Only last month, Geelong was told by Cricket Australia it would not be part of the new Big Bash League, with the Twenty20 competition to instead feature two Melbourne-based sides.
In recent years, Tasmania’s efforts to join the AFL have been met with only lip service from Andrew Demetriou and his team.
There are some striking similarities between all the above cases, but let’s just start with the Fury.
What makes this particular story sad is the sense of inevitability about the final decision. It had appeared for some time that regardless of what the Fury did, and regardless of what the people of North Queensland did, the FFA had their minds made up and would still wield the axe.
And sure enough, they did. On Tuesday, FFA CEO Ben Buckley claimed that running the club for the 2011/12 season would be too much of a financial risk for the game’s governing body. He said the advisory board did not meet a target of $1.5 million in capital and continuing the club next season would result in a $2 million loss.
A day later, the advisory board disputed these figures and even claimed they had been told all the targets set to them had been met.
“A couple of weeks ago when we had a hook-up with the FFA, we were left in no uncertain terms by the FFA that we had done everything we possibly could to save the Fury,” board member Peter Brine said. “Their comment was ‘you guys have been excellent, you have done everything you can now, leave it with us’.”
The response from the advisory board, who are asking for an independent investigation of the decision, hardly reflects well on the game’s governing body.
But even if you overlook the squabble over what was said and how much was raised, it remains that the decision to axe the Fury – after all the hard work from locals to prevent such a decision – was truly a kick in the guts for North Queensland.
Especially when you take a look around the A-League and notice the continued presence of Gold Coast United, a club that could attract only 3,281 to a recent home final and with less community support than the Fury.
It seems a billionaire owner and being in a key battleground of the so-called “code wars” is enough to keep you in the A-League, but a community-led campaign to ensure the long-term future of a club is not.
At any rate, the end result is North Queensland now no longer has an A-League team – and it may take a long time for residents of the region to forgive the game’s administrators for that.
Before all the fury over the Fury, it was Cricket Australia turning their backs on regional Australia.
Cricket’s governing body rejected a proposal that would’ve seen one of Victoria’s two teams in the new Big Bash League based in Geelong. Instead, the two teams will both be based out of Melbourne, with the only significant difference between the two teams being that one will be based at the MCG and the other at Etihad Stadium.
Prior to the announcement of the teams that would be competing in the league, Geelong’s bid was highly regarded and was thought to be in with a good shot. The bid team – just like Fury’s advisory board – gave their all, with the only possible mark against the bid the lack of lights at Skilled Stadium, something that the team promised to address if their bid was successful.
Even Cricket Australia’s Mike McKenna, who would later write for The Roar defending the decision to overlook Geelong, spoke highly of the bid.
“I have seen the proposal and it’s very impressive and extremely well presented,” McKenna told the Geelong Advertiser. “I think they’ve got all the right people on board, they’ve made the right sort of offers and they’ve done a really professional job, so without wanting to even suggest that I have any idea which way Cricket Victoria is going to go, I would say cricket would be very pleased to have a proposal like that come forward.”
Ultimately, though, having a bid that ticked all the boxes wasn’t enough.
And the reason for being overlooked makes it so much worse. Just as Gold Coast United’s continued presence in the A-League perplexes, so too does the decision to divide the Melbourne market in two and have those two teams build their support from scratch.
Geelong would’ve embraced a Big Bash team had they been given the opportunity. While they enjoy watching the Cats in winter, there is no summer alternative – like Newcastle have with the A-League’s Jets, or Wollongong with the NBL’s Hawks.
Residents of Geelong will now have to wait even longer for that opportunity.
In the backdrop of these two cases is the ongoing efforts of Tasmania to land an AFL license. As the AFL worked tirelessly to create its 17th and 18th clubs, Gold Coast and GWS, the Apple Isle became increasingly frustrated by their exclusion from the competition.
