Proposed relocation of the North Melbourne Football Club


The Proposed relocation of the North Melbourne Football Club has been an ongoing issue involving the North Melbourne Football Club since the mid-1990s. It has involved proposals that the club, during financially difficult times, move to several locations most notably the Gold Coast which was supported by the Australian Football League and put to a club member vote.

Early merger and relocation proposals

In 1996, North Melbourne and the Fitzroy Lions agreed to merge to become the 'North Fitzroy Kangaroos', but their plans were scuttled by Richmond who feared the creation of a 'super club'. Fitzroy ended up merging with the Brisbane Bears, who in turn became the Brisbane Lions.

Sydney and Canberra

The Kangaroos then signed an agreement to play some home games at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 1999 until 2002. Following this the Kangaroos played home games at Canberra's Manuka Oval from 2002 until 2006, when the Kangaroos received a better offer to move home games to the Gold Coast.

Gold Coast

In 2006 the Kangaroos agreed to play 3 home games at Carrara Stadium in the Gold Coast throughout 2007, which fuelled speculation of a possible relocation there by 2010. With 10 of the 16 AFL clubs based in and around Melbourne, the AFL has always pushed for more involvement interstate.
The Kangaroos had full AFL backing for their Gold Coast experiment, and the team had filmed a television commercial shown in South East Queensland promoting their team and the game. The AFL had stated that it wanted one game a week played in Queensland by 2015.
On 2 December 2007, media reports from The Age stipulated that the AFL had garnered support from 75% of the Kangaroos Board to move the club to the Gold Coast. With the club having a unique shareholder 'system' which gives members little say in the matter, the fact that the majority of the board saw the future of the club on the Gold Coast did not bode well for opponents of a move.
The Kangaroos answered their critics with a 24-point win in their first "home" game at Carrara against the Lions. Hamish McIntosh picked up 20 possessions while Leigh Brown kicked three goals. Jess Sinclair, Glenn Archer and Daniel Wells were the Kangaroos best.
During October, supporters started to mobilise in opposition to the proposed relocation. A group, led by David Wheaton, called We Are North Melbourne emerged and launched a public campaign, calling for the Club's shareholder structure to be wound-up and for ordinary members to be given the final say on the relocation issue. The group also raised questions about the viability of the AFL's relocation offer which grabbed national media attention.
Another group, created by Shane Lidgerwood, staged a "Roosistence" rock concert, headed by You Am I frontman, Tim Rogers, to raise funds for the club to remain in Melbourne.
On 6 December, the North Melbourne board rejected the AFL proposal to relocate to the Gold Coast.
On 7 December they announced an intention to return to the name North Melbourne, underlining their desire to stay based in Melbourne.
The club announced a major upgrade to their Arden Street facilities in an attempt to remain competitive off the field.
Shortly after, Rick Aylett quit as CEO of the club, citing personal reasons and an inability to work with a board which was split on the issue of relocation to the Gold Coast. Following the announcement, James Brayshaw named a new board, committed to remaining in Melbourne.
On 8 December news of a new major sponsorship deal broke, suggesting Vodafone will put up to A$2 million into the club over the next 2 years for primary naming rights.

Tasmania

Since 2007 there have been frequent discussions to relocate North Melbourne to Tasmania. At the start of the 2006 season the Devils and the Australian Football League's North Melbourne Football Club began a partial alignment, allowing North Melbourne listed players to play for Tasmania when not selected in the seniors, and arrangement which lasted from 2006 until 2007. This was unpopular among local fans, significantly harming the popularity of the club; and the season proved to be a disappointment on-field, with the Devils finishing ninth and missing the finals. These discussions have increased since 2012 after the club began playing regular premiership fixtures in Tasmania. In 2020 Caroline Wilson stated that "within the AFL there’s a view that Tasmania should not be off the table despite the fact that it seems like an indulgence at the moment, and that North Melbourne should go to Tasmania". Former North Melbourne CEO Ron Joseph added to the discussion about North Melbourne relocating to Tasmania in April 2020 by saying that "I think North Melbourne has been identified as the club that they’d like to head AFL football in Tasmania...They haven’t got an AFL competition until they have a Tasmanian team. It’s a real issue for the AFL".