United Fan
Years ago

Melb United at Ballarat

Stumbled across this article, most ridiculous idea ever to play regular season games there,yes im a member with tickets to every game but i cant get to ballarat every sunday or so just to watch NBL, so unfair to people living in Melbourne who want to attend every game..
and to top it off..... the slogan all across the games at hisense is #wearemelbourne and 'mel.born' not #weareballarat

haha just my thoughts, feel free to add yours and anythign else you know about this !

http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/2706621/ballarat-set-for-nbl-matches/

Topic #36179 | Report this topic


Anonymous  
Years ago

um the government did not get reelected so no NBL games in Ballarat

Reply #508286 | Report this post


Bear  
Years ago

Anon^ are you saying the new stadium proposal for Ballarat will fall over because a new Government has been elected?

Reply #508300 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

MELBOURNE United will hold up to four National Basketball League games in Ballarat each season if the government is re-elected.

Premier Denis Napthine announced a $15 million redevelopment and expansion of the Wendouree Sports and Events Centre on Tuesday, which would include a 3000-seat basketball show court.

The NBL has agreed to schedule home and away games in Ballarat as part of the promise, should the Coalition win the election and fund a stadium. However, it is not known exactly when the home games would begin.

Labor had previously pledged $9 million for a similar project, although it did not come with a promise of NBL games.

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Wilson Sting  
Years ago

Nice idea for one or two games a season, for all city teams to consider a regional home game.

Reply #508315 | Report this post


HO  
Years ago

Remember the "titts" game s decade or so back? No clubs are doing those games now voluntarily so it might draw into question how successful these games are.

The OP makes an interesting point about the regular membership base.

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Bear  
Years ago

If done well it is only an hour or so to Ballarat from Melbourne, Geelong or Bendigo so I think the membership base could be well accommodated for.

Include the fact that traffic is less congested in Ballarat and Melbournites could make a day of it, I like the idea, not for too many games but certainly one or two here and there for United and the new team.

To connect with country Victoria is not a bad idea, what makes the NBL better is a proper TV deal and better coverage on TV...

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Anonymous  
Years ago

Cheap stadium hire and a chance to make some money for everyone I would have thought. The expansion teams have planned for regional games.

Reply #508334 | Report this post


Dazz  
Years ago

I would have the priority for the NBL was more games in MELBOURNE (ie a 2nd team.)

Reply #508337 | Report this post


HO  
Years ago

Dazz, we shouldn't underestimate the support of regional Victoria for an NBL team.

From a TV point of view a home game played at Ballarat or Bendigo will pull similar viewership to a game played at Hisense.

My issue is that regional games appeared to fail previously (no matter how nice the traffic may be in those regional centres) so why would they work now?

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Anonymous  
Years ago

HO you say they fail miserably. From what statistics? When has this previously happened?

Melbourne Victory just played a game in Geelong on Friday in the scorching heat and still got over 21,000 to the game.

The country really get around professional sporting teams playing games in their region. Look at the crowds Fev, Aker and co get when they play country footy. Yes it's football but country areas love their sport no matter what code.

Reply #508353 | Report this post


Dazz  
Years ago

I'm sure there are regional fans of NBL everywhere.
Question is whether s regional game is more viable than the city game it replaces.

If you compare it to playing at the Netball centre, then fine. However my view is that long term Melbourne should be aiming to outgrow Margaret Court, even Hisense, and move back to Rod Laver.

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Anonymous  
Years ago

I agree with you Dazz in regards to having all games at Rod Laver. It should be a packed house for all Melbourne games.

One aspect the NBL lacks is exposure and the general public knowing names of players or even team names. Playing in regional towns will help promote United, the public will get to know the players on a personal level and there will be a % that will follow them after their visit. The flow on effect will benefit them to hopefully in the not too distant future play at Rod Laver.

I believe the NBL is a way better product than the Big Bash. General sport fans know and follow Big Bash because it is flooded on our TV screens every night. Hopefully the NBL gets this kind of broadcast one day.

Reply #508364 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

Rod Laver is totally unaffordable.

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Anonymous  
Years ago

36ers should play a home game against Townsville or Cairns once a year if they can get enough cash from the NT Govt for doing it.

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Anonymous  
Years ago

Above post should have added - home game in Darwin.

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HO  
Years ago

#508353

I have posted twice in this thread. In the first post I mentioned the titts games a decade or so ago.

In the second I used the phrase "appeared to fail". Not once did I use the word miserably.

To answer your question. Around the time of Rymarz or Ali the league ran a whole series of "titts - taking it to the streets" games. Most (if not all) teams were regularly taking a game or two to regional centres. I think in some cases some teams "sold" home games to other teams (this sits in my memory for some reason).

My point is that this 'experiment' quickly dried up. Teams stopped doing it. Why? I guess because it did not work. I think its easy to sell-out Bunbury or Mt Gambier or Mackay for a one-off NBL game. But "sell-outs" in small venues are not a true measure of success.

Here are my guesses. Its harder to broadcast these games. (especially now with nbl.tv). Its harder to convince sponsors they are getting value for money in front of 1300 people at Mt Gambier versus 4500 in Adelaide. Its a bit of a slap in the face for your members - especially if, as I suspect it would in some cases, their membership base would outsell the regional venue.

Perth played games in Darwin. And they were paid handsomely by the NT government to do it. North Melbourne and Hawthorn play games in Tassie, with lucrative Tassie government support AND the guarantee of live tv coverage of those games. And they take weak drawing teams there - teams they might just "break even" against at home.

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Bear  
Years ago

I subscribe to the theory that just because something didn't work decades ago does not mean it can't work today in the 21st century.

If the TV deal was good enough and the stadium holds enough people and they did the promotion properly then, just like the WNBL in Bendigo, I can't see why it wouldn't be worth a shot...

Success is measured, therefore the level of success needs to be considered beforehand. If we just want to compare a country venue with the Hisense we are not talking about a fair comparison, not necessary to judge success this way IMO!

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koberulz  
Years ago

Won't Melbourne be forced into smaller venues due to the Australian Open anyway?

Reply #508435 | Report this post


HO  
Years ago

They go back to the State Netball and Hockey Centre for two games in January.

Reply #508436 | Report this post


Dazz  
Years ago

"Perth played games in Darwin"
In the Challenge Stadium era.

If you only have a small venue, (or can only sell a small number of seats) then being paid to play in a slightly smaller regional venue is no biggy.

You wouldn't find the Cats doing it now they can sell out the Arena.

The NBL needs to look at their marketing & branding in Melbourne.
I think Melbourne still holds the record for an NBL game? (A Melbourne "cross-town derby" final in the 90s?)

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Michael  
Years ago

maybe because the tennis is on?

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koberulz  
Years ago

"In the Challenge Stadium era."
They were playing regional home games back when they were at the Entertainment Centre, too.

Reply #508601 | Report this post


HO  
Years ago

Dazz, I would argue that the NBL needs to look at their relevance in Melbourne. Then start looking at marketing and branding once they find something out.

Reply #508626 | Report this post


Anonymous  
Years ago

The record crowd is about 17,000 in a double header in Sydney.

Reply #508648 | Report this post




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