The recent double booking of Melbourne’s Docklands stadium raises a couple of questions. Quite clearly Docklands management has agreements with both the AFL and FFA.
And both parties believed that they have ‘priority’ bookings under their agreements.
The only reason I could envisage Docklands management making the double booking was that they were gambling that one of the WA AFL clubs would win their first round NAB cup matches.
Thus, the game would have been at Subiaco.
No one would be bothered. After all, MVFC still had to win the right to host the HAL Grand Final.
Was that arrogance or insolence from Docklands management?
The other angle of arrogance was displayed by the FFA. They went ahead announcing Docklands as the venue for the Grand Final and commenced selling tickets. This certainly was jumping the gun.
Had the AFL decided to play hard ball and taken the issue to court, could you imagine the red faces should the AFL (the longer standing tenant) have won the day and the FFA suddenly had to make alternate arrangements.
Did the FFA roll the dice, too? Were they right to? Did they operate in good faith under advice from Docklands or did they assume they could just bulldoze through a NAB cup fixture?
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