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Western Bulldogs president Peter Gordon says playing at a smaller stadium would help AFL clubs make a profit
CHRIS VERNUCCIO, BEN WATERWORTH
Herald Sun
July 22, 2015
WESTERN Bulldogs president Peter Gordon says playing at a smaller stadium in Melbourne could earn the club up to an extra $4 million each season.
Gordon said the city needed a new stadium that catered for low-drawing games, offering Whitten Oval as a potential venue to upgrade.
He said the Bulldogs made a bigger profit playing at Cairns’ Cazaly’s Stadium in front of less than 10,000 people than it would at their 10 Etihad Stadium games combined.
“I think that Melbourne needs a new, bespoke stadium which maxes out at 25 to 30,000 (seats),” Gordon told SEN.
“A packed house looks so much better than an empty house and so many games are games of 25,000 to 30,000 so let’s make a profit on those games.
“Let’s do something exquisite and interesting and different. And of course one of those options is the Whitten Oval.
“I’m sure the Saints and the Demons and various other parts of town might be thinking that too.
“But one of the advantages that (Whitten Oval’s) got is that it’s three or four Teddy Whitten drop kicks away from the CBD.”
When asked what it would take for Whitten Oval – which hasn’t hosted an official AFL match since 1997 – to permanently host games, Gordon said it would take a “major capital investment”.
Gordan said the Bulldogs playing half their home games at a smaller stadium, instead of Etihad Stadium, “would pump our revenue by $2 to $4 million dollars every year”.
Gordon also revealed the Bulldogs investigated shifting their Round 7 clash against Fremantle from Etihad Stadium to Whitten Oval because of a clash with the A-League grand final.
But he said the cost of playing the one-off game at the Bulldogs’ official home base was too excessive.
The official attendance at the match was 18,970.
“When the cost of actually playing the one game there got up to over $1 million we called it off, because on the cost benefit analysis it just wasn’t there,” Gordon said.
“The biggest impediment was we now sell 6000 reserved seats at Etihad Stadium and I think there’s around 2000 seats now in the old E.J. Whitten Stand.
“To get another 4000 (seats), the best option was to try and borrow them from the Grand Prix, who put them up and take them down at Albert Park for that weekend. But even that was going to cost several hundred thousand dollars.”
Gordon told the Herald Sun in March he would love to see premiership games return to Whitten Oval after a crowd of 9500 attended a NAB challenge game between the Bulldogs and Richmond.
CHRIS VERNUCCIO, BEN WATERWORTH
Herald Sun
July 22, 2015
WESTERN Bulldogs president Peter Gordon says playing at a smaller stadium in Melbourne could earn the club up to an extra $4 million each season.
Gordon said the city needed a new stadium that catered for low-drawing games, offering Whitten Oval as a potential venue to upgrade.
He said the Bulldogs made a bigger profit playing at Cairns’ Cazaly’s Stadium in front of less than 10,000 people than it would at their 10 Etihad Stadium games combined.
“I think that Melbourne needs a new, bespoke stadium which maxes out at 25 to 30,000 (seats),” Gordon told SEN.
“A packed house looks so much better than an empty house and so many games are games of 25,000 to 30,000 so let’s make a profit on those games.
“Let’s do something exquisite and interesting and different. And of course one of those options is the Whitten Oval.
“I’m sure the Saints and the Demons and various other parts of town might be thinking that too.
“But one of the advantages that (Whitten Oval’s) got is that it’s three or four Teddy Whitten drop kicks away from the CBD.”
When asked what it would take for Whitten Oval – which hasn’t hosted an official AFL match since 1997 – to permanently host games, Gordon said it would take a “major capital investment”.
Gordan said the Bulldogs playing half their home games at a smaller stadium, instead of Etihad Stadium, “would pump our revenue by $2 to $4 million dollars every year”.
Gordon also revealed the Bulldogs investigated shifting their Round 7 clash against Fremantle from Etihad Stadium to Whitten Oval because of a clash with the A-League grand final.
But he said the cost of playing the one-off game at the Bulldogs’ official home base was too excessive.
The official attendance at the match was 18,970.
“When the cost of actually playing the one game there got up to over $1 million we called it off, because on the cost benefit analysis it just wasn’t there,” Gordon said.
“The biggest impediment was we now sell 6000 reserved seats at Etihad Stadium and I think there’s around 2000 seats now in the old E.J. Whitten Stand.
“To get another 4000 (seats), the best option was to try and borrow them from the Grand Prix, who put them up and take them down at Albert Park for that weekend. But even that was going to cost several hundred thousand dollars.”
Gordon told the Herald Sun in March he would love to see premiership games return to Whitten Oval after a crowd of 9500 attended a NAB challenge game between the Bulldogs and Richmond.
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