2015 Fixture - What do we want for the Bulldogs

[bornadog]

It is not until round 14 that we have a home game against a team that will draw a crowd, and then not until round 17.

Our Home Games to Round 17:

Round 1 Eagles
Round 4 Crows
Round 6 Saints
Round 7 Dockers
Round 9 Giants
Round 12 Lions
Round 14 Blues
Round 15 Suns (@ Cazaly Stadium)
Round 17 Magpies

25,000 for the Saints game and the rest around 20,000 for the first 5 home games- thank you AFL

[always right]

The positive is a significant reduction in Sunday twilight games. Even two of the three are at 3:20pm. Happy with Saturday twilight games. If we perform okay there is no reason for our supporters not to attend this year.

The downside is the lack of crowd drawing matches and a Friday match.

[Axe Man]

The CEO has pointed out all the positives and ignored all the negatives. I would have liked Garlick to at least highlight some of the inequities that we still face in this fixture.

Dogs fixture accomodates Club's request

Western Bulldogs Chief Executive Simon Garlick has made the following comments in relation to the release of the 2015 fixture:

“We believe it is a positive fixture for our Club and acknowledge the AFL’s attempt to accommodate some of our key requests.

“As a Club, we wanted to ensure our games were in family friendly slots after having excessive Sunday twilight games last year — this year we were able to secure 13 Saturday games, eight of which will be played in the afternoon.

“We look forward to some challenges early in the year, facing grand finalists Hawthorn and Sydney, and are pleased to open our account home at Etihad Stadium on a Saturday night.

“We will play at our home ground Etihad Stadium 13 times next season, and retain a home multicultural round match which we see as an important vehicle in highlighting our community efforts.

“We will head up to Cairns again this year after a positive experience and some great feedback from our fans who thoroughly enjoyed travelling to Cazalys Stadium.

“The fixture provides some improved revenue and exposure opportunities for our Club, and we believe the AFL have taken some steps forward in ensuring decisions have been in the spirit of competitive balance and equalisation.

“We look forward to receiving more primetime exposure as our exciting, young list continue to improve — and feel overall that most our priorities have been met in this fixture.”

[Greystache]

Carlton finish half a game in front of us and get 7 Friday night and we get zero.

Collingwood misses the finals and gets punished by only getting 8 Friday night games.

The AFL continues to be more out of touch with reality every year. They don't even have a basis to justify why they prioritise a handful of teams above all others besides maxmising the next TV rights deal. In 10 years time their TV rights will be worth a fraction of what they've got now. They just don't get it.

[bulldogtragic]

No Friday night games for over 1,400 days. So out pitch to sponsors about exposure is what again? Empty stadiums and Foxtel coverage. It's not helping us.

[Daughter of the West]

No Friday night games for over 1,400 days.

That. Right there. That sums up "equalisation".

And that's before you stick the knife in with Carlton and all their Friday night games.

[Greystache]

So 7 of 11 home games against interstate clubs

By coincidence;

Collingwood get 3
Essendon get 3

Yet I'm sure the AFL will tell us we'll get a better fixture when we pull bigger crowds, while systematically making it impossible to do so.

[bulldogtragic]

Yet I'm sure the AFL will tell us we'll get a better fixture when we pull bigger crowds, while systematically making it impossible to do so.

This is the thing. The AFL can throw cash at us and the bigger clubs chip in for a few years. Then when we are unable to bigger crowds we will be called unsustainable and the big clubs will stop the money and pressure the AFL to do something else. It's like referring a starving person to a food shelter which is closed, and then saying but there's food there so be happy. If we can't access equalisation or fairness even, then our days are numbered again.

This systemic abuse of our ability to operate effectively and draw sponsors and crowds keeps bringing me back to Tassie.

"You'll get nothing and like it".

[LostDoggy]

Perhaps if we broke our 'battler' tag and actually achieved something in our existence then the AFL and sponsors would schedule us at time that would allow us more exposure.

This constant pissing and moaning about the AFL not giving us Friday night games, or family friendly attendance timeslots really is tiresome.

There hasn't been an 'even' fixture for decades. Get over it. It's simple marketing economics as to why the big teams play in the key timeslots.

The AFL will support us by drip feed, but it's up to the club to achieve something BY ITSELF! Look at what Hawthorn have done since the mid 90’s. Almost merged FGS! We’ve done zero in that time as an organisation as a whole.

[bulldogtragic]

Perhaps if we broke our 'battler' tag and actually achieved something in our existence then the AFL and sponsors would schedule us at time that would allow us more exposure.

This constant pissing and moaning about the AFL not giving us Friday night games, or family friendly attendance timeslots really is tiresome.

There hasn't been an 'even' fixture for decades. Get over it. It's simple marketing economics as to why the big teams play in the key timeslots.

The AFL will support us by drip feed, but it's up to the club to achieve something BY ITSELF! Look at what Hawthorn have done since the mid 90’s. Almost merged FGS! We’ve done zero in that time as an organisation as a whole.

Hawthorn went to Tassie. Good point.

[Eastdog]

Pretty good to hear that we are getting a lot of Saturday games. The Sunday games the majority are 1:10pm/3:20pm so that's good. Only 2 Sunday twilights so happy with that. Would of liked 1 Friday night match and 3-4 games at the MCG but as they say you can't have it all.

[G-Mo77]

The CEO has pointed out all the positives and ignored all the negatives. I would have liked Garlick to at least highlight some of the inequities that we still face in this fixture.

Agree with this, not one single Friday night game for 24 months. Not one!

We only manage to get 8 FTA games for the entire season.

Highlight those glaring holes in our fixture. Are we that unattractive?

[angelopetraglia]

The AFL has given us no chance. The fixture is an absolute disgrace. Give our draw to Colingwood for the next decade and we will see how big they are then. Can't even comprehend how bad it is.

- 6 of our first 7 games are on Pay TV
- 5 of our fist 6 home games are against interstate teams
- zero Friday night games
- zero Thursday night games
- 14 games on Pay TV
- 5 prime time games
- 3 prime time games on Seven

How do you build a brand?

How do you get atmosphere at your games?

Why should we bother to get reserved seats when we will be playing in empty stadiums?

Why would you sponsor the club?

[Eastdog]

But playing on Saturday will make a bit of a difference as it is a better time for a lot of us to go to the footy. I agree though with the sentiment that no Friday night games for us sucks.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

Perhaps if we broke our 'battler' tag and actually achieved something in our existence then the AFL and sponsors would schedule us at time that would allow us more exposure.

This constant pissing and moaning about the AFL not giving us Friday night games, or family friendly attendance timeslots really is tiresome.

There hasn't been an 'even' fixture for decades. Get over it. It's simple marketing economics as to why the big teams play in the key timeslots.

The AFL will support us by drip feed, but it's up to the club to achieve something BY ITSELF! Look at what Hawthorn have done since the mid 90’s. Almost merged FGS! We’ve done zero in that time as an organisation as a whole.

The anomaly here is Carlton getting 6 friday night games.....we've had more success than them for the last decade.