Brayshaw plans to keep Roos in Melbourne
The push to have the Kangaroos remain in Melbourne and avoid a relocation to the Gold Coast gathered more steam on Friday after board member James Brayshaw outlined a financial plan to make the AFL club viable.
The Kangaroos and the AFL were unable to reach an agreement on Friday over the league's push to have the club move north with the deadline for a final decision extended until early next month.
Club board members met with AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou and other league officials in a meeting where proposals representing both sides of the debate were outlined.
The AFL, which wants another club based in south-east Queensland by 2010, presented its incentive package which reportedly includes wiping off the Kangaroos' debt of more than $4.5 million plus offering other financial and recruiting concessions.
Then Brayshaw and his fellow directors in favour of the Kangaroos remaining in Melbourne outlined their plan to raise the sort of revenue needed to make the club financially viable on its own, instead of being reliant on league hand-outs.
Given the Kangaroos board was yet to see the AFL's plan in detail and the pro-relocation board members had not been informed fully of Brayshaw's proposal, both sides agreed more time was needed for the plans to be studied.
A decision is now expected to be made in the coming weeks although the Kangaroos are expected to be given time to study the proposals some time over the next fortnight.
The AFL identified the Kangaroos as the best club to relocate to the Gold Coast given their financial difficulties and low support base, plus the fact they already have a presence in the region having already hosted games at Gold Coast Stadium.
However Brayshaw believed it was possible for the Kangaroos to retain control of their finances and stay in Melbourne through a plan to attract sponsorship and build revenue through investment.
Speaking at a press conference after the board meeting, Brayshaw said the anti-relocation faction was confident of raising $1.5 million in sponsorship over the next three months, $1 million of which was already confirmed.
"We (also) spoke about a non-football revenue stream of $8 million guaranteed for the start of 2008 and $10 million guaranteed by the start of 2009," he said.
"We spoke about (making) a profit by the end of `09 of $4 million."
Brayshaw conceded there was "no way" the Kangaroos could match the financial might of the AFL, but he and his supporters are keen for the club to be given the chance to see if they can survive on their own and continue to call Melbourne home.
Brayshaw conceded the AFL's presentation was a "classy" one, and would be good for the club if it opted to relocate.
However, he said much of the Kangaroos' heritage - the club was founded as North Melbourne in 1869 - would be lost if it was based in Queensland.
The AFL has said it will provide a 17th licence if the Kangaroos do not take up its offer.
However, the AFL's inability to strike a deal with Gold Coast Stadium to have the venue redeveloped into a 25,000-seater ground could be crucial in swaying board members against the idea of moving north.
Kangaroos supporters, who are overwhelmingly against relocation, hailed the stay-in-Melbourne group's proposal.
David Wheaton, a spokesman for the We Are North Melbourne supporters group, said it was unacceptable for the club to be relocated in the name of "corporate expediency".
He commended both sides for releasing their proposals and was looking forward to members getting their say.
In further cause for optimism for members, Demetriou and Brayshaw agreed that the Kangaroos' complicated structure of having shareholders have a major say in club decisions should be scrapped, and that more say should be given to members.
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