From the late 1960s onward, the club suffered from stadium constraints and financial difficulties, that resulted in multiple merger and relocation proposals.
During the game Bibby and Plum concluded that there was a great opportunity for Australian football in Sydney and that Fitzroy should be a part of that.
The promising initial findings encouraged some of those on the Fitzroy committee to consider a move was worthy of more investigation.
On 15 July, the Club defaulted on a cheque for $17,500 to the Australian Taxation Office, wages cheques were expected to be dishonoured that week; creditor could not be paid; an annual repayment of a major loan was six months overdue; a taxi company threatened the previous week to stop servicing the Club unless there was a significant payment on an outstanding account, and overdue maintenance work continued to force staff to work in sub-standard accommodation.
[5] At the time Fitzroy Football Club was not incorporated (this would occur in 1981) and any significant move such as relocation needed the approval of members at an extraordinary meeting.
However the Lions were unable to develop their existing home ground - the Junction Oval - because of financial constraints.
On field success did not translate into increased membership and revenue with Fitzroy eventually moving to play home games at Victoria Park in 1985, five years after the shift to Sydney was first mooted.
The proposed merger was within a couple of days of being put to the members of Melbourne and Fitzroy for voting.
This time Melbourne president Ian Ridley and Fitzroy chairman Dyson Hore-Lacy conducted talks.
These talks began in late July 1994 at the city offices of Noel McMahen (Melbourne's vice president).
However, as Fitzroy had a tentative in principle agreement with the Melbourne Football Club to merge, the proposed merger with Hawthorn was rejected.
Like Melbourne, Fitzroy lacked a permanent training venue and had limited resources to make any new club, a strong powerful entity.
The VFL agreeing to clear both Fitzroy's and Footscray's debts as part of the merger, and allow the new club to begin debt-free.
[16] After a bumpy start, relations between the Lions and Fitzroy are strong, with a one club approach being taken by both parties.