Footscray? Yeah but no but yeah.

[Twodogs]

Interesting interview with the boss today on 3AW. The topic of returning to the old name returning was brought up.


The money quotes from PG are:

"I have considered changing it back, and I elected not to do it,”

“But we now play in Ballarat and represent the broader western region of Melbourne."

“We want people who live in Altona and Wyndham and Tarneit and Sunshine to feel just as much sense of ownership.”


from;

https://www.3aw.com.au/why-the-weste...DVYd4tVz08XXHw

[bulldogtragic]

Time to keep moving forward, forging ahead.

Not sure why this is even a question 20+ years on.

[Eastdog]

We are Footscray trading as the Western Bulldogs. I'm used to the Western Bulldogs. We will be always based in Footscray. Would be cool to go back to Footscray but at the same time I can understand the reason behind it.

[Hotdog60]

Time move on. I'm just as sentimental as the next person but for the club to keep moving forward it has to spread it's wings.
Isolating itself to a suburb is not the way to grow membership and if the Doggies cover the West it creates a sense of great ownership to that region.
Changing the name back to Footscray only makes old farts like me happy and we are a dying breed.

[Rocket Science]

I suppose it rates a mention due to PG volunteering he's at least pondered the merits of a change back ... perhaps during the same phase we re-embraced our old jumper?

Must say as long as you'll find Pies supporters in Werribee, Esserdon supporters in Bendigo and Blues supporters in Oakleigh the logic of 'Western' is still lost on me and seems more a misguided marketing stab rather than a measurably effective means of growing our supporter base. Otherwise do the job properly and rebrand as the Australia Bulldogs. There, job done, no?

I suppose 'good' clubs have historically expanded their supporter ranks the old fashioned way: success. So perhaps ours - wary of the precariousness of our very being - and being 'realists', grew amenable to more creative methods than they might otherwise have been. To me the decision smacked of reactionary defeatism.

Who reckons supporters in Altona, Sunshine, Wyndham or Tarneit - who existed well before we diluted the brand anyway - would feel any less connected to the club if it were called Footscray again? Hardly.

I'd love us to pivot back to Footscray, it's our proud DNA, but can't imagine it'll ever happen.

Then again we were brave enough to finally send Robodog away to live on a farm, so ...

[Yankee Hotel Foxtrot]

I suppose it rates a mention due to PG volunteering he's at least pondered the merits of a change back ... perhaps during the same phase we re-embraced our old jumper?

Must say as long as you'll find Pies supporters in Werribee, Esserdon supporters in Bendigo and Blues supporters in Oakleigh the logic of 'Western' is still lost on me and seems more a misguided marketing stab rather than a measurably effective means of growing our supporter base. Otherwise do the job properly and rebrand as the Australia Bulldogs. There, job done, no?

I suppose 'good' clubs have historically expanded their supporter ranks the old fashioned way: success. So perhaps ours - wary of the precariousness of our very being - and being 'realists', grew amenable to more creative methods than they might otherwise have been. To me the decision smacked of reactionary defeatism.

Who reckons supporters in Altona, Sunshine, Wyndham or Tarneit - who existed well before we diluted the brand anyway - would feel any less connected to the club if it were called Footscray again? Hardly.

I'd love us to pivot back to Footscray, it's our proud DNA, but can't imagine it'll ever happen.

Then again we were brave enough to finally send Robodog away to live on a farm, so ...

Really well articulated post. I disagree, and will reply soon, but wanted to acknowledge what you've written.
I think this is a great post-season discussion.

[bornadog]

It has been over 22 years now and there are adults that only know Western Bulldogs. To change back now just confuses things more. I am happy the way it is, as we are still the same club. Unlike South Melbourne and Fitzroy who are dead.

[merantau]

We must not change back to Footscray. We are the West. The West is bigger than Footscray. Doesn't matter if you're from Sunshine, Yarraville, Seddon, Tarneit, Whyndam, Point Cook, Maidstone, Braybrook, Tottenham, St. Albans, Deer Park, Cairnlea or any of the new suburbs I've never heard of. You are West. And the Club you should align with, and the Club that should be chasing you hard is the Western Bulldogs.

[GVGjr]

I suppose it rates a mention due to PG volunteering he's at least pondered the merits of a change back ... perhaps during the same phase we re-embraced our old jumper?

Must say as long as you'll find Pies supporters in Werribee, Esserdon supporters in Bendigo and Blues supporters in Oakleigh the logic of 'Western' is still lost on me and seems more a misguided marketing stab rather than a measurably effective means of growing our supporter base. Otherwise do the job properly and rebrand as the Australia Bulldogs. There, job done, no?

I suppose 'good' clubs have historically expanded their supporter ranks the old fashioned way: success. So perhaps ours - wary of the precariousness of our very being - and being 'realists', grew amenable to more creative methods than they might otherwise have been. To me the decision smacked of reactionary defeatism.

Who reckons supporters in Altona, Sunshine, Wyndham or Tarneit - who existed well before we diluted the brand anyway - would feel any less connected to the club if it were called Footscray again? Hardly.

I'd love us to pivot back to Footscray, it's our proud DNA, but can't imagine it'll ever happen.

Then again we were brave enough to finally send Robodog away to live on a farm, so ...