And with good reason. Tasmania, much unlike the Gold Coast and western Sydney, is a footy heartland. The state’s population dwarfs that of Geelong, who have their own team. It also compares well to that of the Gold Coast and half of Adelaide, where Port Adelaide have below 50 per cent market share.
The campaign to land an AFL license was well supported – to the point that a major sponsor was secured – and even led to a Senate inquiry.
However, it wasn’t enough to convince the AFL. The message from the game’s governing body is that it will stick to 18 teams for the time being, but Tassie is “next in line”. In other words, another club will need to fold or relocate, or the AFL will need to instigate another round of expansion.
Both are highly unlikely – for the short- to medium-term anyway.
It’s a shame because Tasmania deserve a place in the AFL. They would be a wonderful addition to the league, but it will be some time before it happens, if it ever happens.
Commercial reasons explain the desire to ignore markets like North Queensland, Geelong and Tasmania.
To an extent, you can understand the FFA being wary of their balance sheet. You can grapple with the idea of Cricket Australia trying to squeeze every last dollar out of the sizeable Melbourne market. It makes a fair amount of sense for the AFL to try and expand into new markets.
However, the final outcome of all this means each code misses out on a fantastic opportunity. And communities in regional Australia miss out on being represented on the national stage.
It’s a sad outcome for all involved.
James
Guest
"Over the last two years, Brisbane has out-ranked all other metropolitan areas in terms of television ratings for the NBL despite currently not having a home team." http://www.smh.com.au/sport/basketball/nbl-chiefs-set-to-bring-bullets-back-to-brisbane-20110217-1ay9k.html I dont know where they got that from but thats what they said.
Michael DiFabrizio
Expert
Just to give an idea of the potential that exists for regional-based teams - in terms of market share, media coverage, etc - here's the FRONT page of today's Illawarra Mercury: http://covers.ruralpress.com/frontpages/258/49127.pdf This from the same league that can't get near the back 6 or so pages of the Herald Sun.
Michael DiFabrizio
Expert
I think it'll be hard to sustain interest in Sydney and Melbourne if they stay down the bottom of the ladder, but at any rate, the league's preference would be to have them in the finals as the upside is so much higher. Interesting stat about Brisbane having the highest NBL viewership - you got a link to that? Would love to have a read. Anyway, I'm sharing your optimism for the future!
James
Guest
That was a disapointing crowd however with that said the Preliminary final has a history of drawing disapointing crowds. It is actually something the FFA need to look into because it is a serious issue. 2010-2011 Preliminary Final - 7,539 (Central Coast) 2009-2010 Preliminary Final - 13,196 (Sydney) 2008-2009 Preliminary Final - 8,472 (Adelaide) The Sydney crowd might not look that bad considering what we have seen from them this season BUT it is their smallest finals football crowd and the ONLY one that has fallen below 20,000 for a Sydney home game.
James
Guest
It is not a bad thing that Perth is the only capital city team in the finals, its not like interest is dying off. Sydney are leading in attendances despite being the worst team in the league and over the weekend they attracted 5210 to the kingdome which by nbl standards is a pretty good crowd. Adelaide 36ers have a well established basketall market which means winning or losing doesn't effect the support they get, they still have some of the biggest crowds. Also believe it or not but the biggest viewership of NBL in the country of any of the cities is Brisbane, I was surprised when I first read that but it is apparently true. Anyway I'm sensing a boom in basketball during the 2012-2013 season, that year we should see Brisbane Bullets back and a second Melbourne team or if what I read is true a team from Newcastle. All that after an Olympic campaign I believe the Boomers can medal in. It will be Australia's greatest ever Boomers squad. The three biggest clubs in Europe sport Aussies (Olympiakos - Matt Nielsen, Panathinaikos - Aleks Maric, Barcelona - Joe Ingles) plus a couple other Euroleague teams also hav a some Aussies (Partizan - Nathan Jawai, Lietuvos Rytas - Brad Newley)and don't forget our NBAers Patrick Mills, Andrew Bogut and David Anderson. Never before have we had so many Aussies playing in the NBA and at Clubs in Europe with the pedigree as the ones I mentioned above.
jtg
Guest
Everyohne said Fury were cut as there is not marekt in North Qld. What a great spectactle the Central Coast mariners game was. 7500 people to the match for a preliminart final is a disgrace. This is a team that has been in since day 1 of A league with Gorman as chairman. They still only get this pathetic attendance. So market share has nothing to do with it.
