Has St Kilda had a hand out from the AFL?

[saint75]

As far as I am aware, we have not needed a hand out. However, every time we hear about poor clubs, St Kilda is lumped in as a poor club that went to the AFL with cap in hand. We are right up there with membership amongst some of the so called powerhouse clubs and after the Butterss board (which started with the Plimpton board) we cleared the debt and got the club back on track. Am I wrong? Did we receive a hand out that has not been made public.

Jeff Kennet on SEN now claiming we have received a hand out. Seriously, I am sick to death of being lumped with Port Adelaide, Bulldogs and Carlton (to name a few).

[mcadam05]

As far as I am aware, we have not needed a hand out. However, every time we hear about poor clubs, St Kilda is lumped in as a poor club that went to the AFL with cap in hand. We are right up there with membership amongst some of the so called powerhouse clubs and after the Butterss board (which started with the Plimpton board) we cleared the debt and got the club back on track. Am I wrong? Did we receive a hand out that has not been made public.

Jeff Kennet on SEN now claiming we have received a hand out. Seriously, I am sick to death of being lumped with Port Adelaide, Bulldogs and Carlton (to name a few).

we never have and never will! LONG LIVE THE SAINTS!

[Mr Magic]

We, along with Kennett's Club Hawthorn, received compensation from the AFL when they closed Waverley and moved us to the Telstra Dome.
Maybe that is what he's referring to?

[saint75]

Nope. Was referring to the inequities amongst the clubs and how the rich get richer and the poor get poorer and mention a couple of clubs that had received handouts and we were one of the clubs he named. There was definitely no mention of Hawthorn.

The guys on crunch time were hanging off his every word and how wonderful he would be if he was on the AFL commission as they believe he really knows his stuff. In future I would prefer to see him actually provide truthful and factual information if he wishes to uses examples to back up his theories. I suppose AFL is not based much in fact these days, so why should Jeff be any different......

[ausfatcat]

theres the handouts that kanga's, melbourne, bulldogs and port get and theres the equalisation fund.

The equalisation fund gives extra afl dividends to clubs and less to others ie collingoowd west coast get less than us ect. This is what Kennet is probably refering to. This fund changes every year for every club depending on gate receipts sponsership numbers ect ect

[Mr Magic]

Nope. Was referring to the inequities amongst the clubs and how the rich get richer and the poor get poorer and mention a couple of clubs that had received handouts and we were one of the clubs he named. There was definitely no mention of Hawthorn.

The guys on crunch time were hanging off his every word and how wonderful he would be if he was on the AFL commission as they believe he really knows his stuff. In future I would prefer to see him actually provide truthful and factual information if he wishes to uses examples to back up his theories. I suppose AFL is not based much in fact these days, so why should Jeff be any different......

I'm pretty sure the previous admin made a point of not asking the AFL for a 'handout'.
Maybe they asked for certain payments to be paid earlier?
Or maybe he is including the money teh AFL contributed to Seaford?

I cannot recall the previous boards to Butters going 'cap in hand' to the AFL?

[ausfatcat]

Guess what


striaght from the AFL's 2010 report


» A total of $7.1 million was paid from the AFL’s Annual
Special Distribution fund to the following clubs:
• Western Bulldogs Football Club ($1.7 million)
• North Melbourne Football Club ($1.4 million)
• Port Adelaide Football Club ($1.25 million)
• Melbourne Football Club ($1.0 million)
• Sydney Swans Football Club ($0.8 million)
• Carlton Football Club ($0.6 million)
• Richmond Football Club ($0.4 million)


no saints there

[ausfatcat]

Also guess what


total payments from the AFL to St Kilda last were

$9,851,727

and to Collingwood

10,291,860


Note: Collingwood received the second highest payment from the AFL 400k less than the Bulldogs.

