Here's a threadstarter I put up on CSC, I have even emailed it to the club to see what their thoughts are :
Quote:
MEMO To The 'Smorgasboard' : Create Some Annual Clashes
As highlighted in another thread here on the Carlton Supporters Club forum, the 'Smorgasboard' have got a huge job ahead of them in regards to improving the club's image, financial position & onfield performances. One thing that could assist the club all round is for there to be 3-4 annual/traditional clashes every year against the same opposition.
As I sit here and type, I'm watching the Bombers V Pies traditional Anzac Day game on the box with a full house in attendance. Now there are a lot of Blues fans who would not remember this but the Blues had the Anzac Day game sewn up as they used to play the Bombers every year out at Waverley. Why we lost that is still a mystery but I'm guessing that the Eddie McGuire would have had a huge influence on that decision. Both of our biggest enemies reap huge financial benefits from this game by marketing the game to their supporters very well.
For us to get involved in a similiar scheme, we need to need to be proactive in our approach to this. The steps are quite simple, firstly identify some specific dates and then marry it up with some suitable opposition. Once this has been achieved, then we have to lobby the AFL with the plan and sell the benefits of it to them as well. If it is a win-win-win situation, one would expect the league to jump at it.
So, looking at the calendar, here are the specific dates that could be looked at :
1. Good Friday - is the most obvious one and at present is wide open for a concept of this nature but we need to work quickly in getting our proposal on the table. There would be some resistance to the scheduling of games on a religious holiday but I reckon there could be a groundswell of support for it as well. Next year's holiday is on Friday, 6th April.
2. Easter Monday - already has games scheduled in the round but what we could aim for is that our game was the only on in Melbourne which is quite achievable. Next year's holiday is on Monday, 9th April.
3. Labour Day - whilst this is celebrated nationally, every state has a different day (work that one out ??). In Queensland, this will be celebrated on Monday, 7th May.
4. Adelaide Cup Day - a South Australia only public holiday which in 2007 falls on Monday, 21st May.
5. Foundation Day - this is a public holiday only in Western Australia and in 2007 falls on Monday, 4th June.
6. Queen's Birthday - next year is on Monday, June 11 and given that it's a public holiday, a good opportunity beckons here.
Now, if we accept that we there are some obvious match-ups for 3, 4 & 5, we need to find some suitable opposition for the other matches and some sort of a rationale behind the games.
So, in my opinion, we should look at this as our 'traditional clash' schedule :
1. Good Friday - played at the MCG against either Geelong, St. Kilda or Richmond
2. Need to focus on Good Friday first, the Monday is a fall back position if it is decreed that footy will never be played on Good Friday.
3. QLD Labour Day - played at the Gabba against Brisbane
4. SA Adelaide Cup Day - played at Pleurisy Park against Adelaide
5. WA Foundation Day - played at Subiaco against West Coast
6. Queen's Birthday - played at the MCG against either Geelong, Richmond or St. Kilda
* I should point out that we pull huge crowds against Essendon* & Collingwood regardless of when we play them so why waste a special occassion game when the result would be the same ??
Now, that would give us five specific dates and opponents which could be built up and marketed to get full houses at each of them.
I haven't got a rationale for each of the games (by rationale I am suggesting why the game is played when it is etc) but I'm sure that we could collectively come up with something that is believable & workable.
At this stage, I reckon we could do something with the game on Foundation Day with an East VS West type scenario and that Carlton is one of the foundation members of the competition. Could the clubs play for the Foundation Cup ???
With the Adelaide Cup Day, surely there could be something done around the fact that we have had some of SA's best players at Carlton over the years and the game is played for the AFL's own Adelaide Cup.
Let me come back to you with some more concepts about those games, feel free to add your own ideas, we may be able to brainstorm this to something really workable.