I was a supporter of the name change for the reasons given at the time but it never quite worked out that way.
We were the Western Bulldogs that was still playing home games interstate which we now no longer need to do.
We always represented the West under our Footscray name and I still see Footscray as the heart and soul of the 'West of Melbourne'.
We have now settled down and became a profitable and stronger club and one that isn't starved of success and we are also now well placed for the future so the 'fight for survival' theme isn't quite the same. I don't believe any of that that happened just because of the name change. Perhaps there is evidence to say otherwise.

I also don't think if we were to revert back to our traditional name would change anything around our stability or our future and if that change was to be considered I wouldn't object. The name of our VFL side hasn't lessened our broad Western appeal

The things to consider is that there are two other clubs with the 'Western' name and I've always wonder if that could be a bit confusing. We have the West Coast, the Greater Western and of course the Western Bulldogs

It's unlikely to happen but it wouldn't be a bad thing if we considered it. My preference was always the Footscray name but as long as we are based in Footscray either name is fine with me

[S Coast Simon]

Unfortunately for Footscray the suburb went through a rough patch and I remember trying to convince my mates to support the Doggies. But the reputation that went with it was difficult to overcome. The place is a lot nicer these days ( not sure the movie Romper Stomper did much for western suburbs). The club is much bigger than Footscray these days and really is the western region v’s the rest

[comrade]

Putting aside emotional attachments to our original name, would we have been given the opportunity to develop Ballarat as an expanded supporter base, or given NGA access to the greater western Victorian region (which is going to snare us a potential generational talent) if we hadn't transformed our brand to be more inclusive of the Western region in general?

[ledge]

I think the important thing was naming our VFL side Footscray, I am happy with us recognising our region and history in that way.
Victorian competition stays as the suburb and the Australian competition as the Western Bulldogs.
Whitten oval has stayed as our base, it’s been a good decision in my eyes.

[bulldogtragic]

It has been over 22 years now and there are adults that only know Western Bulldogs. To change back now just confuses things more. I am happy the way it is, as we are still the same club. Unlike South Melbourne and Fitzroy who are dead.

Yep. There's 25 year olds who have only or can only remember their footy ticket and footy record as the Western Bulldogs. All generations witnessed a great premiership in 2016 by the Western Bulldogs, is there a knock on it because it wasn't Footscray? Why force another generation into the emotional and/or intellectual conflict that we went through all those years ago? We shouldn't. I agree about the 'same club' comment: a rose but by another name would still be a rose. We are proud club with a proud history, and an exciting future. Changing the name does nothing to change it. The key to progress is not to reverse course.

Putting aside emotional attachments to our original name, would we have been given the opportunity to develop Ballarat as an expanded supporter base, or given NGA access to the greater western Victorian region (which is going to snare us a potential generational talent) if we hadn't transformed our brand to be more inclusive of the Western region in general?

Exactly right. 100% right. Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, the so called Buddy Franklin clone, generational talent, possible Pick 1 in next year's draft is coming to us wholly and solely because we have the Western Vic NGA. (Plus other kids)That's worth 'Western Bulldogs' alone. Ballarat makes us something like $500,000 a game when if at Marvel its $20,000.

Western Bulldogs has been a great move by the club and is now delivering real outcomes. It doesn't change our DNA or our history, it does change our elite talent profile, it changes our membership numbers up and changes our bottom line up.

Sure reminisce about the past, but we should leave it there once and for all.

[dog town]

I said it on twitter during the week. It’s not even an argument, if you take emotion out of it there is no logical reason to revert to Footscray.

[1eyedog]

I suppose it rates a mention due to PG volunteering he's at least pondered the merits of a change back ... perhaps during the same phase we re-embraced our old jumper?

Must say as long as you'll find Pies supporters in Werribee, Esserdon supporters in Bendigo and Blues supporters in Oakleigh the logic of 'Western' is still lost on me and seems more a misguided marketing stab rather than a measurably effective means of growing our supporter base. Otherwise do the job properly and rebrand as the Australia Bulldogs. There, job done, no?

I suppose 'good' clubs have historically expanded their supporter ranks the old fashioned way: success. So perhaps ours - wary of the precariousness of our very being - and being 'realists', grew amenable to more creative methods than they might otherwise have been. To me the decision smacked of reactionary defeatism.

Who reckons supporters in Altona, Sunshine, Wyndham or Tarneit - who existed well before we diluted the brand anyway - would feel any less connected to the club if it were called Footscray again? Hardly.

I'd love us to pivot back to Footscray, it's our proud DNA, but can't imagine it'll ever happen.

Then again we were brave enough to finally send Robodog away to live on a farm, so ...

I don't think so. Sure supporters are spread across the landscape like topping on a pizza but the West is a massive urban grow zone with high proportions of New Australians. I think the Western part of our name can still be a highly effective marketing strategy with New Australians seeking to integrate and take on a team in the AFL.

Changing the name to the Western Bulldogs may in another 20 years time prove a masterstroke by the club who had the forethought to align the change with broad-scale planning strategies across Melbourne's outer western suburbs.

Time will tell I suppose but we work hard across the Tarneit / Wyndham / Rockbank areas at primary schools and at large residential estate open days etc. We have a long-term growth strategy and it has more ceiling than the traditional Footscray name.