I see Cody Hirst got a gig with the Northern Blues after he left us. That's over now but he has some prospect of being picked up again to play for Carlton's VFL team if footy resumes this year.Originally Posted by neilfws
I see Cody Hirst got a gig with the Northern Blues after he left us. That's over now but he has some prospect of being picked up again to play for Carlton's VFL team if footy resumes this year.
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AFL has secured a $500-600 million line of credit from NAB & ANZ banks using Docklands Stadium as collateral.
Interesting that ANZ had to get involved, obviously NAB didn't want to expose itself alone to a line of credit of this magnitude.
I flagged this last week as the only thing they can do. Good to see they moved fast. I know we bag them a lot but buying that pile in
West Melbourne was a smart play by the AFL.
Yes the purchase of Marvel Stadium has proven to be a master strike for the AFL. The loan places the AFL in a much stronger position to recover over time than the NRL who appear to face much less palatable options to survive. Rugby league will survive but some clubs may face extinction. While some commentators are foreshadowing the merger of some Victorian clubs in the AFL, the huge loan means the AFL can potential continue to cross-subsidise the less wealthy clubs. I'm not sure the NRL has this luxury?
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If the AFL comes out of this exactly as it is today, it will be a missed opportunity.
This come badly needs a restructure away from being so Vic centric.
It would be the perfect time to cull (or merge) some Vic clubs.....but you know what you're up against with that task. The 'Heartland'. The AFL is naturally Vic-centric so I wouldn't hold my breath. They'll be hell bent on retaining the league in it's current form, I reckon.....which is a pity.
I disagree. The last the AFL will want is upheaval from supporters where 10's of thousands of people are disenfranchised. They need all supporters to keep paying memberships and not throw their membership cards in the bin or ask for refunds or stop direct debits. Carolyn Wilson said she had it on good authority that North will be sent packing to Tassie. Ben Buckley came out today and said there was not shred of truth to it, and North have not spoken to the AFL or any other club about relocating. Smacks of a bored journo who has bugger all to talk about.
Easton Wood, that flog who took out the legs of Hanners in 2016 GF said the AFL will not be the same again. Yes it will, but players will have to accept lower and realistic salaries. Fair dinkum talking through his kick.
On Melbourne radio today the AFL CEO virtually ruled out teams dropping from 18 in the foreseeable future. The $500 million war chest loan will keep things pretty stable for 2020 but Clubs will certainly operate on much tighter budgets for the next few years.
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With some luck, in the NRL, Manly will go to the wall and when competition resumes in 2022, they'll need the Mighty Bears to make up the numbers as they will still be liquid thanks to lack of debt in the present and the support of the Leagues Club and Central Coast Leagues Club.
Meanwhile, as far as the AFL is concerned, I thought they owned some of the other real estate around the Docklands Stadium. Can anybody confirm or deny this? Maybe they already sold it off to fund GWS and Gold Coast and to prop up some of the Melbourne clubs?
And, yes, owning the stadium was a master stroke.
I think ANZ and NAB own it now.
If footy ever comes back and continues into October, we won't be able to use the SCG. What other grounds are available? We might have to play on the Giants ground 🙁.
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