When Politics Scuppered Sport - Know Your History with Shannon Gill (05.06.25)

Just 20 years ago, it was a cow panic, but it grew and kept on growing until April 18 when Geelong and Fitzroy played the inaugural match at BFL Park.

People complained bitterly that money was being wasted on a stadium out in the sticks.

But on this day, more than 25,000 fans made the trip to Waverley to see the opening.

Although Geelong beat Fitzroy by 61 points, the real winner was the vast new complex.

VFL Park.

We've been dancing around the edges of VFL Park.

The cow paddock that became

the stadium out in the sticks.

Just the way it's happened at VFL.

What we're seeing now in Tasmania, we have seen before.

And VFL Park and the establishment of VFL Park is a great example of where politics and sport mixed together.

And not so much favorably for football.

So this is at the height of the Cold War? Yeah, the Cold War between the VFL.

Well, it's actually the Cold War.

It starts the Cold War between footy and cricket.

So footy, up until really the 60s and 70s, is played as the secondary sport on every ground.

And cricket rules.

And cricket has...

the establishment, and the government's sympathy on everything.

So footy is up against it.

We spoke last year about the Olympics that were going to happen at Carlton.

Remember that? Sir Kenneth Luke was the guy behind that who ends up being the president of the VFL.

His idea was we're going to have the Olympics at Carlton, then the Carlton Princess Park would be the home of sport and footy for the future.

It doesn't happen.

But Sir Kenneth Luke... wants to hang on to this idea.