TOPIC:

I’m afraid you’ve got me confused with someone else Winger.I have no inside knowledge of the name change situation-just offering an opinion.I’m sure your mates have contributed financially and emotionally to the club over the years and it’s their right to do what they want so far as leaving is concerned.I was commenting on how much of a shame that would be and I was simply reacting to your point about them possibly going.If they bleed red and blue like you do I would be very surprised if they left but who knows.And yes you are right the club will survive without the council’s $30k but every little bit helps.So I’ll ask you- do you think the name will or should change and if so you’re preference?
 

My apologies Feds, I misread the room. If it came down to a members vote, I would vote no to a name change but if and I wouldn't be surprised if the vote was yes then I would accept it and embrace the Joondalup Falcons. When the club moved to Joondalup, members literally threw their badges at the committee and walked out never to be seen again. Some members sold up and moved north and some members like me who live in the southern suburbs embraced the move and got on with it. At the time I felt that the club located too far north and Balcatta would have been a better location. The club has had much success but its also had its lows and I wonder if the club located lets say Balcatta, would the club have the same highs and lows. Its just a thought. Keep well Feds.

Winger if your club moved to Balcatta to keep the garlic muncher identity going strong, then I reckon Subiaco or East Perth would have taken the leap of faith and headed north to Joondalup. You will forever lay claim to new growth areas up in the north.

As that continues to grow or infill, you may lose some of the southern parts of your zones like Ocean Reef to Subi and the flow on effect to other adjoining clubs.

Thanks for your thoughts Winger.Yeah it’s a tough one regarding where the move should have been.I take your point about maybe a little closer to the old stomping ground but maybe if that that happened would we have been in the same spot in another 10 years? Balcatta/Osborne Park areas were not exactly booming population growth suburbs so maybe they thought let’s bite the bullet and go longer term and go where growth,although taking longer,was more sustainable.Also we may not have been allocated the zone areas we currently have and as DD pointed out there might have been pressure from other clubs to grab what we currently have.
Interesting point about people moving closer to the ground.It was a coincidence only but I ended up buying a house in 1994 which is a five minute walk from the ground.Has come in handy when I have had a few more than I intended at the club rooms after a game!All good Winger - the heart beats true.

It's got me stuffed why you moved from Leederville in the first place given the ground now accommodates two WAFL clubs. You could still have been allocated suburbs in the north or anywhere else for the matter by the WAFC without packing up and moving out.

BC I may be wrong but if my memory serves there was a lot going on behind the scenes in that the WAFC wanted a presence in the burgeoning northern suburbs.Combine that with our lack of population growth in the zones we had, the long term future looking bleak,carrots being dangled about brand new stadium and better zone allocation and physical cash for moving it probably sounded pretty attractive. The club also probably thought that even if the commission just simply allocated new zones and we stayed where we were servicing the zones was not as convenient as just moving there.Yes I know all clubs service distant areas and it can be done but in our situation combine that with the fact that the other considerations would raise their heads again soon it really was the only decision to make then.

The move to Joondy from a player pov is the correct one, that norther corridor will be rich pickings for decades to come, shame you had to be lumbered with the bloodsuckers at Venues West, but you will rival Claremont when it comes to producing quality juniors if you work it right.

Key words in your post SS are “if you work it right “.Unfortunately it’s only in recent times that we have fully exploited our zones as we should have.I base that comment on an interview I heard on 91.3 about a year or so ago where Ryan Lasscock our then colts coach(who had just been awarded I think a major coaching award) freely admitted that the club had not been in a position to put the resources they wanted to into their junior development.It wasn’t from a lack of trying or the hard work of lots of wonderful people just funding was clearly an issue.Hopefully that can now be overcome and it is now encouraging to see the last few years have seen our young guys playing in grand finals in both colts and reserves.As you say SS if we can start producing talent like CL have we will be well pleased.

BC wrote:

It's got me stuffed why you moved from Leederville in the first place given the ground now accommodates two WAFL clubs. You could still have been allocated suburbs in the north or anywhere else for the matter by the WAFC without packing up and moving out.

i might be wrong, but i'd suggest leederville oval was falling apart, there was no money on the table (at the time) to fix it, so a move to a brand new stadium would seem pretty rosy.

west perth had some pretty lean years leading up to the move and once they got up there i feel fortune changed for them pretty quickly - maybe my memory doesn't serve me well with this... correct me..

as to leederville hosting two clubs -  subiaco paid for their own clubrooms - don't get me wrong - the council and the government put some money towards the "football centre of excellence" which is a laughable name for what we have today.

its not bad - but the infrastructure (except for probably subiaco's clubrooms) still needs major overhauls to tick all the boxes councils need to tick. and vincent has no money.
 

You’ve summed it up perfectly Alahoy .Deteriorating facilities,no spare money at the club and nothing substantial from the council all lead to the decision to move.Yes on field success followed in the short term with GF wins in 95,99 and 2003 and GF appearances in 98 and 2002.Then another slow period.You’re also right about the current facilities at Leederville.If Subi hadn’t emptied their pockets the place might be now as bad what it was.Hopefully things will improve.