Norwood Financial Update

[BPBRB]

The Legs are on their way once more. No marching was ever required. No political favours received. No philanthropic benefactors. The club has achieved this turnaround entirely on its own merits in a manner which reflects its motto of Fortis in Procella - Strength in Adversity

Why didn't you just say North instead of trying to be a smartarse? You are not correct with your sweeping assessments of what happened and why they happened in terms of your political assistance dig with the North situation and the same applies to your dig at Rob Gerard. To be quite frank you wouldn't have a clue but if it makes you feel better then so be it.

[SimonH]

Any former Norwood players possibly in their last AFL season?

Scott Burns?!

That said (and it's a safe bet we wouldn't say no to Burns), the way to get people through the gates is to be winning games, not to buy high-profile players. People went to the Parade en masse to see Tredrea because it was a one-off chance to see an AFL champ playing local footy. He wouldn't add 100 to the crowd week-in, week-out if he's playing full-time for PAMFC in 5 years' time, unless he could contribute to Port being on top of the ladder.

If Norwood has plenty of cash for recruiting in 2008, we want to pick up blokes who really perform on the park, rather than names. Blokes like Kieran McGuinness and... gulp... Ian Callinan.

Great news for the NFC and its future, if anything like the numbers being talked about, are true. Kudos to all of those involved.

[woodwt]

Sold their premises on the Parade for several million dollars (4-5 mentioned).
Pokies parlour will be up and running in mid June.

With the price they got the premises on the Parade for and what they've sold it for they'll be laughing all the way to the bank.
Looks like they'll be back to their financial powerhouse status of previous years very soon.

How long will it last!!!!!!

[JK]

Sold their premises on the Parade for several million dollars (4-5 mentioned).
Pokies parlour will be up and running in mid June.

With the price they got the premises on the Parade for and what they've sold it for they'll be laughing all the way to the bank.
Looks like they'll be back to their financial powerhouse status of previous years very soon.

How long will it last!!!!!!

Is that a statement or a question? I would have thought Norwood's history has shown more longevity than that of WWt mate.

Still plenty of ground to travel for the NFC, but at least it would appear as though we're finally coming down the hill instead of pushing you know what up it.

[Dissident]

Sold their premises on the Parade for several million dollars (4-5 mentioned).
Pokies parlour will be up and running in mid June.

With the price they got the premises on the Parade for and what they've sold it for they'll be laughing all the way to the bank.
Looks like they'll be back to their financial powerhouse status of previous years very soon.

How long will it last!!!!!!

Is that a statement or a question? I would have thought Norwood's history has shown more longevity than that of WWt mate.

Still plenty of ground to travel for the NFC, but at least it would appear as though we're finally coming down the hill instead of pushing you know what up it.

To be fair CP - he was only commenting as a non-NFC person, not as a "WWT is better than NFC" way

[finn]

least norwood may finally be out of the bob hammond inspired windsor gardens half case warehouse fiasco of the early 80's.
perhaps a tweak of the rsl could be in order as people are right that a club needs a place to hang its hat - a clubhouse with money kept aside long term to but the houses nearby so extensions could be done further down the track.
i must admit, i pratically grew up in the old woods street premises and loved it.
go the 'legs tonight and the blacks tomorrow.

[doggies4eva]

A lot of jumping to conclusions here. I note that the NFC has made losses over the past 2 years of about $0.5m. I am not privy to the state of their balance sheet - perhaps one of their members can tell us what debts there are that need to be settled.

Selling one's major assets is not a great plan for funding future recruitment. The question is what will these assets be replaced with?

This may be a time for the NFC to consider bold moves like moving the operations of the club to a location relevant to the population of Adelaide in 2007 and beyond.

[CENTURION]

maybe now they can build a DECENT SHITHOUSE for the outer!

[SimonH]

This may be a time for the NFC to consider bold moves like moving the operations of the club to a location relevant to the population of Adelaide in 2007 and beyond.

a) The downside of moving in terms of identity, passionate support etc would be devastating to a club that is and has for 125+ years been called called 'Norwood', not 'East Adelaide' or something vague like that ;

b) The 'location relevant to the population of Adelaide' that falls in Norwood's catchment area is generally within 15 minutes drive of the Parade. 20 mins tops. We ain't talking about sending the Dodgers from Brooklyn to LA. Adelaide is ridiculously quick & easy to get around, esp if you don't need to travel through the CBD to get where you're going.

c) The club will continue to play its games at the Parade. What motivation would anyone have to spend millions to develop an oval in the NE of Adelaide to SANFL standard, when there's no reason to think that it would attract more punters than Norwood does now? (See, for example, Arctic Park and its very modest attendances.) Given that, why wouldn't you keep the administration where the club plays?

Impossible to see the advantages of moving, getting within a bulls roar of the disadvantages. Notable that even with the pokies venue being established further out NE (and lots of hand-wringing about fiscal woes until recently), no-one has so much as mentioned it.

