TonyK
CibbuanoAFL commits to 10 teams in Victoria
May 6th 2009 05:45
AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou says the league is committed to 10 teams in Victoria.
Former league boss Wayne Jackson said on Wednesday said financial battlers North Melbourne and Melbourne should merge as it would be in the 'best long-term interests of the game'.
"It (a merger between the two clubs) will be expensive and it will cause an enormous amount of angst amongst a relatively small number of people but I really do think it's in the best long-term interests of the game," Jackson told Adelaide radio station 5AA.
"Just hypothesising it - when you think about the Melbourne footy club and the Kangaroos (merging) you could have a red, white and blue (jumper), have the club called the Melbourne Kangaroos, playing out of the MCG, and if managed well the best football brand name you could wish for in a couple of years."
But Demetriou insisted Melbourne and North would remain in Victoria and as separate entities.
"We actually want 10 teams in Melbourne," Demetriou said.
"It's important that we have 10 teams in Melbourne and it's important for a number of reasons."
"One is it generates a lot of economy in this state and it generates a significant amount of economy at the MCG and at Docklands."
"You take teams out of that, they will be affected – those venues will be affected, their capacity to pay their loan will be affected."
Demetriou said any reduction in the number of Victorian teams would greatly impact the AFL's chances of increasing the value of its broadcasting rights.
With the deal to include an extra game per week the league is expecting to reap $1 billion for its television rights from 2012-16.
"You take two clubs out, then what you'll see is we'll get a reduction in our broadcast rights," he said.
Former league boss Wayne Jackson said on Wednesday said financial battlers North Melbourne and Melbourne should merge as it would be in the 'best long-term interests of the game'.
"It (a merger between the two clubs) will be expensive and it will cause an enormous amount of angst amongst a relatively small number of people but I really do think it's in the best long-term interests of the game," Jackson told Adelaide radio station 5AA.
"Just hypothesising it - when you think about the Melbourne footy club and the Kangaroos (merging) you could have a red, white and blue (jumper), have the club called the Melbourne Kangaroos, playing out of the MCG, and if managed well the best football brand name you could wish for in a couple of years."
But Demetriou insisted Melbourne and North would remain in Victoria and as separate entities.
"We actually want 10 teams in Melbourne," Demetriou said.
"It's important that we have 10 teams in Melbourne and it's important for a number of reasons."
"One is it generates a lot of economy in this state and it generates a significant amount of economy at the MCG and at Docklands."
"You take teams out of that, they will be affected – those venues will be affected, their capacity to pay their loan will be affected."
Demetriou said any reduction in the number of Victorian teams would greatly impact the AFL's chances of increasing the value of its broadcasting rights.
With the deal to include an extra game per week the league is expecting to reap $1 billion for its television rights from 2012-16.
"You take two clubs out, then what you'll see is we'll get a reduction in our broadcast rights," he said.
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