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Full credit to the Geelong Football Club for the way they have turned themselves around from being virtually insolvent 15 years ago, with an outdated stadium and facilities not up to scratch.
Kardinia Park is taking shape, with half of the state of the art redevelopment finished. Now comes the process of getting more Government funding for the second half, which includes reinvigorating the Brownlow, Jack Jennings and Fords stands on the western side of the venue.
It’s fast becoming the classic boutique stadium that the AFL needs in Melbourne to complement the big two, the MCG and Docklands.
The Cats are always hard to beat there as they fill it for every home game. The ground has gone from an endangered species in the AFL to a permanent fixture, so it makes sense that a Melbourne club would also consider setting up base to play their home matches there.
The obvious candidate would be the Western Bulldogs. Geographically they are the closest Melbourne club to Geelong, and they also have an unfavourable arrangement at Docklands.
They have one of the lowest memberships in the league and they rarely make a profit in their home games at Docklands unless they meet Collingwood, Essendon, Richmond and Carlton.
The games against the interstate teams are generally financial disasters and this is a club that has always struggled financially.
They don’t make overall profits often and in 2013 made a loss of more than $100,000, although that wasn’t really a surprise considering they had planned to beef up their footy department which they’ve done for this year and beyond.
Still, they are usually handing over a cheque to the Docklands management when they have home matches there.
The Magpies, Bombers, Tigers and Hawks have over the past couple of years got their hands out to receive cheques after their home games at their venues. The Bulldogs need to aspire to that.
The Docklands deal has constantly frustrated the Dogs. It’s been a major cause for concern for North Melbourne and to a lesser extent St Kilda, but in regard to on-field success, the Saints and the Roos have at times made the Docklands Stadium a fortress.
Unfortunately, the Bulldogs haven’t . There were fleeting moments during Rodney Eade’s seven-year reign as coach when their fast-paced and high-octane style really suited the ground, but they have a disappointing win/loss record there.
Kardinia Park hasn’t been the happiest of hunting grounds either as Geelong have dominated them over the years, but there’s a chance to develop a fresher identity and get better bang for their buck and establish a rivalry with the Cats.
The Western Victorian Derby? That’s a bit lame (marketing and creativity isn’t a strong point), but Kardinia Park deserves to have AFL footy there every week.
North Melbourne shouldn’t rule out this as an option either, but they get two decent pay days with their arrangement at Bellerive Oval in Hobart.
The Dogs have been helped financially by playing home games in Canberra and Darwin in recent years, but even though their future seems assured in this competition thanks to the AFL’s support, there is enormous potential for them to become stronger financially in the long term by shifting home bases.
Docklands hasn’t worked for them, so it’s time for the Bulldogs to make a move – even if it is to a cattery.
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