AFL looks to further markets From Geelong Advertiser

[Strawb]

AFL looks to further markets

Joel Cresswell

October 21st, 2009

AFL boss Andrew Demetriou has tipped Tasmania, a third Perth side and North Queensland to figure in the league's future expansion plans.

Demetriou also said Geelong's blockbuster status meant it must play big drawing Melbourne clubs at Skilled Stadium if it wanted its quota of eight home games per year.

With the AFL's 17th and 18th clubs, Gold Coast and West Sydney, set to join the league in 2010 and 2011, Demetriou refused to rule out the possibility of further expansion.
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Speaking at a La Trobe University alumni lecture last night, Demetriou said Tasmania had a mortgage on any 19th club, with North Queensalnd and Western Australia other attractive prospects.

"If we were to go to 20 teams you'd have to think it wouldn't be a team in Melbourne because we've got 10 here, but a place like Western Australia, which is a booming state, or even Northern Queensland are two places that have some attraction."

The league's chief executive will also look to schedule another pre-season fixture in South Africa and earmarked India as a dream destination to attract multi-national sponsorship.

"When we played (a pre-season match) in Dubai, Emirates was sponsoring Collingwood and Toyota was sponsoring Adelaide Crows; Toyota sell 70,000 cars in the UAE annually," he said.

"Our great hope is to play a game in India; they've already got football grounds there because they're cricket grounds."

And it looks as if the Cats will have to get used to accommodating a big Melbourne club at Skilled Stadium in the short term, if it wants eight home games.

But the Cats yesterday rejected the AFL's bid to play one of Hawthorn, Collingwood, Essendon or Carlton in Geelong, with president Frank Costa saying the stadium couldn't do justice to the bumper crowd.

"At the moment (the Cats) are a standout team and the Melbourne teams are dominating," Demetriou said.

"Geelong playing Hawthorn, Collingwood, Essendon, St Kilda or Carlton, you'd think that those games are going to have to be played in Melbourne to fit capacity.

"But it's a balancing act and some of those (blockbuster) games will have to be played at Geelong if they want to play seven or eight games there."

[Mr66]

Lunacy.
This exact thing is what got rugby league into all sorts of trouble in the mid/late 90s.
Someone pull Demetriou into line ASAP!

[Punk Rooster]

Lunacy.
This exact thing is what got rugby league into all sorts of trouble in the mid/late 90s.
Someone pull Demetriou into line ASAP!

let the house of cards fall down!

[rogernumber10]

You'll find it was a polite answer to a question when asked would you consider place A,B, C in the future and the answer was 'never say never'. The plan is for 18, and there's been no discussion beyond that.