How can you not see it as a weakness? Only weak clubs sell games! It is the sine qua non of a Victorian club's inability to compete with the big boys.

To survive in the future a Victorian club needs to be able to find success on the back of its home base. Collingwood can do it, and Essendon* can. So can Carlton.

In addition to the above point, there is something intangible in selling home games that betrays the greatness of our club, and its heritage. All for what - 1 million, 3 million bucks?

If Liverpool, for example, or Man Utd wanted to sell a home game they could probably get 900 million dollars! Would they do it? No way.

Why? Because some things are sacrosanct to clubs that believe in greatness. And the concept of 'home', although abused in the AFL, should be sacrosanct to Carlton.

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They will know that they've been playing against the famous old dark blues

So you would be happy if Carlton played all it's games at Casey Fields.

It is Melbourne, so by your definition is home.

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Geez, 900 million dollars. That could buy 9 Ronaldo's, i'd do it if i was Liverpool. Guaranteed premier league champions for 10 years straight.

If they played it in Aus i might actually go see a soccer game live in my own country.

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"I will rejoice in their anguish, delight in their failure and revel in our success"

We are Carlton, @#$%&! the rest !!!!!!

well actually there has been talk of Man united selling games and playing in Dubai for premiership points.

finding money in football is become harder each year. Let me tell you 3 million dollars goes a long way buddy

the club still has a $1.5 million debt with the AFL + the we still $6 million in debt

that 3 million dollars could buy you state of the art training and rehab facilities, inject more money into the football department, invest in more recruiting scouts, development coaches

now what's wrong with trying to sell our brand across Australia. It can only benefit out club, attract major sponsor who will pay more for the right to have there identity aligned with Carltons. More dollars will mean a more sustainable and healthy club for the future

As long as there is debt the club is crippled. The demons are paying about 500k in interest a year on there 3 million dollar debt

6 million in debt just say equals 800K+ in interest each year we have to cough up

for the sake of 2-3 year why not play those 3 games and use that money to pay of our debt

this clubs needs to survive on its own two feet and not those of Richard Pratts

I agree that the club needs to survive on its own two feet Melvey, but it needs to survive here, in its home.

This would be just a one off money grab.

Don't give me jargon about growing the brand - this isn't growing the brand because there's gonna be two clubs there soon, and they can hardly support one without big AFL help.

Playing token games interstate hasn't grown the brand of any of the crap teams that have done it. Melbourne, Footscray, St kilda, north - their brand hasn't improved or grown. They do it for the money because their brand can;t compete here. This is an admission that they won;t be around in the same form in 20-30-40 years.

The club needs to grow and become super strong in Melbourne - that's where our future is.

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They will know that they've been playing against the famous old dark blues

to me, selling home games interstate defeats the very purpose of trying to wipe out or debt: pride.

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Last edited by true_blue3 on Mon Sep 26, 1981 5:07 pm; edited 92 times in total

Is the Carlton Football Club now a 'Victorian brand' or an 'Australian brand'?

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If we are an Australian brand then we should be playing games in Sydney instead. While it will ne nice to be on holiday and watch the BLUES in the GC, Sydney is where the sponsorship money is.

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Delulio is a member of TISM

I think Melvey`s point re` reducing the debt is a good one. If playing a one off home game on the GC expedites this then so be it.
We request games in Perth and Sydney because of our following there,this isn`t so different. Carlton has always been financially innovative,this is nothing new. The difference between us and the other clubs selling home games is that we are building strength,they did it to survive. The Board know what they are doing.

Really can't understand the insular views of some here.

We are Carlton and are based in Melbourne.
We play in a national competition with support Australia wide which rightly should be serviced. It's really a no-brainer...

The Chicken Little-ness of some people on here is astounding. Heaven forbid the club might look at a possibility to get a bit of money which will only accelerate the recovery from what we once were.

Bear in mind that this is only a possibility at the moment too. If it was a confirmed thing that yes we would be playing at Skase Stadium then I could understand heads exploding. But right now? Get over it.

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Cer 'ch 'n alluog Blues

We are big in Melbourne. We average 65k to game this year, 40k+ members.

You got to look outside of Melbourne

At the end of the day its about reaching the masses. The pies played a game in Dubai and are negotiating a game in Ireland. They are spreading the collingwood brand outside of melbourne and now where ever the pies play in australia its a big occasion and they get plenty of coverage. That plenty of coverage and exposure = more $$$ in terms of sponsorship

The demons rebranded there club by dropped the name 'demons' not only to strengthen its Melbourne heritage but also to suit the asian market.

The Hawks have tapped into the Tassie Market. Worked out a fantastic sponsorship deal and no doubt have signed a few thousand members

No doubt the club is now settled off field but im sure we still have a lot of work to do to eradicate the debt and find new revenue streams to work our way out of it and lead the club into a healthier position.

While we have a poor telstra dome deal maybe the option s to play 3 games in QLD until its sorted out and we get what we deserve.

The Blues should try and play a game in every state and New Zealand once a year. 4 home and 4 away.

One game in Perth, Darwin, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Hobart...

With a rotational game for Auckland and Wellington every second year...

The Pre-Season cup should see the Blues play 3 interstate games in the Gold Coast, Newcastle and Launceston with the first game in Melbourne.

