Mariners vs Wellington at NSO - Game Talk

[dibo]

Hopefully he is using reverse psychology on us... so we turn up to support the team at Bluey.

If he's talking about a move, he's basically saying we're not really good enough for a team of our own. That may not elicit the response he wants.

Here's a thing, we can cut him a deal.

There's a club that lots of people love, with support not as big as it could be (or has been in the past), but deep loyalties within its community.

The owners might feel like they'll get more money and more success if they move half of their games down the road to a neighbouring town. It's a football town with two reasonable sized clubs already - one largely blue and one largely red but there are lots of people who might come to watch if they get a chance and after all, it's only an hour down the motorway...

...but he'd never accept moving Leeds United to Manchester. So don't move the Mariners to Sydney.

 

[Atomic]

I (hope) you've hit the nail on the head there dibo... force the issue with a bit of brinksmanship

 

[FFC Mariner]

Gee, I wondered who leaked the news about the story to the fans?

Charlesworths negotiating tactics seem to be stick, more stick, hit them with the stick again.

However, If they do a reverse N Eagles, they can f**k right off.

 

[dibo]

I take that as suggesting that I might have been on the money and Council are indeed playing hard-ball.

 

[dibo]

Has Charlesworth got any wins from going in windmill-punching yet?

 

[pjennings]

Sorry to be political - and correct me if I'm wrong - but hasn't Peter Turnbull been a long-term Labor supporter? This would have meant that the COE have benefitted in the past. However, we now have wall-to-wall liberals/quasi-liberals at all levels of Govt from Federal to Council. His clout has disappeared completely.

In times gone by if the Federal or State Government were supporting the Mariners it was difficult for the Council to make things hard. This is no longer the case.

 

[greenpoint]

Three A-League clubs in Sydney?

Greedy. Stupid. Unsustainable.

 

[yellowcake]

Maybe this was the Mariners tender and he's pissed...

From p13 last Friday's Express

Grahame Park tender refused

A TENDER for the Grahame Park Complex management lease has been refused by Gosford Council.

The council will now prepare a business plan for the future management of the complex to ensure the vital community asset remains a viable resource for sport and events within the region.

 

[LFCMariners]

Who in the lower north shore (that doesn't already follow Sydney) is going to think following a team playing at NSO 6 times a year makes any sense?

 

[pjennings]

Central Coast Mariners eye more games in Sydney


http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/central-coast-mariners-eye-more-games-in-sydney-20131125-2y67b.html#ixzz2lfFjzdu4

Central Coast Mariners are looking to move a number of home games to North Sydney Oval next season in a bid to curb financial losses, although sources close to the club fear it could lead to an eventual relocation.
The Mariners have already agreed to play one game at North Sydney Oval this season - against the Wellington Phoenix on December 19 - and it is understood that a strong attendance could convince the club to move more home games away from Bluetongue Stadium in a bid to attract fans from south of the Central Coast.
''I think what's more important is that there's a market in North Sydney that I believe is hungry for a professional sporting identity,'' Mariners owner Mike Charlesworth said. ''It's just difficult, as we all know, building a sustainable model with your club based in a relatively small community like Gosford.''
The club's shareholders are losing patience with the rising losses at the club and Charlesworth confirmed that a strategic push into Sydney's northern suburbs was seen as a possible solution to the financial woes. He denied the club would be rebranded or completely up-rooted from the Central Coast

''One of the things I really need to do coming in as new owner is to look at all possibilities and build a sustainable long-term future,'' Charlesworth said. ''It's not sustainable, the losses that we're making exceeding $1 million a year. It's not sustainable for the Central Coast or for any particular owner, certainly not myself. So something has got to change and if it doesn't change their won't be a Central Coast Mariners, full stop. Finito.
''We have to make this work because that's the alternative, there is no football club, full stop, unless we do something. So that means a lot of work on the Central Coast and a lot of work in other regions.''
The Mariners' joint submission with ANZ Stadium to assume the management of Bluetongue Stadium was recently knocked back by Gosford City Council, which will take charge of the venue as of February 1 next year. The club is unhappy with its current rental deal - understood to be worth an initial $7500 hiring fee, excluding other operating costs - and the denied submission has prompted it to look into moving some home games to North Sydney.
Sources close to the club fear the lower costs of staging games at North Sydney Oval could lead to an eventual relocation. It's understood there are fears that the financial incentive of playing at North Sydney Oval will sway the directors into moving the majority of home games there.
The Mayor of North Sydney, Jilly Gibson, confirmed that discussions had already taken place over next year's fixtures.
''I was absolutely thrilled when he [Charlesworth] first approached us with this idea,'' Gibson said. ''He's expressed his desire to have more games.''