[ausfatcat]

So in other words Kennet is pulling this stuff from his ass

[ozrulestrace]

That's why it makes my blood boil when previous permiership winners such as the Weagles, the Swans and other interstate teams have recieved handouts, often when those clubs were within cooee of bankruptcy.

And yet St Kilda as a club was told "you're on your own, raise your own money, other wise you fold like Fitroy"

[ausfatcat]

heres the link if anyone is interested

http://www.afl.com.au/portals/0/afl_doc ... porate.pdf

[gringo]

When we went from Moorabin to Waverley they guaranteed our gate takings as compo. When they wanted us to move again they told us to take the docklands deal or be penalised by needing to pay upkeep, development and all associated costs for VFL park. That's why they could stitch us up, we needed to move so took what was on offer. They decompensated the Saints, we were actually penalised for wanting to stay where we had put in a huge effort in establishing links to the geography of our ground.

[Hurricane]

Kennett is a tool and a liar?

Oh god, stop the press

BANG BANG

[Dan Warna]

Concur, andrew plympton pulled us out of the fire in the 1990s. I remember the tin rattlers, the SOS ball etc. It was backs to the wall stuff.

Not a penny from the AFL.

we got compensation for our gate losses at TD.

the original contract required 30k to break even at TD, at waverley anyone over 15,000 was profit for us, and on days when we had 40k we were pulling 250k profit from gate takings, back when tickets were 10 bucks a piece.

At TD we were making like 100k from 40,000 with $20 tickets...

[Enrico_Misso]

The breakeven point at Moorabbin was much lower again than Waverley!

[ausfatcat]

The breakeven point at Moorabbin was much lower again than Waverley!

Because they have to service a debt within 25 years where as waverly had no debt. YD will be a money maker when the AFL owns it debt free in a couple of years (10?), I just hope we don;t get sqeezed out or have to pay dividends to the other clubs with gate reveipts at that time.

[prwilkinson]

I believe we've received some monies at some point for poor the stadium deal in maybe 2009. No special assistance though. I agree it is annoying that our club has busted it's guts to get ITSELF into a good position yet we're still lumped in with clubs who always have their hands out.

[Dan Warna]

I believe we've received some monies at some point for poor the stadium deal in maybe 2009. No special assistance though. I agree it is annoying that our club has busted it's guts to get ITSELF into a good position yet we're still lumped in with clubs who always have their hands out.

my understanding is we were forced to move out of waverley, the AFL guaranteed we don't LOSE money at TD. (if anyone remembers we would have lost 100,000 had we had 25,000 people at a game at TD when we moved there)

playing to crowds of 18/20k against interstate sides would have killed us, so the AFL payed the diff.

This guarantee was only for 3 or 4 years.

I had the opportunity to talk for 5/10 minutes with our former recruitment manager, David Friend I think his name was, he was being berated by some st kilda bogan and he was very polite and answered clearly and concisely to every barrage.

he said we had NO choice in the manner, the deal was forced on us as the MCG did not want us.

Sadly the cap went both ways and when we had crowds of 50K the AFL creamed the money off us.

Since about 2004/5 We've generally pulled good crowds with solid success and made solid money from TD.

should we fall again, TD will burn a hole in us.

[Junction Oval]

The Saints have a Commercial Bill facility available of $5mil, guaranteed by the AFL, of which $2.5mil has been drawn down, according to last year's accounts.

[Dan Warna]

The Saints have a Commercial Bill facility available of $5mil, guaranteed by the AFL, of which $2.5mil has been drawn down, according to last year's accounts.

Is that a loan, not a handout?

[Junction Oval]

Dan Warna asked :

Is that a loan, not a handout?

It's a Commercial Loan, not an AFL one. The point is that it is a debt that the Club has and if unpaid by October this year, will need to be rolled over. It's a normal commercial borrowing practice.

As costs increase - Football Department/people in particular, so Club revenue needs to increase in proportion. It's a difficult balance. In the past, Club's have driven themselves broke through too much debt - Richmond and others, from which they are unable to recover for many years.