen to make the Grand Final, not many of us will get tickets to go.

[Bexl]

My eldest son for some weird reason follows port, and I havent taken him to see one of their games yet as I work most W/Es, will be happy as they have 5 games here. 3 at the MCG and 2 at telstra dome, since I normaly only take W/Es of to go to Swanee games I might have a spare one to take him to see his team. Its a shame really as he has been a swans member and still likes the swans but if I dont have sydney games to take him to its hard to get him into them.

[liz]

Originally posted by sydfan83
I wouldn't mind if the Bulldogs home game in Sydney was scrapped - after all if we're supposed to be losing money, why is the club paying them to play a home game here?

The idea is that the total amount of profit generated by playing it in Sydney is greater than the amount if it were to be played in Melbourne. So while the Swans pay the Bulldogs a fixed amount, they then get to keep an additional revenue. If it were played in Melbourne they'd get nothing since the home team keeps the gate. Both teams therefore benefit financially, so long as Sydney can generate more net revenue than the payment to the Dogs. Given that they wrap the game up in the membership package this guarantees them a solid taking regardless of the crowd size.

[Glenn]

Well having a whine about the draw isnt going to change things, not to impressed about two trips to WA but that is the way the cookie crumbles.
Life goes on folks

[bartwawa]

I don't think their will be to many Perth based Swans fan that are upset about them playing twice in WA.

[vagary]

take a look at round 10 against western bulldogs. i thought that western bulldogs was planning to play in darwin instead of the scg fixture next year.

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Re: Re: Let's get travelling kids!

Originally posted by Norris Lurker
First weekend in July looks good for a Melbourne trip. Friday night sees Essendon playing the Kangaroos at the MCG, with Sydney v Carlton at Princes Park on the Saturday afternoon - from all reports the game at Princes Park last year was one of the most fun ever, and certainly you lot were very easily heard on telly.

But we didn't have much competition that day. The concourse area of the Legends Stand was 80-90% Swans.

There was this madman banging a drum all game. Bloody annoying, he was! Totally wrecked my day at the football!

JF

[JF_Bay22_SCG]

Originally posted by bartwawa
I don't think their will be to many Perth based Swans fan that are upset about them playing twice in WA.

Well, keep your eyes peeled mate. I'll be needing ALL of you to buy tickets through the club here in Sydney in our allocated area. I'll be bringing the whole caboodle of flags signs etc over. But will be needing you to come and wave them.

And will BADLY be needing people's assistance in transporting them around etc.

JF

[AussieAnge]

The draw is always going to be compromised if a full complement of home and away games are not played. I understand that the AFL is a business and needs to maximise their funds, but by allowing the strong clubs to have their blockbusters they are creating an uneven playing field that favours some and works against others. If they are not going to have a full h&a season then a more equitable system needs to be devised. The only fair way would be something similar to the way the English Football Association does the Worthington Cup (or whatever it is called these days) and the FA cup draws, where some old geezers pull the numbered balls (representing each club) out of a bag to decide who plays whom.

[Wardy]

Well said Aussie Ange - and Happy birthday old girl!

[Craig]

Originally posted by JF_Bay22_SCG
Well, keep your eyes peeled mate. I'll be needing ALL of you to buy tickets through the club here in Sydney in our allocated area. I'll be bringing the whole caboodle of flags signs etc over. But will be needing you to come and wave them.

And will BADLY be needing people's assistance in transporting them around etc.

JF

Count me in for that. I will be making the trip across so any assistance needed let me know.

[Rob-bloods]

Originally posted by Bexl
By the way the last time we played at geelong I went to get seats for the game only to find they were about $25 each and about $13 for a kids seat on top of our membership and this at a scummy ground with no standing room any more or non booked seats.
This puts seats them at the top price range for games in victoria.
This draw is !*&*^&%^#%^^&

This a good point, next year we play at Optus and Skilled the WORST from a visitors point of view, it cost me $100 over the last two years just to get seats at Optus (when we hold Swans Vic Memberships)!

At Geelong Visiting members get shoved into a ?chicken coop? where it just happens the Geeeeelong ferals also like to stand!

I think that if the AFL continue to schedule at tin pot grounds then they should legislate for visiting members to get a fair go. Alternatively, shove Geelong and Carlton members in a toilet in the old showgrounds when they come to Sydney and charge them $100 per head to get out!

[NMWBloods]

Originally posted by robbieando
Cheaper going by GA prices in Sydney, but no difference to what GA prices are in Melbourne. If I wanted to walk up to the gate for each match, over the course of a season I would be paying an extra $7.50 or $1.50 extra per match.

