Home match in the Gold Coast ?

[Jezza]

Being reported the club is looking to sell a home game. Essentially, we give up one of the two home games played at Marvel Stadium, and instead we'll play a "home" game up in the Gold Coast.

The Pies want to play one of their two Marvel Stadium home games next year on the Gold Coast.

The plan - slated for the 2025 June/July school holidays - would see
@CollingwoodFC
set up a mini-hub in QLD for a fortnight.

@FootyonNine

https://x.com/tommorris32/status/1793559863093862449

This is a terrible idea which shafts Vic-based members, but it sounds like it's a possibility for next year.

Justifying it on the basis of growing the size of the supporter base sounds absurd. It comes across as nothing other than a quick cash grab.

The club would be better served trying to negotiate a deal to have us playing all 11 home matches at the MCG and re-negotiating a better away reserved seating deal after Gale and Richmond kicked up a stink about the previous arrangement.

[dalyc]

As a supporter who lives in Qld I think it’s great

[Clifton Hill-Billy]

Well we already play a home game in Adelaide. Marvel sucks, can't believe we always play our home games against bullflogs at their home ground. Play all 11 at the G and be done with it!

[Culprit]

Unfortunately, we are one of the cash cows if not the main cash cow for the AFL.

[WhyPhilWhy?]

If it's our "home" game against the Doggies game, then I could see a path to being ok with it.

Could they play it at a time that allowed flying up and back on the same day?

[LaurieHolden]

C'mon, it's hardly moving ANZAC Day to Carrara. The GCS match is already in the fixture, that won't change. But moving a low crowd drawing match from Docklands is hardly absurd.
Annually supporters (& the odd coach) are unified in deriding having to head to Docklands.
As it stands it's been suggested that North Melbourne or St. Kilda (or the Bulldogs) would be matches in the mix to move North.
The past 5 games @ Docklands ~
*North / CFC have drawn an average crowd of 34,006.
*St. Kilda / CFC have drawn an average crowd of 37,139.
Carrara ~
*GCS/CFC have drawn an average crowd of 17,172.
Carrara stadium has a capacity of 27,500 spectators and is capable of being extended to approximately 40,000 in the future.

We play in a National competition. it's going to grow and it's important we continue to support and grow the game outside of Victoria.
This won't be just a CFC discussion. I'll bet London to a brick that the QLD State Gov't, GC City Council and in turn the AFL understand the drawing power of big Clubs.
Potential for a up to 30,000 supporters to travel to QLD over the two weeks, two people staying 5 days would bring in close to $100m. (Accom, tickets, food&bev, disc. spending). It's big business. If families, that multiple jumps by 30%.
I've no doubt CFC members would be offered tickets and then the airlines get brought in to run packages, just as it's been done during gather round.
I've long argued that we should play Brisbane and GCS back-to-back and have the mid-season player break up here. Adding a Victorian Club within that will happen, it's only a matter of time.

If you haven't travelled interstate for a game, you're missing out. Watching the boys play and win on the road is one of the great galvanising moments for supporters and players alike.
Plus, you Victorians being are able to take a break from the Melbourne Winter.

[David]

[Skids]

Should play 2 H & A in Perth every year & more outside of Victoria.
But with one condition, our club gets at least 10,000 tickets.

You can't buy a WA membership (haven't been available for years) because the scum dog sides here only allocate a miniscule amount of seats to us.

The Geelong V Pies game at Optus during covid was a sell out.

The seasons will come when we play finals here, and we play the ground well, with a better win record at Optus (60%), Carrara (84%) & Adelaide Oval (69%)than we have at the MCG (54%).
Interstate supporters are many and slipping a couple of the 19 games we play in Melbourne around the country is a no brainer IMO.

[Boot]

Any deal the club does to avoid playing a game at Marvel is a good deal as far as I am concerned.

[LaurieHolden]

But with one condition, our club gets at least 10,000 tickets.

From what I've read to date, this will be a core requirement (members are guaranteed a ticket as part of their respective membership package).
In any event, if they want to fill Carrara, it's a must.

[qldmagpie67]

As a Queenslander I love the idea but I get why Victoria based members would have different opinion.
I think this is more a strategic move to try and break into the academy prospects that southern Queensland is producing
It seems the idea is to have a presence there for 2 weeks and run community programs with young talent invited along
Could we be looking to start up our own academy there ?
From the reports the club is looking to adjust membership costs for Victorian based members while offering tour packages
Would be a good get away from cold Melbourne during winter to the sunshine state !
Let’s see what plays out before we make judgement

[Pies4shaw]

Any deal the club does to avoid playing a game at Marvel is a good deal as far as I am concerned.

Absolutely. Apart from the 4 points, games at Marvel are completely worthless because winning or losing there says nothing about whether your team can win on the MCG (where virtually all important games of football are played) in September. Moreover, "home" games played there are diabolical because we are frequently drawn to play such games against teams that do play their home games there or against interstate clubs who are about as familiar with the venue as Collingwood is. As long as we don't play against Gold Coast for the proposed Gold Coast "home" game, it's probably, on balance, a good thing. If we, say, play West Coast or Fremantle there, that'd be just fine with me.

[23 YIPPEE!!!]

Great idea this Gold Coast thing also we should have a home game at the SCG in Sydney love to see a home game in Sydney

[piffdog]

On the merry go round of who gets a sweet run in the AFL I don’t think we’re down the bottom…

As fans, we’re pretty fortunate to be able to see our club play half their away games in Melbourne (something 8 other clubs dont enjoy) and I certainly can’t make it to every single Melbourne game as much as I’d like to.

I think the potential benefits for the team of spending a week together on “school camp” in the middle of a miserable Melbourne winter would be beneficial.

Certainly not against the idea - although would hope it didn’t end up being one of our MCG games (I don’t think that’s what’s been suggested).

[stui magpie]

^

C'mon Ed, after the game you could pop down to Cavill Ave for a Kebab and see the Showgirls.