15 Melbourne games vs 11 Interstate games... That way everyone can see our Blues.

We must keep finals in Vic

Take away home games means less membership value regarding 11 seated games! Take away 3 of these and I'll guarantee membership numbers will not only struggle next year, a year we should be looking at finals and therefore increase of membership no. again, but loss of membership $$$ from these memberships.

I'm sorry but I still cannot see how you could turn x amount of seated membership dollars away and think it's good, especially when we get no value for money now from 11 designated seat games.

That's it from me on this subject, I'll be watching with interest.

You bring up the Hawks, demons, and pies.

1. Hawks - If we did what they've done I'd be devastated, and so would many Carlton people. By stealth, and without a vote, their board has 'put one foot out of the door' of Victoria. They probably had to do it to survive long term, but tassie hawks would make me cry if I was a Hawthorn person. In 30 years they'll probably be more Tassie than Hawthorn

2. Melbourne - They changed to Melbourne because they were so scared that as the demons they could have their nickname and club shunted off to any corner of the country to become the gold coast demons or west sydney demons. This example is meaningless.

3. Collingwood - Yes, they are playing exhibition games in Dubai etc, which is fine. I wouldn;t be against Carlton growing its sponsorship and TV base by playing exhibition games or Nab games wherever. But they're not prostituting out their home games in desperation. Carlton should look at that.

There's ways to go about growing your brand without weakening its base.

Prostituting out home games to a region where we won't get a foothold anyway due to the new team, is not the way.

The only place our home games should be moving is from TD to the MCG.

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They will know that they've been playing against the famous old dark blues

Your view is exactly why this club found its self so far behind the rest.

You do realise the club was in such a state that Collo considered handing the keys in. So you can see how it easy it is to fall behind. If not for Richard Pratt god knows where we would be right now

We still have a lot of work to do off the field. Money does not grow on trees and nor will it come from Dick Pratts pocket again

The pies are guaranteed 200k each home game they play at the dome. The bombers maybe 300k and we not even getting a quarter of that.

Now until we have the right stadium deal which we benefit from how could the club ignore the chance to make 3-4 million dollars playing some games interstate. It will only be a short term plan until we get that stadium deal this club deserves

Brand is all about perception and the value you place in your organisation.

The pies do this best and have managed to transform themselves into the most professional and brands in Australia considering where they came from. They associate themselves with some of the biggest and successful companies in the world and everything they do, they do it with sophistication and class.

No matter where in Australia you are everyone knows the Collingwood football club. As much as i hate to say this everyone wants a piece of the pies and they make plenty of $$$ from this

And they haven't had to sell a single home game to do it.

Selling home games has diminished the brand of every team that's done it. Quick shot of 3 million bucks, but it's just a short term 'hit' that evaporates with no long term gain. It's the easy way out.

Selling home games diminishes the brand. Simple.

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They will know that they've been playing against the famous old dark blues

It's an interesting debate. I must admit to being surprised at the number of posters who seem to be open to (or even supportive of) the idea. Especially given the backlash the last time it was brought up, in the Smorgon era.

The issue I have is all about culture. It's the issue I have with Demetriou as well. Demitriou's decisions are all based on dollars, what will (or is likely to) bring in the most money. He rarely (the night GF is one instance) puts the culture and the tradition of the game before dollars.

Part of the strength of the CFC is over 100 years of history, tradition and culture. And part of that was playing home games for most of that time at Princes Park. The move to the Dome has diluted that to some degree, and interestingly many on here want out of the Dome (myself included). We see the MCG as the home of football, physical and spiritual, and so playing home games there does not dilute the fibre of the Club.

Sometimes we need to look beyond dollars, and recognise there are things that are more important than the effect on the bottom line. Respect him or loathe him, McGuire has done an extraordinary job at Collingwood in not only reinvigorating the culture, tradition and history of the club, but making it the strongest club (IMHO) culturally in the country. He is shrewd in his business dealing, but never does anything to dilute the essence of his club.

That is what we must strive for, to have the Carlton Football Club as a pillar of the competition that represents over 100 years of tradition, of history. Born and bred out of Princes Park, representing all that is part of Carlton the suburb, Carlton the people. and Carlton the Club and its supporters. Based in Melbourne, playing home games at a ground which fits with the essence of the Club.

There is a very valid argument around Carlton's need to wipe out debt, and increase revenue. If this supposed selling of home games is a one (or two) off to wipe out debt, then I can see the argument for it, but still strongly oppose it. I would rather raise more money from wealthy supporters (which I admit is not such an easy thing, but can be done) or other means, even if it takes longer. If it is an attempt to create an ongoing revenue stream, then the agument changes entirely, and I am even more strongly opposed. We sinmply need to find other revenue streams.

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Mens sana in corpore sano.

Bring back the laurel wreath logo!!!

I'm in W.A. and I think our home games should be in Melbourne.

If we want to get exposure in other States or Countries it should be done during the pre season or with training camps and the like.

We have had record membership in our last few poor years and in 2 years time when we are genuine flag challengers we will have 50,000 members and sponsers banging down our door. We dont need to be flying around the country trying to attract 30,000 to the fooy in QLD!

Can someone please tell me what is wrong with Telstra dome? Seriously! As I am all the way over here I have not been there but from the tv is looks pretty good to me (apart from some grass trouble). Beat sitting in the rain i'm sure.

Just my 2 bobs worth....

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I support the Navy Blues whatever happens!