Membership just isn't worth it. For my $90 this season I got

- Entry to 5 matches
- A keyring
- 1 copy of the club newsletter (should of got 3, but they never seem to turn up)
- A bumper Sticker

Hardly value for money now is it.

Well, the Swans have said they will adjust the membership price depending upon how many games there are in Melbourne. Perhaps that should be the thrust of comments to the Melbourne membership office.

Gee, that makes it all better 3 problems with that view
1) The Swans have to make the finals
2) The Swans are then drawn at some point to play in Melbourne and as we saw this year, we didn't end up in Melbourne once for the finals.
3) If we happen to make the Grand Final, not many of us will get tickets to go.

Well,

1) That's the whole aim of the season
2) That's because of the result of the final eight and also because we lost
3) Members have a pretty good chance of getting tickets

[DST]

Originally posted by swansrock4eva
Now before ANYONE goes screaming abuse at me or anything, I'm going to ask people to take a step back and let's look at the whole AFL for a second.

People are griping about North Melbourne in Canberra and the Bulldogs in Sydney. For the moment, I have no problem with these games, and for two main reasons:
1) The Bulldogs game up here gives us 12 home games and 10 away games - the same amount as every other Interstate club. If we were the only team travelling 11 times THAT would be a problem because travel DOES affect the team, no matter how well prepared they are. So the Bulldogs game gives us an even run with the other 5 clubs who don't reside in Victoria.

2) From an AFL perspective, for the moment, the competition is pretty much financially bound to 16 teams playing over 22 rounds - the TV deal in particular governs this. In order to keep 16 teams happening, the Bulldogs and Roos in particular must be given some sort of assistance, so in the bulldogs' case, to be paid to play in Sydney is better than playing in Melbourne for one week and losing money yet again. For the roos, a guaranteed sell out in Canberra, and the associated benefits such as increased sponsorship money, lasting associations that can be built upon and fortifying Canberra as a good area for them to move into, is better than having them play another game in Melbourne that can, and almost certainly will, lose them money. For the AFL this is good as it helps breathe life into these clubs and until such a time as it is viable to permanently relocate these two, or devise suitable mergers and develop new teams to maintain the present arrangement, we (as in all clubs) NEED them to be alive. For that reason alone I have no problems with the games, regardless of whether I get to see them or not.

You can bleat all you like about me being from Sydney or whatever, but the club tried, the AFL gave them the options that would generate the most money for them and the competition, and yes, it is sucky that people have had to be left feeling underwhelmed yet again, but it happens everywhere and the AFL is a major corporate entity, not a charity, unfortunately.

I could not agree more whole heartingly with swansrock4eva.

People need to take a step back for a second and realise a couple of things:

The AFL set the draw for the survival of 16 clubs and unfortunately with tv rights, derbies, blockbusters, travel requirements and Melbourne teams wanting to play Collingwood as the home team and neutruel games in far flung places this draw is the best possible solution for all clubs to survive

In effect we here in Melbourne are missing out on only 1 possible game, in some years we will have all games in metro melbourne and some others will have a game in Geelong. If you are complaining about not having enough games in Melbourne then are turing around and saying that Geelong is too far to travel too, then you have no right to complain it is a fact that Geelong is an hour out of Melbourne and we have no right to tell Geelong where to play their home games.

I like all Melbourne based supporters would like to see 6 games in Melbourne with the Geelong one alternating every year (ie 6 in metro one year and 5 in metro and 1 in Geelong the next year)

DST

[Rob-bloods]

I will always join and have done for 20 years+, but we can express opinions contrary on the draw. And it's true of course that all wishes cannot be accomodated, but certain clubs are certainly accomodated more than others.

I think Melbne have a very valid gripe, hate to agree with them, but their Pres rightly said on the radio this morning, why give back door assistance to the struggling clubs and not let them help themselves.

The assistance fund is increased to $5 million but then all the blockbusters go to a few clubs, who then brag about their financial viability (McMahon, Jackson, McGuire). The Dees getting another mothers day game against a WA team in Melbne is an absolute joke. If the Colliwobbles are such a great drawcard give them mothers day vs an interstater! Yeah Ok Dees vs interstater never draws well but what the hell. How can the 'weaker' clubs draw sponsors etc and break free of the assistance fund when the draws 'seems' to be tough on them.

If all the weaker clubs go to Tas, NT etc for some games that is all well and good but that leaves the Melbne 'heavies' in a more entrenched situation surely?