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Whitten Oval redevelopment


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#1 Lisbon

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    Joe Marmo

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Posted 24 September 2007 - 10:54 PM

Here's something that I have not been able to figure out: when Whitten Oval is finally redeveloped, will Footscray go back to playing home games there? Can someone explain it to me? It seems to me that it would be good to get back that "home advantage".
Also, who are the LeasePlan Western Bulldogs the Bulldogs site keeps talking about?

#2 Doug Hawkins

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    Wally Donald

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Posted 29 September 2007 - 08:45 PM

I was just thinking this the other day.... I doubt whether they will play any there but they should seriously consider it, especially against teams like North, Melbs, Port and Freo which wouldn't draw more than 20000 if played at the Telecom Dome

#3 Caveman

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Posted 29 September 2007 - 10:20 PM

In theory the club could play games there again, IF the renovations were done in a different way.

What I mean by this is that Footscray's Whitten Oval is similar to Geelong's Kardinia Park in its design. Kardinia Park is going to be renovated again- their capacity will be raised- they can physically do it- money is the only problem. However it seems now the Government is happy to lend them a few quid and they have other means outside the Government coffers to raise revenue for this project.

Kardinia Park, Whitten Oval and Carlton's Princes Park are different from Essendon's Windy Hill and Collingwood's Victoria Park. That is because the last two mentioned grounds are land locked- well their external boundaries are -they can't expand outwards.

Geelong is very near the outer side roadway- exactly the same as the Whitten Oval, yet their is space behind the traditional members side to build the ground back. To cut a long story short, if Geelong and Footscray moved their playing arenas back- then both clubs could increase the capacity on their narrow side.

Our renovations will be to make the area look prettier and provide better training facilities for the players. The social club will also be renovated. The nature of the changes though are not done in a way that will allow matches to be played back at Footscray.

I am certainly happy that the ground is being upgraded and if the facilities for the players are to be markedly improved then that is a major plus. Nevertheless I don't see the Whitten Oval upgrade as something that we as Footscray supporters, should necessarily be incessantly doing backflips and cartwheels over. We won't be playing games there like in the old days and should the team finish 4th last again next year in 2008, then who is really going to jump up and down about the renovations? It is like the Peter Jackson advertisement- you may look good in your brand new classy suit, but are you going to get a kick on the field where it really matters? That comment will no doubt be uttered many times should the team perform badly again- 'You've got a fantastic gymnasuim- but how about getting the bleeding ball?

If the improvements were done differently, we could play the likes of Fremantle, The California Eagles and Port Power there again. It would require though a very large cash injection by a company or a wealthy individual(s). Sadly there are very few wealthy people around who follow the Bulldogs that are prepared to put their hand in their pocket.

For over 30 years I have looked at the Whitten Oval, be it at Footscray games or other events like Fitzroy or FDFL matches that I went to, just thinking of ways to both increase the capacity and improve the ground. From small projects like putting a roof over the Geelong Road end standing area and properly terracing that area- no standing on crushed rock. Then moving on to bigger ideas like the demolishing of the Drill Hall and the tennis courts and building a three tiered stand there in their place at the Barkly Street end.

I would love to be a multi-millionaire (well don't we all, nothing new and different there!) but for the main reason to throw plenty of money into the Footscray Football Club and make it a feared untouchable force. I couldn't be less interested in Formula One cars or visiting Las Vegas casinos.

One of my ambitions is for the Footscray Football Club to either return to the Whitten Oval and when I mean move back I mean play games for Premiership points there. If that couldn't be done, then I would love to buy some land and build a brand spanking new stadium which holds 135.000 people (maybe more anyway as long as it is more that 121.696 that is the MCG'S Football record crowd, although a Billy Graham crusade once drew 130,000) and ALL of our 11 home games would be played there and nowhere else. My dream is that this new stadium would be a mixture of seats and standing areas- with a retractable roof so nobody gets wet or endures the wind. So you would have a good mix of the old days and the modern brave new world. One end(for arguments sake the Barkly Street end) would be a massive standing room terrace copied from what Borussia Dortmund of Germany have at their stadium. In the LINKS Chapter there is a website that displays that ground and others- it is a supporters site- the ULTRAS they call it. It one very impressive website dealingwith soccer fans and their visual flags and banners. Anyway just go to the Borussia Dortmund page in that ULTRAS website and that gives a pretty reasonable idea of my dream for a new Footscray ground.

Isn't it good to have dreams- because it wont happen. I am definitely not a millionaire

Maybe I should try and buy tickets in some of those American lotteries where the winner collects $100 million?

#4 Doug Hawkins

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Posted 30 September 2007 - 08:48 PM

Don't forget we did get a lot of money as well from the government 7M from both fed. and state govts. And as for not having wealthy businessman the Smorgans are the richest family in Australia.... That said, Caveman for Powerball.... I grew up in SA and NT so i have never seen a game at Whitten Oval, so I would absolutely love it if we could play 3 or 4 games a year back there... How about carlton moving from princess, that was a disgraceful decision as it is a brilliant ground with a great suburban atmosphere.




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