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
The low cost options being used in Gold Coast and Western Sydney, with cheaper smaller and cheaper stadiums would make it practical to run similar operations in Canberra and Tasmania in the long run. If theres any level of success in these Gold Coast and West Sydney teams, then the next round of expansion will be a lot closer than any of us expect. Given West Sydney have a ten year contract at manuka, its unlikely to be soon. However a Tasmanian side whether merged/relocation or otherwise could be a reality as soon as the end of the current hawthorn deal ends in 4-5 years.
Michael DiFabrizio
Expert
Fair comment, Timmuh. Obviously there are a lot of reasons behind Geelong's continued presence in the AFL and it's not as simple as looking at two population figures. I've also written about the North-South divide in relation to this topic before and it's a tough one. I guess while I acknowledge there are issues that need to be overcome, I'm still of the belief that (if done right) a Tasmanian team could hold its own in the AFL (eventually).
Timmuh
Roar Guru
Michael, Givenyours is a multi-sport story, I don't want to go into much depth re Tasmania and the AFL. The comparison with Geelong should be seen in context though. A lot of Cats supporters live in Melbourne (one trip on the train or highway to Kardinia Park shows that), or in western Victoria outside Geelong, so the club's potential supporter base is much larger than 160k. Geelong also has the advantage of incumbency, over a century in the highest competitions available. And its biggest asset - the Geelong Grammar old boys network ensures access to boardrooms in Melbourne for sponsors. Compare that to Tasmania. No VFL/AFL history, despite the people following the AFL more than anywhere else in the nation (to the point of the game being destroyed locally). Tasmania can not be seen as a single market, the split between north and south is not just psychological but also physical. People will travel a couple of times a year, but not every fortnight. (North Queensland is sort of similar, we tend to think of it as one market, but Townsville and Cairns are in reality quite some distance apart but perhaps without the animosity - they put that on Brisbane.) Tasmania's biggest asset is probably Melbourne. Northern Tasmanians living in Melbourne would be more likely to swap to a Hobart based club than northern Tasmanians still in Tasmania, and more Tasmanians live outside Tasmania than within it. Similar with southerners, but any full time team would have to be based in Hobart to lose money at a slower rate. A Hobart team's catchment is roughly 250k (about 49% of those in Tasmania live in the south); probably similar to Geelong's with none of the advantages of incumbency, Ford, or access to anyone with authority to sign the big sponsorship cheques. An A-League side may be an entirely different proposition, though no suitable ground exists - an advantage NSW and Qld have with multi-sport rectangular grounds. The lesser cost might be supportable. If the FFA goes down the path of high quality, then it will be difficult for any regional teams to survive because high quality demands high cost - especially in Association Football and Basketball with global player markets.
Michael DiFabrizio
Expert
James, I'm a big NBL fan (couldn't finish the article without a reference to the Wollongong Hawks) and it's part of the reason why I see such upside in teams based in regional Australia. It's remarkable that teams in Townsville and Cairns and Wollongong can regularly attract bigger crowds than the Melbourne Tigers, and that Brisbane does not even have a team while community support (in Cairns and Wollongong at least) has ensured the regional clubs are still alive. There's a lot that can be learned on this topic from the NBL. Having said that, right now the NBL are staring at a finals series involving only one capital city team (Perth), while the country's two biggest markets (Sydney and Melbourne) languish towards the bottom of the ladder. This is the flipside to the NBL argument, and when you look at it from that perspective it's a little harder to justify being so open to regional teams. Although it should be pointed out the current NBL is lacking both Brisbane and a second Melbourne team - the ladder would probably look a lot different if there were two more capital city-based teams involved.
