No Collingwood home games in Sydney !!!

[AlfAndrews]

Dammit. I knew one day I would regret dropping Latin in Year 11. Obviously the founding fathers of the Club must have dropped out too because "floreat pica" is definitely the Club motto, whether it's correct Latin or not.

As for the ornothology lesson, I'll have to take your word for it.

I agree with you about the away game against the Kangaroos. That would be the perfect game for Collingwood to play in Sydney, along with an away game against the Swans. I think two games should satisfy the pie fans in Steak-and-kidney. If two games isn't enough for you, then move to Melbourne. I did. And besides. It's a much better place to live.

And after you've moved to Melbourne you might like to become a member of the Social Club so you can attend the A.G.M. and propose that the club's motto be changed to whatever is the correct Latin for "May the Magpies prosper". Or better still, perhaps we could change it altogether.
What is the correct Latin for "Money doesn't talk. It swears"?

Anyway, until the motto is officially changed by a vote of members at the A.G.M. I'll keep using it. So ...



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**floreat pica**

[^*Cl|T*^]

I was lead to believe that PICA was actually latin for "Black and White plumage"
So maybe the motto is "May the Black and White prosper?"

[Neil Appleby]

OK let's clear this up.
Our Founding Fathers thought it might help our very working class image if we adopted a "posh" sounding motto.
In those days Collingwood was very Catholic and it was probably a would be Latin scholar who came up with the motto 'Floreat Pica'
and suggested that the translation was,
"May the Magpies Prosper."
Some years back, The Age reported with some glee that the translation was in fact wrong,
and that our motto actually meant may the black English bird prosper.
Richard Stremski from memory was asked to research the matter I think. He could definitely clear the matter up, but the club thank goodness decided not to tamper with the motto.
It's still written on our Social Club doors and that's good enough for this little magpie.
And whilst I'm at it.......it's got to be Sav's last chance this week!
"Floreat Pica"

[AlfAndrews]

This reminds me of that "Romans, go home!" scene in "Life of Brian".

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**floreat pica**

[ytry4]

Found the following at Real Footy:

'Collingwood has indicated its preference for Sunday afternoon games and will consider a home game at Homebush in exchange for fewer interstate fixtures elsewhere and financial compensation.'

This doesn't seem too bad... We actually get to play more games in Melbourne, although we have one less home game here. They would make us play the Melbourne teams as an away team, rather than a home team. To make up for the decreased gate receipts, we would receive compensation. It sounds good!

[AlfAndrews]

I'm not sure what to believe any more. The story seems to change every five minutes. I guess we won't know until they put out the draw for next season and then we'll just have to like it or lump it.

For home games at the MCG I've got a reserved seat in N-11, one bay away from where Eddie and the rest of the Collingwood who's who sit. Just before the Kangaroos game, in that brief moment of silence between the pre-match hoopla and the opening bounce, I stood up and looked at Eddie and shouted, at the top of my very loud voice, "Don't move our home games to Sydney, Eddie!!!" Eddie heard me (he would have had to have been deaf not to!!!) and actually came over to talk to me. He explained to me that they were not going to transfer any HOME games at all, but were trying to arrange extra AWAY games in Sydney. I said that I didn't think other clubs, except perhaps Sydney and the Kangaroos, would ever agree to that. He said they were trying to wrangle some sort of deal, but not to worry about Home games.

OK, so that was more than 2 weeks ago and things have probably changed since then. I'm still against the idea.

I think you've got to be fair to other clubs as well, including the interstate clubs. If we do some sweetheart deal with the AFL to move home games to Sydney in exchange for less interstate 'away' games, that is a discrimination against clubs like the Weagles, Freo, Port, the Crows, and Brisbane. Those clubs are entitled to play us at their home ground occasionally. When was the last time we played Freo in Perth?

Really, the whole programming issue is a total stuff-up. And the whole concept of 'home' games seems to be going out the window. Matches are programmed for TV now and the AFL doesn't care if anyone goes or not.

They might as well have cardboard cutouts for a crowd and canned cheering. That's what it's coming to.

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**floreat pica**

[CJ]

*
By Paul Gough
Sunday, May 21, 2000
COLLINGWOOD president Eddie McGuire today confirmed his club was seeking to play three AFL matches in Sydney next season but not at the expense of any of its Victorian matches.

McGuire said the Pies had spoken to the AFL commission this week about next year's fixtures.

