AFL to grow to 20 teams

[King-Eliagh]

Also, Marrara needs it's capacity upped to at least 20,000. I think at the moment it can only hold 10,000 (I can be corrected on that but I know it's not 20K!).

Marrara certainly needs an upgrade. Capacity is 17,000 with just 5,000 seated.

http://austadiums.com.au/stadiums/stadiums.php?id=69

Thanks for some fact based information Beaussie. Atleast TLPG was semi honest in stating that the 5 digits he presented may have come out of his ass.

Gotta say the real figure is much closer to 20,000 than it is to 10,000

I hope it gets upgraded soon though. I'm positive a new stadium with 30,000 capacity would be filled most weeks if Darwin were to play in the AFL.

[Beaussie]

Richmond plays Port Adelaide at TIO Stadium (Marrara Oval) in Darwin this Saturday night. Will be interesting to see what kind of crowd the game attracts. Here's your chance Darwin.

[King-Eliagh]

15,000 minimum, probably a full house. No doubts about it.

I dont think it's a 'chance' though Beaussie. They've had games up here before with full crowds but the AFL don't recognise it as all the head honchos can think about is getting their hands on more money rather than having the sport truly represent the nation.

Perhaps the AFL needs to reconsider its name. The SFL, Southern Football League would be far more appropriate.

[Beaussie]

Gee I think you're being a bit optimistic there KE.

Year - Attendance
2010 - 19928
2009 - 11306
2008 - 11373
2007 - 11449
2006 - 14100
2005 - 13037
2004 - 13271

http://stats.rleague.com/afl/crowds/vn_ ... _oval.html

[King-Eliagh]

20,000 last year eh...I thought the capacity was 17,000? Or if we were to listen to TLPG 10,000 They must have really crammed them in. In regards to the pther figures, obviously it depends somewhat on the teams who are playing. Port and Richmond wouldnt be the most supported teams up here...But I still stick by my prediction.

How many do you think Port and Richmond would draw in Sydney Beaussie? Doubt they would get 20,000 in a city of 4 million! Darwin on the other hand will get above 15,000 in a city with 1/20th the population. I'd go as far to say that if Darwin had a team and a 35,000 seat stadium they would rival the swans for attendance week in week out

Bring the next AFL team here to Darwin!!! :D

[TLPG]

Who's going to pay for electricity bill for all the night matches? Huh?

Darwin will never have an AFL team. I make that prediction confidently. The population base will never be high enough (Wikipedia says Darwin's population is nowhere near 1/20th of Sydney's - it was 124,000 in 2009). And that's aside from the climate issue, which KE has no understanding of because he doesn't have the vast travel experience that I have.

[Beaussie]

Darwin will never have an AFL team. I make that prediction confidently. The population base will never be high enough (Wikipedia says Darwin's population is nowhere near 1/20th of Sydney's - it was 124,000 in 2009).

Can't say I disagree about the prospects of a Darwin team. I'm coming around to thinking Tassie is a certainty with Canberra next in line based on population and support for the game.

[TLPG]

Exactly!

[King-Eliagh]

I dont disagree with Darwin's low prospects either, never have.

If people like TLPG could learn to read properly they would see that I think Tasmania, then Darwin SHOULD be the next teams if the sport wishes to represent the nation more appropriately.

Otherwise the title should be the southern football league (SFL) rather than the AFL

[TLPG]

Get some population north then.

[Beaussie]

20,000 last year eh...I thought the capacity was 17,000? Or if we were to listen to TLPG 10,000 They must have really crammed them in. In regards to the pther figures, obviously it depends somewhat on the teams who are playing. Port and Richmond wouldnt be the most supported teams up here...But I still stick by my prediction.

How many do you think Port and Richmond would draw in Sydney Beaussie? Doubt they would get 20,000 in a city of 4 million! Darwin on the other hand will get above 15,000 in a city with 1/20th the population. I'd go as far to say that if Darwin had a team and a 35,000 seat stadium they would rival the swans for attendance week in week out

Bring the next AFL team here to Darwin!!! :D

Good result of Port. Not so good for Richmond.

Official Crowd: 11,506 at TIO Stadium with light towers going out.

Tigers sell a chance to win by playing Port Adelaide in Darwin

Mark Stevens
From: Herald Sun
May 29, 2011 8:57AM

Port Adelaide have defeated Richmond by 15 points, 13.11 (89) to 10.14 (74), at TIO Stadium in Darwin.

RICHMOND pocketed $500,000 for playing a "home" game in Darwin, but potentially forfeited a lot more.

1. THE MONEY OR THE FUN?

RICHMOND might cruelly finish ninth again this year - and if the nightmare returns it will look back and rue May 28.

It was the night the club pocketed $500,000 for playing a "home" game in Darwin, but potentially forfeited a lot more.

The Tigers would have beaten Port by five-goals-plus in Melbourne with an ever-growing home crowd behind them - even if the AFL scheduled the game for Etihad Stadium, and not the MCG.

Yet, with a deal signed to play two games in three years in the Top End, a group of young players headed for the tropics and suddenly a certain win became a 50-50.

Port, a regular in Darwin, had a decided advantage in the dew and heat and the AFL's new buzz team got rolled.

The Tigers may well hit the wall anyway this year, but going into the bye a victory would have been invaluable.

Full marks to the Tigers for embracing indigenous issues and Darwin, but rank-and-file supporters back in the heartland have every reason to be a little peeved off.

There is another sold game to come, with the Tigers hosting the Gold Coast as he "home" side in Cairns. All good in theory, but it can cost you in such a relentless competition.

The Tigers are not on their own, either.

The Bulldogs sold a game to Canberra three weeks back and lost to the Swans in a tight one. Play that at Etihad and the Dogs win. They would be sitting at 4-4 right now and just outside the eight.

Instead, the Dogs and the coach Rodney Eade are under the pump.

Struggling clubs will tell you selling games is a necessary evil. Really, it's just plain evil.

It just further compromises an already desperately compromised competition.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/t ... 6064892300

[TLPG]

And the problem with the light towers goes to show that NT can NOT host an AFL team! Look how long Waverley lasted after the infamous lights out game in 1998.

[kaskill]

LoL was it worth richmond losing 4pts to play a home game there? i didnt tip port because i couldnt bring myself to do it but i was saying all week they would win and i threw some money on them
The end of the day that 4pts could cost the tigers a finals birth which if played in melbourne they would have destroyed port

[TLPG]

It was the weather that did it, Kaskill. Probably should have seen that coming. There's a Port fan on the forum at my own site who said that the Power would enjoy it more. He was the only one to tip Port (one other person got the away teams because he didn't tip - and it was a good weekend for forget-me-nots!).

Edit - Thread locked due to persistent trolling by KE and clearly the deletion of trolling posts was not getting the message across.