AFL games in Wellington on backburner

BY SAM WORTHINGTON

Don't hold your breath for tight shorts in the capital.

A report in The Australian newspaper yesterday revealed the Western Bulldogs AFL club planned to hold competition games in Wellington within the next two years.

Wellington city councillor John Morrison told The Dominion Post there had been informal talks between the city and the AFL but there were concerns over the financial viability of such a relationship.

The AFL are reportedly asking for A$500,000 per game, with Wellington then receiving the gate receipts.

To make that offer tempting, there would have to be evidence that Westpac Stadium's capacity of 34,500 could be stretched, Morrison said.

The other mooted venue, the Basin Reserve, held a pre-season AFL game between Brisbane and Adelaide in 2001, attracting 8000 fans, but its capacity is only 12,000.

"The demands that the AFL want are a little high," Morrison said.

"The city is very interested but we've got to get the sums right.

"We don't want to drag people here, cost us a fortune and not make any money.

"If we think it has got attraction and can get a gate, well we're interested. At the moment, we are not convinced that can happen."

Morrison said the council was also wary of over-saturating Wellington's sporting market, with the Phoenix and Hurricanes, as well as international sport, fighting for fans' wallets.

"We're not having doors broken down with people enthusiastic about the game [AFL]," Morrison said.

"What we've got to be wary of is the disposable income of people. But having said that, we try and pump out the events and keep the city rocking."

The Australian reported Bulldogs chief executive, Campbell Rose, was likely to be in Wellington next month for further discussions.

With AFL endorsement, Rose last year outlined the initial proposal in a letter to Prime Minister John Key, an old yachting friend.

The Bulldogs currently sell two "home games" to Darwin and Canberra, with Wellington seen as an attractive alternative to those.

"I think there is a real opportunity for Melbourne and Wellington to establish a kindred, sister-city relationship with our sport," Rose said.

"Ours is a commercial venture designed for the benefit of Wellington and for us, the sort of thing that the city of Melbourne understands very well."

The Bulldogs finished third in last year's premiership and their ranks include stars Barry Hall, Jason Akermanis, Brad Johnson and Daniel Giansiracusa.

- © Fairfax NZ News