[Wedgie]

A lot of jumping to conclusions here. I note that the NFC has made losses over the past 2 years of about $0.5m. I am not privy to the state of their balance sheet - perhaps one of their members can tell us what debts there are that need to be settled.

Nah mate, no false conclusions, the NFC made about a million out of Wood St by memory (after paying off most debts). I remember seeing their 1/2 mill loss and thinking they could only sustain one more of those so they'd probably still have a couple of hundred k of that which they've put into pokies palour with 4 mill to do with as they like, Id imagine they'd spend up to a mill more of that so it still leaves them with 3 mill to look at building/renovating club rooms around the place.

[Dog_ger]

OMG...! Get a life Fellas.....

[Wedgie]

Ben Hook said earlier Norwood have been offered 4.3 million for the site so there's a good chance that what they sold it for recently is considerably more than that.

[Sojourner]

It will be interesting to see how Norwood go connecting with the area in Windsor Gardens. that site does not have a great number of car parks and it looks quite small, so it would make sense for Norwood to get a second larger venue and use the Windsor Gardens venue soley as a Pokies facility to bring in a cash stream for the club.

One priority Norwood need to look at is connecting with the Modbury, Tea Tree Gully, Golden Grove areas. There are far more football clubs on that end of town and a far higher number of kids in the area. My experience from living up this way is that the area is a lot more connected to North Adelaide than Norwood, comming down North East Rd, you will now have the choice of continuing on down to the Norwood club or turning right into Grand Junction Rd and going to Grand North. No doubt with the two clubs so close together there is going to be some good competition for the $$$ from the North Eastern Suburbs. Norwood would do a lot better if they played some games at Ridgehaven and physically did something to connect with the area. I doubt that will happen because Norwood are not interested in giving up even one game at the Parade. So that may well see them lose out to North Adelaide in the longer term.

[Wedgie]

Isn't Adelaide City's pokie parlour which by all reports is a big big place and very plush closer to the Norwood pokie parlour than Norths next to Yatala?
And I didn't think it was anywhere near Windor Gardens, isn't it Holden Hill or Hillcrest with Windor Gardens being closer to town?

[Sojourner]

Hi Wedgie,

Apologies for the Suburb, Norwoods Pokie room is in Gilles Plains which is the suburb that borders Windsor Gardens.

The United club is likely closer to Grand North, yet it is built in the middle of the suburb of Oakden which is an newer suburb in from Grand Junction road on the city side, heading north up Grand Junction Rd it comes up before Grand North, turn in by the electricity substation.

[Wedgie]

Hi Wedgie,

Apologies for the Suburb, Norwoods Pokie room is in Gilles Plains which is the suburb that borders Windsor Gardens.

The United club is likely closer to Grand North, yet it is built in the middle of the suburb of Oakden which is an newer suburb in from Grand Junction road on the city side, heading north up Grand Junction Rd it comes up before Grand North, turn in by the electricity substation.

Cheers mate, I don't know that area well but always think of Windsor Gardens as a lot closer to town as I used to play indoor cricket there, probably not that far distance wise but whenever I used to be on NE Rd it was always peak hour and took years to get up there.
Actually managed to ride my bike from town to Modbury North and back where my grand parents lived when I was a teenager, like to see me try that now!

[Dissident]

Hi Wedgie,

Apologies for the Suburb, Norwoods Pokie room is in Gilles Plains which is the suburb that borders Windsor Gardens.

The United club is likely closer to Grand North, yet it is built in the middle of the suburb of Oakden which is an newer suburb in from Grand Junction road on the city side, heading north up Grand Junction Rd it comes up before Grand North, turn in by the electricity substation.

Cheers mate, I don't know that area well but always think of Windsor Gardens as a lot closer to town as I used to play indoor cricket there, probably not that far distance wise but whenever I used to be on NE Rd it was always peak hour and took years to get up there.

About 1.4km as the crow flies

[stan]

Isn't Adelaide City's pokie parlour which by all reports is a big big place and very plush closer to the Norwood pokie parlour than Norths next to Yatala?
And I didn't think it was anywhere near Windor Gardens, isn't it Holden Hill or Hillcrest with Windor Gardens being closer to town?

Wedgie get yourself out a street map mate and have a look. You seem to have the idea, but have a look and you will see that you are rightish

[stan]

Hi Wedgie,

Apologies for the Suburb, Norwoods Pokie room is in Gilles Plains which is the suburb that borders Windsor Gardens.

The United club is likely closer to Grand North, yet it is built in the middle of the suburb of Oakden which is an newer suburb in from Grand Junction road on the city side, heading north up Grand Junction Rd it comes up before Grand North, turn in by the electricity substation.

you are right. Northfield substation sits on the corner there. Head down foster road and its there.

[Dan The Man]

Financially it is a massive result for them, but I was thinking more in terms of what they were hoping to make them into when they first bought them. As an opposition supporter I can't say I'm an expert but I just get the feeling Norwood are struggling to feel like a club. Money won't change that, but a good base would. Here's hoping that base can be found or made with this money.

You are right on the money!