ground ratings

Some interesting thoughts there..... I'd rate the Port Melbourne ground as the benchmark of the comp..... The Frankston ground is ok...but nowhere near the benchmark... Bendigo...haven't been there yet but the gaems I've seen on TV, the surface is bloody awful..... 6/10 Box Hill...HUGE ground....excellent view from the terraced hill...8/10 Coburg...best terracing of any ground but I've been there so many times and have yet to see a decent crowd there....7/10 FRankston...lot of work done in recent times...surface has improved heaps..good terracing where the yobbos stand.....7/10 North Ballarat...best facilities of any team in the VFL...most AFL teams would love the facilities the Roosters have...lacks a bit in atmoshere particularly on the other side of the ground....7/10 Geelong...brilliant ground...good enough for an AFL team!!...but totally inappropriate for a VFL match on its own there...8/10 Preston....good stand and facilities on that side of the ground...zero atmoshere on the other side....7/10 Port Melbourne..excellent surface...good stand...even the loos are ok....ideal ground for VFL level....8.5/10 Sandy...I'm biased about the TBO so I won't give it a rating....one of the best wet weather surfaces anywhere Springvale...Newcomen Rd was a bit of a hole...the surface was awfuyl...the tin shed on the wing was just that...a tin shed...moving to Shepley was much better...Cranbourne has got to be better than Necomen Rd....4/10 for Newcomen Rd Werribee...I don't mind Chirnside Park...the surface is one of the most uneven I've seen...but good facilities are ok....7/10 Williamstown.Would have to be one of the most scenic grounds anywhere in the world...great on a reasonable day....bloody awful on a cold windy day...but if you're getting flogged at least you can watch the ships coming and going....8/10 Tasmania...only been to North Hobart...great surface...great facilities...always a pleasure going there even if you get beaten the locals still have a coherent conversation with you...unlike some other teams in our comp....8/10

I love going to every single ground in the VFL. (except anything to do with the Springvale Pariahs.) They are fantastic old time football grounds. But you asked for a ranking. Based on the above Zebraman considers Frankston Park to be the equal 3rd worst ground in the competition. You have to be either blind, otherwise dilluded, or one of the better commedians I have read. It has by far the best surface, possibly equalled by Port. Preston is shocking. Lets rank them then. Geelong and Bellerive don't count as they are both fantastic, but can't be considered as VFL grounds. Just as Oprtus Oval wouldn't be. If we use a bit of science and rank 10 as the best of the grounds, then I would go like this. As part of the process, I have ignored geography and assumed I live next door to the ground. Frankston 9/10. Nine simply because it was not finished last season, the new food facilities still need to go in, and it seems that a lot of people havn't yet found the new toilet facilities at the beach end. Port 8/10 Nothing wrong with it, and once the development is completed, will be the best. Just enough Grandstand space, but a big crowd challenges it at the moment. At the moment lacks any lunch/corporate type facilities with a view of the ground, but that will change. Williamstown 7.5/10 Great vista, ground pretty good. Lacks a bit in Grandstand facilities. Bendigo 7/10 The facilities for spectators are great. The old stand is a treat and the covered bits around the ground is something differant. The ground however is either slop or rock hard and the visitors rooms are pathetic. Over the other side of the ground by the swimming pool. Nth Ballarat 6.5/10 Surface pretty good. Club/bar facilities streets ahead of the rest, but there is just not enough seating around the ground under cover. Cars in a ground is not the go. Sandringham 6/10 Sandy is pretty good, but is a shocker when the wind blows. And it actually holds water pretty badly on a wet day. Only ground I have ever seen the Boundary umpire throw the ball in (from the Beach Road side) 3 times in the one game and have the ball blow back over his head and land in front of him. Werribee 5/10 Good function facilities. Surface like a beach after it has been dragged. Saw a boudary umpire litterally fall in a hole dug for water run off against the fence last year and end up on his ear. And while everyone wants to bag the odd "yobbo" at Frankston, you want to cop the boys in the utes parked on the oputer side of the ground. Full of grog by half time, they make the boys on the hill at Frankston lokk like choirboys. Box Hill 5/10 The ground is just too wide. As for facilities, when they actually get some I will rank them! Coburg 4/10 Needs a fair bit of help. But I love it because it was the first ground I ever went to. Many many many years ago. Preston 3/10 Just nothing there. Not enough grandstand. Limited facilities. Opposition rooms need some serious help. Springvale 1/10 Newcommen was a disgrace, and never should have been used last year. Casey isn't ready yet so can't be ranked until it is. Even then I would expect a year or two of teething problems.