 

[Roy Law]

It sounds like a Clive Palmer dummy spit to me, which is more than worrying.
I seriously doubt that David Gallop will endorse any move to North Sydney; I doubt the FFA will view any move away from the Coast as being in anyway strategic.
I also think FFA will be more than pissed that now they will be covering the cost of the salary cap that a club still has ideas of disrupting its fan base for financial reasons.
If the club relocates then it loses me, and just about every fan, for ever.
I would suggest that during the fans' march to the Stadium on Friday, and for every home game, protests are organised.
Charlesworth out if this hardball nonsense continues...

 

[bikinigirl]

I also think FFA will be more than pissed that now they will be covering the cost of the salary cap that a club still has ideas of disrupting its fan base for financial reasons.

. this is along the lines i was thinking. charlesworth makes it sound as though now the cap is being met ... and so far we haven't had bad crowds ... that we are losing more money than ever

. this just seems ridiculous ... we have also cut the big salaries from the BOH and coaching staff this year (mckay, mckinna and arnold) - admittedly nobody really knows what the situation is with the academy, football school and ccf

. interesting approach to encourage coasties down to NSO for the wellington game ... it certainly has me re-considering

 

[Gratis]

it does encourage one not to go the Wellington game to reduce the numbers there and thus the incentive to move more games there

 

[rbakersmith]

it does encourage one not to go the Wellington game to reduce the numbers there and thus the incentive to move more games there

If you want to remove an incentive to move games to NSO, then get more bums on seats at Bluetongue and make a full season of games there viable. Simple as that.

The club can only do so much to achieve that goal; it's up to us as fans and supporters to do the rest.

 

[rbakersmith]

Charlesworth out if this hardball nonsense continues...

Charlesworth out? Then who comes in - the Russians that we keep hearing about? SMFC, who would move us to Lakeside in a heartbeat?

I would dearly love to have the Mariners play every home game in Gosford, even though I only live 10 minutes from NSO. But if it doesn't make financial sense to do that, then the club - and the fans - have to be open to other options.

If it comes down to a choice between a team with a Bluetongue/NSO split and no team at all on the Coast, you know what I'm going to choose any day of the week.

 

[Muppet]

The figure of 1 million has to be an over inflation if ever i heard one. The FFA pays the payer wages, we have a new pay TV deal coming into effect and have the lowest rental of any A League club for a ground. It does not add up. This to me seems like a dummy spit from Charlesworth over the fact that he did not get rights to Bluetounge.

I also note in the article that it was Charlesworth who approached NS Council and not the other way round. Seems he is determined to move the club. 3 clubs in Sydney is not sustainable. the move to NS would be doomed to failure.

 

[VicMariner]

I only live 10 minutes from NSO

So how difficult is it to travel to Bluetongue from NS? I imagine it's not too difficult.
Perhaps the one game a year and a membership drive in NS. Has much effort been put into attracting fans from NS?
Surely increasing attendance by expanding your catchment area is worth trying before moving games and alienating your current fans?

 

[dibo]

So it's a dummy spit. Gallop will kick his arse if he tries it on.

 

[yellowcake]

. this is along the lines i was thinking. charlesworth makes it sound as though now the cap is being met ... and so far we haven't had bad crowds ... that we are losing more money than ever

. this just seems ridiculous ... we have also cut the big salaries from the BOH and coaching staff this year (mckay, mckinna and arnold) - admittedly nobody really knows what the situation is with the academy, football school and ccf

. interesting approach to encourage coasties down to NSO for the wellington game ... it certainly has me re-considering

Pretty much exactly my thinking BG, especially the last bit.

 

[rbakersmith]

So how difficult is it to travel to Bluetongue from NS? I imagine it's not too difficult.
Perhaps the one game a year and a membership drive in NS. Has much effort been put into attracting fans from NS?
Surely increasing attendance by expanding your catchment area is worth trying before moving games and alienating your current fans?

It's about an hour from my place to Bluetongue, although it's a bit of a scramble after work in the city for the Friday night games.

I don't think there's been a membership drive as such down here; a couple of the players made an appearance at a local shopping centre before the Spirit pre-season game but I think that's about it. Part of the trouble is that if you live in/around North Sydney then it can be quicker to drive to Allianz for SFC games; alternatively you can take public transport (which is included in the cost of SFC memberships and tickets). Unless there were 2-3 games at NSO a season I don't think there would be much of a motivation for people down here to take up memberships.