'We want to play three games up there, home and away against Sydney and away against the Kangaroos but only on the strict proviso we are guaranteed no less than 18 games in Melbourne,' he said.

Should the AFL agree to Collingwood's demands it would provide the club with a huge advantage over rival clubs as it would play only one other game outside of Melbourne meaning it could miss out on the difficult road trips to Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane.

The Magpies' push into Sydney has angered both the Swans and the Roos after McGuire claimed the Swans had tried 'to stitch up' the Magpies over a deal to play a game in Sydney while he said the Roos were the wrong club to try to expand the potentially lucrative Sydney market due to their small supporter base.

McGuire said the deal, if agreed to by the AFL in next year's fixture, would help both the Magpies and the AFL.

'It would help strengthen our position in Melbourne and help strengthen the Sydney market which helps the game of football in general.'

McGuire said the Magpies' huge supporter base would provide a major boost to the AFL's sponsorship and television rights revenue if the club was allowed to play its three games in Sydney which would in turn 'help keep some of the struggling clubs alive.'

But McGuire reassured Magpie fans the club would never lose touch with its roots.

'If we can develop our product and the game nationally we're prepared to do so but never at the expense of the local product.'

Several other clubs have also expressed an interest in playing more games in Sydney.

The Roos look determined to continue their push, after playing several home games at the SCG in the past two years.

And the Bulldogs recently played a home game in Sydney while Adelaide also wants to play more games in Sydney as long as it's scheduled as the away team.
*


Hey Eddie (if you ever see this), since you are so interested in have home games in Sydney because "'It would help strengthen our position in Melbourne and help strengthen the Sydney market which helps the game of football in general.'" why do you also try to have some home games in Tassie as well???. Surely thats also got to help the Tassie market. BUT, Collingwood is NOT going to EVER have a home game down in tassie. So why are you so bloody persistant in having home games in friggen Sydney???

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"Good Old Collingwood Forever"

[AlfAndrews]

I still reckon this whole Sydney idea is Brad Cooper's idea. He's the Sydney-based multi-squillionaire on the Collingwood board. An old Pie fan from way back.

But it's OK for Brad. He can just hop on a plane to anywhere he likes to see the Pies.

I believe the marketeers have misread the Sydney market. It's not the license to print money that they think it's going to be.

And I also believe it's a myth that Collingwood has got a huge following. We USED to have a huge following. When we were a strong club. We are now a very weak club and our following is diminishing for two reasons:

1.Old supporters are getting fed up with losing.

2.Young kids don't want to barrack for us because we're losers.

If we try to play the big shot in Sydney we will fall flat on our arses, because Sydney-siders only like winners. And winners we ain't. Hell, they're even deserting the Swans in their droves after a couple of ordinary seasons.

Forget Sydney, already!!!

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**floreat pica**

[AlfAndrews]

P.S.

You mention Tasmania, CJ.

I'm amazed that after nearly 20 years of national expansion, the AFL continues to ignore one of the traditional Australian Rules states. It makes a lot more sense to expand into a State that genuinely loves Australian Rules football than to keep on milking a dead cow in Sydney and Brisbane.

Mind you, I don't think Collingwood should play there. Tasmania should have its own club. So too should the Northern Territory. Only when Tassie and the NT are represented will we have a genuine national competition.

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**floreat pica**

[nikki]

But hey even if we do go to sydney its only going to be 3 games!!!!
And we are only going to go if we are guaranteed 18 games in Melbourne...
Look at the bright side that is 18 melbourne games we can go to support the mighty pies and lets not forget the home ground advantage!!! And the other 4 interstate games will be on live on the tv so i think this sounds pretty good!!!
I mean 18 games in melbourne now thats not gonna do us any harm!!!!!
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GO THE PIES!!!!!!!!!

[CJ]

Hey Alf,

There is a good reason that they keep on over looking Tassie, and that is, we can't even support the local competition [SWL] down here. Ya never get a good crowd to any of the games. (A good crowd, by the way, is about 1500. hahahah)

Unfortunatly, its all about BIG bucks. If ya don't have the money, ya can't come to the party.

As goes for Collingwood playing down here, I agree with ya, they shouldn't have home games down here at all. Nor in Sydney. But, I would be so cool to see The Mighty Magpies play a game in Tassie. Even if it's just a bloody practice game.


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"Good Old Collingwood Forever"