Michael DiFabrizio
Expert
Great comment, Timmuh. You're right that the operating costs are greater in the AFL and that is important. I would disagree with the statement that Tasmania will never make money - Geelong's population is 160,000, Tasmania's is 500,000. The Gold Coast's population is less than that, and they don't have the same football history of Tasmania. Over time I'm sure it can happen. But I agree with a lot of what you say.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
James, that may well be the case - but only if BA don't follow the path they did in the 90s and go for the high quality, high expense route. (Again, the FFA still has this decision to make.) The Devils, Supercats, Cannons, etc could have been saved - if the NBL didn't embark on the path of trying to be the next big sport, but tried to keep the expense of running a club to the level the poorer clubs could afford. If they don't do that, then if basketball does get a resurgence the small clubs will inevitably fold. I wish all the national comps would focus more on keeping clubs alive than the route they seem to be taking of high cost models which keep regional cities out, and/or destroy traditional teams in the process. (The BBL is probably the worst example of this, with professional sports administrators focussed on the business rather than the game - and getting the business horribly wrong in that particular case as well.)
James
Guest
Basketball is going through a resurgence at the moment and it is all thanks to our regional teams (Wollongong, Cairns and Townsville). Besides Perth and Adelaide they are probably the best supported clubs in the league and in season 1 of the revamp those three teams made up a 1/3 of the league. The big market clubs are always going to be there or there abouts financially with people coming left right and center to come to the rescue as we saw with the Syndey Kings, but its the smaller market clubs that need to be supported and protected by their governing bodies. The NBL will once again rise because of this, the current league sits with 10 teams with four of those coming from small markets and with the larger markets getting there acts together as they always do you can expect Brisbane to be back in the comp soon along with a second Melbourne team and second Sydney team. Then already established Basketball markets will gather support from Basketball Australia and we will once again see teams from Canberra, Newcastle, Hobart and Geelong. AND before any of you whip out the "they will all fold like they used to" argument, remember this Basketball Australia will protect them this time round.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
The problem is expense and, as you say, commercial reality. People are calling for North Melbourne to be killed off, despite reporting revenue of $25m for 2010 season. Why should it cost $25m to run a sporting club in Australia? Its crazy in a nation of our size for that sort of revenue to not even guarantee survival. Australia lives primarily in five cities, and the economic centralisation is far greater - and importance for advertisers and TV rights greater still. So long as focus is on maximising revenue, rather than maximising the sport, regional areas will be forever shut out. Most regional areas are poorer than the cities, lower population density and higher servicing costs mean advertsiing pend is lower still (greater expense for business to reap less return means less incentive to advertise), and the major networks don't broadcast there - meaning less money for major networks as they have to on-sell the rights to regionals, who need to make a profit with the lower ad revenues. The AFL could afford to prop up a Tasmanian and a Darwin side; but the long term finances are more lucrative to put that money into GWS and GC because eventually they can make money - Tasmania never can. Similar with the FFA; they were prepared to assist Brisbane through their troubles, because a team will pay off. Townsville, at about 1/22 the size of Sydney, simply wasn't worth the FFA spending money on. (In the FFA's case there was an additional incentive. If a side dies in the NRL or AFL the media doesn't start saying the league is on the rocks. The Fury's death runs the risk of a perception of "NSL repeated".)
Steve
Guest
You are right in saying geelong would be great for the big bash, and tasmania great for the afl. North queensland weren't really given a chance to show they'd be great for the a-league. As a resident of a town that was once represented on the national stage because of a professional sporting team, i can also vouch for the fact it's a shame these communities are missing out. These type of teams can be great for these communities to rally behind and support.