I'm a sucker for all the grounds in the VFL as well, it is one thing I love about the VFL that I can go to different places every week. Cramer St - 8/10: What a great idea to have a grandstand on the wing! Plenty of shelter for a wet day, easy to get to by train, cark parking is an issue on Saturdays, but I do love going to Preston for the footy. Frankston - 8/10 has a real charm about it, the terracing work is good, there is plenty of area to stand and watch footy. Dislike the space at the beach end, its often filled with little pests running around throwing rocks so perhaps the club should remove those rocks before the little shits hit someone. Fans are a tad feral. Port 7.5/10 - Nice Grandstand, easy to see the other side of the ground, plenty of parking, good food. Pity theres not much to perve on in the supporter base. Williamstown 7.5/10 - As much as Willy can be rotten on a wet day, there is something special about the ground for watching footy. I went there more this year for TAC Cup and with a small crowd it's nice to get a seat by the fence and take in the action. Needs more toilet facilities though! Bendigo 7/10 - Ground is a bit of a bad shape but again has plenty of cover and lights. Sandringham 7/10 - A bit small and not a lot of good spots to watch the game but a nice place to watch footy if you take your own seat and plant it on the grass on a nice day. Coburg 6.5/10 - I do like the City Oval. Car Parking is hell and the area is a bit scummy but the surface is terrific (despite the hill on the cricket pitch). Shame the grandstand was not fixed properly. Newcomen Rd 5.5/10 - Only went there once, this year, perhaps knowing it was on the verge of death made me look at it differently but it was a nice place. A bit run down and I'm sure rooms and club facilities were woeful but good enough for me to watch the footy. Werribee 4/10 - Despite the cash the council have spent they haven't improved what matters most - the surface and the shelter. Pretty little front gates and concrete paths with plants are good but whats inside is more important. Box Hill 3.5/10 - It is a dog of a place. Too wide, no shelter and pretty poor car parking. There could be 40 people there and you couldn't get a seat. Worst spectator facilities in the VFL by a mile. Never been to Nth Ballarat

Dolphin wrote:Werribee ... And while everyone wants to bag the odd "yobbo" at Frankston, you want to cop the boys in the utes parked on the oputer side of the ground. Full of grog by half time, they make the boys on the hill at Frankston lokk like choirboys.

Those 'boys' are Werribee's reserves players!!!

Frankston 9/10????? and you call me a comedian!! Good grief...give me a break....I said the surface has improved heaps at Frankston....I've been there when the entire ground was under water when Tommy Alvin was coach...so they've done a great job improving what was a very sub standard surface... And to say that Sandy's ground doesn't old the water well???.. Now I know you're joking... Still...good for a laugh reading the Frankston indocrination section. Next I'll be hearing that Robert Mace and Alex Marcou are best mates!

zebraman wrote:And to say that Sandy's ground doesn't old the water well???..

That was a strange comment from Dolphin, I'd have thought TBO being on a sand base would have good draining.

exactly footyman...TBO has always been a good wet weather ground and since they stopped playing cricket there the centre area is good too....Williamstowns is a great wet weather ground as well...both being very close to the beach....Frankston is across the road from the beach and it did have some surface probs...but it's now a very good surface there.. ahhh...the joys of defending our teams grounds! I love it! GO Zebras

Zebraman, Try and understand the concept. I tried to explain it as simply as I could. 10 = the best ground in the competition. Understand I ranked Frankston as the best, but not 10 as it isn't finished. I see Footyman ranked it as his equal best aswell. Maybee not so funny then after all!! I consider that Sandringham holds water on a very wet day. It does. When did Tom Alvin ever coach Frankston???? Can you explain what indocrination means?

Dolphin wrote:I see Footyman ranked it as his equal best aswell. Maybee not so funny then after all!!

I did forget to mention the poles in the grandstand!!! They get in the way badly and the signs that hang from the top block the view from the back row as well. But other than that I think your ground isnt too bad.

footyman wrote:[quote:f78e62b365="Dolphin"] I see Footyman ranked it as his equal best aswell. Maybee not so funny then after all!!

I did forget to mention the poles in the grandstand!!! They get in the way badly and the signs that hang from the top block the view from the back row as well. But other than that I think your ground isnt too bad.[/quote] So don't sit in the back row!! and there is only one sign anyway.