Western Bulldogs may split with Williamstown

[Bornadog]

Re: Western Bulldogs may split with Williamstown

I think the club needs to have a real think about this. If you play games at the Whitten Oval and call the team Footscray I think there would be a reasonable portion of supporters that would drop off the Western Bulldogs completely unless they were finals bound.

Assuming Willi says they want to go it alone. Whats your solution to the situation?

[Remi Moses]

Re: Western Bulldogs may split with Williamstown

Couldn't see people dropping off the seniors to be honest, just to watch the two's.
Playing interstate you'd find people would go watch the VFL team.

[Dazza]

Re: Western Bulldogs may split with Williamstown

I'd go to every home Western Bulldogs game.

Probably watch the VFL when we play away. Including playing the Vic sides as the away side. Especially if the VFL game is at Whitten oval.

[GVGjr]

Re: Western Bulldogs may split with Williamstown

Assuming Willi says they want to go it alone. Whats your solution to the situation?

We shouldn't need a solution. Williamstown would only want to go it alone because we have been negligent. Lets re-do our commitments and make sure we honor them. Right at this moment I see more downside than upside in going it alone.
We already have a declining membership and we have a massively declining participation in people attending our games. To give people a viable and especially an emotional alternative could see an acceleration of people dropping off from buying a membership.
I also think the cost of $400,00 that's being quoted is either a very low ball estimate or at best a shoestring budget to work with.

I'd love to see us playing games at the Whitten Oval and calling us Footscray but I want to do it when the timing is right and it has the best chance of success. I'm just not confident it's the right time for us.

[GVGjr]

Re: Western Bulldogs may split with Williamstown

Couldn't see people dropping off the seniors to be honest, just to watch the two's.
Playing interstate you'd find people would go watch the VFL team.

So why don't they go and watch Williamstown except for when we were in the GF?

[GVGjr]

Re: Western Bulldogs may split with Williamstown

It may also bring back the supposed thousands of members who dropped off due to the name change, not that I believe there's as many as some make out.

It won't. At best they are conditional supporters not loyal ones.
You might get a few hundred but you won't get a few thousand.

[Eastdog]

Re: Western Bulldogs may split with Williamstown

It won't. At best they are conditional supporters not loyal ones.
You might get a few hundred but you won't get a few thousand.

The VFL don't attract big crowds unless it's a big derby or big match.

[Bornadog]

Re: Western Bulldogs may split with Williamstown

We shouldn't need a solution. Williamstown would only want to go it alone because we have been negligent. Lets re-do our commitments and make sure we honor them. Right at this moment I see more downside than upside in going it alone.
We already have a declining membership and we have a massively declining participation in people attending our games. To give people a viable and especially an emotional alternative could see an acceleration of people dropping off from buying a membership.
I also think the cost of $400,00 that's being quoted is either a very low ball estimate or at best a shoestring budget to work with.

I'd love to see us playing games at the Whitten Oval and calling us Footscray but I want to do it when the timing is right and it has the best chance of success. I'm just not confident it's the right time for us.

I don't agree we should call the VFL side Footscray, it will only start a whole movement and conflict between the bring back he Footscray name versus the Western Bulldogs name and split the supporters.

BTW, you say we have been negligent, you can blame that one on the coach

[LostDoggy]

Re: Western Bulldogs may split with Williamstown

BTW, you say we have been negligent, you can blame that one on the coach

You have to go to games live to have seen that.

[GVGjr]

Re: Western Bulldogs may split with Williamstown

I don't agree we should call the VFL side Footscray, it will only start a whole movement and conflict between the bring back he Footscray name versus the Western Bulldogs name and split the supporters.


BTW, you say we have been negligent, you can blame that one on the coach

Fully agree.

When the original Williamstown and Werribee alignment was shelved it was a huge mistake and the reason we were given was costs.

The next one was working with just Werribee but we wanted more and it fell apart badly.

Williamstown have bended more than anybody but we apparently want more than that so we might have to go it alone.

If the first option couldn't work because of costs I'm not sure how the go it alone one will be covered. If Brendan McCartney is the cause of it then he must have a convincing argument that the cost will be minimised by fast tracking the players. I don't see that happening quickly.

Personally I'd rather beef up the coaching ranks with a couple of more decent assistant coaches.

[azabob]

Re: Western Bulldogs may split with Williamstown

Fully agree.


Personally I'd rather beef up the coaching ranks with a couple of more decent assistant coaches.

Couple as in addition or replacing? I can't see the replacing happening, unless someone from above says something. McCartney has brought across King and Grant so one would think only Montgomery would go out of the three.

[Eastdog]

Re: Western Bulldogs may split with Williamstown

Fully agree.

When the original Williamstown and Werribee alignment was shelved it was a huge mistake and the reason we were given was costs.

The next one was working with just Werribee but we wanted more and it fell apart badly.

Williamstown have bended more than anybody but we apparently want more than that so we might have to go it alone.

If the first option couldn't work because of costs I'm not sure how the go it alone one will be covered. If Brendan McCartney is the cause of it then he must have a convincing argument that the cost will be minimised by fast tracking the players. I don't see that happening quickly.

Personally I'd rather beef up the coaching ranks with a couple of more decent assistant coaches.

Do you think GVG that we could align ourselves either with Werribee or North Ballarat. North Melbourne are partially aligned to both at the moment but North could stay with Werribee and we could align with North Ballarat. Could that work.

[Ghost Dog]

Re: Western Bulldogs may split with Williamstown

No point it being Footscray. Be proud of where we are and move on. What of the VFL though? When we have a side that is purely for development, and not trying that hard to win, won't it damage the comp?

[Remi Moses]

Re: Western Bulldogs may split with Williamstown

So why don't they go and watch Williamstown except for when we were in the GF?

What I've seen at Willy games there's a fair sized portion of Dog fans.
I actually follow Port Melb, but went to see our younger players .

[Hotdog60]

Re: Western Bulldogs may split with Williamstown

I for one wouldn't mind a stand alone team in the VFL. But I would call it Western Bulldogs still and the positive points I can see are if it was free entry and the club relied on merchandise, food drink and supporter gear for income. Parents would take their kids along because it's a free day out and then get the kids following the team with a bit of luck and then become future members of the main team.
Our kids can get fast tracked and be played in positions that we want to develop them in. I still like the idea of Hill and Panos as a forword combo and at this level in our own team this could of been happening for the season.

We get to see if players are up for it maybe earlier into their careers and or if we want to pursue them more and the game plan should be the same in the Seniors as in the reserves which should help player grasp their role in the team more quickly.

Points raised loss of main members but if the club is doing well at both levels could we gain future members with the free exposure. Cost is a telling factor and local merchants may like the idea of the lower financial cost at a lower level than in the main group so you may gain a little bit of sponsorship and be wise with the selling on a game day.

Also the club would need to have games played that didn't clash with the dogs AFL fixture some supporters can get to both games.