COLLINGWOOD has launched a radical plan to become the AFL's team on the Gold Coast with a proposal to play up to six games at Carrara as early as next season.
Magpies' president Eddie McGuire and his chief executive Gary Pert yesterday met AFL chiefs Mike Fitzpatrick and Andrew Demetriou and put forward the rival bid, assuring the AFL it would step into a new-look Gold Coast agreement should the Kangaroos reject the $100 million offer to move there.
McGuire, as long as four years ago, indicated interest in a push into the southern Queensland market but has been repeatedly told that the AFL wanted a permanently based team in the fast-growing region.
However, the Kangaroos' reluctance to commit to a move, due to their divided board and unwilling shareholders has seen the Magpies put forward an alternative.
It is understood that Fitzpatrick and Demetriou did not reject the offer out of hand following McGuire's insistence that the club's strong following in the region could prove a viable alternative for the AFL even without a permanent relocation.
"We talked about a number of issues," Demetriou said last night. "Collingwood is a very innovative football club."
When asked the specifics of the Magpies' Gold Coast proposal, Demetriou replied: "You'll have to ask them."
McGuire told The Age: "We don't discuss private meetings with the AFL."
However, the Magpies' president conducted a series of interviews on Melbourne radio yesterday, promoting the importance of the AFL's strategy of expansion into southern Queensland.
McGuire is understood to have pushed the significant economic impact of a Collingwood presence up north along with the fact that the move could take place at a significantly reduced cost to the competition and without any further compromising of the draft.
The AFL did not totally reject revising next year's fixture given the reality that should the Kangaroos reject the league's proposal, their four games scheduled for 2008 would struggle to capture the hearts and minds of the Gold Coast public.
The $120 million first stage of the Carrara redevelopment is contingent on an AFL team committing to a permanent presence in the region but the Magpies reportedly argued that even a permanent part-time presence by a strong club could sway the Queensland government.
Should the, albeit left-field, offer by Collingwood be considered, the Magpies only interstate games would most likely take place at Carrara or the Gabba. Should the Kangaroos, on the other hand, convince their shareholders to relinquish their stake in the club or vote for relocation, the Magpies are understood to have put forward a second proposal to play an equally significant package of games in Sydney's west.
The Magpies' board has already discussed the proposal in the belief a foray into the undeveloped region would prove a viable alternative to the already-established rugby league club, the Gold Coast Titans, and could prove a profitable one for the club.
Collingwood has its own travel agency and has already invested significant resources researching viable business opportunities in southern Queensland.
Earlier this week, Collingwood announced a record operating profit of more than $2 million, which made 2007 the seventh successive year the Magpies had recorded figures in excess of $1 million.
Collingwood's proposal came on the same day that Kangaroos director James Brayshaw announced a plan for his club to stay at Arden Street.
The plan includes investments of $10 million, and sponsorship of nearly $2 million. The initiative also involves dissolving the club's complicated share structure and returning it to a traditional membership-based structure. New directors, including former coach Denis Pagan, would be recruited under the plan.
